THE EFFECTIVENESS OF READING SKILL-BASED STRATEGIES FOR TOEFL TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT SCORES OF TOEFL READING SECTION AT UIN SUNAN AMPEL SURABAYA ACADEMIC YEAR 2014-2015.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF READING

SKILL-BASED STRATEGIES FOR TOEFL TO

IMPROVE STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT

SCORES OF TOEFL’S READING SECTION

AT UIN SUNAN AMPEL SURABAYA

THESIS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan (S.Pd.) in Teaching English

By:

Lathifatul Ainiyyah

NIM. D95211085

ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND TEACHER TRAINING

SUNAN AMPEL STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

SURABAYA

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF READING

SKILL-BASED STRATEGIES FOR TOEFL TO

IMPROVE STUDENT

S’ ACHIEVEMENT

SCORES OF TOEFL READING SECTION

AT UIN SUNAN AMPEL SURABAYA

THESIS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan (S.Pd.) in Teaching English

By:

Lathifatul Ainiyyah

NIM. D95211085

ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND TEACHER TRAINING

SUNAN AMPEL STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

SURABAYA

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APPROVAI, SHEET

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T1EFL

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Improve Students' Achievement Scores of

loEFL's Reading section at LIIN sunan Ampel Surabaya" has been approved by the :hesis advisors for further approval by the board of examiners.

Surabaya, July 2Sth 2105

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EXAMINERS APPROVAL SIIEET

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Prof. Arief Furqon. MA. Ph.D

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ABSTRACT

Ainiyyah, Lathifatul. (2015). The Effectiveness of Reading Skill-Based Strategies for

TOEFL to Improve Students’ Achievement Scores of TOEFL Reading Section at

UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya Academic Year 2014-2015. A Thesis. English Teacher Education Department, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Sunan Ampel State Islamic University Surabaya. Advisor: Masdar Hilmy, MA., Ph. D.

Key Words: TOEFL, Reading Section, Reading Strategy, Reading Skill-Based

Strategy for TOEFL, Students’ Achievement Scores

TOEFL is internationally test to evaluate non-native English speakers’ language proficiency. It measures listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks in English. The content of the manual are equally relevant for the paper based test. Moreover, some studies showed that TOEFL score of the students are still under the standard, especially the score of TOEFL reading section. Most of students usually get bored while doing TOEFL reading section. Therefore, they need the stategy in facing TOEFL test of TOEFL reading section, it is reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL. Reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are the strategies proposed by Deborah Philips in Longman book to help the students to be able to answer the questions of TOEFL reading section by identifying some kinds of questions based on the skills. It is hoped that the students can practice those strategies and can improve their achievement scores of TOEFL reading section by those strategies. After that, the researcher used descriptive statistic to know whether reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are effective to improve students’ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section. This study used quantitative pre-experimental design that needed the numerical data. Paired sample t-test was used to measure the result of pre-test and post-test, whether there upgrading or not. After calculating the result by statistic calculation, it was found that there was difference between the scores of test and post-test. The score of post-test is higher than the score of pre-test, so it means that the treatment of reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL was successful. Besides, the researcher also wants investigate students’ responses after studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL, whether they are agree or disagree toward those strategies. In this case, the researcher used questionnaire to investigate their responses of those strategies. After the students were given the questionnaires, they were asked to fill in it based on their feeling after studying those strategies. Findings showed that most of the students took the agreement of reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL and believed that it could help them to finish the questions of TOEFL reading section easily.

ABSTRAK

Ainiyyah, Lathifatul. (2015). The Effectiveness of Reading Skill-Based Strategies for

TOEFL to Improve Students’ Achievement Scores of TOEFL Reading Section at UIN

Sunan Ampel Surabaya Academic Year 2014-2015. Skripsi. Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Tarbiyah dan Kejuruan, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya. Pembimbing: Masdar Hilmy, MA., Ph.D.

Kata Kunci: TOEFL, Reading Section, Reading Strategy, Reading Skill-Based Strategy for TOEFL, Students’ Achievement Scores

TOEFL adalah tes internasional untuk mengevaluasi kecapakan berbahasa inggris orang-orang nonasing. Tes TOEFL meliputi keterampilan mendengar, membaca, berbicara dan menulis yang merupakan tugas-tugas akademik dalam bahasa inggris. Isi dari soal-soal tes TOEFL tersebut sama dengan isi tes TOEFL yang tertulis. Selanjutnya, beberapa penelitian menunjukkan bahwa nilai TOEFL mahasiswa masih di bawah standart, terutama nilai sesi membaca dalam tes TOEFL. Mayoritas mahasiswa biasanya merasa bosan ketika mengerjakan soal TOEFL sesi membaca. Oleh karena itu, mereka membutuhkan strategi dalam mengahadapi tes TOEFL sesi membaca yakni strategi TOEFL sesi membaca berdasarkan keterampilan. Strategi tersebut diajukan oleh Deborah Philips dalam bukunya Longman untuk membantu mahasiswa agar dapat menjawab soal-soal TOEFL sesi membaca dengan cara mengidentifikasi beberapa jenis pertanyaan berdasarkan keterampilan. Harapannya agar para mahasiswa bisa mempraktekkan strategi tersebut dan dapat meningkatkan nilai TOEFL sesi membaca mereka melalui strategi tersebut. Setelah itu, peneliti menggunakan statistik deskriptif untuk mengetahui apakah strategi TOEFL sesi membaca yang berdasarkan keterampilan itu efektif untuk meningkatkan nilai TOEFL sesi reading mahasiswa. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain pre-experimental dengan pendekatan quantitatif yang membutuhkan data numerik. t-test sampel berpasangan digunakan untuk mengukur hasil dari pre-test dan post-test, apakah ada peningkatan atau tidak. Setelah menghitung hasilnya dengan mengunakan penghitungan statistik, ditemukan adanya perbedaan antara antara nilai pre-test dan post-test. Nilai post-test ternyata lebih tinggi dari nilai pre-test, jadi bisa dikatakan bahwa penerapan strategi TOEFL sesi membaca berdasarkan keterampilan itu berhasil. Di samping itu, peneliti ingin mengetahui respon mahasiswa setelah belajar strategi tersebut, apakah mereka setuju atau tidak terhadap strategi tersebut. Dalam kasus ini, peneliti menggunakan angket untuk mengetahui respon mereka. Setelah para mahasiswa dikasih angket, mereka disuruh untuk mengisi angket tersebut berdasarkan pendapat mereka tentang strategi yang diterapkan tersebut. Hasil akhir ditemukan bahwa mayoritas mahasiswa setuju dengan adanya penerapan strategi tersebut dan percaya bahwa hal itu dapat membantu mahasiswa untuk menyelesaikan soal-soal TOEFL khususnya sesi membaca dengan mudah.

TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE SHEET ... i

APPROVAL SHEET ... ii

EXAMINERS APPROVAL SHEET ... iii

MOTTO ... iv

DEDICATION SHEET ... v

ABSTRACT ... vi

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ... vii

PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN TULISAN ... ix

TABLE OF CONTENT ... x

LIST OF TABLE ... xii

LIST OF PICTURES ... xiii

LIST OF APPENDICES ... xiv

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Research Background ... 1

B. Research Questions ... 9

C. Hypothesis of the Study ... 9

D. Objectives of the Study ... 9

E. Significance of the Study ... 10

F. Scope and Limit of the Study ... 11

G. Definition of Key Term ... 11

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Reading ... 14

1. Definition of Reading ... 14

2. The Descipline of Reading ... 16

3. Reading Comprehension ... 17

4. Reading Strategy ... 19

B. TOEFL ... 20

1. Definition of TOEFL ... 20

2. Paper Based TOEFL (PBT) ... 22

3. Question Types in TOEFL Reading Comprehension ... 25

C. Reading Skill-Based Strategies for TOEFL ... 28

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHOD

A.Research Design ... 53

B.Research Variable ... 56

C.Research Subjects ... 56

D.Research Instruments ... 58

E. Data Collection Technique ... 60

F. Data Analysis Technique ... 62

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION A.Research Findings ...65

1. The Effectiveness of Reading Skill-Based Strategies for TOEFL to Improve Students’ Achievement Scores of TOEFL Reading Section ...65

2. Students’ Responses after Studying Reading Skill-Based Strategies for TOEFL...74

B.Discussion ... 91

1. The Effectiveness of Reading Skill-Based Strategies for TOEFL to Improve Students’ Achievemet Scores of TOEFL Reading Section ...92

2. Students’ Responses after Studying Reading Skill-Based Strategies for TOEFL ...94

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ... 95

A. Conclusion ... 95

B. Suggestion ... 97

REFERENCES ... 98 BIOGRAPHY

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Research Background

In academic issue, most people have heard about TOEFL test or even done it, even TOEFL has become very popular in the world. Educational Testing Service (ETS) announced TOEFL as the most widely-used and internationally recognized test to evaluate non-native English speakers‟ language proficiency1. The statement from Educational Testing Service gives a reality that TOEFL is used in all over the world to test English proficiency of people who live in non-English speaking countries. Because of widely used and internationally recognized test, TOEFL is used all over the world included in Indonesia.

There are main perspectives for understanding the nature of reading comprehension: the task perspective, the processing perspective, and the reader purpose perspective2. In short, as Cohen has noted, in order to assess reading comprehension in a second or foreign language, it is necessary to have a working knowledge of what the process entailed. We must demonstrate that these inferences are appropriate for the decisions we need to make. Consequently, it is

1

Michael J, Education Testing Service Standard Setting Materials for the Internet-based TOEFL Test(Princeton: ETS Press, 2005), 5

2

Mary K. Enright, William Grabe and Keiko Koda, TOEFL 2000 Reading Framework: A Working

2

important to have good insight into what people who take reading comprehension tests to do in order to complete them3.

One of the most serious problems in higher education, but one which is often not recognized by either students or lecturers until some ways into academic courses, is the problem of reading, perhaps because reading is not assessed. However, the results or outputs from reading are assessed4. Actually, most of the students have some problems in their learning, especially in reading section.

They can read the texts well because it doesn‟t need any assessments. Usually,

the assessment of reading is when we comprehend the content of text, understand the meaning and the purpose of the text and answer the questions well if it is needed to be answered.

The ability to read academic texts is considered as one of the most important skills that university students of English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) need to acquire5. Reading comprehension has come to be the essence of reading. Essential is not only to academic learning in all subject areas, but also to professional success and indeed to life long learning.

3

Andrew Cohen, An Assessing Reading Comprehension (New York: Predicy Press, 1994), 20

4

Carisma Dreyer and Charl Nel, Teaching Reading Strategies and Reading Comprehension within a Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment (South Africa: Faculty of Education Sciences, 2003), 249-250

5

Adina Levine, Orna Ferenz and Thea Raves, EFL Academic Reading Modern Technology: How Can

3

It is important for us to use English as a Second Language (ESL) because as we have known that English is international language that most of people in the world use English as a First Language (EFL). We may not fail, we have to keep in trying. To comprehend the text, we must focus on reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is an essence of reading. Without comprehending the texts, we cannot get the point and understand the content and the purpose of the texts. Not only academic texts, but also the others, we have to be able to comprehend the texts, especially if we want to comprehend the texts included in TOEFL test. To comprehend the texts, we also need the strategies. One of them

is the strategy of TOEFL‟s reading section.

Chelsea states that TOEFL exam does not only test the English language mastery, but also test-taking skill6. In this case, TOEFL is useful for the students who want to master English as well as possible. Besides, it is also useful to improve their skills of answering the questions of TOEFL test. In this part, the researcher wants to research TOEFL reading section. From preliminary research, it is found that the students have some problems in the reading section of TOEFL test. They are they get the difficulties to understand the sentences, they get bored while reading the text, they cannot manage the time as well as possible, and they are also unfamiliar with the words that have been read. Therefore, They need

6

Elizabeth Chelsea, TOEFL Exam Success from Learning Express in only 6 Strategic Steps (USA: LLC, 2002), 15

4

some strategies to solve those problems. It is reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL.

Reading section of TOEFL test contains passages on a variety of subjects. Following each passage consists of several questions about the passage7. In this section, the students will get the questions and written texts that are different each other. Therefore, the students need the ability to comprehend the message that delivers in the passage. Most of students are usually lazy to read the passage because of the content and time limit. Some of them have their own strategies to answer the questions as well as possible. This section examines your knowledge to understand some kinds of scientific reading that related to topic, main idea, reading content, meaning or some word groups and detail information that related to the text8. A number of questions were 50 questions for 55 minutes. In this section, we are demanded to have much knowledge, especially reading. We have to read the books as many as possible. Beside reading books, we should also understand the contents of those as like the topic, main idea, meaning and the others.

The researcher has found six previous studies which have done regarding TOEFL, reading, and reading strategy. Three of them deal with TOEFL and three of them deal with reading and reading strategy. The first previous study was conducted by Andrew D. Cohen and Thomas A Upton focusing on the reading

7

Peterson, Master TOEFL Reading Skill (United States of America: A Nelnet Company, 2007), 3

8

5

and test-taking strategies that test takers used in the Reading section of the Language courseware. The investigation focused on strategies used to respond to more traditional single selection multiple-choices formats (i.e., Basic Comprehension and Differencing Question) and the new selected-response (multiple selection, drag and drop) reading to learn items9.

Different with the research which belongs to Elis Rahmawati‟s, it analyzed test-taking strategies use in TOEFL equivalent test by the sixth semester students of English Teacher Education Department UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya before and while doing TOEFL equivalent test10. Furthermore, Feni Rahmawati‟s research found out students‟ perception of time management behavior that used by the students in reading section on TOEFL test and what question types that

most influence students‟ perception about time management behavior in reading

section on TOEFL preparation test11.Carol A. Fraser additionally conducted which reported on a strategy training study that investigated the lexical processing strategies used by second learners when they encounter unfamiliar

99

Andrew D. Cohen and Thomas A Upton, Response Strategies on Reading Subtest of the New TOEFL

(Indianapolis: Indiana University, 2002)

10

Elis Rahmawati, Undergraduate Thesis: An Analysis of Test-Taking Strategies use in TOEFL Equivalent Test by Sixth Semester Students of English Teacher Education Department UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya Academic Year 2013-2014 (Surabaya: UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya, 2014), 135137

11

Feni Rahmawati, Undergraduate Thesis: Students’ perception about time management behavior in

reading section on TOEFL Preparation Test at UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya Academic Year 2013-2014

6

vocabulary while reading and the impact of these strategies on vocabulary learning12.

Next previous study conducted by Carisma Dreyer and Charl Nel that discussed about teaching reading strategies that used to develop reading skill of South African students who have low levels and also improve their ability in reading comprehension within a technology-enhanced learning environment13. Another study was conducted by Batia Laufer who stated that reading comprehension and vocabulary comprehension were the same, or reading quality was determined by vocabulary alone. Reading comprehension was also affected by textually relevant background knowledge and the application of general reading strategies such predicting the content of the text, guessing unknown in context, making inferences, recognizing the type of text and text structure14.

However, this research has distinctive focus from those previous studies. Different with previous studies from Cohen and Upton, Elis and Feni, This research tries to measure the extent to which reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL can improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL‟s reading section

based on Philip‟s theory. Besides, this study aims to investigate students‟

response after studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL, dissimilar with

12 _{Carol A. Fraser, “Lexical Processing Strategy Use and Vocabulary Learning through Reading”,}

Studies in Second Language Acquisition,Vol.21, Issue 02, 1999, 225

13

Carisma Dreyer and Charl Nel, (2003), “Teaching Reading Strategies and Reading Comprehension

within a Technology-enhanced Learning Environment”, Individual Differences: Advancing

Knowledge, Vol.31, Issue 3, 2003, 349

14

Batia Laufer, The Lexical Plight in Second Language Reading: Words You Don’t Know, Words You

7

the other three previous studies that conducted by Fraser, Drayer and Laufer that discussed about different kinds of reading and reading strategy.

English Teacher Education Department of Sunan Ampel State Islamic University Surabaya is one of the departments in Indonesian Universities that obligated their students to achieve the English Proficiency score at least 500 as the graduation requirement. Moreover, it is found that some students complain in reading section, they feel bored and less interseted on reading section because of many words to read and understand and they should answer it within fifty five minutes on fifty questions. They need TOEFL reading strategies to solve the problems. Furthermore, in English Teacher Education Department, there is also the class that used to prepare the students to join TOEFL test. Therefore, it is good if the researcher can make the research in this area.

Because of some reasons above, the researcher wants to know whether reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are effective to improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section for students in the sixth semester of English Education Department Faculty of Education and Teacher Training of Sunan Ampel State Islamic University. Reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL

that are used in this study is proposed by Deborah Philips at the title “Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL test”.

The researcher uses the theory of longman book because it is intended to prepare the students for TOEFL test. It is based on the most up-to-date information available on the format and style of the new TOEFL test, introduced

8

on July 199515. Besides, it also consists of complete language skills instruction for skills which was tested on both TOEFL paper test& test of written English and diagnostic pre-tests & evaluation post-tests for each section that allow students to identify their strengths and weaknesses. It is practice exercises for each of the language skills that maximize understanding and retention that is effective for the students who want to join TOEFL test16.

Researching the effectiveness of reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL at English Teacher Education Department UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya will be very important. The first importance is people will be able to measure the extent to which reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL to improve students‟

achievement scores of TOEFL‟s reading section. If the result of this study shows that those strategies are effective to improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL‟s reading section, it means that those strategies are successful to be

taught and can be practiced while doing TOEFL Test of reading section. The

second importance is that people can investigate students‟ response after

studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL. If the responses are positive, it means that reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are good and can be practiced.

15

Deborah Philips, Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test: Preparation for the Computer and

Paper Test (NY: Pearson Education Company, 2001)

16

Deborah Philips, Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test the Paper Test, with Answer Key (NY: Pearson Education ESL, 2003)

9

B. Research Questions

Based on the research background, the research questions of this study were: 1. Are reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL effective to improve students‟

achievement scores of TOEFL reading section?

2. What are students‟ responses after studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL?

C. Hypothesis of the Study

Hypothesis of this study was based on the research questions as follows:

H0 : Reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are not effective to

improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section. H1 : Reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are effective to improve

students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section.

D. Objective of the Study

Based on the research questions above, the researcher has formulated the major objectives of this research. They were:

1. To know whether reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are effective to improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section.

2. To investigate students‟ responses after studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL.

10

E. Significance of the Study

The significances of this study were as follows: 1. Theoretical Significance

a. The result can give knowledge to the lecturer about reading skill-based

strategies for TOEFL and students‟ responses after studying those

strategies.

b. The students can know the extent to which reading skill-based strategies

for TOEFL can improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL‟s reading

section and what students‟ responses after studying those strategies.

c. The result of this research can give the readers an additional knowledge about reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL that can be learned and practiced while doing TOEFL test.

2. Practical Significance

a. The result of this research can be useful for teaching TOEFL, especially for reading section.

b. The result of this research can be useful to help lecturer who teach TOEFL to encourage the students to practice reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL when doing TOEFL test of reading section.

c. The result of this research can be useful as a reference for the researcher who wants to conduct a researchto measure to what extent reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL can improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section.

11

F. Scope and Limitation of the Study

The scope of this study was the effectiveness of reading skill-based strategies

for TOEFL to improve students‟ achievement scores of TOEFL‟s reading section. The reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL that used in this research are proposed by Deborah Phillip in his book entitle“Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test.”

The limitation of this study was the students of sixth semester of English Teacher Education Department UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya academic year 2013-2014 who join TOEFL Preparation Class and get the lesson of reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL. In this research, the researcher only takes one class from three classes. It is “B” class.

G. Definition of Key terms

To avoid misuderstanding in the way to understand this study, the researcher tried to explain some related terms as follows;

1. TOEFL

It is defined as the abbreviation of Test of English as a Foreign Language that examines how far the students can master English that includes Listening Comprehension, structure and written expression and reading comprehension17. In this case, TOEFL can be defined as the test that held by the lecturer of TOEFL subject to evaluate English language proficiency of the

17

12

sixth semester students of English Teacher Education Department and the kind of TOEFL test is Paper Based TOEFL (PBT).

2. Reading Section

It is designed to examine students‟ knowledge in understanding some kinds of scientific texts that related with the topic, main idea, content of text, meaning of words or phrase and also detailed information of text18. In this case, reading section is one of the sections in TOEFL and the material of reading section is held by the lecturer of TOEFL.

3. Reading Strategy

It is a cognitive or behavioral action with the goal of improving some aspects of reading comprehension19. In this case, reading strategy is the strategy that used by the students to comprehend the text entirely and can answer the questions of reading.

4. Reading Skill-Based Strategy for TOEFL

It is a strategy that is proposed by Longman to help the students to be

able to answer the questions of TOEFL‟s reading section by identifying some kinds of questions based on the skills20.

18

Slamet Riyanto, Test Strategy for Reading Comprehension, (Yogyakarta: PutakaPelajar, 2007), 4

19

Carisma Dreyer, Teaching reading strategies and reading comprehension within a technology-enhanced learning environment, (South Africa: Potchefstroom 2520, 2003), 350

20

Deborah Philips, Longman Preparation Course For TOEFL Test, (Jakarta: Addison Wesley

13

5. Student’s achievement score

It is defined operationally as the average of student‟s scale score, inclusion of an achievement level21. In this case, the researcher gives a definition of students‟ achievement scores as the improvement of students‟ scores before and after getting the treatment.

21

S. Paul Wright, Sandra P. Horn, and William L. Sanders, Teacher and Classroom Context Effects on

Students Achievement: Implications for Teacher Evaluation, (Boston, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1997), 59

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter, the researcher explains about the theories related to the study that has strong relation with the topic. This chapter includes the review of related literature that deals with reading, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL and some previous studies that related to this study.

A. Reading

In the part of reading, the researcher wants to give the theories about definition of reading, the discipline of reading, reading comprehension and reading strategy.

1. Definition of Reading

Reading is an extraordinary achievement when one considers the number of levels and components that must be mastered. Consider what it takes to read a simple story. The words contain graphemes, phonemes and morphemes. The reader needs to distiguish given versus new informationin the text and implicitly aknowledge what is shared among most readers in a community1.

Reading is different from writing. Writing prioritizes sound, as the spoken word must be transformed or deconstructed into representative sign, but reading

1

Arthur C. Graesser, An Introduction to Strategic Reading Comprehension, (University of Memphis: Taylor & Francis Group, 2006), 3

15

prioritizes meaning2. In its most general modern definition, reading is of course the ability to make sense of written or printed symbols. The reader uses the symbol to guide the recovery of information from his or her memory and subsequently uses this information to construct a plausible interpretation of

writer‟s message3

.

The research of power of reading and spelling said that more reading is better spelling4. It means we have to provide more time for reading in order to we have a good spelling. Children can spell a substantial number of words they

haven‟t been directly taught, in this section, the researcher wanted to encourage students to spell correctly in all situations to avoid developing bad habit.

Reading is one of the most important skills. Students usually get bored if they are faced the text. Therefore, in order to make them not bored again, they are taught some strategies of reading. Even at the university level, it is often assumed that students have the skills and strategies needed to successfully comprehend expository text5.

2_{Uta Frith, „Reading by Eye and Writing by Ear’, in P.A. Korles, M.E. Wrolstad and H. Bouma, eds,}

Processing of Visible Language (New York: 1979) pp. 379-90.

3_{D.C. Mitchell, The Process of Reading: A Cognitive Analysis of Fluent Reading and Learning to Read}

(Chichester and New York: 1982)

4

Stephen Krashen, The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research, (Observation and Reflections from BEHS Staff, October 2004)

5

Carisma Dreyer, Teaching reading strategies and reading comprehension within a technology

16

Reading comprehension examines students‟ knowledge in understanding some kinds of scientific texts that related with the topic, main idea, content of text, meaning of words or phrase and also detailed information of text6.

2. The Discipline of Reading

We can begin to look at the discipline of reading from the vantage of these higher expectations7:

a. Approaching the text

In this point, the writer recommends the readers to be able to understand and comprehend the text and the organization of the text that will help them to make the expectation and also to approach all of the information that included in the text.

b. Practical Skills of Reading

The practical skills of reading are annotation, word searches and directed questioning.

1) Annotation

Annotation is the commentary of what have been read literally conducted right there on the page. The commentary should be directed partly to understanding the materials and partly to forming responses and fashioning analysis. It involves underlining important words, phrases, or sentences because annotation is an active process. It is better done with a

6 _{Slamet Riyanto, Test Strategy for Reading Comprehension (Yogyakarta: Putaka Pelajar, 2007), 4} 7 _{Igor Webb, Ideas Across Time “Classic and Contemporary Readings for Composition” (New York:}

17

pen or pencil than a highlighter. A highlighter can be used to identify key passages or words, but it is cumbersome for writing down questions or ideas.

2) Word Searches

Word searches are probably searching a word from specialized vocabulary or word outside the usual contexts of reading. It is a word. Therefore, the readers have to know the meaning that can be done using dictionary.

3) Directed Questioning

A good reader is alert to suggestion, implication, confusion and contradiction in a piece of writing. A powerful piece of writing naturally triggers responses in the reader, not just at the conclusion of the essay or the climax of the story, but each step of the way.

3. Reading Comprehension

Comprehension requires making meaning from words when listening, speaking, reading and writing. Good readers have a purpose for reading and use their experiences and background knowledge to make sense of the text. Making connections is the key to comprehension. We don‟t comprehend unless we make connections and are able to process the words that we read at the thinking level. Comprehension is the center of reading. Up to the end of 3rd grade, children are learning to monitor their own level of comprehension while reading.

18

Reading comprehension is dependent on three factors. The first factor is that the reader has command of the linguistic structures of the text. The second factor is that the reader is able to exercise metacognitive control over the content being read. This means that the reader is able to monitor and reflect on his or her own level of understanding while reading the material. The third and most important criterion influencing comprehension is that the reader has adequate background in the content and vocabulary being presented8.

When an effective reader reads for comprehension and understanding, it is an actively engaged and thoughtful process. One of the things that good readers do during the reading process is to make connections between background knowledge and the new information in the text. Readers filter new information against their own background storehouse of information and life experiences and identify and sift relevant from non-relevant information. Effective readers monitor when the text is not understood or is not making sense and repair faulty comprehension whenever it occurs.

Good readers make inferences during and after reading and are adept at synthesizing information within across texts. In addition to categorizing information, effective readers use prediction and draw conclusions from explicit as well as from implicit information. Effective readers visualize the

8

Karen Tankersley, Threads of Reading “Strategies for Literacy Development”, (USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003), 90

19

information in the text as they read and create images using the different senses to better understand what is read.

4. Reading Strategy

A reading strategy is a cognitive or behavioral action that is enacted under particular contextual conditions, with the goal of improving some aspects of comprehension9. Teachers often instruct students to look up a word in a dictionary when they encounter a rare word with which they are unfamiliar.

Conducted from the article entitled “Can reading strategies be successfully taught?” written by Patricia L.Carrell, it‟s explained that Reading strategies are of interest not only for what they reveal about the ways readers manage their interactions with written text, but also for how the use of strategies is related to effective reading comprehension. The readers do exert a significant level of active control over their reading process through the use of strategies, which are conscious procedures that are deliberate and purposeful.

According to Garner, reading strategies can be defined as generally deliberate, planful activities undertaken by active learners, many times to remedy perceived cognitive failure, facilitate reading comprehension and may be teachable10. Garner concurred with Paris, Lipson, and Wixon that reading strategies can and should be learned to the point of automaticity, after which

9_{Carisma Dreyer, Teaching reading strategies and reading comprehension within a technology}

-enhanced learning environment, (South Africa: Potchefstroom 2520, 2003), 350

10 _{R. Garner, Theoretical Model and Processes of Reading 4}th _{Ed., (Newark, DE: International Reading}

20

they become skills, and that learners must know not only what strategies to use but also when, where, and how to use them.

B.TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

1. Definition of TOEFL

TOEFL is an exam required by most US and Canadian university to prove proficiency (especially International students coming from countries where English is not native language). It measures your listening, reading, speaking, writing skills to perform academic tasks in English. The purpose of TOEFL itself is to evaluate English proficiency of people whose native language is not English. The test was initially developed to measure English proficiency of Internasional students11.

The TOEFL test formerly known as the “Test of English as a Foreign Language” was developed in the early 1960‟s to assess the English proficiency

of nonnative where English is the language of instructions12. Restating what the researcher defines about TOEFL is important to lead the readers going deeper into TOEL areas. According to Cambridge Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary,

“TOEFL is abbreviation for Test of English as a Foreign Language: an exam of

English for speakers of other languages13.

11_{TOEFL Programs and services , (Educational Testing Service: 2000)} 12_{TOEFL Ibt Research Insight. Series 1, vol.6}

13 _{Author, Cambridge International Dictionary of English Third Edition (UK: Cambridge University}

21

On other hand, Educational Testing Service/ETS announced TOEFL as the most widely used and internationally recognized test to evaluate non-native English speakers‟ language proficiency14. Meanwhile, Longman TOEFL Preparation defines TOEFL as a test to measure the level of English proficiency of nonnative speakers of English, it is required by English-language Colleges and Universities15.

The content of the manual are equally relevant for the paper-and the computer-based tests). Moreover, there are no passing scores on TOEFL test because various institutions have their own TOEFL score requirement16. It means that somebody wants to apply in University that requires TOEFL score, the applicants should achieve the score required.

In Longman, it is also explained that there is relationship between paper based TOEFL score and Computer Based TOEFL such as 677 points in paper same as 300 in computer, 650 pints in paper same as 280 points in computer, 600 points in paper is same as 250 in computer, 550 in paper is same as 213 and

14

Author, Educational Testing Service Standard Setting Materials for the Internet-Based TOEFL Test

(NJ: Princeton, 2005)

15 _{Deborah Philips, Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test: Preparation for the Computer and}

Paper Test (N.Y: Pearson Education Company, 2001)

16 _{Pamela J. Sharpe, Barron S: Practice Exercise for the TOEFL Test 3}rd _{Ed. Kaset 2 (Indonesia:}

22

soon17. In addition, TOEFL test is intended to evaluate certain aspects of the English language proficiency of people who native language is not English18.

2. Paper Based TOEFL (PBT)

TOEFL PBT preparation is designed for advanced students seeking admission to college/ university who need a TOEFL score of 500 for under graduated studies or 550 for graduate programs19. It is a rigorous course focusing on three skill areas tested: Listening Comprehension, Structure and Written Expression, and Reading Comprehension. There is no speaking or essay-writing on PBT TOEFL and the entire test is in multiple-choice format, so the course concentrates on the recognition skills and speed needed for this kind of exam.

The reading comprehension section of TOEFL test is designed to measure

students‟ ability to read and understand short passages in English. Reading

comprehension is the third section in both TOEFL PBT and TOEFL CBT, and the first section in TOEFL IBT edition of the test. It consists of several passages, each followed by a group of fixed-response questions. The passages in the test are excerpts taken from college-level textbooks that would be used in introductions to a discipline or topic. They cove a range of very general

17 _{Deborah Philips, Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test: Preparation for the Computer and}

Paper Test (NY: Pearson Education Company, 2001)

18 _{Richard P. Duren et al. (1995). TOEFL from communicative view point on language proficiency: A}

working paper. p.1

19_{English Language Institute School of International and Public Affairs.}

23

academic topics broadly classified as related to the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences or Life Sciences.

The paper-based TOEFL exam has three sections: listening comprehension, structure and written expression, and reading comprehension. Each section consists of multiple-choice questions with four possible answer choices for each question. Although the test format varies from the CBT, the skills measured are the same20. On test English as a Foreign Language TOEFL Practice TESTS Volume 1, by Educational Testing Service 2003, was explain about the test on Paper Based TOEFL, they are:

a. Listening comprehension

Section I of the test contains recorded material that is similar to what student might hear if students were with a group of North American students collage or university. The language includes the vocabulary and idiomatic expressions common to spoken English, as well as the special grammatical constructions used in speech. This section tests comprehension of both short and long conversation and talks.

b. Structure and Written Expression

Section 2 consists of sentences that test knowledge of important structural and grammatical elements of standard written English. These sentences include a variety of English and give no particular advantage to

20

TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS, 2004. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: TOEFL

24

individuals in specific field of study. When topics have a national context, they refer to United States or Canadian history, culture, art, or literature. However, knowledge of these contexts is not needed to answer the structural or grammatical points being tested. Also it measures recognition of selected structural and grammatical points in standard written English. The topics of the sentences are of a general academic nature, so that individuals in specific fields of study or from specific national or linguistic groups have no particular advantage21.

c. Reading Comprehension

Section 3 contains reading passages and questions about the passages. The questions test information that is stated or implied in the passage. Knowledge of some of the specific word also tested. Because many English words have than one meaning, it is important to remember that these questions will test the meaning of a word or phrase within the context of the passage.

The reading comprehension measures the ability to read and understand short passages that are similar in topic and style. Students read a variety of short passages on academic subjects and answer several questions about each passage. The questions test information that is stated in or implied by

21

TOEFL computer based and paper-based http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/TOEFL-SUM

25

the passage, as well as knowledge of some of the specific words as they are used in the passage.

3. Questions Types in TOEFL Reading Comprehension

The reading comprehension section contains reading passages and questions about the passages. The questions are about the information that is stated or implied in the passage and about some of the specific words in the passages. Because many English words have more than one meaning, it is important to remember that these questions concern the meaning of a word or phrase within the context of the passage. There are reading comprehension questions types on TOEFL22.

a. Main idea

The question asks the students to identify the main idea of the passage (or sometimes part of a passage, such as a specific paragraph). For example, the main idea of this passage is best expressed in which sentence? Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? What is

this passage mainly about? What is the author‟s main purpose in this

passage? b. Vocabulary

There are two types of vocabulary questions. One kind asks the students to determine the meaning of a word as it is used in the passage.

22

Chelsa Elizabeth, 2002, Learning Express TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) EXAM SUCCESS In Only 6 Steps!, 24-27

26

The other, which appears on the computer-based tests, is asking to identify a synonym for the vocabulary word. Also, vocabulary questions are found in the parts of the reading passage that will be highlighted to correspond with a question23.

c. Specific Fact or Detail

This kind of question asks the students to identify a specific fact or detail mentioned in the passage. For example: What causes a lunar eclipse? When did the last lunar eclipse occur? What did many pagan cultures believe caused a lunar eclipse?

d. Exceptions

This question asks the students to identify which item was not

specifically mentioned in the passage. For example: Which characteristic does NOT describe an endothermic reaction? Which of the following was NOT identified as a cause of the stock market crash? A person with bipolar disorder would NOT exhibit which symptom?

e. Location of Information

This kind of question asks the students to identify the exact place in the passage where specific information is provided. For example: Where in the passage does the author define the term endothermic? Click on the sentence in paragraph 2 in which the author mentions the symptoms of

27

bipolar disorder. Click on the paragraph that discusses the treatments for bipolar disorder.

f. Inferences

This type of question asks the students to make an inference (draw a logical conclusion) based on the information in the passage and to measure the ability to comprehend an argument or an idea that is strongly implied but explicitly stated in the text. If an effect is cited, the cause might be asked. If comparison is made, comparison may be inquired24.

g. References

These questions ask the students to determine what a specific word or phrase in the passage refers to (The word or phrase is often a pronoun, such

as “its”). And it is to identify referential relationships between the words in

the passage. Often, relationship is between a pronoun and its antecedent. Sometimes, other kinds of grammatical reference are tested25. For example,

the word “them” in paragraph 3 refers to: Look at the word in the passage. Click on the word or phrase in the bold text that refers to.

24 _{Jenglai, Araojo, (2011), Reading Question Types (TOEFL Review Notes),}

http://www.slideshare.net/jenglai/reading-question-types-toefl-review-notes , accessed on June

14,2015

28

C. Reading Skill-Based Strategies for TOEFL

Reading Skill-Based Strategies for TOEFL are the strategies that proposed by Longman to help the students to be able to answer the questions of TOEFL reading section by identifying some kinds of questions based on the skills26.

The reading comprehension section of the TOEFL test consists of five reading passages, each followed by a number of reading comprehension and vocabulary questions. Topics of reading passage are varied, but they are often informational subjects that might be studied in American university: American history, literature, art, architecture, geology, geography, and astronomy.

Strategies for reading comprehension questions:

1. Skim the reading passage to determine the main idea and the overall organization of ideas in the passage.

The students do not need to understand every detail in each passage to answer the questions correctly. It is therefore a waste of time to read the passage with the intent of understanding every single detail before you try to answer the questions.

2. Look ahead at the questions to determine what types of questions you must answer. Each type of questions is answered in a different way.

3. Find the section of the passage that deals with each question. The question-type tells you exactly where to look in the passage to find correct answers.

26 _{Deborah Philips, Longman Preparation Course For TOEFL Test, (Jakarta: Addison Wesley}

29

a. For main idea questions, look at the first line of each paragraph. For directly and indirectly answered detail questions, choose a key word in the question, and skim for that key word (or a related idea) in order in the passage.

b. For vocabulary questions, the question will tell you where the word is located in the passage.

c. For overall review questions, the answers are found anywhere in the passage.

4. Read the part the passage that contains the answer carefully. The answer will probably be in the same sentence (or one sentence before or after) the key word or idea.

5. Choose the best answer to each question from the four answer choices listed in your test book.

The following skills will help you to implement these strategies in the reading comprehension section of the TOEFL test.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IDEAS OF THE PASSAGE___________________ It is very common for reading passages in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test to have questions about the overall ideas in the passage. The most common type of question asks about the main idea, topic, title or subject. Occasionally, there will also be a question about how the information in the passage is organized.

30

SKILL 1: ANSWER MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

Almost every reading passage on the TOEFL test will have a question about the main idea of the passage. Such a question may be worded in a variety of ways; you may, for example, be asked to identify the topic, subject, title, primary idea, or main idea. These questions are all really asking what primary point the author is trying to get across in the passage.

If the passage consists of only one paragraph, you should study the beginning or that paragraph to determine the main idea.

The Example of Passage :

In the philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made between

“intellegence” and “reasoning.” According to Dewey, intellegence is the only absolute way to achieve a balance between realism and idealism, between

practicality and wisdom of life. Intellegence involves “interacting with other things and knowing them,” while reasoning is merely the act of an observer,”. . .

a mind that beholds or grasps objects outside the world of things. . .” with reasoning, a level of mental certainty can be achieved, but it is through

intellegence that control is taken of events that shape one‟s life. The question : What is the topic of this passage?

a. The intellegence of John Dewey b. Distinctions made by John Dewey

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c. Dewey‟s ideas on the ability to reason

d. How intellegence differs from reasoning in Dewey‟s works. This following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about main idea questions:

Table 2.1 Main Idea Questions MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTIONS

What is the topic of the passage? What is the subject of the passage? What is the main idea of the passage?

What is the author’s main point in the passage?

With what is the author primarily concerned? Which of the following would be the best title?

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The answers to this type of questions can generally be determined by looking at the first sentence of each paragraph.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS

1. Read the first line of each paragraph.

2. Look for a common theme or idea in the first line.

3. Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of passage to check that you really have found the topic sentence (s).

32

4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answer and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.

SKILL 2: RECOGNIZE THE ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS

In Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test, there will sometimes be questions about the organization of ideas in a passage.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about question on the organization of ideas:

Table 2.2Organization of Ideas ORGANIZING OF IDEAS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE QUESTIONS

How is the information of the passage organized? How is the information in the second paragraph

related to the information in the first paragraph?

WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWERS

The answers to this type of questions can be generally be determined by looking at the first sentence of the appropriate paragraphs.

HOW TO ANSWER

THE QUESTIONS

1. Read the first line of each paragraph.

2. Look for words that show relationship between the paragraphs.

33

3. Choose the best answer that expresses the relationship.

Many questions in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test will require answers that are directly stated in the passage. This means that you should be able to find the answer to this type of questions without having to draw a conclusion. The common questions of this type are (1) stated detail questions

(2) “unstated” detail question, and (3) pronoun referent questions.

DIRECTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS________________________________

SKILL 3: ANSWER STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

A stated detailed question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather than the passage as whole. The answers to these questions are generally given in order in the passage, and the correct answer is often a restatement of what is given in the passage.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about stated detail questions:

34

Table 2.3 Stated Detail Questions STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE QUESTIONS

According to the passage….

It is statedin the passage…. The passage indicatesthat…. The author mentions that.... Which of the following is true…? WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The answers to these questions are found in order in the passage.

HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

1. Choose a key word in the question.

2. Skim in the appropriate part of the passage for the key word or idea.

3. Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.

4. Look for the answers that restate the ideas in the passages.

5. Eliminate the definitely wrong answer and choose the best answer from remaining choices.

35

SKILL 4: FIND “UNSTATED” DETAILS

The Students will sometimes be asked in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test to find an answer that is not stated or not mentioned or not true in the passage. This type of questions really means that three of the answers are stated, mentioned, or true in the passages, while one answer is not. They shouldnote that there are two kinds of answers to this type of question; (1) there are three true answers and one answer that is not discussed in the passage, or (2) there are three true answers and one that is false according to the passage.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember

about “unstated” detail question:

Table 2.4 Unstated Detail Questions

“UNSTATED” DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTIONS

Which of the following is not stated…? Which of the following is not mentioned…? Which of the following is not discussed…? All of the following are true except….

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The answers to these questions are found in order in the passages.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS

1. Choose key words in the questions.

36

for key the key words (or related ideas). 3. Read the sentence that contains the key

words or ideas carefully.

4. Look for the answers that are definitely true according to the passages. Eliminate those answers.

5. Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the passage.

SKILL 5: FIND PRONOUN REFERENTS

In the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test, the students will sometimes be asked to determine which noun a pronoun refers to. In this type of questions, it is important to understand that a noun is generally used first in a passage, and the pronoun that refers to it comes after.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about pronoun referents:

Table 2.5 Pronoun Referents PRONOUN REFERENTS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTIONS

The pronoun “…..” in line X refers to which

37

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The line where the pronoun is located is generally given in the questions. The noun that the pronoun refers to is generally found before the pronoun.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS

1. Find the pronoun in the passage. (The line where the pronoun can be found is generally stated in the questions).

2. Look for nouns that come before the pronoun.

3. Read the part of the passage before the pronoun carefully.

4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.

INDIRECTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS______________________________

Some questions in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test will require answers that are not directly stated in the passage. To answer these questions correctly, you will have to draw conclusion from information that is given in the passage. Two common types of indirectly answered questions are: (1) implied detail questions and (2) transition questions.

38

SKILL 6: ANSWER IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

The students will sometimes be asked to answer a question by drawing a conclusion from a specific detail or details in the passage. Questions of this type contain the words “implied, inferred, likely, or probably” to let you know that the answer to the question is not directly stated. In this type of question, it is

important to understand that you do not have to “pull the answer out of thin air.”

Instead, some information will be given in the passage, and you will draw a conclusion from that information.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about implied detail questions:

Table 2.6 Implied Detail Questions IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTIONS

It is implied in the passage that…

It can be inferredfrom the passage that… It is most likelythat…

What probablyhappened…?

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The answers to these questions are found in order in the passage.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS

1. Choose a keyword in the question. 2. Scan the passage for the key word (or a

39

related idea).

3. Carefully read the sentence that contains in the key word.

4. Look for an answer that could be true, according to that sentence.

SKILL 7: ANSWER TRANSITION QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

The students will sometimes be asked to determine what probably came before the reading passage (in the preceding paragraph) or what probably comes after the reading passage (in the following paragraph). Of course, the topic of the preceding or following paragraph is not directly stated, and you must draw a conclusion to determine what is probably in these paragraphs.

This type of question is a transition question. It asks you to demonstrate that you understand that good writing contains transitions from one paragraph to the text. A paragraph may start out with the idea of the previous paragraph as a way of linking the ideas in two paragraphs. A paragraph may also end with an idea that will be further developed in the following paragraph.

40

Table 2.7 Transition Questions TRANSITION QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY

THE QUESTIONS

The paragraph preceding the passage probably… What is most likely in the paragraph following the passage?

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The answers can generally be found in the first line

of this passage for a preceding question. The answer can generally be found in the last line for a

following question.

HOW TO ANSWER

THE QUESTIONS

1. Read the first line for a preceding question. 2. Read the last line for a following question. 3. Draw a conclusion about what comes before or

after.

4. Choose the answers that are reflected in the

first or last line of the passage.

VOCABULARY QUESTIONS_______________________________________

In the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test, there will be a number of vocabulary questions. To answer this type of question, it is of course helpful if the readers know the meaning of the word that the TOEFL test is testing. However, it is not always necessary for them to know the meaning of the

41

word; often there are skills that they can use to help them to find the correct answer to the question: (1) finding definitions from structural clues, (2) determining meanings from word parts, and (3) using context clues to determine meanings.

SKILL 8: FIND DEFINITIONS FROM STRUCTURAL CLUES

When the students are asked to determine the meaning of a word in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test, it is possible (1) that the passage provides information about the meaning of the word and (2) that there are structural clues to tell you that the definition of a word is included in the passage.

The following chart outline the key information that you should remember about structural clues to help you understand unknown vocabulary words:

Table 2.8 Structural Clues STRUCTURAL CLUES

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTIONS

What is….?

What is the meaningof…?

What is true about…?

TYPES OF CLUES

Punctuation: comma, parentheses, dashes. Restatement: or, that, is, in, other, i.e. Example: such as, for example, e.g.

42

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

Information to help determinate what something means will generally be found after the punctuation clue, the restatement clue, or the example clue.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS

1. Find word in the passage. 2. Locate any structural clues.

3. Read the part of the passage after the structural clue carefully.

4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers from the remaining choices.

SKILL 9: DETERMINE MEANINGS FROM WORD PARTS

When the students are asked to determine the meaning of a long word that you do not know in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test, it is sometimes possible to determine the meaning of the word by studying the word parts.

The following chart contains a few word parts that you will need to know to complete the exercises in this part of the text.

43

Table 2.9 A Short List Word Parts A SHORT LIST WORD PARTS

PART MEANING EXAMPLE PART MEANING EXAMPLE

CONTRA (against) Contrast DIC (say) Dictate MAL (bad) Malcontent DOMIN (master) Dominate

MIS (error) Mistake JUD (judge) Judgment

SUB (under) Subway MOR (death) Mortal

DEC (ten) Decade SPEC (see) Spectator

MULTI (many) Multiple TERR (earth) Territory

SOL (one) Solo VER (turn) Divert

TRI (three) Triple VIV (live) Revive

SKILL 10: USE CONTEXT TO DETERMINE MEANINGS OF DIFFICULT WORDS

On the TOEFL test, the students will sometimes be asked to determine the meaning of a difficult word, a word that they are not expected to know. In this case, the passage will give you a clear indication of what the word means.

The following chart outlines the key information that they should remember about vocabulary questions containing difficult words:

44

Table 2.10 Vocabulary Question Containing Difficult Words

VOCABULARY QUESTION CONTAINING DIFFICULT WORDS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTIONS

“What is the meaning…?”

“Which of the following is closest in meaning

to…?”

The word is a difficult word, one that you probably do not know.

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The question usually tells you in which line of the passage the word can be found.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS

1. Find the word in the passage.

2. Read the sentence that contains the word

carefully. 3. Look for

4. Choose the answer that the context indicates.

SKILL 11: USE CONTEXT TO DTERMINE MEANINGS OF SIMPLE WORDS

The students will sometimes be asked to determine the meaning of a simple word, a word that they see often in everyday English. In this type of question, they should not give the normal, everyday meaning of the word; instead, the TOEFL test wants to know the meaning of the word in this situation.

45

The following cart outlines the key information that you should remember about vocabulary questions containing simple words:

Table 2.11 Vocabulary Questions Containing Simple Words

VOCABULARY QUESTIONS CONTAINING SIMPLE WORDS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE QUESTIONS

“What is the meaning…?”

“Which of the following is closest in meaning

to…?”

The word is a difficult word, one that you see often in everyday English.

WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWERS

The questions usually tell you which line of the passages the words can be found.

HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

1. Find the word in the passage.

2. Read the sentence that contains the word

carefully.

3. Look for the context clues to help understand the meaning.

4. Choose the answer that the context indicates.

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OVERALL REVIEW QUESTIONS___________________________________

Often in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test the last question (or two) for a particular reading passage is an overall question, one that asks about the passage as a whole rather than one small detail. The overall review questions are generally not main idea questions; instead they ask about some other aspects of the passage as a whole.

The most common types of overall review questions are (1) questions that ask where in the passage something is found (2) questions about the tone of the passage, (3) questions about the author’s purpose in writing the passage, or (4) questions about which course the passage might be a part of.

SKILL 12: DETERMINE WHERE SPESIFIC INFORMATION IS FOUND

Sometimes the final question is a reading passage will ask you to determine where in the passage a piece of information is found. The answer choices will list possible locations for that information. The best way to approach this type of question is to study the question to determine the information that you are looking for an then to go to the lines listed in the answers and skim for that information.

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Table 2.12 Questions about Where in the Passage QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE IN THE PASSAGE

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTIONS

Wherein the passage…?

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

The answer can be in any of the listed in the answers to the questions.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS

1. Choose the key words or ideas in the questions.

2. Skim the lines the passage that are listed in the answers to the questions. You should skim for the keywords or ideas.

3. Choose the answers that contain the line numbers of a restatement of the questions.

SKILL 13: DETERMINE THE TONE, PURPOSE, OR COURSE

Other types of overall review questions occur occasionally in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test. Possible questions of this type are those that ask about (1) the tone of the passage, (2) the author’s purpose in writing the passage, and (3) the course in which the passage might be used.

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Table 2.13 Tone, Purpose, and Course TONE, PURPOSE, OR COURSE

HOW TO IDENTIFY

THE QUESTIONS

TONE: What is the tone of the passage?

PURPOSE: What is the author‟s purpose in this passage?

COURSE: In which course would this reading be assigned?

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWERS

TONE:

There will be clues throughout the passage that the author is showing some emotion rather than just presenting facts.

PURPOSE:

Draw a conclusion about the purpose from the main idea and supporting details.

COURSE:

Draw a conclusion about the course from the topic of the passage and supporting details.

HOW TO ANSWER

THE QUESTIONS

TONE:

1. Skim the passage looking for clues that the author is showing some emotions.

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PURPOSE:

1. Study the main idea in the topic sentence and the details used to support the main idea. 2. Draw a conclusion about the purpose. COURSE:

1. Study the main idea in the topic sentence and the details used to support the main idea. 2. Draw a conclusion about the course.

D. Previous Studies

There were six previous studies that related with this study. The first previous

study was written by Andrew D. Cohen and Thomas A Upton by title “Response strategies on reading subtest of the new TOEFL” 27. The main objective of the study was to analyze the struggle response strategies on reading subtest of new TOEFL. The students had their own strategies to do reading subtest of the new TOEFL. They considered using the strategies while they did the test of TOEFL in order to they will be easy to do it. Because of many texts that should be read,

the researcher would get bored and need more time to do TOEFL‟s reading

section. Therefore, they applied response strategies on reading subtest of the new TOEFL.

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION A. Conclusion

There are two conclusions that can be drawn toward research questions. They are:

1. Based on the result of paired sample t-test analysis, it can be known that reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are effective to improve students’ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section. The finding shows that the significance value of reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL of pre-test and post-test using Kolmogorov-Smirnov in normality test is 0,11 and 0,20. It means that hypothesis “H1 (1) = reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are effective to improve students’ achievement scores of TOEFL reading section” is accepted. The descriptives of calculation the result of pre-test and post-test can be seen on Appendix V.

2. Students’ responses after studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL are good. Most of the students believe that those strategies give benefits in their learning of TOEFL preparation test. The researcher gets the data from the questionnaire that has been fulfilled by the students after studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL. The students’ responses are displayed on Appendix VII. Also, frequency of students’ responses can be seen on Appendix VIII. The result is gained by seeing the total of responses (agreement, neutrality and disagreement).

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The total of students’ responses after studying reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL is 33 for disagreement, 105 for neutrality and 271 for agreement. The value of result shows that 271 > 105 and 33. Based on the value of result, reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL gets positive responses from the students. It means that most of the students agree with those strategies.

The five highest ranking of students’ responses after studying reading skill-based strategies which shows the five highest ranking of agreement are these following:

a)They are able to determine meanings from word parts b)They can find definitions from structural clues easily c)They feel easy to recognize the organization of ideas d)They can determine tone, purpose and course easily e)They feel easy to understand main idea questions.

While, the five lowest ranking of agreement are:

a) They felt doubt when they wanted to answer stated detail question whether it was correct or incorrect

b) They have not been able to practice the strategy completely c) They still get difficulty to understand that skill-based strategy d) They have not been able to answer those questions correctly

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B.Suggestion

Based on the research, the researcher would like to give the following suggestions:

1. For the lecturer

It is recommended to use reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL that proposed by Deborah Philips in his book entitled “Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test.”

2. For the students

They should implement all of the reading skill-based strategies for TOEFL in Longman book to improve their ability to answers some kinds of questions of TOEFL reading section and to improve their achievement scores of TOEFL reading section.

3. For further researcher

It is recommended to continue this research in the different focus of TOEFL reading section such as investigating the factors that can make them success to answer the questions of TOEFL reading section.

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