COMPARATIVE STUDY ON EFL TEACHER‟S STRATEGIES
IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION
Roif Ahmad, Anisa Arifiyani
Magister of Linguistic, Diponegoro University
[email protected]
[email protected]
Abstract
Every teacher has strategy to achieve learning target. The use of teaching strategies might be
different for one teacher to another. It depends on students‘ need and learning target that teachers
want to achieve. The purposes of this research were to describe and to compare the teaching
reading strategies used by teachers, also to know the most effective strategies used by teachers. It
was concerned with what teaching reading strategies implemented by EFL teachers, problems
finding and problems solution encountered by the teachers. This research would be designed as
qualitative comparative case study design. The subjects of this research were EFL teachers who
taught at one Senior High School in Kudus. The data would be gained through interview,
observation and document analysis. In analyzing the data, the researcher used three steps namely;
data reduction, data display and verification. This study revealed that the teachers had used
teaching reading strategies in three reading stages, pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading
stage. In tenth grade, 35 % got score between 81-90 (very good), In eleventh grade, 26 % got score
between 71-80 (good), In twelve grade, 27 % got score between 71-80 (good). It can be concluded
that the strategy used by first teacher was more effective than the second and third teacher.
Keywords: Comparative descriptive, Teacher strategies, Reading comprehension
Abstrak
Setiap guru mempunyai strategi untuk mencapai tujuan pembelajaran. Penggunaan strategi
mengajar dari satu guru berbeda dengan guru yang lain. Hal itu tergantung pada kebutuhan murid
dan tujuan pembelajaran yang ingin dicapai guru. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk menggambarkan
dan membandingkan strategi mengajar reading, juga untuk mengetahui strategi yang paling efektif
yang digunakan oleh guru. Tujuan ini mengenai strategi apa yang diterapkan guru bahasa Inggris,
masalah dan solusi yang ditemukan oleh guru. Penelitian ini didesain dengan studi kasus kualitatif.
Subjek dari penelitian ini adalah beberapa guru bahasa Inggris yang mengajar disalah satu SMA di
Kudus. Data diperoleh melalui interview, pengamatan, dan dokumen perangkat pembelajaran.
Dalam menganalisis data, peneliti menggunakan tiga langkah yaitu reduksi data, display data, dan
verifikasi. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa guru telah menggunakan strategi mengajar reading
dalam tiga langkah membaca,pre-reading, while-reading dan post-reading. Pada kelas X, sekitar
35% siswa mendapat nilai antara 81-90 dan masuk dalam kategori sangat bagus. Pada kelas XI,
sekitar 26% siswa mendapat nilai antara 71-80 dan termasuk kategori bagus. Pada kelas XII,
sekitar 27% siswa mendapat nilai antara 71-80 termasuk kategori basgu. Ini bisa disimpulkan
bahwa strategi yang digunakan oleh guru pertama lebih efektif daripada yang lain.
Kata kunci:Deskripsi komparasi, Strategi guru, Kemampuan membaca
INTRODUCTION
Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL) is not as easy as we think. It needs continuous
process and complex steps because learning foreign language is as same as inserting new language
into our first language, new culture and new ways of thinking. Brown (2000: 1) mentioned that
learning a second language is a long and complex undertaking. Your whole person is affected as you
struggle to reach beyond the confines of your first language and into a new language, a new culture, a
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new way of thinking, feeling, and acting. Making easier in EFL should be followed by selecting
appropriate learning and training.
One of the ways to successful learning foreign language is that selected teaching strategy by
teachers. Before starting the class, teachers have to consider the following components; first, teachers
should specify entry behavior meaning that teachers should understand what the students have already
known and what aspects teacher can build. The next is goal of learning. Teachers should formulate
what is the goal and what is the specific objective. Teachers also need methodof learning to deliver
what they know about entry behavior and the goal. The last one is strategy. Teachers should break
down the selected method into sequences ofstrategy.
An appropriate strategy should be determined by teachers because it will set classroom into
meaningful setting in which it can be described that learners relate present knowledge with previous
knowledge or what already they know. It is in lined with Brown‘s statement as follows:
―Any learning situation can be meaningful if (a) learners have a meaningful learning set-that is,
a disposition to relate the new learning task to what they already know, and (b) the learning task
itself is potentially meaningful to the learners-that is, relatable to the learners‘ structure of
knowledge.....we can make thing meaningful if necessary and if we are strongly motivated to
do so. Students cramming for an examination often invent a mnemonic device for remembering
a list of items; the meaningful retention of the device succesfully retrieves the whole list of
items‖ (Brown, 2000 :85).
Meaningful learning is useful to motivate learners in joining classroom activities. What
teachers instruct will be followed by learners. They will feel enjoyable, learn faster, be more selfdirected and be more effective. Teachers have to attempt to set meaningful class to achieve the
learning target.
Learning strategy is a set of particular step, instruction and action functioned to encourage
learners to be active, conscious and purposeful in the classroom. Scarcella and Oxford (as cited
Murcia, 2001) defined learning strategies are specific actions, behaviors, steps, or techniques – such
as seeking out conversation partners, or giving oneself encouragement to tackle a difficult language
task-used by students to enhance their own learning. Learning strategies will be useful for learners
when they fit to the learning target and learning style.
A selected strategy could be good or bad depends on the learners‘ feeling. It might be good
when the learners feel helpful. In contrast, it might be bad when they feel helpless. A strategy is useful
if the following conditions are present; (a) the strategy relates well to the L2 task at hand, (b) the
strategy fits the particular students‘ learning style preferences, (c) the student employs the strategy
effectively and links it with other relevant strategies (Murcia, 2001: 362).
As mentioned earlier, every teacher should decide teaching strategy in every subject matter
especially in the teaching reading comprehension text. Wallace (1992: 57) states that a reading
strategy is a unitary process which cannot be subdivided into part skills. It means that the process of
reading involves situational context and nature of the text, reader‘s purpose in which sometimes refers
to getting meaning or information beyond the text.
To get the meaning of the text, teachers should prepare reading strategy to comprehend the text
accurately. Brown (2001) noted reading comprehension strategy, there are ten strategies that can be
used, from bottom-up procedures and top-down processes. In addition, Logsdon (2007) proposed
PQ4R strategy which stands for Preview, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite and Review. Furthermore,
Barnet (1988), wallace (1992) mentioned that there are three stages in reading comprehension text,
those are pre-reading, while reading, and post reading.
Related literature about reading comprehension strategy was guided to answer the following
research question, namely (1) what reading comprehension strategies are implemented by EFL
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teachers?, (2) which strategies is effective for reading comprehension?, and (3) how does problem
finding resolve?
RESEARCH METHOD
The design of this research was qualitative and comparative case study design. This design was
selected because the purpose of this study was to describe and to compare the teaching reading
strategies used by EFL teachers. In line with this, Cohen and Manion (1994) and Gay (1992) stated
that a case study observes the characteristics of an individual unit-a child, a clique, a class, a school,
or a community and attempts to shed light on a phenomenon by studying in depth a single case
example of the phenomenon. It dealt with the educational phenomenon specifically in the use of
teaching reading strategy.
The subjects of the data were three EFL teachers in one of Senior High School at Kudus. The
data of this research was gained through three ways; there were observation, interview and document
study. The observation is an effective mean of learning to observe how certain teaching methods are
employed in the school, how classrooms are organized, and how students respond to the classroom
environment. In this case, the researchers also used an interview to the teachers. It was implanted to
gain deep information how teaching reading strategies applied and how problems were encountered.
Moreover, document study was used to get information about how well teaching reading strategies
prepared by teachers. The document that used is referred to lesson plan made by EFL teachers.
To analyze the data, the researchers used three steps namely data reduction, data display, and
verification. It is in line with Miles and Huberman (as cited in Sugiyono, 2010) there are steps in data
analysis; namely: data reduction, data display, and verification. Data reduction means summarizing,
choosing the subject matter, focusing on things that are important, looking for themes and patterns
(Sugiyono, 2010).
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
In this research, there were three English teachers who became participants of the study. They
are teacher in the ten, eleven and twelve grade (The writer called it the first, second and third teacher
respectively). The researcher divided teacher‘s strategies in teaching reading comprehension into
three teaching reading stages. They are pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading.
Below will be explained more about the description of each teacher, teacher‘s strategy in
learning process, and the reasons why each teacher used those strategy and the comparison between
one teacher to another.
1. First teacher
In pre-stage, the first teacher who taught in the tenth grades mostly used brainstorming,
predicting and encouraging the use of dictionary strategies in reading comprehension. Brainstorming
strategy is a method for creating any ideas about a topic. It was known when the teacher explained
about one of text type, the teacher gave question to the students about the topic and main idea of the
text. The teacher invited to call out words, knowledge and students‘ experience that relevant to the
text and an expectation meaning. Based on the observation, through this strategy students could
understand the topic, so directly they could catch the whole meaning include in the text.
Besides, predicting strategy also used by the first teacher in pre-reading stage. Based on the
observation, the teacher always asked about what is the content about. So, she gave strategy for
students to guess and to predict it through the title of the text. This strategy commonly used before
reading activity. The students can guess what the text is about through the title. In predicting strategy,
teacher had done predicting from title as a strategy to predict the content of the text.
The use of dictionary was very dominant in reading comprehension. Every EFL teacher
encourages students to use dictionary as one of strategy in learning English. Especially in reading
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comprehension . Most of students use dictionary if they got difficulties in understanding a text. It was
very helpful to translate difficult word.
In while-reading, the first teacher used reading aloud. This strategy used to examine students‘
pronunciation and to develop students‘ reading competence. In learning process teacher always asks
students to read aloud the certain text. Then, teacher explained the correct pronunciation if there was a
mistake.
Besides, discussing of unknown words also used as one of strategy. In this strategy the teacher
tried to lead the students to identify the difficult words to understand the text. This strategy was very
effective to make students easier in understanding a text.
In post reading, the first teacher used evaluating comprehension in particular tasks. This
strategy was used to evaluate all of reading activity. Not only evaluating but also asking questions for
specific information/scanning strategy also used in teaching reading. Those strategy were applied by
teacher in every understanding a text. After many kinds of strategy that used in reading
comprehension, teacher did reviewing to review the hole of the text. It was aimed to repeat and
convey students‘ understanding.
Below is the result of students score in reading comprehension in tenth grade. In this class
consist of three classes. The totals of students are 78.
Interval Scores
Number of Students
Percentage
91 – 100
17
21,79 %
81 - 90
28
35,89 %
71 – 80
18
23,07 %
61 – 70
9
11,53 %
51 – 60
5
6,41 %
0 - 50
1
1,28 %
Total
78
100 %
Based on the table, it can be shown that almost students (35%) got score between 81-90 in
reading comprehension. Only one student got score between 0-50. So, in applying reading strategies
students tend to understand what their teachers do. It can be seen in students responsed, they felt more
understand teacher‘s explanation.
2.
Second teacher
In pre-reading stage, the second teacher who taught the eleventh grade tends used
brainstorming and encouraging the use of dictionaries strategies. Brainstorming strategy applied in
learning process when the teacher gave some reading exercise after treatment. So, the teacher invited
students to understand main idea of the text when the students got difficulties. It was different from
the first teacher who used the same strategy in reading treatment. By using this strategy, students‘
problem in reading comprehension can be solved.
Besides brainstorming, the second teacher also used dictionary as a way to understand the text.
As usual the teacher suggests students to encourage dictionary in learning foreign language. In
reading comprehension, the second teacher more used dictionary as a tool to understanding text. She
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did not used predicting strategy because according to her, students felt difficult to catch the right
meaning.
In while-reading, the second teacher used reread for checking understanding strategy.
According to the teacher, it was used because repetition made students can understand a text little by
little. Automatically, they can predict the content of the text easily.
In post reading, the second teacher used clarifying and justifying the students‘ answer strategy.
The teacher created an activity which is aimed to ask the students with comprehension questions and
clarified their answer to the class to make sure that they understand the text.
Also, the last step that used by teacher was evaluating. Teacher evaluated the students‘
comprehension through asking and giving question. It was held to recheck whether student can
understand or no. usually, after rechecks it, students who need more treatments will be given a certain
attention.
Through those strategies, students have mastered and understood the text clearly, but they tend
more dependent on using dictionary.
Interval Scores
Number of Students
Percentage
91 – 100
12
15,7 %
81 - 90
16
21,05 %
71 – 80
20
26,31 %
61 – 70
4
5,26 %
51 – 60
14
18,42 %
0 - 50
10
13,1 %
Total
76
100 %
Based on the table above, many students (26 %) got score between 71-80 In reading
comprehension. Also, there are 10 students got score between 0-50 (minimum score). So, students‘
ability in reading tends equal of each other.
3.
Third teacher
In pre-reading stage the third teacher who taught twelfth grade used many strategies such
brainstorming, encouraging the use of dictionaries, discussing text types, and predicting. Because in
this class students will face national examination. As we know that most of the national examination
test is reading comprehension. So that the teacher should give more strategy in facing reading test. In
this case, automatically, the teacher always gave test, try out or UN exercise for students in order to
they were familiar in doing the national examination.
Brainstorming strategy was applied when students were demanded to know the main idea of the
text. So, the effective way to follow it was brainstorming strategy.
Encouraging the use of dictionaries was applied when in doing exercise students got difficulties
in translating word, found a strange word, and determined the synonym or antonym of the word. This
strategy was rarely used because the teacher would not students very dependent in using dictionary.
So, in national examination students can do test easily.
Another strategy was discussing text types. Teacher used this strategy when students would
know the purpose and the content of the text. So the teacher invited students to discuss the text types.
It was rather difficult for students to identify what kinds of text. It can be solved by knowing the
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characteristic and differences of each text. For example, if the text used past tense and seems fictional
story, it was a narrative text.
Predicting strategy used when by teacher when students really got difficulties to find out the
meaning of word. So, the teacher gave suggestion to predict the closed meaning of the word based on
the context.
In while-reading stage, the third teacher used reading aloud, reread for checking
comprehension, direct reading activity, discussing of unknown words and retelling the text. In this
stage, the third teacher used many strategies in teaching reading comprehension.
Reading aloud is the classic strategy which is used whether reading aloud to students or reading
aloud by students. It was used to examine students how to read well.
Other strategy is reread for checking comprehension. This strategy rather same as reading aloud
but it more emphasized students in understanding reading comprehension. It used to recheck whether
students understand the text type or not.
Discussing of unknown words is aimed to make students easier in catching the meaning. In this
case, teacher asked students to find the closest meaning of those unknown words. Retelling the text is
aimed to check students understanding. Students were asked to retelling the text with their own ways.
They can use paraphrasing or summarizing.
In post-reading stage, the teacher use evaluating comprehension in particular tasks, clarifying
and justifying the students‘ answer, asking questions for specific information/scanning strategy and
reviewing.
In this stage, third teacher used many strategies because students in twelve grade should
understand all of text types. So, the teacher applied many strategies in post reading to make sure
students mastering.
Interval Scores
Number of Students
Percentage
91 – 100
10
13,8 %
81 - 90
13
18,05 %
71 – 80
20
27,7 %
61 – 70
18
25 %
51 – 60
8
11,1 %
0 - 50
3
4,16 %
Total
72
100 %
Based on the table above, Many students (27,7 %) got score between 71-80 In reading
comprehension. Only 3 students got score between 0-50 (minimum score). So, So, students ability in
reading tends equal of each other.
CONCLUSION
For the first research problem, all teacher in three classes used three reading stages. Each
teacher has different strategies based on students need. It was found that the three teachers proposed
the theories of strategy based on their own knowledge and their experiences in teaching reading. For
the second research problem, In tenth grade, 35 % got score between 81-90 (very good), In eleventh
grade, 26 % got score between 71-80 (good), In twelve grade, 27 % got score between 71-80 (good).
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It can be concluded that the strategy used by first teacher more effective than the second and third
teacher.
REFERENCE
Brown, H.Douglas. (2001) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy.
Second Edition.New York: Pearson Education Company.
Barnet, M.A. (1988). Teaching Reading in a Foreign Language. [online] retrieved at:
http://www.erictdigests.org/pre-9211/reading.htm.
Cohen, L., & Manion, L. (1994). Research Methods in Education. (4th Edition). New York:
Routledge.
Celce-Murcia, Marianne. (2001). Teaching English as a second or Foreign Language, third edition.
USA: Heinle & Heinle Thomson Learning Inc
Sugiyono. 2010. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R &D. Bandung: Alfabeta
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