Syntax Literate : Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia p–ISSN: 2541-0849

e-ISSN : 2548-1398

Vol. 3, No.12 Desember 2018

THE EFFECT OF STUDENTS’ LEARNING PROCESS STRATEGIES AND STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION ON READING ENGLISH TEXT ACHIEVEMENT AT FIRST GRADE STUDENTS’ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Diah Retno Anggraini dan Titi Rachmi

Universitas Muhammadiyah Tangerang

Email: dieahr.anggraini@yahoo.com; titirachmi1985@gmail.com

Abstrak

Reading is a meaning-making process that which have purposeful of identifying and interpreting writer’s ideas. Lack mastery in the concept and comprehension reading process is among the problems frequently faced by readers, without exceptions students of first grade. This happens because there are differences in individual’s language development, background, cognitive ability and attitude toward reading. Strategies in reading needed by students to facilitate in understanding reading English text and to make effective and efficient motivation are needed. The purpose of this research is to know is there any significant effect of students’ learning process strategies and students’ motivation on reading English text at first grade students’ elementary school. This study was quantitative research, 70 students were chosen as a sample with simple random sampling technique.The two questionnaires (students’ learning strategies and motivation) and one reading test were distributed to gather the data, and they were analyzed quantitatively. The first instrument concerned to identify the frequency of learning process strategies that the students mostly used. The second instrument identified students’ motivation. Meanwhile, the reading tests were given to assessed students’ reading English text achievement. In short, there were three kinds of data that had been collected (the cores/frequency of learning strategies, the scores/the rate of students’ motivation and the score of reading test).The results of data analysis show that there is an effect of students’ learning process strategies and students’ motivation simultaneously on their reading English text achievement at first grade students’ elementary school. It is proven from the results of statistical calculation that F_obs(132.407) >F_tab(3.33). In conclusion, this study found that learning process strategies and motivation used by students positively influenced students’ reading English text achievement. In line with this conclusion, the writers suggest that the teacher had positive and motivating attitudes.

Kata kunci: Learning Process Strategies, Motivation, Reading English Text Achievement.

Introduction

Reading is a basic competence for learners, through reading learners can involve actively or passively in acquirement of language and acquirement of information (Doman, 1986; Tubbs, 2000; Nida, 1952 in Adiwiria).

Reading is one skill that is taught in the English subjects. Richard R. Day in Purba states, that reading skills are very important because these help learners to extract information from the written texts, to consolidate the learning that has taken place, to increase knowledge of English language through exposure to new vocabulary and grammatical structures, and to learn about the target culture.

Ministry of Education No. 23/2006 about Graduation Competence Standard, the competences expected in reading activity are that students are able to understand meaning in the functional written text formal and informal in the daily life context.

Berry in Adiwiria, stated that reading process is influenced by four phases, first, interpreting ideas; second, understanding in detail; third, deftness entangling in dealing with word, and the last, related to logical organization and relevant idea selection.

Reading is a meaning-making process that involves interaction between the reader and the text which have purposeful of identifying, interpreting and evaluating ideas. Lack mastery in the concept and comprehension reading process is among the problems frequently faced by readers, without exception students of first grade. These problems are students’ level intelligence, students’ background knowledge and experience, students’ competence, students’ attitude and interest, environment, support from parents and teacher, social-economic.

O’ Malley and Chamot, stated that learning strategies refers to special ways or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn, or get new information. Learning strategies for students serve as a means to help them succeed in learning process. Language learning strategies have found that various factors can affect strategy choice by learners. Oxford mentions some of these factors including the language being learned, the learning goals, the level of learning (or the proficiency of learners), the learner’s self-awareness, age and sex. Moreover, affective variables like behavior, motivational levels, motivational orientations, personality factors and learning experiences also play a role in the strategy use.

Chamot and O’Malley 1987; O’Malley et al. 1985 in O’Malley and Chamot, 1990 classifying learning strategies into three types, i.e.: Metacognitive strategies is process in planning for learning process, monitor how far students’ comprehend and production, and evaluating how well students has achieved a learning objective; Cognitive strategies is a interacts between learner and the material by manipulating it mentally (as in making mental images, or elaborating on previously acquired concepts or skilled) or taking notes on important information to remembered; Social/affective strategies is interacts either the learner with another person in order to assist learning, as in cooperation or asking questions for clarification, or uses some kind of affective control to assist a learning task.

Motivation is usually defined as an internal state that arouses, directs, and maintains behavior. Motivation is the activation of goal-oriented behavior. Motivation may be internal or external. There are two concepts in motivations, i.e., motivation come from inside (intrinsic) and motivation come from outside (extrinsic). Intrinsic motivation comes from rewards inherent to a task or activity itself. Intrinsic motivation is usually associated with high educational achievement and enjoyment by students. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the performer. Money is the most obvious example, but coercion and threat or punishments are also common extrinsic motivations.

According Bloom theory, competency can see in three aspects; cognitive (knowledge), psychomotoric (skill), and affective (attitude). Cognitive (knowledge) can enhance psychomotoric (skills) and build or create affective (attitude).

Based on Ministry Regulation (Permen Diknas) No. 23/2006, about Competency Passing Grade Standard (SKL), in reading, the basic competence is to respond meaning in the functional written text formal and informal in the daily life context to access knowledge in the command and request form. The competence standard is to comprehend meaning of short functional written text and simple essay formed in command and request, in daily life context to access knowledge. Competency in reading means that readers’ responsibility was not merely to transfer what the author had written into the reader’s head but also asked the readers to interact with the text to create meaning and understanding.

Based on the background above, the writers want to know whether strategies used by students have effect on their reading English text achievement and whether motivation affecting on their reading English text achievement. Therefore, the writers conducted a study to know and to prove an effect of students’ learning process strategies and students’ motivation on reading English text achievement at first grade students’ elementary school.

Methodology

This study was quantitative research, carried out at SD Al-Insan on Pinang-Cipondoh, Tangerang for six months. The population of this study was students in first grade. For samples, the writers took 70 students used simple random sampling.

In this study, the writers used reading test, questionnaires, interview, and observation. Reading tests was given to knowing the level of competence of the respondents in reading achievement. A questionnaire was survey that can capture information in a short of time; the writers used closed questions for the questionnaire. An interview is a conversation between two or more people use some questions will ask by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee. In this study, writers used unstructured and structured interview. Observation is an activity of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments. In this study, the writers used participant observation, where the writers was involved as an observer.

Before the instruments used, the writers tried them out to make sure the quality of the instrument, i.e. validity, reliability, level difficulty, and discrimination power. All of the data were analyzed by simple regression to test learning strategies on reading English text achievement, and also test motivation on reading English text achievement. To test learning strategies and motivation to reading English text achievement, writers used multiple regressions

Results and Discussion

There are some previous studies which have explored the effect of learning strategies and motivation on reading English text achievement.

Chan states that motivation and students’ learning strategies had an important role in explaining achievement variance in the younger grades, students’ learning strategies was found to mediate between the effects of motivation in reading achievement. Sankaran and Bui find that the use of learning process strategies effect on positive performances. While motivation significantly correlated to students’ performance. High motivation is associated with the use of deep learning strategies, and low motivation is associated with the use of undirected strategies. Students’ learning strategies and motivation are also correlated in reach reading achievement.

Oxford & Nyikos; WEN Qiu-fang, in Xiao-ling, stated that motivation influenced on the choices of students’ learning process strategies. Motivation and strategy have reciprocal relationship; motivation influences the choice of strategies will use by students and correlates with some strategies significantly and more closely.

Guthrie and Wigfield, 2000 in Guthrie, stated that motivational processes are the foundation for coordinating cognitive goals and strategies in reading English text. For example, if a person is motivated from inside (intrinsically) to read and believes he/she is a capable reader; the students will persist in reading difficult English texts and exert effort to resolve conflicts and integrate text with their prior knowledge. Students with high motivation will seek books known to provide satisfaction, they will use their cognitive abilities to find books, avoid distraction while reading, and assimilate new ideas are activated if the text is fulfilling internal goals.

Based on calculation, it was found that the respondents in this study using the social or affective strategies in reading activity. It can be seen from students’ behavior, like students ask questions for clarification on things they are not understand, they also use cooperation in various ways, such as practicing with others, playing games in the language, and sharing with others.

The students’ used these strategies to reduce anxiety, with building their own perception not to be afraid to make errors, not panic if they do not understand everything, and not to be discouraged if they make incorrect guesses. The use of social or affective strategies by students cannot separated from the uses of cognitive strategies, because cognitive strategies are activities using steps or problem solving that require direct analysis, transformation, or synthesis of learning materials such as inference, guessing meaning from context, and elaboration, or relating new information to other concept in memory.

This result same with Ellis; O’Malley and Chamot. They said that cognitive stage operate directly on incoming information, manipulating it to enhance learning; metacognitive stage refer to skills that may entail planning for, monitoring, or evaluating the success of a learning activity; and social or affective stage, which cover interaction with another person or exercising control over emotional or affective responses to learning.

78.1% of students have extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is one which comes from outside of the performer. This condition supports the opinion of Thorkildsen and Nicholls (1998); Meece and Miller (1999), in Guthrie, who stated that “Individuals with a performance (or ego) orientation attempt to maximize favorable evaluations of their ability.” Performance orientation is seen as extrinsic motivation. It is associated with the use of strategies for reading and desire to complete a task rather than to understand or enjoy a text.

From the statistical calculation, it shows that F_obs is 132.407 and F_tab is 3.33; F_obs is higher than F_tab. These mean that students’ learning strategies and motivation simultaneously have a significant effect on reading English text achievement. Hence it can be concluded that there is the effect of students’ strategies in learning process and motivation on reading English text at first grade students’ elementary school.

This result support statement from Chan; Oxford & Nyikos; WEN Qiu-fang in Xiao-ling, said that motivation and learning strategies have an important role in explaining achievement, motivation is the strongest influence on learning strategies was choosed.

Conclusion and Suggestions

Reading is a meaning-making process that involves interaction between the reader and the text which have purposeful of identifying, interpreting and evaluating ideas. Lack mastery in the concept and comprehension reading process is among the problems frequently faced by readers, without exception students of first grade semester. These problems are students’ level intelligence, students’ background knowledge and experience, students’ competence, students’ attitude and interest, environment, support from teacher. Strategies in reading English text needed by student to facilitate in understanding reading text and to make effective and efficient motivation are needed.

The basic competence in reading is to respond meaning in the functional written text formal and informal in the daily life context to access knowledge in the command and request form. The competence standard is to comprehend meaning of short functional written text and simple essay formed in command and request, in daily life context to access knowledge. Competency in reading means that readers’ responsibility was not merely to transfer what the author had written into the reader’s head but also asked the readers to interact with the text to create meaning and understanding.

Competency can see in three aspects; cognitive (knowledge), psychomotoric (skill), and affective (attitude). Cognitive (knowledge) can enhance psychomotoric (skills) and build or create affective (attitude).

Reading strategies are the mental operations involved when readers doing approach a text effectively to make sense of what they read. Good readers apply strategies more frequently and effectively than poor reader. Learners can be instructed to use appropriate reading strategies to help them improve comprehension.

Motivation is a condition of which emerge in individual itself which because of interaction between motivate and events perceived by individual so that push to activate behavior becomes a real action. Individuals with a performance (or ego) have orientation to maximize favorable evaluation of their ability. Students with motivation, a task orientation and high self-efficacy are relatively being an active readers and high achievers.

Motivation and students’ learning strategies had an important role in explaining achievement variance in the younger grades, students’ learning strategies was found to mediate between the effects of motivation in reading achievement. Learning strategies and motivation have simultaneously effects on reading English text achievement which are relatively strong. The contribution of those variables was 90.7% while the rest 9.3% was determined by other variables such as teaching methods.

The use of learning strategies by students can make their learning process easier, effective and efficient; and their motivation can be a support in learning process. Motivation can be used to maintain students’ interests in reading English text; beside it can be a stimulating and driving force for them to increase their competence.

The teacher must have positive and motivating attitudes, so students’ interest in reading English text will increase, this condition will affect to on students’ reading English text achievement. Besides that, teacher must have reading material suitable with their students’ level, so learning process can work effective and efficient.

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