Title: Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension Through Semantic Mapping Strategy (An Action Research in the Eighth Year Students of SMPN 1 Sine in the 2009/2010 Academic Year)
Abstract: Language is a means of communication. Communication takes place not
only with two or more speakers, but also between a speaker and a text. There
should be a kind of interaction between the learner
(
reader
)
and the text which is
being read in order to be good readers.
Reading is a necessary skill that any learner needs. Unfortunately, how to
teach reading has not been given due care in some schools. In the past, according
to the traditional view, reading begins with the child's mastering the names of the
letters, mastering the letter-sound relationships, then, learning some easy words in
isolation, and, finally, reading simple stories with highly controlled vocabularies
(
Harp and Brewer, 1996: 17
)
. Researchers and teachers as well complain that
most learners are not able to understand what they read.
Reading cannot be separated from comprehension. That is why there
appear a lot of problems dealing with reading comprehension. Many English
learners find it difficult to understand the English text. Very often, they get stuck
because of some problems, such as unfamiliar words, their inability in
understanding the context, being reluctant, and so forth.
Reading is not an easy skill to master. It is a complex process that requires
specialized skill of the reader
(
Dechant, 1977: 21
)
. Besides, it is also
comprehension process as well as writing. According to Nunan
(
1998: 33
)
,
reading needs identification and also interpretation processes which require the
reader’s knowledge about the language structure used in the text and his
knowledge about a given topic. It is the complexity that makes some students less
interested in this kind of activity. They find it difficult to understand what is on
the reading passage since they do not know the technique which can help them to
read more effectively and efficiently. This phenomenon happens in almost every
language class.
Reading comprehension skills separate the passive unskilled readers
from the active readers. Skilled readers do not just read, they interact with the
text. Skilled readers, for instance, predict what will happen next in a story using
clues presented in text, create questions about the main idea, message, or plot of
the text, and monitor understanding of the sequence, context, or characters
(
Sanders, 2001: 26
)
.
To be able to achieve the purposes of reading comprehension, one should
have some basic reading skills as follows;
(
1
)
literal skills
(
getting the central
thought and main idea, recalling and recognizing of facts and information, finding
answer to specific questions
)
;
(
2
)
interpretive skills
(
drawing conclusions,
generalizing, deriving meaning from context
)
;
(
3
)
critical skill
(
determining the
writer’s purpose
)
; and
(
4
)
creative skills
(
applying information into daily life
)
.
Based on the preliminary observation on the teaching-learning process in
SMP Negeri 1 Sine, the writer found that there are some problems that arise in
students’ reading comprehension. The students still encounter some difficulties in
comprehending English texts. In the interview with some students, they said that they got difficulties in identifying the implicit and explicit information of the text.
Besides, many students have low motivation in reading class.
The students’ lack of understanding on reading lesson is mainly caused by
an inappropriate teaching technique used when the teachers attempted to explain
reading materials. The teacher only uses one technique namely, conventional
technique. In the reading class, the teacher presents a subject in the text book and
asks students to read whether silently or loudly, and then students have to answer
the questions that follow. Consequently, the reading lesson becomes monotonous
and boring, students lack motivation to read, even if they read, they show negative
attitudes. As a result, the students are not able to get good scores in their reading
achievement.
Permendiknas no. 24, 2006 at seventh article in point b states that the
teachers under Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Departemen Pendidikan
Nasional can develop KTSP curriculum innovatively. It means that the teacher
has the right in using method or technique in a teaching process as long as the
technique can achieve instructional goals. The teacher has to be able to make an
interesting material and to use an interesting technique. One of the ways that may
have a significant impact on the teaching reading process is the semantic mapping
strategy.
Semantic mapping strategy can be used for, at least, several different
instructional purposes. This strategy can assist teachers in planning the instruction
by helping them identify the patterns of organization of ideas and the concepts.
A semantic mapping strategy can be useful for introducing the important
vocabulary in a selection to be read. It shows students how the terms are
interrelated. Teachers can use a semantic mapping to activate and tap student's
background knowledge. Also, it can be a helpful reference for students to use in
clarifying confusing points as they are reading. Once students are familiar with the
nature of the semantic mapping strategy, they can create their own mapping
during-reading or post-reading activity.
Steps in the creation of semantic mapping strategy, particularly; the
concept and word mapping strategies are: Analyze the concepts and vocabulary in
the text. Arrange the words in a map that depicts the interrelationships between
the concepts. Add to the diagram the words or concepts that are already
understood by the students in order to depict the relationships between what they
know and the information in the text.
The semantic mapping strategy or Structured Overview, as it is sometimes
called, is a schematic diagram of the major concepts in a portion of text. The
researcher of this study uses the semantic mapping strategy in teaching reading at
SMPN 1 Sine because it can develop the students’ thinking skills and reading
comprehension. This strategy can easily be taught and implemented for the
students. The researcher believes that semantic mapping strategy can improve the
students’ reading comprehension.
Publication Year: 2010
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Language: en
Type: dissertation
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Cited By Count: 1
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