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CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

This chapter consists of points of view of reading, definition of reading,

types of reading, the importance of teaching reading skills required for proficient

reading, methods of teaching reading, reading development, reading difficulties,

the teaching of reading stated in the English curriculum for SMP/MTs students

points of view of story reenactment, definition of story reenactment, the steps in

story reenactment, and previous studies.

2.1. An Overview of Reading Comprehension

Reading is one of the important skills which are needed by the students

from elementary school to university. It is a complex cognitive process of

decoding symbols for the intention of deriving meaning (reading comprehension)

and construction meaning. Also it is one of the language skills to be taught a

process of constructing or developing meaning for printed text. One of the aspects

perceives written symbols, a visual activity; the other is describing a meaning to

or comprehending the collecting of symbols.

Nuttal (2011), states that reading is as the meaningful interpretation of

printed or written verbal symbol. And Mackey (2013) thinks that reading is an

active process. It means that the reader forms a preliminary expectation about

material, and then selects a fewest, most productive cues necessary to confirm or

reject the expectation.

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Moreover, Krashen and Terrel (2012) distinguish four types of reading

abilities, they are:

Scanning is reading a text quickly in order to find which is a reader make

an quick overview of a passage, looking for a specific information, e.g. to find out

figures or names; on a text or book. Also, scanning is a specific reading skill

which is often used in combination with others such as skimming and intensive

reading. Learners need to learn different ways and understand that choosing how

to read is an important step in building reading skills.

Skimming is a specific reading skill which is common in reading

newspaper, messages and e-mails. It is important that learners understand that

there is no need to read every word when skimming, so often teachers set this as a

timed task to encourage speed.

Extensive reading is a reader do a rapid reading for main ideas of a large

amount of text involves students reading long texts or large quantities for general

understanding, with the intention of enjoying the texts.

Intensive: a reader is reading for complete understanding of an entire text.

As the name suggests, intensive reading refers to reading short texts thoroughly

and with clear goals, such as to answer reading comprehension questions or to

identify how sentences are linked. Unlike extensive reading, the goal of intensive

reading is not to read many texts for fluency, but rather to read a shorter piece of

text to gain a deeper understanding of that text.

Based on the statement above, it can be concluded that reading ability is a

basic and vital ability which cover the aim of reading as primary reading ability.
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Carver (2001) defined about reading they are: reading is a

complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive

meaning (reading comprehension).” It is a means of language acquisition, of

communication, and of sharing information and ideas.

Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the

reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and

language community which is culturally and socially situated.

The reading process requires continuous practice, development, and

refinement. Readers use a variety of reading strategies to assist with decoding (to

translate symbols into sounds or visual representations of speech) and

comprehension. Readers may use morpheme, semantics, syntax and context clues

to identify the meaning of unknown words. Readers integrate the words they have

read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema (schemata theory).

Cline (2006) indicate; there are some definitions of reading; it is

decoding and understanding text for particular reader purposes, decodes written

text by translating text to speech, and translating directly to meaning.

Understanding written text that is the readers engage in constructive processes to

make text meaningful, which is the end goal or product. Also reading is the

process of deriving meaning from text. For the majority of readers, this process

involves decoding written text. Some individuals require adaptations such as

Braille to support the decoding process. Understanding text is determined by the

purposes for reading, the context, the nature of the text, and the readers’ strategies

and knowledge.
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The theories means that understanding information is taken from the text is

determined by the purposes for reading, the context, the nature of the text, and the

readers’ strategies and knowledges. Furthermore, those could be assumed that

reading has many definitions and each definition has its own purpose and

definitions of reading was different it depends on the context of reading itself.

Kucer (1987) presents research showing that recall of information in a text

is affected by the reader’s schemata, explanations and comprehends a message

when he is able to bring to mind a schema that gives account of the objects and

events described in the message in to imagination.

The theory can be conclude that comprehension is the process of activating

or constructing a schema (knowledge about the structure of a text) from content

schemata (knowledge about the subject matter of a text) that provides a coherent

explanation of objects and events mentioned in a discourse

2.2 Concept of Reading Ability Aspects

In this research, the writer used five reading aspects to conduct the

research. They will be the standard of students’ competency not only in mastering

reading all types’ English text fluency from various resources, but also students

can comprehend and understand the English texts as well.

Mieddema (2009) states there are three types concept of reading with

differences purpose each other in English reading text; slow reading, speed

reading, and sub vocalization.

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The statement that has stated means that slow reading with the main

purpose is to carry out increasing comprehensions or pleasure in reading. It is the

concept appears have originated in the study of philosophy and literature as a

technique to make fully comprehend more and appreciate in a complex text. Slow

movement in reading is a causal factor more focus to comprehend result in

reading.

Different with slow reading, speed reading is a collecting several

techniques of reading English text in order to find gist the meaning of the whole

texts as fast as possible. It is the combination the aspect of skimming and

scanning technique not get the specific meaning as a purpose but the meaning will

be disregarded in order to find specific information of the text in an analysis of

trade-offs between measures of speed and comprehension, recognizing that

different types of reading call for different speed and comprehension rates, and

that those rates may be improved with practice. The last is sub vocalization is the

type which use silent speech technique, is defined as the internal speech made

when reading a word, thus allowing the reader to imagine the sound of the word

as it is read. This is a natural process when reading and helps to reduce cognitive

load, and it helps the mind to access meanings to enable it to comprehend and 

remember what is read. 

From the three types of reading, the writer assumes in this research that

students should be able to master all the types of reading in order to make them

able establish meaning in English reading all reading text.

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2.3. Methods of Teaching Reading

Educators have argued for years about which method is best to teach

reading to children. There are two major methods; Phonics and Whole Language,

within which there are subtypes Synthetic Phonics and Sight word respectively.

Each method is employed at differing rates depending on the country and the

specific school division. Some educators are beginning to use the some methods

in conjunction to maximize the benefits of both methods.

Pearson and Kamil (2016) explain that students’ English competency are

influenced by the perspective include exercises focus on literal comprehension for

little importance info to the students’ learning experience of the certain matter,

and interaction is with the basic known sounds and words.

(Pikulski, 1988) believes that eventually it became obvious that all kind

learning approaches with teaching tools equipment are all set in English reading is

really worked let children get ready to read and stand for difference student’s

understanding and achievement result increase more.

(Levin and Yamagata, 2007) assert that most case studies suggest that

precocious readers may would rather begin to point out the visual views than the

letters and remark on the print in their interactions of sharing information with

adults.

Statement explain that most students’ competencies start from recognition

and recall of lexical supported by teaching tools forms with an emphasis on the

perceptual and decoding dimension in English teaching learning process.

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2.4. The Teaching of Reading Stated in the English Curriculum for

SMP/MTs Students.

Based on English Syllabus for Junior high school (SMP/MTs), there are

some explanations about reading skill, as follows:

1. Standard of Competence

To understand meaning in simple short monologue and functional oral texts in

the form of descriptive and recount to interact with round environment.

2. Basic competence

To respond meaning that is available in simple short functional oral texts

accurately, fluently and acceptable to interact with round environment.

3. Indicators

To identify the information that is available in reading texts.

4. The sample of teaching material

The sample of teaching material for reading skill in SMP/ MTs is about how to

answer question from the reading text in the form of past tense.

2.5. An Overview of Story Reenactment

Story reenactment strategy is a strategy that encourages students to act out

stories after they have read them or have heard them read.

Herrell and Jordan (2004) explain that strategy involves creating props

such as consist of costumes for the students to wear or prop boxes containing

props, flannels, or laminated photos. The students use in reenacting stories they

have heard or read better comprehend the text by acting it out in sequence.
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Heino (2014) concluded that strategy that encourages students to act out

stories after they have read by themselves or have heard the story read by the

teacher uses props like costumes, prop boxes, and photos to create active

involvement in the stories

A reenactment is the action of performing a new version of an old event,

usually in a theatrical performance of the story or text is red. In a reenactment,

people try to get the details as close to the original as possible. Therefore,

performance and tools teaching equipment is absolutely needed in Reading

teaching learning process using reenactment strategy.

This means that the explanation in teaching reading needs teaching aids

that support. It is very necessary to provide a detailed explanation.

2.6. The Steps in Story Reenactment

Herrell and Jordan (2004) state the steps in story reenactment they are;

Read a story independently, retelling the story, gathering or making the props

provide materials related to the story, storing the props, retelling using props,

working in pairs or small groups in discussing finally, assessing the retelling.

It could be concluded that several reading techniques steeps describe the

steeps. There are many reading techniques, they are:

Read a story to the students or have they read the story independently and

the students listen to the teacher carefully more. Teacher should in good

intonation and meme of physical action in reading to describe some situation or

action out of figures in the story which is read.

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Retelling the story in this technique that means; the students retell the story

in sequence and use list the properties to sets out in order to turning out reading

comprehend the story is read by students.

Gathering or making the props with provide materials for the students.

Using in creating the props for the prop box or any other props as the tool

equipment in reading to describe comprehend the text. Storing the props means

preparing the props are made, painted, and sealed. This can also do it with

decorate a shoebox in which to store the props so the students can easily identify

the story props toward the related story.

Using the props for retelling means encourage the students to put to use

the prop boxes to retell and reenact the stories. It applies the props in story

reading.

Working in pairs or small groups in order to discuss the gist of meaning

the story have listened to, also re-arrange to determine the opening, mid story and

the last of the story, also determine the happy or sad ending of that story.

Assessing the retelling means after listen to the story retellings and

encourage the students who are using the “book language”, those are the kind of

meaning to list such as word meaning and vocabulary. This is a good opportunity

to document language usage and take anecdotal records.

The present above put forward that story reenactment can be used at any

grade level. High school students enjoy the reenactment of literature they have

read by using minimal costumes and props and by acting out the parts.
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Students can create overhead transparency props or computer graphics that

they can use to reenact stories in the form of s slide show as an alternative to

actual role playing.

Also, story reenactment provides a unique opportunity for the teacher to

observe and evaluate the students’ comprehension of the stories reenacted and the

students’ use of unique vocabulary and sentence structures, no matter which mode

of prop is used in story reenactment, the students benefit by increased interaction

with story plot, language, and structure.

2.7. Previous Studies

Education in Indonesia adopted English as a compulsory subject from

junior up to senior high school. While in elementary or primary school it is only

an option course. It happen since the curriculum 2013 launched. English be an

extracurricular lesson in the formal school. It is stated in minister regulation

number 67 years 2013 about basic competence and curriculum structure for

primary school. Young learners are active humans. They are spirit full of playing

and learning.

Piaget (2013), he defines that young leaner or child is thinker and active

learner. Linear with the previous definition it means that young learners are easier

in absorbing the language, in this case, English. They are easiest in getting the

language than the adult. Therefore, English is a foreign language learned by the

young learners so that they can master deeply well.

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The theoretical source of the research journal entitled The Effect of

Reciprocal Teaching Strategies on Understanding states that reading

comprehension is one of the four components tested by MUET (University of

Malaysia English Test) for Sixth Form students in Malaysia, Reading conducted

in 2010, shows a study from the journal can be explained that students who use a

quasi-experimental design were carried out among sixty-eight students with low

ability from four Sixth-Form, intact classes.

A nine-reading intervention using a reciprocal teaching strategy was given

over one month. The tools for data collection were the pretest, posttest and five

open-ended questions given after treatment.

Findings from the independent t-test and paired t-test showed significant

differences, revealed the effectiveness of the strategy, and respondents from the

Experimental Group provided positive feedback regarding the use and effects of

this strategy.

From these findings, we can know that this shows that experimental

researchers are more likely to know the problem in detail and objectively from a

problem writer, along with strategic steps in solving the problem that is carried

out more effectively.

An intervention of nine reading lessons using reciprocal teaching

strategies was administered over a period of one month. Tools for data collection

were a pretest, a posttest and five open-ended questions given after the treatment.
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The findings from the independent t-test and paired-sample t-tests showed

a significant difference, revealing the effectiveness of the strategies, and the

respondents from the Experimental Group gave positive feedback regarding the

use and effects of these strategies.

BB Jorn de Conig (2011) explain in his journal with titled The Effects of

Mental Simulation Training has targeted at improving children's reading

comprehension. Investigation within 4 weeks has defined that one group of eighth

and ninth grade students (n=75) learned to use sensorimotor memory and their

experiences to mentally simulate text (experimental training groups), while

another group (n=51) received schools' instruction in regular reading

comprehension instruction (control training group). Before post test differences in

general reading comprehension, reading motivation, and mental simulation

(distinguishing between perception and motor stimulation) were examined to

evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Compared to the control group, children

who had received mental reenactment simulation training showed improved

performance in general reading comprehension (in Class 7) and higher scores on

reading motivation (in Grades 7 and 8). There was no difference in performance

between groups in the mental simulation steps. This finding shows that it is

beneficial for children to encourage and teach them to connect their sensorimotor

experiences with the texts they read. They tend to better understand reading with a

different sense than reading before conditioning, and conditioning here the

context is the mental sensorimotor conditioning of students.

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The statement in the journal explains that understanding the reading

context needs to pre-condition the reader before stepping in to read the context

with understanding. In this case there are treatments before and at the time of

reading certain contextual readings.

Suarn (2008), in his Journal entitled Significant Trend in Experimental

Research Results explain that Research that uses certain treatments to certain

groups will ensure a significant difference to the comparison groups who get

different treatment even in the same material context. The result of study show

depends on that t-observed result. It means t-observed must higher than t-critic.

Thus, the null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (H1) that

stated is a significant difference is accepted.

In the statement explained the existence of different qualities in the two

groups, one of which received certain treatment. Specific treatment of the object

in this study is a sample object that will be measured by a sample group that is a

comparison that is not treated.

This chapter has briefly discussed the point of view of reading, the

definition of reading, the type of reading, the importance of teaching reading, the

skills needed for proficient reading, teaching methods of reading, reading

development, reading difficulties, teaching reading which is stated in English

curriculum for junior high school students / MTs, story reenacting point of view,

the definition of story reenactment, steps in story reenactment, and previous

studies.
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In this study, there are a lot of similarities with what has been done by

previous researchers but the authors also found many differences that in this study

are expected to be innovations that will be a differentiator with previous

researchers, and of course by hoping for significant results.

Write down the sub chapter for concluding remark

Next chapter will deal with the discussion of some theories in relation

to research design, method, population and sample. The instrument and scoring

system, research site, research procedure, application of the treatment, data

collection technique, data analysis technique and ethical consideration.