1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study

The teaching and learning English is the priority of the lesson, which is

learnt from elementary, junior, senior high school, into the college or university.

In one of the instructional English process is the material of reading, moreover,

in the college at English Department. Many universities and colleges applied the

English lesson at English Department by applying the four skills, which one of

them is a Reading skill. At STKIP-PGRI reading skill share applied in the

Reading I until Reading V. According to the curriculum of English Education

Department that the reading course is presented into five series, namely of

Reading I, II, III, IV, and V.

The syllabus of Reading II mentions that the course of Reading II is the

second series of the reading course series given at the second semester and

stands for local curriculum. It continues on studying higher level of reading skill

including skimming, scanning, reading for through comprehension, critical

reading, and contextual uses of grammar. It is also more complex than Reading I.

The teaching and learning process are managed under simultaneous, practice and

aim at facilitating the student to brush up and improve their completed reading

1

2

proficiency on reading I in order to able to adjust or cope with reading III as well

as to hold intermediate level. (Syllabus, 2007:4)

Reading is one of English skills that every student of English Department

must have. By reading understanding grows and gets notion stressed on

vocabulary, besides, to arise many complexities in the text that has been read.

Reading is the process of introducing, understanding, and valuing in ideas, which

do not take as reflex mind, but it will be put consciously into the mind. Reading

texts also provide opportunities to study of language particularly of English

language, for examples vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and the way

construct sentences, paragraphs, and texts. (Harmer.2001:68).

If the students of STKIP-PGRI Banjarmasin understand main ideas, it will

make them easy to answers the question based on text. On the contrary, when

students cannot understand the main ideas, they will have problem to determine

main ideas in the texts, of course they will unable to answers the questions about

the main idea.

But, some students of English Department still made mistakes in Reading

test, especially when they got a test about finding Main Idea. Moreover, if the

students cannot find the main idea of a paragraph on the question’ sheet, it

means that they cannot write the right answers.

3

Based on preliminary study about the problems of student in reading texts to

find main ideas for student at STKIP-PGRI Banjarmasin, the researcher want to

find out the students ability in finding main idea and raised a research about

“The Ability of the Reading II Students of STKIP PGRI Banjarmasin in

Finding Main Idea Academic Year 2012/2013”

1.2. Identification and formulation of the Problem

Based on the preliminary study before, the researcher found out that there

were many students who had some problems in reading especially in finding

main idea. The students seemed to have a lack of understanding about the

characteristic of main idea. As stated by Haris, the components of reading

consist of contents, text, idea, and style. One of those four components is main

idea ((Haris, 1978:88). Finding main idea has been the organ concern of the

research.

From the identification above, the researcher takes the research object about

the student’s ability of STKIP-PGRI Banjarmasin in finding main idea in a

paragraph, and the subject of the research is the reading II students of STKIP-

PGRI Banjarmasin academic year 2012/2013. Then, the problem is formulated

as follow:

“How is the ability of the reading II students of STKIP-PGRI

Banjarmasin in finding main idea academic year 2012/2013?”

4

1.3. Purpose of the Study

The research objective is to describe the students’ ability in finding main

idea at English Department of STKIP PGRI Banjarmasin academic year

2012/2013.

1.4. Significance of the Study

It is divided into two aspects: implication and application.

1. Implication

The result of the research will give contribution to the theoretical basis of

teaching reading and reading skills especially in finding main idea.

2. Application

a. For the lecturer

The result research can be used as an input to improve the technique of

teaching reading skills especially in finding main idea of a descriptive

paragraph.

b. For students

The result research can be used as a feed back for them to improve their

reading ability especially in finding main idea of a descriptive

paragraph.

c. For other researcher

The result research can be used as meaningful information to do further

research similar object or other object.

5

1.5. Working Theory

The main idea of a paragraph or story is what the passage is mostly talking

about. Everything else in in the written work tells more about the main idea.

Students well identify a main idea:

1. In a title

2. In the first sentence of a paragraph

3. In the middle of a paragraph

4. Expressed in two sentences

5. Implied, or stated

(Http://Lesson-plan-material.suite101.com/article.cfm/

how_to_find_the_main_idea.)

It is important to be able to find the main idea in a paragraph. The main idea

tells what the paragraph is mostly about. All of the other sentences are details

that tell more about the main idea. Sometimes the main idea is not written

explicitly by sentences.

(Http://www.ehow.com/how_4540359_find_main_idea.paragraph.html)

6

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1. Meaning of Ability

“Ability means capacity or power (to do something physical or

mental)”(Hornby, A.S, 1987:2 in Rahmawati) According to Chaplin,” Ability

(Kemampuan, kecakapan, ketangkasan, bakat, kesanggupan) merupakan tenaga

(daya kuat) untuk melakukan sesuatu”.(Http://www.Diglib.petra.ac.id). William

in rahmawati (2011, p.6) states that “Ability is the quality of being able to do

something or tratural or acquired skill or talent”.

According to Noufeldt and Guralnik (in rahmawati, 2011, p. 6) : “Ability is

being able: power to do (something physical or metal) skill expertness, or lets a

(specified) ability, cap a city or tendency”. From the statement, we know that we

need and should have ability if we want to do something well and to do

something satisfactory but not necessarily outstandingly.

2.2. Nature of Reading

There are various definitions of reading purposed by some experts. From

Eskey says that there is not yet a completely valid explanation of reading but

however imperfect the definition constitutes a necessary first step. ( Eskey, 19b6:

14). Christine Nuttal defines reading as the meaningful interpretation of printed

7

on written verbal symbol. (Nuttal, 1982: 14). It means that reading is a result of

the interaction between the perceptions of graphic symbols that represent

language and the reader’s language skills, cognitive skills, and the knowledge of

the world.

Reading is an active cognitive process of interacting with print and

monitoring comprehension to establish meaning (Clark and Silberstein, 1987:

15). Reading is instantaneous recognition of various written symbols,

simultaneous association of these symbols with existing knowledge,

comprehension of the information and ideas communicated. It means that when a

reader interacts with a printed text, his prior knowledge combined with it and the

visual (written) information results in his comprehension by the message that he

got on the text.

When considering reading theory, it is also important to maintain a realistic

perspective on the importance and utility of reading models. Much discussion on

construction models of reading is basically the assumed process involved in

reading as well as their operational interaction (Eskey, 1986: 15). As such they

play a vital role in the exploration of reading: they both force more careful

consideration of the assumptions and explicit explanation of the contribution

made by the various processes.

To develop theory which is open to validation, it is important to consider

that a model of reading should be compatible with ongoing research. At the time,

8

perhaps the greatest danger in going from theory to practice is the human

propensity to remain too committed to any theoretical orientation in the face of

that does seem to work in the classroom, and how students react to these

procedures.

2.3. Kinds of Text

The types of text taught consist of recount, narrative, procedure

descriptive, new items, spoof, report, analytical, hortatory exposition, discussion

and review” (BNSP DepDiknas. 2007).

Recount is telling the experience of someone, it is included of narrative

essay. Then procedure descriptive is telling about the information situation or

condition around of someone or the natural situation it is included of descriptive

essay. A news item is telling about the content of condition such as the news in

the television or radio, spoof is telling about the content of demonstration.

Report text is telling about the real situation on the happening, they are included

of exposition essay.

Descriptive essays are purposed to describe some object, thus, for

instance, some place, feeling, person, or something, etc, so that the reader will be

able to imagine the whole picture of the thing described.

Based on perception in the time. Narrative is telling of a story, the

succession of events is given in chronological order. An argumentative essay is

9

to show that your assertion (opinion, theory, and hypothesis) about some

phenomenon or phenomena is correct or more truthful than others.

The expository text type it aims at explanation, i.e. the cognitive analysis

and subsequent syntheses of complex facts. Example: An essay on “Rhetoric:

What is it and why do we study it?” then the analytical and hortatory talks about

the exposition text.

Argumentative is the act forming reasons, making inductions, drawing

conclusions, and applying them to the case in discussion; the operation of

inferring propositions, not known or admitted as true, from facts or principles

known, admitted, or proved to be true. (Sudarwati. 2002: 32).

According to Alice C. Ommagio (1986, p.150) Reading is a language

process. The other language skill I English learning won’t be successful without

reading. Reading is ready by the students to get information. The text in reading

is read though understanding. It is not only read without more but also it needed

to master by the students. So, the students will be easier to understand the text of

reading and know what the technique have to use in reading a text. “In order to

understand how be as teachers can help students enhance the reading skill, we

need to think about both the purpose for which they read and stages or sequenced

steps trough which they must go to achieve those goals of purposes” (Alice C

Ommagio, 1986 : 150).

10

“In the teaching of reading we need to design reading activities that

correspond to all of these purposes and processes reading. This means that for

any given assignment, we should vary our reading activities according to the

type of text with which students are working and the purpose for which they are

reading. In addition, activities need be design that help students develop specific

reading skill (Ommagio,1986 : 151).

Reading is an effort to interpret the writer’s idea or though into the

reader’s though. That kind of idea basically reflects that fundamental base in

reading as the transmission of intelligible massage from the reading text to the

reader. Teaching English language especially teaching reading cannot avoid the

printed instructional materials such as students’ book, teacher manual, students’

work sheets and so on. Such materials will be entirely useless when they are not

read. Both the teacher and the students must read them well (Edward, 1972: 23).

Brown said “in reality, reading is intentional. One reads because one is looking

for something trough the printed material. She has may look for some important

information likely to be found in the material” (Brown, 1992, p. 302).

“It is easy to identify main idea that is directly expressed in the text. But

the main idea is not always clearly stated. It is more difficult to identify main

idea”. (Columbia Collega,2000)

Reading is a lesson English language that is very important in particular

finding main idea in the text. (Lenski et al, 1999). For example, a text may

11

include information about Thomas Jefferson and his biracial children, these

details are included to engage student interest yet they tend to pull student

attention away from identifying the main idea of a passage.

The ability to determine importance in text requires the use of related

comprehension strategies such as drawing inferences and summarizing

information, both of which require the student to think critically about the

information being read. “a good reader is able to sift and sort through text and

pull out the essential or key ideas while the struggling reader tends to pay

attention to everything in the text. Nonfiction reading is to learn so therefore

determining main ideas is crucial when reading information if anything is to be

learned” (Harvey and Goudvis, 2000)

It means that the reader should understand about the text because to

understand the main idea, the reading text must be known, then the reader will be

easier to get the idea of the text.

2.4. Finding Main Idea

The main idea is the essence of the paragraph, or rather

what the author is trying to get across to the reader (Hancock,

1986: 54). In other words, it is what the author wants a

reader to know about. So, the main idea is important idea that

the author develops throughout the paragraph. Then, the

12

function of the entire paragraphs is to explain, develop, and

support the main idea.

Usually one sentence expresses the main idea. This

sentence is called the topic sentence (Mc Whorter, 1986: 76).

The topic sentence can be located anywhere in the paragraph.

However, there are several positions where it is most likely to

be found. Most often the topic sentence in placed in the first

sentence in the paragraph. In this type of paragraph, the author

first states his/her main point and then explains it. It is

important to know that a paragraph discusses things related to

the topic. Understanding what a paragraph contains will read to

the understanding of the topic sentence and the main idea of

the paragraph.

In the process to understand this sentence, we try to relate

it to something familiar, some schema which account for the

event described (Carrel and Eisterhold, 1987: 221). In

conclusion, understanding the characteristics of main idea

facilitate the students in identifying or finding main idea of

descriptive paragraph. Main idea of the paragraph is the basic

subject that all the sentences are related to. The main idea in a

13

paragraph is in order to understand the information they are

reading.

Finding the topic and the main idea is the best of

comprehending paragraph. The main idea generally describes

the details in the paragraph. Comprehending subject matter

depends on identifying the main idea. That’s why it is important

to understand the main idea. (Sutiono, 2006: 119)

Mc Whorther states that main idea is a direct statement or

an implied idea about the topic. In order to understand to

content of the text or written material a good reader should be

able to find the main idea of each paragraph, then they can get

notion of the text. Then he stated that There are three elements

of paragraph such as: (1) Topic: the one thing the entire

paragraph talks about, (2) Main idea: a direct statement or a

implied idea about the topic, (3) Details: the proof, reasons or

example that explain or support the paragraph’s main idea. A

paragraph provides explanation, support or proof for the main

idea (expressed or unexpressed) about a particular topic.

(Worther in norhidayati, 2009: 14)

Based on the explanation above, it can be conclude that

there are two major kinds of main idea. First, main idea can be

14

stated directly through the topic sentence, if we read the topic

sentence, we will get the main idea directly. Second, main idea

can be indirectly stated or implied, it means that we have to

read the whole paragraph in order to get the general notion or

the main idea of the paragraph.

Focusing on the main idea is often one sentence in the

paragraph tells the reader exactly what the rest of the

paragraph gives the main idea. Furthermore, it is assumed that

main idea sentence (if is often called a topic sentence or topic

statement) might appear in one of several places. (Wiener and

Bazerman, 1985: 45).

Generalizing the topic correctly means knows that

knowledge about a reading topic helps to improve reading

comprehension. A valuable way to help a reader interpret what

he reads and to get deeper meanings from it, is by developing

skills in generalizing.

Generalizing allows you to apply information you have

learned in a broader, less specific sense. Generalizing carries

you step beyond a conclusion can draw about a specific set of

details. (Wiener and Bazerman, 1985: 169).

15

The teaching of main idea has been combined with the text

which the teacher give to the students supplied with some

questions with the particularly in the form of the essays, then

they should answer the questions based on the text. The

teaching of main idea is always coming out with essay of the

paragraph in text. The main idea of a paragraph answer the

question: “what is the main point or points the author is

expressing about the topic?” the stated main idea is found in

one or two sentences within the paragraph.

An explicit main idea may be anywhere in the paragraph,

but is typically found in these locations: first sentence, last

sentence, middle of paragraph, or a combination of two

sentences. The main idea of the text is very clear and it could

be found easily in the text. In this case, the main idea can be

seen and not hiding.

An implied main idea is a sentence that the student

composes rather than a statement found in the selection. It

means that the reader should read carefully how the sentence

and meaning of the sentence per sentences by using the clues,

it means that the main idea indirectly showing up in the reading

text. (Horald in Norhidayati, 2009:13)

16

17

CHAPTER III

METHOD OF RESEARCH

3.1. Research Location

The location of research is STKIP PGRI Banjarmasin. It is

situated on Jl. Sultan Adam Komp. H. Iyus Blok A No 18

Banjarmasin.

3.2.Research Design

The research will use descriptive and quantitive method. It

is descriptive because this research wants to describe the

students’ ability on finding main idea. It is in line what

Suharsimi Arikunto said in her book Prosedur Penelitian Suatu

Pendekatan Praktek , she says, “Apabila penelitian bermaksud

mengetahui keadaan sesuatu mengenai apa dan bagaimana,

berapa banyak, sejauh mana dan bagaimana, maka

penelitiannya bersifat deskriptif, yaitu menjelaskan atau

menerangkan peristiwa” (Arikunto, 2002 : 30)

18

The research is quantitative as well because the data

obtained in the form of individual score will be analyzed in

mathematical or statistical formula in the form of figures.

3.3. The Procedure of Data Collection

1. Research Instrument

The instrument of this research was in written test’ essays form. The

instrument consist of 20 questions which each question contained a

paragraph (consist of 4 – 6 sentences).

2. Data Source

The data will be obtained directly from the result of the

test which is given to and done by the second semester

students of the English Education Department STKIP PGRI

Banjarmasin in academic year 2012/2013.

3. Technique of Collecting Data

The technique of collecting data on this research will be

planned as follow:

- Give the test instrument to the second semester’

students.

19

- Collecting the students’ answers sheet.

- Analyzed and calculating the test result of all students.

3.4. Population and Sampling

1. Population

The population is the second semester students who are taking Reading II in

academic 2012/2013 since they have learned about main idea and have practice

in finding main idea in a paragraph or text. The number of the students is 60

students. They are divided into 2 classes, namely morning class with 31

students, and afternoon class with 29 students.

Table 3.4.

Population

No Class Population

1. Morning 31

2. Afternoon 29

Total 60

2. Sampling

The sampling technique is used purposive sampling.

According to Suharsimi Arikunto, Purposive sampling.

20

“Dilakukan dengan cara mengambil subjek bukan didasarkan

atas strata, random/ daerah tetapi didasarkan atas adanya

tujuan tertentu. Ini dilakukan karena beberapa pertimbangan

misal alasan keterbatasan waktu, tenaga dan dana sehingga

tidak dapat mengambil sampel yang besar dan jauh”. (Arikunto,

2002: 117).

3.5. Technique of Data Analysis

The researcher will apply the test once. The test will be

applied to all students who take Reading II at STKIP PGRI

Banjarmasin, in order to know how far the students ability of

finding main idea in descriptive paragraph.

In order to know how far the students ability in finding main

idea of descriptive paragraph in Reading II. The researcher will

use classification table below:

In analyzing the data which have been collected, the

researcher uses the following steps:

a. Scoring

In this research, to find out the ability of students in

finding the main idea, the researcher used individual score

formula.

To find out individual score the following formula is used:

21

S = RN

x 100

S = Score

R = Total of Correct answer

N = total items

(Materi Sosialisasidan pelatihan KTSP, in Rahmawati, 2011:

15)

Then the researcher gives mean score to the students

answer by using the following formula:

X = ∑ fx

N

X = Mean score

∑fx = total score obtained

N = Total number of students (Arikunto, 1992: 27)

b. Result

The result of the calculation using mean formula will be

interpreted based on the following table of score interpretation.

This table of score interpretation is constructed based on

theoretical norm category, which has been converted into the

following table of interpretation: To count the value of scale

from 1 – 5 table of conversion used to change the number by

the scale of 1 – 5 :

22

Scale Qualification

1

2

3

4

5

Excellent

Good

Average

Poor

Fail

(Arikunto, 2002: 18)

The scale is used by 5 in qualification of 100

M + (1, 5 SD) up = Excellent

M + (0, 5 SD) up = Good

M – (0, 5 SD) up = Average

M – (1, 5 SD) up = Poor

M – (1, 5 SD) down = Fail