CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the topics dealing with the background of the

research, research problem, objectives of the research, significant of the research,

scope and limitations of the research, and definition of key terms related to the

research.

A. The Background of the Research

Language has important roles in our life. Language is a means of

communication that is used to transfer information, ideas, and feelings from one

person to another. It is use to communicate both in written and spoken languages.

Besides, English is also the first foreign language that has been taught in

Indonesia in every level of school education, from elementary school up to

university. Consequently, the teaching of English becomes much more needed

than before.

In Indonesia, English teaching aims at mastering four basic skills of

language, which include listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The

teacher as the main participator in a class has an important role to motivate the

students to learn in the teaching-learning process in the classroom successfully.

Reading is one of basic language skills that should be mastered by the

students. This is because reading is useful to get information, knowledge and

values. Reading is a process of getting idea and information from a written

source. And then, some general signs are easy to find in public area which is

related to the use of their reading comprehension of language context, for example

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‘push and pull ‘ at the door of one store, ‘ no smoking ‘, ‘ parking area ‘, ect.

Considering the importance of reading skill, the teacher must improve the

teaching of reading comprehension.

Reading is one subject taught in the school, include senior high school.

One of the senior hight school is MA Negeri 1 Mojokerto. In the school, 2013

curriculum is implemented. In the curriculum, reading is taught by a guidline from

standard competence and basic competence of the reading. In the standard

competence, understanding the meaning and functional text.

The teacher can use some methods or strategy of teaching reading, so that

the students can enjoy and be stimuled in learning English especially reading

comprehension. One of them is by using Sustained Silent Reading ( SSR )

strategy. The teacher has to develop a good strategy that makes students

understand what they read. And this strategy can creat habit reading for students.

The next one is teaching strategy or method use by the teacher is not

appropriate for influencing the learners’ achievement in reading. As a result, the

student cannot comprehend the text that their teacher serves while the teaching

learning process continues. The teacher has to develop a good strategy that makes

students understand what they read.

Peter ( 2011 : 118 ) also states that Sustained Silent Reading ( SSR ) is a

specific period of classroom time set aside each day for students and teachers to

read materials of their personal choice. Basically everyone surely never readings

especially students. Anyone reading a sentence, perhaps a simple

sentence or a story or information or text. However not all people easily

understand a phrase that has been read. Primarily for students not all can

understand well the text that they read, let alone a foreign language text especially

for the English language. This cause the lack of interest of the students

who has read for as the limite vocabulary that they know. In SSR there is such

thing as a preview of where students select and read a book or other media that

fits the theme for their reading. Predict what come next, read the

whole text silently and discussion. With the implementation of this

strategy students are expect to understand the information in the text

that he was fine.

Furthermore, the advantages of the sustained silent reading are to help

students develop a good habit of reading and increase their English proficiency in

the end. In sustained silent reading, students read silently in a designated time

every day in school. According to McCracken ( 2010 ) effect of sustained silent

reading on students’ reading include improvement in reading skill and vocabulary

acquisition, as measured by reading test score, developing a positive attitude

towards reading and cultivating a better reading habit.

As a skill, reading is clearly one of the most important skills in learning

English, it can be seen that many instances around the world argue that reading is

the most important foreign language skill, particularly in cases where students

have to speak the language. Much of the current thinking in reading tends to focus

primarily on the purpose of the activity, even if reading is done for pleasure it is

stil purposed. And with Sustained Silent Reading ( SSR ) strategy selection can
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improve students' reading comprehension as well as cultivate students reading

interest.

B. Research Problem

Based on the background of the research, the researcher formulates the

research problem which is formulated as follows:

“ Do the eleventh grade social III Students at MA Negeri 1 Mojokerto

taught by using Sustained Silent Reading Strategy achive better in reading

comprehension than those taught by using non Sustained Silent Reading ( SSR )

in reading ?”

C. Objectives of the Research

Based on the statement, the objective of the research is as follows: “To

investigate the effectiveness of Sustained Silent Reading Strategy in teaching

reading.”

D. Significance of the Research

The research findings are expected to provide both theoritical and practical

effectiveness use guided sustained silent reading especially for those who have great

concerns in teaching reading comprehension to the eleventh grade social III students of

MA Negeri 1 Mojokerto in academic year of 2017/2018.

E. The Scope and Limitations of the Research

Making this scope clearly in this research, the researcher wants to limit

this research as well. For the scope of the study is focus on the implementation of
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Sustained Silent Reading Strategy in teaching reading. While the study is only

done at MA Negeri 1 Mojokerto, especially in XI Social 3 grade, and that is

delimitation of this research.

F. Definition of Key Terms

Reading Comprehension is defined as the lavel of understanding of

text.profecient reading depends on the ability to recognize word quickly and

effortlessly. If recognition is difficult,students use too much of their processing

capacity to read individual words, which interferes with their ability to

comprehend what they read.

Sustained Silent Reading ( SSR ) is a time during which a class, or in

some cases an entire scholl, reads quietly together. Students are allowed to choose

their own reading materials and read independently during class time. Most

program encourage students to continue reading outside of class and permit

students to change book if they lose interest. Most important, sustained silent

reading allows an adult to model the habits, choices, comments, and attitudes

good readers develop.