Suprayoga, Suharmanto, Enny Irawati
Universitas Negeri Malang
Email: Suprayoga78@yahoo.co.id, Suharmantoruslan@yahoo.com, ennyinggris_um@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT: This study was conducted in order to answer the following research problem, “How could Task-Based Language Teaching improve the twelfth graders’ reading ability at SMAN 1 Srengat-Blitar”. This strategy was chosen due to its strength in encouraging students to be more actively involved in the teaching and learning process and in helping students to understand the content of reading text and language form.To answer the research problem, Classroom Action Research was conducted following four stages, planning, action, observation and reflection. This study was implemented in two cycles. The first cycle consisted of four meetings and the second cycle consisted of two meetings. The subjects of this study were the twelfth graders of SMAN I Srengat-Blitar, academic year 2012- 2013 which consisted of 30 students. In this study, the students were assigned to do tasks related to reading texts. The instrument used to collect data were observation checklists, field notes and reading test. The results of the study indicated that Task-Based Language Teaching was able to improve the students’ reading ability in reading explanatory texts
Key Words: improve, reading ability, TBLT
English was a tool of communication. The objective of teaching English in senior high school in Indonesia was to help students to develop their communicative competence both in oral and written forms to achieve informational literacy (Depdiknas, 2006: 307). This meant at that level of literacy the graduates were expected to be capable of accessing knowledge using English since they were prepared to continue their study to the university.
As one of the four languages skills, reading had to be mastered in language learning. In SMAN 1 Srengat-Blitar it was usually taught in integration with the other language skills. For the twelfth graders, the purpose of teaching reading was to facilitate them to comprehend the meaning of short functional and written essay texts in the forms of narrative, explanation, discussion and, review in the daily context to access knowledge (Depdiknas, 2006: 322).
In spite of the fact that reading was an important activity in the classroom of SMAN 1 Srengat-Blitar, it could not be denied that reading was still real problems for the twelfth graders. The answers to the preliminary test indicated the students’ problems in reading comprehension. First, 28 out of 150 answers (18.67%), related to the topic of the text, were incorrect. Second, 123 out of 420 answers (29.29%), related to the specific or detailed information, were incorrect. Fourth, 15 out of 90 answers (16.67%), related to the implicitly stated information, were incorrect. Fifth, 66 out of 90 answers (73.33%), related to the meaning of the words or sentences, were incorrect. Further investigation showed that 8 out of 30 students (26.67%) achieved scores greater than or equal to 75.00. Meanwhile, 22 out of 30 students (73.33%) achieved scores less than 75.00. The highest score was 92.00. The lowest score was 52.00. The mean (the average score) was 69.07.
Possibly, the unsatisfactory achievements of the twelfth graders’ reading test were caused by the following factors. First, the teacher used a monotonous conventional teaching strategy. He did not activate the students’ background knowledge through pre-task activities due to his lack of knowledge dealing with teaching reading comprehension. He only demanded the students to read the reading texts and to do the exercises available in their books. Brown (2007: 375) emphasized the importance of spending some time introducing a topic, encouraging skimming, scanning, predicting, and activating schemata (prior knowledge). Second, the teacher did not prepare new reading materials which could arouse the students’ interest. He just took the materials available in the course books. So, the students did not get information gaps that could stimulate them to read the reading materials. Moreover, they also did not get reading strategy. Sulistyo (2011: 78) highlighted when supplying a reading text, an EFL teacher needed to be aware to address two points, making the students aware of the purpose of reading with a particular text and reading demands (strategies) as a consequence of different reading purpose. Third, the students were lacking of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand written text. Pang (2003: 6) stated that readers typically made use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand written text.
Improving the students’ reading achievement meant improving the students’ reading skills. Pang (2003: 6) stated because reading depended on efficient word recognition and comprehension, instruction should develop reading skills and strategies, as well as built on students’ knowledge through the use of authentic texts. Referring to the results of the preliminary test, the researcher recognized the students’ weaknesses. Some of them were not incapable of identifying the topic of the texts, the specific or detailed information, the implicitly stated information, and the meaning of words, phrases or sentences. In order that they had adequate reading skills, they had to get enough tasks to do and appropriate reading strategy. Grabe (2009: 229) highlighted a second major part of what made a good reader so effective was the fluent application of combination of strategies to achieve active comprehension. In addition, there were a number of multiple language teaching strategies that could facilitate students with reading strategies.
a. Know-Want to know- Learned (KWL)
b. Experience-Text-Relate (ETR)
c. Question-Answer- Response (QAR)
d. Directed Reading and Thinking Activities (DRTA)
e. Reciprocal Teaching
f. Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)
g. Self-Explanation Reading Training (SERT)
h. Direct Explanation
i. Questioning the Author
j. Transactional Strategies Instruction (TSI)
k. Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI)
However, the above strategies did not really allow for the emphasis on the inseparable linkage of form and function. And Task-Based Language Teaching, on the other hand, allowed for the emphasis which was needed in the context of teaching reading comprehension at SMAN 1 Srengat-Blitar. Therefore, the researcher chose Task-Based Language Teaching to facilitate the students with reading skills. In this approach, the students were offered opportunities to learn and use language by doing activities.
The Task-Based Language Teaching framework consisted of three phases: pre-task, task cycle, and language focus (Willis, 1996: 38). The pre-task phase had two basic functions: (1) To introduce and create interest in doing a task on the chosen topic; (2) To activate topic-related words, phrases and target sentences that were useful in carrying out the task. The task cycle consisted of the tasks plus planning and report phases in which students presented spoken or written reports of the work done in the tasks. During the task phase, students worked in pairs or groups and used whatever linguistic resources they possessed to achieve the goals of the task. Before or during the task cycle, the teacher exposed the students to language in use by having them read a text related to the task topic. The final phase in the framework, the language focus, provided an opportunity for form-focused work. In this phase, some of the specific features of the language, which occurred naturally during the task, were identified and analyzed. Among the possible starting points for analysis activities were functions, syntax, words or parts of words, categories of meaning or use, and phonological features. Following the analysis activities, this phase also contained a practice stage in which the students conducted practice of the new word, phrases or patterns, which occurred in the analysis activities.
A number of studies were conducted in relation to investigating the effectiveness of Task-Based Language Teaching to increase the reading ability. Hayati (2010: 62) found students who were taught reading skills via Task-Based Language Teaching had a better academic performance, and reading comprehension was more effective. The other researcher, Iranmehr (2011: 147) proved that Task-Based Language Teaching was successful to increase the reading ability by teaching ESP through tasks.
In line with the previous studies above, this study focused on improving the twelfth graders’ ability in reading explanatory text by using Task-Based Language Teaching. The use of Task-Based Language Teaching was aimed at helping the students to solve the reading problem especially in reading explanatory text. Besides, it was aimed at creating very exciting circumstance for the students to be more active and motivated. In short, the teaching strategy used in this study was an effort to build the students' ability to understand explanatory text.
METHOD
In this study, the researcher used Classroom Action Research (CAR) design. The research design was chosen to improve the learning and teaching activities in his classroom. This study was conducted in the form of cycles using the research design proposed by Kemmis and Mc Taggart (2007: 278). It covered planning, action, observation, and reflection.
The focus of this study was the implementation of Task-Based Language Teaching to improve the twelfth graders’ reading ability of the explanatory text. Willis (1996: 38) proposed three phases of the Task-Based Language Teaching framework. They were pre-task, task cycle, and language focus.
FINDINGS
Cycle 1
After analyzing the results of the students’ reading test, the researcher conducted the reflection. The results of the students’ reading test indicated that there was improvement of the students’ scores in the first cycle. Concerning the students’ scores, the criterion of success stated that at least 60% of the students (18 out of 30 students) had to achieve 10 point gain greater than their preliminary test result. The data obtained from the students’ reading test in cycle 1 indicated that 14 out of 30 students (46.67%) achieved 10 point gain greater than their preliminary test result and 16 out of 30 students (53.33%) did not achieve the criterion. The highest score was 92.00, the lowest was 68.00; and the mean (the average score) was 81.07. Those score was still below the criterion of success.
Based on the findings of this study, the researcher identified two reasons why the use of Task- Based Language Teaching failed to improve the students’ reading ability in cycle 1. First, the students did not recognize the new strategy in learning reading comprehension so well that they failed to be effective readers. Second, there were too many tasks to do which the students could not finish. They could not focus their attention on reading comprehension.
In pre- task, the students could answer the leading questions fluently. They got problems dealing with finding the meaning of words due to their lack of vocabulary and most of them did not bring dictionaries to facilitate themselves to find the meaning of the words. Brown (2007: 365) stated because the meaning of a good many unknown words could be predicted from their context, and because sometimes the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph was nevertheless still clear, learners should refrain from the frequent use of a bilingual dictionary.
In task-cycle, some students could not fill out the incomplete text with the appropriate words. They could find the inferential and literal information. But some of them got difficulties when they had to arrange the jumbled paragraphs into a coherent text. Moreover, most of them got confused when they were suppose to elaborate their ideas dealing with water cycle and compare two different texts. Grabe (2009: 226) stated strategic readers likely would not only apply comprehension strategies, but would also display a better ability to reflect on all aspects of language knowledge that support comprehension.
In language focus, the students could identify passive sentences in the text correctly. But they got difficulties when they were supposed to create their own sentences using the provided words. Grabe (2009: 16) stated reading was a linguistic process. It was impossible to read without having reasonable store of linguistic knowledge (morphological, syntactic, and semantic) of the language of the text.
To sum up, the students’ scores did not meet the criterion of success. Therefore, the researcher concluded that the action was continued to the next cycle.
Cycle 2
After analyzing the data collected during the learning-teaching process and the results of the students’ reading test, the researcher conducted the reflection. The results of the students’ reading test indicated that there was remarkable improvement of the students’ scores in the second cycle. Compared to the scores in the first cycle, the scores in the second cycle are better. The scores had already met the criterion of success. Based on the students’ reading scores in cycle 1, there were 14 out of 30 students (46.67%) who achieved 10 point gain greater than their preliminary test results. While the rest, 16 out of 30 students (53.33%), achieved scores below the criterion. The highest score was 92.00, the lowest was 68.00; and the mean (the average score) was 81.07. Meanwhile, the data obtained from the students’ reading scores in cycle 2 showed that 27 out of 30 students (90.00%) achieved 10 point gain greater than their preliminary test results, 2 out of 30 students (6.67%) achieved 4 and 8 point gain greater than their preliminary test results, and one student (3.33%) achieved score below her preliminary test result. The students’ highest score was 96.00, the students’ lowest score was 72.00 and the mean (the average score) was 90.80. It meant the criterion of success set up was fulfilled.
The findings of this study indicated that the use of Task-Based Language Teaching in teaching explanatory texts gave valuable contribution in improving students’ reading ability.
In pre-task, by leading the students to the topic, the students could activate their background knowledge. Nunan (1999: 257) stated reading was an interactive process, in that the reader was required to fit the clues in the text to his background knowledge. By asking the students to find the synonym or the antonym of the words, they could increase their vocabulary. Grabe (2009: 266) highlighted that the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension was so strong that they could produce perfect correlations.
In task-cycle, by asking the students to do the tasks in pair or in group, they were encouraged to think independently. By asking the students to identify the topic of the text, the specific information, the details and the implicitly stated information, they could comprehend the text well. By asking the students to prepare and present their works, the students could communicate their ideas effectively. By giving feedback to their friend works, the students could check their own comprehension. Grabe (2009: 228) stated after reading, good readers checked their understanding, formed mental summaries of main ideas, resolved difficulties, reflected on the information in the text, evaluated the information from the text, and integrated the text information with prior knowledge.
In language focus, by asking them to analyze the language feature, the students could increase their grammatical knowledge. Grabe (2009: 16) stated reading was a linguistic process. It was impossible to read without having reasonable store of linguistic knowledge (morphological, syntactic, and semantic) of the language of the text.
The findings of this study showed that the students’ ability in reading improved comprehensively from one cycle to the next cycle. This was in line with the studies which were conducted by Hayati (2010) and Iranmehr (2011) in relation to the use of Task-Based Language Teaching in improving the students’ reading ability.
To sum up, the result of students’ reading test indicated that the criterion of success was fulfilled. Since the score for every cycle gave significant improvement and met the criterion of success in the second cycle, the study was stated as a successful study. And in the end, the findings showed that the use of Task-Based Language Teaching improved the students’ reading ability successfully. Therefore, the researcher concluded that the action stopped.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
Conclusion
The research findings during the use of Task Based Language Teaching in teaching reading comprehension in the two cycles indicated that the strategy was effective to improve the twelfth graders’ reading ability of SMAN 1 Srengat-Blitar. The strategy covered the following procedures: (1) leading students to the topic by giving some questions, (2) highlighting useful words and phrases, (3) assigning the students to work in pairs or in groups to identify the general description of the text, the specific or detailed information, the implicitly stated information, and the meaning of words or sentences from the text, (4) giving students time to write their findings, (5) asking the representatives of the groups to present their findings, (6) giving chances to the rest of the class to give feedback on them, (7) asking students to list specific sentence found in the text, (8) guiding students to generalize the pattern of the sentences they found, (9) assigning students to write sentences using the provided words individually, (10) asking students to present their works, (11) Giving feedback to the students’ works.
Suggestion
In accordance with the above conclusions, there were some suggestions to offer. The suggestions were addressed to the teachers of English and future researchers. Based on the findings of this study, the teachers of English were suggested to use Task-Based Language Teaching in teaching reading, especially for explanatory texts. However, the teachers had to focus on the followings aspects: how to arrange the lesson plans, how to choose the appropriate reading tasks, how to present the tasks, how to give feedback, and how to assess.
For the future researchers, particularly those who had the same problems
and were interested in doing their research, were suggested to conduct action research in the teaching reading in different grades for example, the tenth or the eleventh. Moreover, the future researchers were suggested to conduct action research in the teaching of reading for different genres.
REFERENCES
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