proposal experiment 1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A.    Background of the Study

Learning English involves four language skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Teachers should develop these four language skills in order that their students can use the skills to communicate or express their thoughts, feeling, and opinions in English. Reading is one of the skills in learning English. Reading is the first step in acquisition of knowledge. Reading is a very important issue which is not only about enjoyment but also necessity of the basic tool of education.

Cheek (as cited in Desi, 2010) states reading is the key to learn in all aspect of live. Reading is the process of decoding message in which the students need their own experience and knowledge. Reading also helps the reader to expand vocabulary, grammar and help to make conclusion from written text or other printed text.

Furthermore, Carrel (2000, p.78) states that reading is a complex skill. It involves understanding letters, words and sentences, understanding the connectors between sentences (coherence and cohesion), understanding different text types, making sense of the text through our knowledge of the world using appropriate reading sub-skill called reading for specific information or scanning. To get the general idea of what being read, one can skim the text, i.e. reading the material quickly to get the gist or the essence of the reading material. It is important to learn reading since it helps students to think the new language, helps students build a better vocabulary, makes students more comfortable with written English, and can help students plan to study in English because teaching reading is a difficult work.

In this case, the teacher usually has some techniques in teaching-learning process especially in teaching reading. The teacher has to have suitable technique to teach their students and that technique makes the students easy to understand the material given to them and makes the students enjoy the lesson. It makes the teacher easy in teaching learning activities especially in teaching reading descriptive text. Teachers must be aware of the progress that students are making and adjusting instruction to the changing abilities of the students. It is also important to remember that the goal of reading is to understand the text and to be able to learn from them because reading has some benefits. According to Richard (1997, p.89) reading is to develop techniques to continue increasing vocabulary, develop an awareness of linguistic and rhetorical structures found in advanced-level reading texts, increase reading speed and fluency, and promote an interest in different types of reading materials.

A good reading will improve the student’s ability in gathering ideas to communicate. In fact, sometimes the language learners have difficulties in comprehending written text. So, the teacher must use suitable technique in teaching reading. It must help the students to understand about the texts and get the message from the texts, especially descriptive text because many students have difficulties to understand the element of descriptive text, the language features of descriptive text, and the object that is described in descriptive text. Pardiyono (2007, p.34) notes that description is a type of written text which has the specific function to give description about an object (human or non-human) and in this case, technique will be used is mind mapping technique.

Buzan (2008, p.20) states that mind mapping is an extraordinary registry and planning which harmony work with brain to recollect easily fresh idea they can evoke pattern that will show how to order the fact and ideas in interesting ways.

Moreover, Brendan (2002, p.38) states that this is particularly useful at the start of thinking, or of planning, or at the start of writing, or at any point where you get stuck or find your ideas too predictable.

In the usage of mind mapping, students not only use their left side of the brain to identify words but in the same time they also use the right side of the brain in learning language. They will have opportunity to make some colorful pictures, lines, symbols or signs to help them remember the words or the facts in their mind maps.

Moreover, students will get their own way in comprehending certain topic or material by using mind mapping. It is because mind mapping itself as personal as our body. So, every student will not feel depression in understanding the material; they will learn differently each other but at the end of the lesson they will get the same comprehension.

Buzan (2008, p.124) also states that by using mind mapping students can remember well, make a better notes of their textbook, rise the idea, save the time to understand the material and concentrate with the material. In addition, at the end of the lesson, they will have ability to comprehend material in the textbook well and also they can tell other people easily about their understanding of certain topic using their own mind mapping.

Referring to those explanations above, the research is aimed to investigate a research related to mind mapping technique entitled” The Effect of Mind Mapping Technique on Reading Descriptive Text for the Eleventh Graders of SMA 1 Praya Timur in the School Year 2011/2012.

B.     The Scope of Study

In order to investigate more deeply, the subject of this study is limited to the the eleventh graders of SMA 1 Praya Timur in the school year 2011/2012 while the object of this study is limited to the effect of mind mapping technique on reading descriptive text.

C.   Statement of the Problem

Based on the background of the problems above, the present researcher formulates the problems of this investigation as follows: 

1.    Is there any effect of mind mapping technique on reading descriptive text for the eleventh graders of SMA 1 Praya Timur in the school year 2011/2012?

2.    To what extent is the effect of mind mapping technique on reading descriptive text for the eleventh graders of SMA 1 Praya Timur in the school year 2011/2012?

D.    Purpose of the Study

The study aims at investigating the effect of mind mapping technique on reading descriptive text, focusing on the following points:

1.    To find out the effect of mind mapping technique on reading descriptive text for the eleventh graders of SMA Praya Timur in the school year 2011/2012.

2.    To find out the extent of the effect of mind mapping technique on reading descriptive text for the eleventh graders of SMA Praya Timur in the school year 2011/2012.

E.    Significance of the Study

The result of this study is intended to give contribution in teaching English both theoretically and practically.

1.  Theoretically

a.    The results of this study are expected as reference to the other researcher who wants to study more about reading descriptive text by using mind mapping technique.

b.    The results of this study are able to add some concept of mind mapping technique on reading skill.

2.  Practically

a.    The result of this study is used as an instrument of measuring the teacher’s technique, and can develop the students’ knowledge on language teaching and learning through the real investigation.

b.    The finding of this study can be applied in teaching English especially in teaching reading in order to increase the students’ achievement and motivate them in learning English better and it is also expected to be able to be used in the classroom as one of the strategy in teaching reading skill.