THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION

THROUGH SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

(An Experimental and Comparative Study at the 8th Grade of the Students in

SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang )

“Skripsi”

Presented to the Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers’ Training

In a Partial Fulfillment of Requirements
For the Degree of S. Pd. in English Language Education

MOHAMAD ARIEF SETIADI

NIM. 104014000370

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

THE FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS’ TRAINING

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

2011
THE EF'FECTIVENESSOF TEACHING READING COMPREIIENSION
THROUGH SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
(An Experimentaland comparative study at the th Grade of the studews in
SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang)

"Skripsi"

Submittedto the Facultyof Tarbiyahand Teachers'Training

in a PartialFulfillment of the Requirements
for the DegreeS.pd
in EnglishLanguageEdueation

By:

Mohamad Arief Setiadi

IITNI. 104014000370

Approvedby the Advisor:

Mtufr,
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION
FACULTY OF' TARBTYAII AI{D TEACHERS' TRAIIYANG
SYARIF IIIDAYATTILLAII STATE ISLAMIC TNIVERSITY
JAKARTA
ztlr
 ENDORSEMENT BY TTIE EXAMINATION COMMITTEE
The 'Skripsi' titled: "THE EFFECTIVENESSOF TEACHING READING
COMPREI{ENSIONTHROUGH SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION", written by
Mohamad Arief Setiadi, student's registrationnumber 104014000370was
examinedat examinationsessionof the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher's
Training,"syarif Hidayatullah"StateIslamicuniversityJakartaon 19frof August
2011.The'Skripsi'has beenaccepted and declaredto havefulfilled one of the
requirementsfor the degreeof S.Pd.(Bachelorof Arts) in EnglishEducationin
the Departmentof EnglishEducation.

Jakarta,l 9 Agustus201I
ExaminationCommittee

The Headof Committee,

Drs. Syauki.M.Pd.
NIP. 19641212199t03
| 002

The secretaryof committee,

NenengSunenssih.
M.Pd
NIP.19730625
199903 2 001

The ExaminerI, qu
Drs. SunardiKartowisastro,
Dipl.
ls
The ExaminerII,

Drs.NasifuddinDjalil.M.Ag
*7n*'.'
NrP. 19560s06199003 I 002

Acknowledgedby
Deanof TarbiyaandTeachers'TrainingFaculty
 LEMBAR PERNYATAAN

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini:

Nama Lengkap : Mohamad Arief Setiadi

No. Induk Mahasiswa : 104014000370
Jurusan : Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris
Judul Skripsi : The Effectiveness of Teaching Reading Comprehension

through Small Group Discussion (An Experimental and

Comparative Study at The 8th Grade of SMP Negeri 18

Tangerang )

Atas bimbingan skripsi oleh:

Nama Dosen : Drs. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed

Dengan ini saya selalu penulis menyatakan bahwa:

1. Skripsi merupakan hasil karya asli saya dengan sebenar-benarnya untuk diajukan
kepada fakultas ilmu tarbiyah dan keguruan untuk memenuhi salah satu
persyaratan memperoleh gelar sarjana (S.Pd) di Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta.

2. Semua sumber yang saya pergunakan dalam penulisan skripsi ini telah saya
cantumkan sesuai ketentuan yang berlaku di Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta.

3. Jika di kemudian hari terbukti karya ini bukan hasil karya saya, maka saya pun
bersedia menerima sanksi yang berlaku di Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta.

Jakarta, 24 September 2011

M. Arief Setiadi
 ABSTRACT

ARIEF SETIADI, MOHAMAD. 2011. The Effectiveness of The Teaching Reading

Comprehension through Small Group Discussion at the 8th Grade of SMP Negeri 18
Tangerang, Skripsi , Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris. Fakultas Ilmu Tarbiyah
dan Keguruan. Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah. Jakarta.

Dosen Pembimbing : Drs. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed

Kata kunci : Pemahaman membaca , Diskusi Grup Kecil.

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mencari tahu seberapa efektif penggunaan diskusi
grup kecil pada pengajaran pemahaman membaca di kelas 8 SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang.
Pada penelitian ini, penulis menggunakan diskusi grup kecil sebagai metode yg
digunakan pada pengajaran pemahaman membaca. Dan untuk evaluasi kemampuan siswa,
penulis menggunakan pre-test dan post test. Penghitungan data menggunakan rumus T-test.
Penemuan pada saat penelitian berlangsung menunjukkan bahwa pengajaran pemahaman
membaca dengan menggunakan diskusi grup kecil lebih efektif dibandingkan dengan metode
pebandingannya. Hal itu bisa dilihat dari hasil pengitungan statistiknya, yang telah selesai
dikalkulasi. Telah ditemukan bahwa besaran t.observasi (hasil eksperimen) = 3,40. Angka ini
lebih besar dibandingkan t.tabel (hasil awal/sebelum eksperimen) pada variable bebas 5 % =
2,01. Berdasarkan hasil tersebut penulis menyimpulkan bahwa, siswa pada kelas eksperimen
yang diajarkan pemahaman reading dengan menggunakan diskusi grup kecil mendapatkan nilai
lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan siswa pada kelas kontrol, yang belajar dengan metode
menjelaskan. Penggunaan diskusi grup kecil pada pengajaran pemahaman membaca telah
membantu dan mempermudah siswa untuk bisa memahami teks. Dengan kata lain, metode
tersebut memberikan efek positif pada siswa kelas 8 SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang.
 ABSTRACT

ARIEF SETIADI, MOHAMAD. 2011. The Effectiveness of The Teaching Reading

Comprehension through Small Group Discussion at 8th Grade of SMP
Negeri 18 Tangerang, Skripsi, Department of English Education, Faculty
of Tarbiyah and Teachers’ Training, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic
University, Jakarta.

Advisor : Drs. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed

Key words : Reading comprehension, small group discussion

The objective of the research is to find out the effectiveness of using small
group discussion in teaching reading comprehension at the 8th grade of SMP Negeri
18 Tangerang. The subjects of the research are 2 classes of the 8th grade of SMP
Negeri 18 Tangerang.
In this research the writer used small group discussion for the experimental
method in teaching reading comprehension, and for the evaluating the student’s
achievement the writer used pre-test and post test. The data is enumerated by using T-
test formula.
The findings of the study are stated that teaching reading comprehension
through small group discussion is more effective than teaching reading
comprehension with comparative method. It can be inferred from the result of the
statistic calculation which have been done previously, it was obtained the value of t o
= 3.40. This value is bigger than tt at degree of freedom (df) 5% = 2,01, so the writer
concluded students of experiment class who learnt reading comprehension through
small group discussion got higher scores than students of controlled class who learnt
reading comprehension with explanatory method. The use of small group discussion
in teaching reading comprehension had helped the students to understand the text
more easily. In other words, it had a positive effect on the students of the 8th grade of
SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

All praises be to Allah, The universal Lord Who has bestowed upon the writer

in completing this skripsi. Peace and blessing upon our prophet Muhammad peace be

upon him, his family, relatives, and all of his followers.

This skripsi is presented to the Department of English Education, the Faculty

of Tarbiyah and Teachers’ Training Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University

(UIN) Jakarta as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Strata 1

(S. Pd ).

The writer would like to express his greatest thanks and gratitude to his

advisor; Drs. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed for his valuable help, guidance, corrections, and

suggestions for the completion of this skripsi.

His thanks are also given to Drs. H. Amsir M.Pd the principal of SMP Negeri

18 Tangerang and to the English teacher of SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang, Mrs. Emma

Suhaenah S.Pd who had permitted the writer for conducting the research to complete

this skripsi.

His gratitude also goes to Drs. Syauki, M.Pd and Neneng Sunengsih, S.Pd the

head and secretary of the Department of English Education and also for all lecturers

in the Department of English Education, and to Prof. Dr. Dede Rosyada, MA the dean

of Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training.

 Then, the writer would like to express his greatest love and honor to his

parents; H.Sobanie (alm), Mrs.Hj.Sanawiyah, and to his brothers and sisters who

always give their support and encouragement to the writer in finishing his study.

Finally, the writer would like to express his gratitude to all his friends at years

04’, Muhamad Reza, Hendra Tauhar, Muhamad Muammar, Angga Permana Wijaya.

In A class 04’, Liza Fauziah, Nuraeni, Lailatussaidah, and special thanks from the

writer to his greatest partner, Mutiara Fani and also to everyone who have helped and

given supports and encouragement to the writer in accomplishing this skripsi.

May Allah the Almighty bless them all, amin

Tangerang, 30 Juli 2011

The Writer
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ……………………………………………………………….. i
Acknowledgement …………………………………………………… ii
Table of Contents ……………………………………………………. iv
Table of Tables ………………………………………………………. vi
Table of Appendices ………………………………………………… vii
CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION
A. The Background of Study…………………………… 1
B. The Limitation of Study …………………………….. 5
C. The Formulation of Problem ………………………… 5
D. The Objective of Study ……………………………… 6
E. The Significance of Study …………………………… 6
F. The Method of Study ………………………………… 6
G. The Organization of Study…………………………… 6

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Reading ……………………………………………… 8
1. The Understanding of Reading
Comprehension………………………..……… 8
2. The Objective of Reading …………………… 12
3. The Types of Reading Skills ………………… 13
4. The Factors Influencing Reading
Comprehension ………………………………. 15
5. The Principles of Teaching Reading ………… 17
B. Group Discussion ……………………………………. 18
1. The Understanding of Group Discussion ….... 18
2. The Types of Group Discussion …………….. 19
3. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Group
Discussion …………………………………… 21

iv
 C. The Teaching Reading Skill According to KTSP ….. 23
1. Standard Competence ……………….……….. 23
2. Basic Competence ……………………………. 23
3. Indicator ……………………………………… 24

CHAPTER III: THE METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS OF THE

RESEARCH
A. The Methodology of the Research …………………… 25
1. The Objective of the Research …………………… 25
2. The Place and Time of the Research …………….. 26
3. The Population and Sample …………….………… 26
4. The Techniques of Data Collecting ……………… 26
5. The Instrument of the Research ………..………… 27
6. The Techniques of Data Analysis ………………... 27

B. The Findings of the Research ………………………… 28

1. The Description of Data ………………………….. 28
2. The Analysis of Data …………………………….. 28
3. The Test of Hypothesis …………………………... 33
4. The Data Interpretation …………………………... 34

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions …………………………………………... 36
B. Suggestions …………………………………………... 37

Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………. 38
Appendix ………………………………………………………………………….. 41

v
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 The Score of The Experimental Class ………………. 29

Table 2.2 The Score of The Control Class ……………………... 30
Table 3.3 The Comparison Score of The Experimental and Control
Class …………………………………………………… 31

vi
 LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Form of Test ……………………………………….. 41

Appendix 2 Lesson Plan ………………………………………… 45
Appendix 3 Pengajuan Judul Skripsi …………………………… 51
Appendix 4 Surat Bimbingan Skripsi …………………………... 52
Appendix 5 Surat Izin Penelitian ……………………………….. 53
Appendix 6 Surat Keterangan Telah Penelitian ……………….... 54

vii
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents and discusses background of the study, scope of

the study, formulation of the problem, objective of study, significance of
study, method of the study, and the organization of study.

A. The Background of Study

English has a very important role and position in a globalization era. It
is very important for the development of knowledge, science, culture, and
relationship among countries.
In an employment sector, the English ability become a skill which to
be mastering because in many job aspect English has an important role in order
to support the job.
In a scientific technology, researchers and scientist all over the world
communicate and share each other with English. Most of scientific conferences
are arranged in English as a medium language, even most of website in the
internet use English as a written language. So the information, knowledge, and
technology which are available need a good English reading ability.
Reading is one of the most essential skills to be mastered in language
learning. It is a wonderful habit and can bring many benefits. One of the
benefits of wide reading is a broad store of information. Being able to read
English is essential, because there are many kinds of books written in English.
Reading becomes essential for everyone in order to increase his or her
knowledge. This idea is supported by the fact that reading has become a part of
our daily life.
Learning to read is an important educational goal. For both children and
adults, the ability to read opens up new worlds and opportunities. It enables us to gain

1
 2

new knowledge, enjoy literature, and do everyday things that are parts of modern life,
such as, reading the newspapers, job listings, manual instructions, maps and so on.
Most of countries include English as an important subject in their
school curriculum. Likewise Indonesia, English has been taught in almost
every school level. In the elementary school level, English becomes a local-
content subject which is taught from the first until six grade class. In the junior
until senior secondary school level, English becomes a compulsory subject and
in the university level, English becomes a complementary subject. Even in
some kindergarten English has been introduced to the pupils, with big
expectation that in long span of time they will get fluent in English and also be
easy to understand the English references. The objective of English teaching in
junior high school is, the student have some ability such as ;
 Mengembangkan kompetensi berkomunikasi dalam bentuk lisan dan
tulis untuk mencapai literasi functional.
 Memiliki kesadaran tentang hakikat dan pentingnya Bahasa inggris
untuk meningkatkan daya saing bangsa dalam masyarakat global ,
dan;
 Mengembangkan pemahaman peserta didik tentang keterkaitan
antara bahasa dan budaya.1
a) Developing the communication competencies in oral and written
models to reach the functional literary.
b) Having an awareness about the essence of English to increasing a
national compete in a global environment.
c) Increasing comprehension to the pupils about the connection
between language and culture. (translated by the writer)
Reading can develop and improve other student’s English skills such
as writing skill, vocabulary mastery, etc. Usually, the more students read the
better their vocabulary would be. Why? Because in teaching reading generally
the teacher integrates it with other language skills.
As states by Edward David Allen and Rebecca M. Valette that:

1
Peraturan Menteri no.20 tahun 2005, Standar isi, Depdiknas, Jakarta, 2005
 3

Reading and writing activities can be easily coordinated. The

answering of question and the writing of resumes are obvious example
of written work. Reading selection can be used for oral practice in
several ways. Sentences from the reading that contain difficult
grammatical patterns may become model for rapid patterns drills with
the teacher giving the cues.2

Reading enables the students to understand the messages presented in

written form. They read because they want to get something from the writing;
facts, ideas, enjoyment, even feelings of family (from letter).
They read to obtain the information for some purpose. For example,
when the students read the instructions on a ticket machine, they need to know
how to operate it, when the students read the road sign so that they know where
to go. Meanwhile, the students have some problems when they read, sometimes
they get difficulty to understand the meaning of a sentence and they become
more confused to read a long paragraph. So, they felt reading is a boring
subject.
Jeremy Harmer, in his book How to teach English, states “six
principles behind the teaching of reading”, they are ;
1. Reading is not a passive skill.
2. Student need to be engaged with what they are reading.
3. Student should be encouraged to respond to the content of reading
text, not just to the language.
4. Prediction is a major factor in reading.
5. Match the task to the topic.
6. Good teachers exploit reading texts to the full.3

School is one of places where pupils, or in common term as above

called student, learn language. The process of teaching and learning, the
interaction between teachers and students, happens in the school. But there are
a number of problems that teachers might face in the process of teaching and

2 Edward David Allen and Rebecca M. Valette, Classroom Techniques; Foreign

Language and English as a Second Language,(New York; Harcourt Bracce Jovanovich, Inc,
1979), p.267
3 Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English , (Cambridge: Longman, 1998), p.70
 4

learning reading. One of the problems that teachers encounter is to choose the
appropriate methodology in teaching language. Brown states:

Language teachers have long been faced with a plethora of ‘methods’

from which to choose. Each ‘method’ has tended to claim for itself authority
concerning what students need to learn, the best way to match students’
learning styles, or in some cases the truth about how to present or practice
language.4

As we knows there are many teachers still use explanatory method,

they just explain the materials and the students just listen what he said. The
result that the students are boring, they didn’t enjoy learning and their
achievements become reduce. They need some activity which can make them
fun with the reading learning process, so they can get achieve the main
objective of the learning process. One of the activity is discussion.
Discussion is the common types of communication activity. The good
characteristics of discussion is the exchange information of each other. It is
useful for the students to express their ideas without fear and embarrassment.
In these activities, the students must work together to develop a plan, resolve
the problem or complete the task.
Meanwhile Eugene E. Wright states, Discussion is the systematic,
objective sharing and evaluating of ideas and information by two or more
persons for the purpose of investigating and solving a problem.5

The smaller the group of discussion the more alive and effective the
discussion would be. Because it make each person easier to express the idea.
Every person have more role on the group to be active in the discussion, to
help their friends to finish the task.

4 James Dean Brown, The Elements of Language Curriculum, A Systematic

Approach to Program Development, (Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1995), p.1.
5
White E. Eugene, Practical Speech English Fundamentals,(New York, McMillan
Company, 1960) p.425
 5

Based on the background above, the writer would like to make

research on SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang, about The effectiveness of small
group discussion in teaching reading comprehension.

The writer choose SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang because when the writer
came to the school to observe to fulfill the assignment from his lecture, the
writer found the teacher just use an explanatory method in every time schedule
subject. Students just listen to the teacher explanation and then they do some
matters given by the teacher until he give a score for them and so on, it seems
boredom for them.

The writer make a conclusion that they need a variation in teaching

learning English process, in order to give a good impression to the student
about English subject and to make a teaching learning process more alive for
them, then finally teacher will reach the purpose of the teaching English.

B. The Limitation of Study

To avoid misunderstanding in interpreting the problem, it is necessary
for the writer to make the limitation of the problem. The writer limits the
problem only on The effectiveness of teaching reading comprehension of small
group discussion with procedure text in 8th grade of SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang.

C. The Formulation of Study

Based on the statement above the writer would like to formulate the
problem for the research as follows: Do the students who learn reading through
small group discussion show better achievement than the students who learn
reading through explanatory method?.
 6

D. The Objective of Study

As the objective of study, the writer would like to find the empirical
evidence on the effectiveness of small group discussion in teaching reading
comprehension.

E. The Significance of Study

This study is also expected to give a contribution on how to teach
reading comprehension based on small group discussion and also finding out
an alternative in teaching English especially in teaching reading comprehension
using Small Group Discussion.

F. The Method of Study

This study employs experiment method. The writer will teach reading
in two different classes using two different methods. To find out which method is
more effective, in the beginning of the lesson the writer will give the pre-test to
the student of both class to find out both group have relatively the same level of
competence. In the experiment class the writer teaches reading comprehension
using small group discussion while in the control class the writer teaches it using
explanatory method. At the end of the experiment, the writer will administer post
test to the classes and compare the test result using T-test formula.

G. The Organization of Study

This paper consists of four chapters. The first chapter is introduction. It
explains about the main problem of this paper. It covers the background of the
study, the scope of study, the formulation of problem, the objective of study, the
significance of the study, the method of study, and the organization of study.
The second chapter is theoretical framework and it consists of two
parts. Part A is about Reading, containing the General Understanding of reading ,
the Types of Reading, the Purpose of Reading, and The Purpose of teaching
Reading. Part B is about Group discussion , containing the Understanding of
 7

Group, the Understanding of Discussion, the types of Group Discussion, and the
Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Discussion
The third chapter is the implementation of the research. It consists of
two parts. Part A is the methodology of the research, containing the objective of
the research, place and time of the research, the population of the research, the
procedures of the research, the instrument of the research, the techniques of data
collecting, and the techniques of data analysis. Part B is the findings of the
research, containing the description of data, the analysis of data, the test of
hypothesis, and the interpretation of data.

The fourth chapter is the conclusions and suggestions. It is a core

review of previous discussion in this paper.
 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

In this chapter, the writer discusses theoretical framework which consists of

two main topics. The first is Reading comprehension which comprises several sub
topics; the general understanding of reading comprehension, the purposes of reading,
the types of reading skills, and the factors influencing reading comprehension. The
second topic talks about Group Discussion . It covers the understanding of group
discussion, the types of group discussion, the advantages and disadvantages of group
discussion.

A. Reading
1. The Understanding of Reading Comprehension
Reading is one of the language skills which is very important to develop
students’ knowledge in their studies. Reading is a tool of learning; students need a
variety of reading skills to understand textbooks, reference materials, magazines,
newspaper, etc. Therefore, if the students does not read them, they will miss the latest
information of science and technology.
According to Peter Streven, reading is “a skill of great importance to student
because it provides him to access to great quantity of further experience of the
language and gives him a window into the normal means of continuing his personal
education”.1
Reading is regarded as one of English skills that need relatively mechanical
skills. In this sense, Elizabeth B. Bernhardt assumed that reading is viewed as not
merely taking written information on the printed matter but also attributing a

1
Peter Streven, New Education in Teaching of English, (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1997), p.26.

8
 9

meaning-extracting process as the essence of the act of reading.2 It means that reading
is not only to get information from the text passively but also to process it on mind to
understand the meaning. That assumption is in line with a linguist expert, Dorothy
Rubin who defined that reading as the conveying of meaning to and the processing
the printed word symbols to decode the words and to know the meaning of the
selections.3
Regarding those definition above, it can be seen that learning to read is a
complex process because reading requires thinking.4 When the reader read to get the
meaning the printed selection, it is obviously needed a great number of mechanical
skills and comprehension skills as thinking process. Therefore, it can be said that
reading includes many aspects of skills. J. Charles Alderson divided those skills
involves recalling, drawing, finding, weaving, recognizing, identifying, and following
which are considered toward the readers in understanding the printed symbols as a
mental process.5 That is why the readers have to integrate their skills when reading
text because as a complex process, reading needs understanding the information on
mind.
Jo Ann Aebersold also stated in her book that “Reading is the ability to
comprehend the thoughts and feelings of another mind via the medium of text;
reading constitutes a powerful activity that confers knowledge, insight, and
perspective readers”.6 According to Elizabeth B. Bernhardt, reading is regarded as a
cognitive process in which demands a process to apprehend the meaning, to gain

2
Elizabeth B. Bernhardt, Reading Development in a Second Language: Theoretical,
Empirical, and Classroom Perspective, (New Jersey : Ablex Publishing, 1991), p.5.
3
Dorothy Rubin, A practical Approach to Teaching Reading (New York: CBS, 1982), p.8.
4
Dorothy Rubin, A practical Approach to…., p.17.
5
J. Charles Alderson, Assessing Reading, ( Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000),
p. 9-10
6
Jo Ann Aebersold and Field, From Reader to Teaching Reading: Issues and Strategies for
second Language Classroom, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997 ), p.5-6.
 10

information, and to learn in which those should be considered to the process of mind.7
Therefore, to understand the meaning of a text in reading activity, the reader have to
use of interaction among eyes and mind to grasp the message related to what the
author is trying communicate.
However, according to Peter David Fumprey in his book stated, “Reading is
more than ability to understand the explicit meaning of the passage presented. It is an
essence, a constructive thinking process which includes comprehension of explicit
and implicit meaning. It involves application, analysis evaluation and imagination. It
is one activity through which the child’s cognitive can further”.8
Based on those statements above, clearly, reading is a complex process in
getting meaning or in understanding the message. It is commonly what we call as
reading comprehension. It is in line with Zemelman Daniel and Hyde Samuels who
stated that “the actively understanding of the message to construct the meaning
concerning the transaction between what the author trying to convey through his
words and the mind of a reader is called reading comprehension”.9
Reading is a form of communication between reader and the author. In the
process of reading, a reader has to understand and catch the meaning of the text. At
the same time, the author give understanding through the words. The essence of
reading activity is comprehension; it becomes a primary challenge in teaching or
learning of reading skill. In order to learn or understand the message of the author, the
students are hoped to have the ability to comprehend the written textbook. As Farris
(2004)said that reading comprehension is the process of understanding the message
that the author tries to convey.10 In short, there is an interaction between a reader and

7
Elizabeth B. Bernhardth, Reading Development ….., p.5.
8
Peter David Fumprey, Measuring Reading Abilities: Concept, Sources, and Application,
(London: Hodder and Soughton Educational, 1997), p.2.
9
Zemelman Daniel and Hyde Samuels, Reading Comprehension, ( New York: Oxford
University Press, 1998), p.30.
10
Pamela J. Farris, Teaching Reading: A balanced Approach for today’s Classroom, (New
York: McGraw-Hill, 2004), p.321.
 11

an author. The result of this interaction, the reader tries to understand what the author
means. While reading, a reader tries to understand the information from the text they
read. Understanding a written text means extracting the required information from it
as efficiently as possible.11 Therefore, there is no meaning if a reader just reads
without comprehending and catching the information from it.
Jo Mc Donough quoted from Devine who said that, “Reading comprehension
is the process of using syntactic, semantic, and theoretical information found in the
printed text to reconstruct in the reader mind.”12 Comparison with the definition of
Devine, William Grabe said that, “Reading comprehension is most likely a simple
multiplication of word recognition abilities and general language comprehension
abilities.”13
However, in comprehending a printed language, it is quite difficult as the
reader must accomplish multiple things simultaneously in constructing the meaning
from a text. There is a construction of understanding concept. The reader have to
construct their own understanding about the text they read. As Penny Ur stated ;
Our aims in (real-life) reading usually go beyond mere understanding. We
may wish to understand something in order to learn from it (in course of
study), in order to find out how to act (instruction, directions), in order to
express an opinion about it (letter requesting advice), or for many other
purpose. Other pieces of writing, into which the writer has invested thought
and care, demand a personal response from the reader to the ideas in the text,
such as interpretation, application to other contexts, criticism, or evaluation.14

Based on these opinions, it could be summarized that reading is an activity

which need a use of eyes an mind together at same time to get the information of a

11
Francoise Grellet, Developing Reading Skill: A Practical Guide to Reading Comprehension
Exercise, (United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1996), p.3.
12
Jo Mc Donough and Christoper Shaw, Materials and Methods In ELT, (Sidney: The
University of England, Black Well, 1993), p.101-102.
13
William Grabe, Reading Research and its Implication for Reading Assessment, (Flagstaff,
Arizona: Northern Arizona University, 1985),p.5.
14
Penny Ur, A course in Language Teaching; Practice and theory , (New York, Cambridge
University Press, 1996), p.150.
 12

reading object. The comprehension is process to in getting the information. The

writer concludes that the reading comprehension is a process to understand the
contents of the text which is done by the readers to get information. It is given
through written language and aimed to comprehend the meaning of the text.

2. The Objective of Reading

In daily life, people generally read something because they want to or have a
desire to do so. No matter what materials we read, we read them on objective. When
we read a comic, a novel, or a magazine in our leisure time, it does not mean that our
reading does not have an objective. We read to spend our time or to get rid of
boredom because we have nothing to do.
Even though our reading is just for spending time or getting rid of boredom, it
is still an objective. In this case, the objective is reading for pleasure. It is different
when we read a textbook, a recipe, or a timetable. We read them because we need the
information. In this case, our reading objective is to get information.
There are some objective of reading which is declared by Francoise Grellet
who stated that there are two main reasons of reading ; reading for pleasure and
reading for information (to find out something or in order to do something whit
information you got).15
Meanwhile Larry A. Harris figured out the purpose of reading as follows:
Just as the reader must adapt his reading to meet various purposes, he must
also adjust his reading rate. The answer to a specific question concerning
supporting detail will require the reader to skim for the right section and then
read the section carefully for the correct answer. Following directions calls for
slow, careful reading, as does reading an account of a specific experiment.
Recreational reading and newspaper reading often call for a rapid rate, but
usually not as fast as skimming.16

15
Francoise Grellet, Developing Reading Skills: ……, p.4.
16
Larry A. Harris, Reading Instruction; Diagnostic Teaching in the Classroom, (New York:
Richard C. Owen Publisher, 1980), p.51
 13

Based on the statement above, clearly people read for many objective. Some
of them read for pleasure and some read for getting information in which different
objective gain different technique used.
In addition, Christian Nuttal stated “whatever your reasons for reading
(excluding any reading for language learning), it is not very likely that you were
interested in the pronunciation of what you read, and even less likely that you more
interested in the grammatical structure used. You read because you wanted to get
something from the writing.”17 This statement also emphasize on no matter the
reader’s techniques used in reading, it aims to convey the message of the text.
In general, the objective of reading mentioned above is to understand or to
comprehend the reading passage from the printed text whether there is an action or
not after reading a text. It emphasizes on reading is not a general ability. Related to
the objective of reading it self, it embrace a wide variety of tasks, activities, skills,
and mental process.
The objective of reading are closely connected to a reader’s motivation for
reading, it will also affect the way a reading selection is read. For example, when
readers read a reading selection in a test to find certain information that is needed to
answer the test items, they will likely try to pay more attention and put more focus
onto the texts, use their thinking skill or intellectual ability to absorb the information
they need, and activate their background experiences or prior knowledge that they
have to gain better comprehension from the text they read. In other words, read with a
specific objective in mind enables readers to focus on the relevant parts of text and to
use appropriate reading strategy.
Beside the objective that had been noted previously, there is another objective
of reading, which is to practice the pronunciation ability. This objective usually done
by reading aloud. This reading purpose can be very useful when someone wants to
practice his or her articulation and intonation in pronouncing the words.

17
Christine Nuttal, Teaching Reading Skills in a foreign Language, (London: Mcmillan,
2005), p.3.
 14

3. The Types of Reading Skills

There are four easily identifiable skills in reading; skimming, scanning,
intensive reading, and extensive reading.18
a. Skimming; glancing rapidly through a text to determine its general content. e.g.
quickly glancing through an article to see if it interest or not.
Being able to look over material rapidly for given purposes without reading
every phrase is great asset for a reader to posses. Skimming enables people to
select content that they want to read and to discard, which is inconsequential for
their purposes. Skimming permits people to gain a general idea about material
when that is their purposes rather than to read all material in detail.
b. Scanning; reading to locate specific information, e.g. locating telephone number
in directory.
Being able to search through material rapidly with given purpose in mind, in
order to find a specific fact or an answer to particular question plays a large role
in much of a youngster’s reading. Scanning enables people to locate specific
information without reading all materials around it.
c. Intensive reading. In intensive reading, the reader tries to absorb all the
information given by the author. e.g. reading dosage instruction for medicine.
d. Extensive reading; the reader deals with longer text as a whole, which requires
the ability to understand the component parts and their contribution to the overall
meaning. e.g. reading a newspaper article, short story, or novel.

Each kind of reading skills that has been explained above are used for certain
purposes. Each also requires different approach and technique to achieve its goal. For
example, skimming and scanning techniques are usually used by readers when they
read a reading selection when take a reading test. By using these techniques, they

18
Andrew Wright, Picture for Language Learning, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1999), p.159
 15

may be able to find the information they need without have to read all the reading
passage and save their time.

4. The Factors Influencing Reading Comprehension

There are many factors influencing reading comprehension. David Pearson
(1978) explained, the factors influencing reading comprehension into two categories,
inside factors and outside factors.19
Inside factors are divided into four components. The first is linguistic
component (what the readers know about the language). When the students learn
language, they learn three system20; they are :
a. Phonological Knowledge; It includes of the different phonemes (individual sounds)
in the language.
b. Syntactic Knowledge; It refers to the orderly arrangement among words in
sentences.
c. Semantic Knowledge; It refers to our knowledge of words’ meaning. It is also
includes our knowledge of the relationship among words.
The second component of inside factors influencing reading comprehension is
interest. It is important thing in reading comprehension. If the students interested in
the topic presented in their class, they will understand more about the topic. As a
facilitator, the teacher has to give the explanation about the material in many ways.
Therefore, the teacher have to use various resources related to the topic. The teachers
give opportunity to their students to read everything from any resources such as
magazines, books, journals, etc. their interest in reading can influence their
comprehension.
The third component is motivation. Most of readers usually read what they
want to read and what they have to read. Therefore, motivation can influence the

19
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension, (New York: Holt, Pirehart, and
Winston, 1978), p.9
20
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension, ….. p.10
 16

students’ comprehension because the different reasons of the readers have different
power to make the reader try to understand more what they read. There are two kinds
of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is in the reader.
It comes from the learner it self. As the teacher, we try to give the extrinsic
motivation so that they will be more motivated. We offer incentives, feedbacks, other
stimuli to try to alter a student’s level motivation.21
The last component is reading ability. It explains how well the reader can
read. It is almost tautological to say that the more reading ability one possess, the
better one will comprehend.22 The readers have to read everything and try to
understand what they read.
The outside factor influencing reading comprehension is divided into two
categories. The first is the written message such as books, magazines, pamphlets,
newspaper, etc. There are some factors in the written message which could affect
comprehension such as word frequency, story structure, the math information, and
visual displays can all be manipulated to increase or decrease comprehension.23
The second outside factor is the environment which could affect
comprehension. According to Pearson (1978), there are two factors in reading
environment; home environment and school environment.24 In the home
environment, the parents have significant role to improve the reading skill of their
children.
School environment is another factor to develop students’ reading ability.
Reading environment will be constructed if the teacher motivates their students to
read and make students want to read more . Besides that, school environment
especially teachers, peers, and “the classroom ecology”, all influence the reading

21
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension,…. p.14
22
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension,…. p.14
23
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension,…. p.20
24
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension,…. p.18-19
 17

comprehension of students.25 Peers can be positive or negative. The positive

influence will appear when there is friendly competition among the students.
Therefore, it can be develop their reading ability.

5. The Principles of Teaching Reading

There are 14 principles of teaching reading which are noted from book
“Principles and practices of Teaching Reading” by Arthur W. Heilman. They are:26
- Learning to read is a complicated process and is sensitive to variety of pressures.
- Learning to read is an individual process.
- Pupil differences must be a primary consideration in reading instruction.
- Reading instruction should be thought of as an organized, systematic growth-
producing activity.
- Proper reading instruction depends on the diagnosis of each child’s weakness and
needs.
- The best diagnosis is useless unless it is used as a blueprint for instruction.
- No child should be expected or forced to attempt to read material which at the
moment he is incapable of reading.
- Reading is a process of getting meaning from printed word symbols.
- Any given technique, practice, or procedure is likely to work better with some
children than with other. Hence, the teacher of reading must have a variety of
approaches.
- Learning to read is a long term developmental process extending over a period of
years.
- The concept of readiness should be extended upward to all grades.
- Early in the learning process, the child must acquire ways of gaining
independence in identifying words whose meanings are known to him but which
are unknown to him as sight words.
- Children should not be in the classroom when they have emotional problems
sufficiently
- Emphasis should be on prevention rather than cure. Reading problems should be
detected early and corrected before they deteriorate into failure-frustration-
reaction cases.

25
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension,…. p.19
26
Arthur W. Heilman, Principles and Practices of Teaching Reading 2 nd Ed., (Columbus :
Charles E. Merill Publishing Company, 1967), p. 3-4
 18

The principles that have been noted previously become some of primary
concerns in teaching reading. In addition, in reading class, teachers are supposed to
take the following things into account:

a) When choosing reading materials, it is important to consider the students’

interests and ability level, as well as the subject matter of the text.
b) Discussing new words and concepts with students before reading a text is
generally helpful. It helps to activate prior knowledge and improve
comprehension. This is especially important for ESL readers.
c) Asking students to tell everything they know about a topic is a useful way to get
the students to activate their prior knowledge. They should then begin to think
about what they don’t know. After reading, they should summarize what they
have learned about the topic.
d) Comprehension can be enhanced by building on students’ background
knowledge, e.g. by having a group discussion before reading.
e) Using combination of different teaching strategies is better than focusing on one.
f) By talking to students about the different purposes for reading, they will become
more aware of what to focus on as they read.
g) The use of books and reading materials that are interesting and relevant to
students will motivate them to read more.
h) Make connections between reading and students’ lives.
i) When assessing the difficulty level of a text, it is important to consider the
language used, as well as its subject matter, interest level and assumed cultural
knowledge.
j) Choose reading materials that utilize students’ local context. For instance, books
about what students enjoy doing would be a good starting point.
 19

k) Use information texts that contain topics with which the students are familiar.
This will allow them to use their prior knowledge and to learn more about the
topic.27

B. Group Discussion
1. The Understanding of Group Discussion
Small group discussion or working in small groups has been shown to
improve students’ understanding, retention of material, and problem-solving
abilities. However, most of us do not instinctively know how to work well with
others in the academic setting. In order to be successful, group work must be
carefully structured and the student must receive support in order to be successful.

John K. Brilhart said that group is two or more persons united for some
purpose (s) and interacting in such a way that they influence each other.28
Christopher Brumfit stated about group “A group is usually defined as a
number of people who interact with one another that perceive themselves to be a
group”.29 Small group discussion is the discussion that take place when student work
together usually in group of 5 or 7. So it can be inference that small group discussion
is the way to influence each other to get involve in order to find the way out about
something they discuss about. The writer concluded, small group discussion is a
media for students to get involve to influence each other to find the way out about
something they discuss about or problem solving.

27
Elizabeth S. Pang, Angaluki Muaka, Educational Practices Series-12: Teaching Reading.
(Brussel: The International Academy of Education, 2003). p.17
28
John K. Brilhart, Effective Group Discussion, 4th ed, (California: Brown Company
Publisher, 1982),p.16
29
Christopher Brumfit, Communication Methodology in Language Teaching The Roles of
Fluency & Accuracy, (Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1984).,p.9-10.
 20

2. Types of Group Discussion

There are nine ways to organize group according to Friederike Klipple. There
are :30
a. Fishbowl
All the students of the class sit in a big circle. In the middle of the circle there
are five chair for a group. Three students who have controversial opinion about the
topic sit in three chair. The three of five students start the discussion. Then two other
students who have different opinion join them. Students from the outer circle can
replace speakers in the inner circle by tapping them on the shoulder if they feel
confident that they can present the topic better.
b. Buzz Group
Each group discusses a problem for a view minute before the solution are
reported to the whole class.
c. Hearing
A group of students sit in front of the class and are asked by the other students
about the topic. They have to discuss before they make discussion to answer the
questions.
d. Network
The class is divided into groups that should not have more than 10 students
each. Each group has a ball of string whoever is speaking about the topic holds the
ball of string. When the speaker has finished him or she gives the ball of string to the
next speaker, but keeps holding on the string. In this way a net of string develops,
showing who talked the most and who the least.
e. Market
All students walk around the class and each of them talks to some others.
f. Onion

30
Friederike Klipple, Keep Talking Community Fluency Activities for Language Teaching,
(Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1984).,p.9-10
 21

The class is divided into two equal groups. The students sit on the courtiers
that are arranged in a double circle. The students who sit in the outer circle facing
inwards and those of the inner circle sit facing another students in the outer circle
move on one chair and now have a new partner to continue the discussion.
g. Star
Six groups try to find solution of a problem. Each group elects a speaker.
Then the speaker joins with the other speakers from the other groups to form a new
group to continue the discussion.
h. Opinion Vote
Each student gets a voting card with numbers from 1 to 5 in it (1= agree
completely, 2= agree, 3= nor agree or disagree, 4= disagree, 5= disagree completely).
They discuss for awhile, each student votes, and the distribution of different opinion
in the group can be seen at glance.
i. Forced Contribution
In order to make sure that all the members are distributed which determined
the order of speaking.
3. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Discussion
a. The Advantages
The positive primary aspects of using group discussion is the students can
share to each other to solve the problem, it needs a good teamwork. They need to
share their idea and discuss the way to fix it. Here are some advantages about group
discussion:31
- Enhances learning in both the affective and cognitive domains.
- Is both learner-centered and subject-centered.
- Stimulates learners to think about issues and problems.

31
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What are the advantages and disadvantages of
group discussion/#ixzz1Sb9JS1ce
 22

- Encourages learners to exchanges their own experiences, thereby making learning

more active and less isolating.
- Provides the opportunity for sharing of ideas and concerns.
- Fosters positive peer support and feelings of belonging.
- Reinforces previous learning.
More simply put:
• Ideas can be generated.
• Ideas can be shared.
• Ideas can be 'tried out'.
• Ideas can be responded to by others

.
b. The Disadvantages

 One member of the group can dominate the discussion.

 Easy to digress from the topic.

 Shy learners may refuse to become involved or may need a great deal of
encouragement to participate.

 Requires skill to tactfully redirect learners who digress or dominate without

losing their trust and that of other group members.

 Particularly challenging for the novice teacher when group members do not
interact easily.

 More time consuming for the transmission of information than other methods
such as lecture.

 Requires the teacher's presence at all sessions to act as a facilitator and

resource person.

Not all the members of the group get involve to the discussions, is about the
confident problem. There is a different confident level to each students, they are to
shy to show up and perform themselves in front of their friends.
 23

C. The Teaching Reading Skill According to KTSP

1. The Standard Competence
To implementing KTSP (Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan), one of the
points that need to be considered is how to develop the syllabus. In English subject,
the syllabus is designed based on Standar Isi which is consist of subject, identity,
competence standard and basic competence, main learning material, learning activity,
and indicators, assessment, time location and learning resource.

So the government defined standard competence for reading in seventh

semester of junior high school level is as follows :
a. Understanding the meaning of simple functional texts that has been related to daily
life.
b. Understanding the meaning of functional texts and simple short essay; descriptive,
and procedure that has been related to the real life.

2. The Basic Competence

The basic competence is the minimum competence that needs to be mastered
by the students in achieving reading skills; it is modification of the standard
competence. The basic competence for reading skill is divided into two semester the
basic competences are :
a Pronouncing word, phrase, and sentences with compatible pronunciation, stress,
and intonation that related to the closest situation.
b. Responding the meaning of the short, simple functional texts.
While in the second semester, the basic competences for reading skill are:
 24

a. Responding the meaning and rhetorical steps that accurate, and compatible for
simple essay that closest to the situation in descriptive and procedure texts.32
b. Reading functional texts and short simple essay (descriptive/procedure texts with
the pronunciation, stress, and compatible intonation.

3. The Indicator
a. Students are able to find out :
- Main idea
- Support idea
- Detailed information
- Implied information
- Factual information
- Reference word
b. Students are able to translate the vocabulary, word, phrase, sentence meaning and
also understand the grammatical and other part of speech that fit on the text and
the theme in short simple functional text; descriptive and procedure type.
c. Students are able to read descriptive and procedure text in silent for 10 minutes.
d. Students are able to read descriptive and procedure text loudly and correctly.
e. Students are able to analyze the difference between descriptive and procedure text.
f. Students are able to show the example of descriptive and procedure text.
g. Students are able to finish the task of;
- Rearranging the word to be sentence.
- Rearranging the sentences to be paragraph.
- Completing the sentences and paragraph.

32
Panduan Pengembangan Rencana Pembelajaran (RPP) Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Inggris SMP,
Jakarta : Departemen Pendidikan Nasional RI, 2006, p.19.
 CHAPTER III
THE METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS OF THE
RESEARCH

This chapter discusses of the implementation of the research based on the

data were gained during the research. It presents and discusses two sub content
which is, first is the methodology of the research which consist of objective of the
research, place and time of the research, population and sample, techniques of
data collecting, instrument of the research, techniques of data analysis. ata
description, Test of Hypothesis. Second is finding of the research which consist of
description of data, analysis of data, hypothesis of data ,and data Interpretation.

A. THE METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH

1. The Objective of the Research
The objective of the research is to collect information and to find
the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of small group discussion in
teaching reading comprehension. Whether using small group discussion is
effective to reinforce the student’s reading comprehension.

25
 26

2. The Place and time of the Research

This study was conducted at 8th grade of SMP Negeri 18
Tangerang, perum Poris Indah blok G, Tangerang, which was build in
1995, 2nd semester, and the academic year 0f 2010-2011. The research was
held over period of time from may, 9th 2011 to may, 21st 2011. The writer
holds a research by an experimental study to capability of student’s
reading comprehension by using small group discussion.

3. The Population and Sample

The population in this research is students of 8th grade of SMP
Negeri 18, Tangerang. There are 382 students of 8th grade. But the writer
took only 50 of them. The writer took two classes as sample for the
research. First is 8.1 class as experiment class of which its students were
taught reading comprehension using small group discussion. Second is 8.4
class of which the students were taught reading comprehension without
using small group discussion.
The techniques of sample taking in this research is purposive
cluster sampling. The writer took 25 student from each classes, which in
8.1 class consist of 40 students and in 8.4 consist of 42 students.

4. The Techniques of Data Collecting

In techniques of data collecting, writer uses teaching and learning
process by give test to the students. The writer obtained the data by
conducting teaching activity and collecting students’ test scores from both
experiment class and controlled class after they have been taught reading
comprehension. The test was conducted at the third meeting. The scores
were the result of learning reading comprehension through small group
discussion and without small group discussion.
Before giving the test to the students, the writer consulted to the
English teacher about the questions he made, whether these questions can
be given to the students.
 27

The writer gave the same kind of test for both the experimental
class and the controlled class.

5. The Instrument of the Research

The research instruments used by the writer in collecting data are
- Pre-Test
The writer did the pre-test when the teacher for the first time entered
the class. It is aimed to know the students ability in material of reading
comprehension which given by the writer.
- Post-test
Post-test was done in order to know the changeable on student’s
reading comprehension material between learning process with
explanatory method and learning process through small group
discussion.
6. The Techniques of Data Analysis
After getting data from the experiment and control class, the writer
used comparative technique38. The comparative techniques to evaluate
hypothesis concerning the differences between the two examined methods
in teaching learning process by using explanatory method and small group
discussion.

The formula is as follows :

M1-M2
to = { x1²+ ∑x2²} { N1+N2}
N1+N2-2 {N1 x N2}

The procedure of calculation as formula :

a. Determining mean Variable X1 with formula:
𝑋1
M1 =
𝑁1
b. Determining mean Variable X2 with formula:

1
Drs.Anas Sudijono, Pengantar Statistik Pendidikan, (Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo
Persada, 1994), p.317.
 28

𝑋2
M2 =
𝑁

c. Determining deviations Variable X1 with formula:

X1 = X1 – M1
d. Determining deviations Variable X2 with formula:
X2 = X2 – M2
Where:
M1 : Mean of post-test of experimental class
M2 : Mean of post-test of control class
∑X12 : Sum of square deviation square in the experimental class
∑X22 : Sum of square deviation square in the control class
N1 : Number of students of experimental class
N2 : Number of students of control class
df : Degree of Freedom
df : N1 + N2 – 2

B. THE FINDINGS OF THE RESEARCH

1. The Description of Data
The writer conducted the library research and field research. The writer
obtained the result of the students’ score in experiment and controlled class. The
writer held field research observes the teaching-learning process and the writer
got the data from pre-test and post-test. The pre-test was given before the lesson
begins and the post-test was given after the lesson finished.
In this chapter the writer compares the achievement of pre-test and post-
test; to know whether using small group discussion effective in reading
comprehension. The scores will calculated and analysis the data.
2. The Analysis of Data
The writer makes make the table of the students’ score in order to know
the result of the research. In the following, the writer gives the report concerning
the score of the students’ score. Here with the result of the test are presented in
the following tables.
 29

Table 3.1
The score of individual students’ of the experimental class
No Name Pre-test Post-test Gained Score
1 Adam Bahtiar 75 82 7
2 Adinda Putri Yulindar 60 76 16
3 Ahmad Mustaqim 85 91 6
4 Ahmad Alvin Maulana 72 77 5
5 Azril Azwar Azizi 68 85 17
6 Cindy Astika Sari 76 80 4
7 Daffa Prayuda 80 96 16
8 Erika Wulandari 70 70 0
9 Eris Septiani 82 90 8
10 Ferdian Bayu Pratama 75 85 10
11 Helen Kristina 78 92 14
12 Intan Shafira 85 95 10
13 Jilly Rival Al-Fattah 55 70 15
14 Jubaedah 70 90 20
15 Junaedy Salas 45 72 27
16 Khairina Fisiga 72 87 15
17 Mela Destriyani 74 94 20
18 Muhamad Kohir 68 75 7
19 Muhamad Rizki 74 80 6
20 Nabila Ayumi 70 85 15
21 Nada Dasella 72 95 13
22 Noerva Suci Ramadhanti 60 78 18
23 Salwa Ramadhan 40 65 25
24 Siti Awaliyah 65 85 20
25 Tiyas Tantina 68 81 13

The highest score of the pre-test in experimental class is 85

The highest score of the post-test in experimental class is 96
The lowest score of the pre-test in experimental class is 40
 30

The lowest score of the post-test in experimental class is 65

Table 3.2
The score of individual students’ of the control class
No Name Pre-test Post-test Gained Score
1 Abizier Suwandi 72 76 4
2 Ahmad Sururi 61 80 19
3 Anisa Ribut Septihana 59 70 11
4 Bagas Rifky Fadilla 80 84 4
5 Candra 70 70 0
6 Desi Ratnasari 65 75 10
7 Dewi Paramita K 45 50 5
8 Dwi Cahyo Utomo 78 80 2
9 Eva Noviyanti 65 75 10
10 Erlina Sulistia 70 75 5
11 Fahrul Hidayat 80 82 2
12 Gamma Ayu Fitria 67 67 0
13 Hellen Tania Anjeta 56 65 9
14 Hikmah Nurul 68 80 12
15 Ilham Wahyudin 69 69 0
16 Imam Karisma 50 70 20
17 Inayatul Al-Fi’ah 74 80 6
18 Indri Ismayanti 84 84 0
19 Maulana Hasanudin 80 88 8
20 Mispala Agustiyani 74 86 12
21 Olivia Ray Shinta Dewi 76 80 4
22 Riski Adi Prasetya 82 84 2
23 Uteri Ramadhani S. 70 72 2
24 Vivi Evianna Yolanda 40 60 20
25 Yesica Vera Novita A. 60 65 5
 31

The highest score of the pre-test in control class is 84

The highest score of the post-test in control class is 88
The lowest score of the pre-test in control class is 40
The lowest score of the post-test in control class is 50

Table 3.3
The comparison of scores of each student of the experimental class and
control class
No Gained Gained X1 X2 X12 X22
Score (X1) Score (X2)

1 7 4 -6 -2.88 36 8.29
2 16 19 3 12.12 9 146.9
3 6 11 -7 4.12 49 16.97
4 5 4 -8 -2.88 64 8.29
5 17 0 4 -6.88 16 47.33
6 4 10 -9 3.12 81 9.73
7 16 5 3 -1.88 9 3.53
8 0 2 -13 -4.88 169 23.81
9 8 10 -5 3.12 25 9.73
10 10 5 -3 -1.88 9 3.53
11 14 2 1 -4.88 1 23.81
12 10 0 -3 -6.88 9 47.33
13 15 9 2 2.12 4 4.49
14 20 12 7 5.12 49 26.21
15 27 0 14 -6.88 196 47.33
16 15 20 2 13.12 4 172.13
17 20 6 7 -0.88 49 0.774
18 7 0 -8 -6.88 64 47.33
19 6 8 -7 1.12 49 1.25
20 15 12 2 5.12 4 26.21
21 13 4 0 -2.88 0 8.29
 32

22 18 2 5 -4.88 25 23.81
23 25 2 12 -4.88 144 23.81
24 20 20 7 13.12 49 172.13
25 13 5 0 -1.88 0 3.53
N = 25 ∑X1 =325 ∑X2 =172 ∑X1= 0 ∑X2 = 0 ∑X12 = 1114 ∑X22 = 906.5

M1 = ∑X1 M2 = ∑X2
N1 N2
= 325 = 172
25 25
= 13 = 6.88
M1-M2
to = { x1²+ ∑x2²} { N1+N2}
N1+N2-2 {N1 x N2}

13 – 6.88
to = {1114 + 906 .5} {25 + 25}
{25 + 25 – 2} {25 x 25}

6.22
to = 2020 .5 { 50 }
{ 48 } { 625 }

6.22
to =
42.1 {0.08 }

6.22
to =
3.37

6.22
to =
1.83

to = 3.40

Determining ttable in significant level 5 % with df :

df = N1 + N2 – 2
 33

= 25 + 25 – 2
= 48
There is no degree of freedom from 48, so the writer uses the closer df it
is 50. From the result of statistics calculation, it can be seen that the value of to is
3.40 and the degree of freedom (df ) is 50.
According to the table above, df at significant level of 5% is:
5% = to : tt = 3.40 > 2.01
The comparison between tobservation with ttable
to = 3.40 > 2.01
It includes that tobservation (to) is higher than ttable ( tt ).

3. The Test of Hypotheses

The writer states the hypothesis as follows:
Ha(Experiment Hypothesis)
Ho (Null Hypothesis)
= “There is a significant difference of students’
achievement between those who had been
taught reading comprehension through small
group discussion compared to those who had
been taught reading comprehension without
small group discussion.”
= “There is no significant difference of
students’ achievement between those who
had been taught reading comprehension
through small group discussion compared to
those who had been taught

Note :

If to > tt : There is significant difference and the alternative

hypothesis (Ha) is accepted.
If to < tt : There is no significant difference and the alternative
hypothesis (Ha) is rejected, the null hypothesis is
accepted.
 34

The hypothesis criterion states that: if to > tt = Ha is accepted and Ho is

rejected. And if to < tt = Ha is rejected and Ho is accepted. Ha is the alternative
hypothesis, Ho is the null hypothesis, to is t observation, and tt is t table.

From the result of the statistic calculation which have been done
previously, it was obtained the value of to = 3.40. This value is bigger than tt at
degree of freedom (df) 5% = 2,01, so the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted
and the null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected.

4. The Data Interpretation

The test of hypothesis shows that the students of experiment class who
learnt reading comprehension through small group discussion got higher scores
than students of controlled class who learnt reading comprehension through
explanation method.

The findings as described are supported by those enumeration obtained

from the observation of writing during experiment. There are some factors it is
causing the improvement of student’s reading comprehension such as

- Students get easy to understand the meaning to each sentences in the

text by sharing each other to their friend in a group.
- Students more active during teaching and learning process, by doing
some discussion in a class.
- The discussion has been exercised the students to be confident to share
what on their mind.
- Students are motivated because the teaching and learning process is
enjoyable.
 35

Based on the analysis of the previous calculation result, it can be observed

that teaching reading comprehension through small group discussion is more
effective and applicable for 8th grade students of SMP Negeri 18 Tangerang.
 CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

In this chapter, the writer tries to give the conclusion and suggestions
based on the research findings that had been gained after conducting the research.

A. Conclusions
Based on the result of data calculation on the previous chapter, can be
drawn a conclusion that there is a significant difference between students’
achievement in reading comprehension. The students of experiment class whom
had been taught reading comprehension through small group discussion gained
better average score. It also can be proved through the comparison of ttest and ttable
which had been obtained through statistical calculation.

The use of small group discussion in teaching reading comprehension had

helped both the teacher and the students as well. Small group discussion enabled
the students to understand the texts by discussed on a group. It also help the
teacher to make a good teaching and learning process in the class, because each
students have a role and more active in the group, to make their own comment
about solving the problem on their group in order to answer the questions and
make thing done.

36
 37

B. Suggestions
In line with the conclusion previously, here are some suggestions that can
be given in relations to the writer conclusion, and hopefully anyone who read this
Skripsi can take the benefits. The suggestions are as follow:

a) English teachers are hoped to develop their creativity in teaching English, so

that the students’ boredom in learning English, especially in reading subject,
can be avoided.

b) The teachers are suggested to use appropriate teaching aids and strategy. In
this case, English teachers can use small group discussion, not only in
teaching reading, but also in teaching other English text types and other
materials of English subject as well.

c) The teachers need to encourage their students to read English literature more
and more to improve their reading ability. Because as experiences have
shown, the more we read English literature, the better our English will be,
both vocabulary mastery and reading comprehension.

d) The Readers are supposed to establish their reading purpose whenever they
read. No matter what kind of English materials that readers read, they have to
read it on purpose. Readers’ reading purposes play an important role to help
the readers to focus on reading passage and shape readers’ comprehension on
the English text that which being read. For instance, when a reader reads
English text to answer questions in a certain test within limited time, he or she
will be motivated to focus on finding the information that needed to answer
the questions correctly based on the reading passage. On the other hand, when
readers read only for pleasures, for example reading novel, magazine, etc, they
will likely put less effort into their reading, since they are do not have any
burden so they can do their reading at any other times.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aebersold, Jo Ann and Field. From Reader to Teaching Reading: Issues and Strategies for

second Language Classroom, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997

Alderson, J. Charles. Assessing Reading, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000

Allen, Edward David and Rebecca M. Valette. Classroom Techniques; Foreign Language and

English as a second language, New York; Harcourt Bracce Jovanovich, Inc, 1979

Bernhardt, Elizabeth B. Reading Development in a Second Language: Theoretical, Empirical,

and Classroom Perspective, New Jersey : Ablex Publishing, 1991

Brilhart, John K,. Effective Group Discussion, 4th ed, Illinois: Brown Company Publisher, 1982

Brown, James Dean. The Elements of Language Curriculum, A Systematic Approach to Program

Development, Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1995

Brumfit, Christopher. Communication Methodology in Language Teaching The Roles of Fluency

& Accuracy, Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1984

Farris, Pamela J. Teaching Reading: A balanced Approach for today’s Classroom, New York:

McGraw-Hill, 2004

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 39

Fumprey, Peter David. Measuring Reading Abilities: Concept, Sources, and Application,

London: Hodder and Soughton Educational, 1997

Grabe, William. Reading Research and its Implication for Reading Assessment, Flagstaff,

Arizona: Northern Arizona University, 1985

Grellet, Francoise. Developing Reading Skills: A Practical Guide to Reading Comprehension

Exercise, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986

Harmer, Jeremy. How to Teach English , Cambridge: Longman, 1998

Harmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English language Teaching, New York,: Longman, 1983

Harris, Larry A. Reading Instruction; Diagnostic Teaching in the Classroom, New York:

Richard C. Owen Publisher, 1980

Heilman, Arthur W. Principles and Practices of Teaching Reading 2nd Ed., Columbus : Charles

E. Merill Publishing Company, 1967

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What are the advantages and disadvantages of group

discussion/#ixzz1Sb9JS1ce

Klipple, Friederike. Keep Talking Community Fluency Activities for Language Teaching,

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1984.

 40

McDonough, Jo and Christoper Shaw. Materials and Methods In ELT, Sidney: The University

of England, Black Well, 1993

Nuttal, Christine. Teaching Reading Skills in a foreign Language, London: Mcmillan, 2005

Pang, Elizabeth S., Angaluki Muaka, Educational Practices Series-12: Teaching Reading.

Brussel: The International Academy of Education, 2003

Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension, New York : Holt, Pirehart, and

Winston, 1978

Peraturan Menteri no.20 tahun 2005, Standar isi, Depdiknas, Jakarta, 2005

Rubin, Dorothy. A practical Approach to Teaching Reading, New York: CBS, 1982

Streven, Peter. New Education in Teaching of English, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997

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University Press, 1996

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1960
 41

Wright, Andrew. Picture for Language Learning, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,

1999

Zemelman, Daniel and Hyde Samuels. Reading Comprehension, New York: Oxford University

Press, 1998
Name : ________________________ Class : _______________

I. Read the following text , then answer questions 1-10

Make Jelly

To make jelly, you need:

 One packet of jelly powder
 A 500 ml jug
 250 ml of boiling water
 200 ml of cold water
 A bowl

After you prepared the things above, follow the steps below:
1) Put contents of a packet of jelly powder into a jug.
2) Add boiling water.
3) Stir well until the powder dissolve.
4) Add cold water and stir again.
5) Pour the mixture into a bowl
6) Store it in the refrigerator until firm.

Taken from : Text Types in English 2 by Mark and Kathy Anderson. Page 58

1. The text above provides instructions of how to …………..

a. make a cup of tea c. boil water
b. make jelly d. fill a bowl

2. The following things are needed to make jelly, except……

a. cold water c. jelly powder
b. a bowl d. chili sauce

3. What should we do after we put the contents of a packet of jelly into a

jug?
a. Add boiling water c. store it in the refrigerator
b. Throw the jug d. pour the mixture into a bowl

4. According to the text above, how much jelly powder do we need?

a. 3 sheets c. 50 cm
b. 250 ml d. 1 packet

5. The word “store” in the text above has the same meaning as……
a. sell c. save
b. plant d. play

6. How many steps that needed to make jelly based on the text above?
7. How much cold water do we need?
8. What should we do after add the boiling water?
9. Where should we store the jelly?
10. What is the correct translation of “jelly” in bahasa Indonesia?

59
 II. Read the following text, then answer question 11-20

To save or copy files from computer into flashdisk on Windows XP /

Windows Vista / Windows 7 operating system, follow the instructions
below:
 First, plug flash disk into USB port on the computer.
 Then, wait for a moment until computer finished installing your
flashdisk.
 After that, open “Windows Explorer” by double-clicking “My Computer”
icon on the desktop screen.
 Next, find the location of file that you want to copy.
 Finally, right click on the file name, choose “send to”, then click on
“removable disk” or name of the flashdisk.

Taken from : http://www.neiu.edu/scs/Save_files_PC.pdf

11. The text above tells us how to…..

a. copy files from computer to flashdisk c. make a cup of coffee
b. turn on the computer d. open the window

12. How many steps are there in the text above?

a. seven c. five
b. six d. four

13. What should we do after we find the file that we want to copy?
a. open “Windows Explorer” c. plug in flashdisk
b. right-click on the file, then choose “send to” d. turn off the computer

14. The word “find” in the third step above has the same meaning as………
a. search c. fly
b. clean d. run

15. The procedure above works on the following Microsoft Windows,

except……..
a. Windows XP c. Windows Seven
b. Windows Vista d. Windows Eight

16. How do we open Windows Explorer according to the text above?

17. Where should we plug the flash disk into?
18. What is the correct translation for term “right click" in bahasa Indonesia?
19. According the text above, what should we do after computer finished
installing the flash disk?
20. What is the final step of saving or copying file from computer into flashdisk
based on the text above?

60
 III. Look at the following pictures!

1 3

5
Re-arrange the following sentences into
a good procedure text of “How to add
picture into MS Word Document”
based on the pictures!

- Now, you can see the picture in

your document.
- Choose “Picture”, then click on
“From File”
- Find the location of picture you
want to add into the document.
- After you find the picture, click on
it, next, click “insert” button.
- Click “Insert” in the menu bar.

1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________
59
61
IV. Fill in the blank spaces by using correct words in the box!

MAKE APPLE JUICE

I’ll_________(1) you how to make apple juice. What

you_________(2) are 500 grams of _________(3), 100
__________(4) of sugar, 500 ml of water, and 2 spoon full of lemon.
Now follow these steps to make it. __________(5), boil the lump
sugar and water until the lump sugar is____________(6) in the
water. Then _________(7) the apple, lemon and the water of lump
sugar in a blender/juicer. Finally, pour the juice into a
__________(8) with lemon and mint’s leaf accessory. You can
___________(9) ice blocks if you want a fresh taste. Now, apple
juice is __________(10) to drink.

dissolved Firstly tell glass

need apple grams ready

mix add

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62