THE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN READING COMPREHENSION OF

SHORT FUNCTIONAL EXT AT THE SEVENTH GRADE

OF SMP NEGERI 05 MANDAU
A Thesis
Submitted in partial fulfillment as one of the requirements
For the strata one in English Education (S.Pd.I) degree

WRITTEN BY:
AWAL SYAHPUTRA
NPM: 09.01.2494
NIMKO: 1202.09.2689

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

SCHOOL OF ADVANCED HIGHER LEARNING HUBBULWATHAN
DURI-DISTRICT OF MANDAU
2013
Background of Study
In preliminary research, the writer found some problems at
SMP Negeri 05 Mandau about teaching and learning process,
especially in reading comprehension. Firstly, the teacher not
using interest media in teaching reading comprehension, so
many students feel bored in learning process. Second, learning
process no apparent variation in teaching of reading
comprehension. English teacher just give instruction to
students to read book or read text and translate it, so some of
students not understanding about the text.
Based on the phenomena above the researcher found some problem as
follow:

1. The students are still get difficulties in reading short functional text.
2. The students lack vocabularies.
3. The students are cannot comprehend the short functional text.
4. The students are not able to answer questions with complete sentence.
5. The students are boring in learning process, especially in reading short
functional text.
6. The students are not interested with teacher method in teaching.
7. The students are not able to give information to the other correctly.
Regarding with the problem or phenomena above, the researcher want to find
out more how is students’ ability in reading comprehension of short functional
text. Based on the phenomena above the writer is interested to researching
and discussing about the students’ ability in reading comprehension of short
functional text at SMP Negeri 05 Mandau. The writer, therefore want to carry
out a research entitle:

“The students’ ability in reading comprehension of short functional text at

the seventh grade of SMP Negeri 05 Mandau”.
The Problem
The identification of the Problem
Based on the background of the problem previously, the problems of this study are identified as
follows:

1. Why the students are still get difficulties in reading short functional text?
2. What cause the students lack vocabularies?
3. Why the students are cannot comprehend the short functional text?
4. Why the students are not able to answer questions with complete sentence?
5. Why the students are boring in learning process, especially in reading short functional text?
6. Why the students are not interested with teacher method in teaching?
7. Why the students are not able to give information to the other correctly?
The formulation of the problem from
this research is; how is students’
ability in reading comprehension of
short functional text at the seventh
grade of SMP Negeri 05 Mandau?
In this research, the writer takes short functional material of the
seventh grade of junior high school. Based on syllabus of junior
high school, Short Functional Text uses only learn about the
instructions, Shopping list, greeting cards and announcements.

Operational concept is the concept used for giving an explanation about

theoretical framework to avoid misunderstanding about this research. In this
research, there is one variable: The Student’s Ability in Reading Comprehension
of short functional text. The data will be taken by using test.
The operational concept of this research are:

1. The students are able to reading comprehension of Instructions

2. The students are able to reading comprehension of Shopping lists
3. The students are able to reading comprehension of Greeting cards
4. The students are able to reading comprehension of Announcements
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The writer used survey research.

This research examines the students’ ability in reading

comprehension of short functional text. Students’ ability in
reading comprehension of short functional text will be tested by
using test.
Location and Time of the Research
The research was conducted at SMP Negeri 05 Mandau on March 2013 up to
June 2013.

Subject and the Object of the Research

The subject of this research is the seventh grade students of SMP Negeri 05
Mandau, and the object of it is students’ ability in reading comprehension of
short functional text.

Population and Sample of the Research

The population of this research is the seventh grade students of SMP Negeri 05
Mandau, the total number is 50 persons. According to Suharsimi Arikunto
states, “ if the population is more than 100, 10 – 15 % or 20 – 25 % can be
taken as the sample, but if the population is lower than 100, the researcher can
take all of the population as the sample “. Because of the samples of writer is
lower than 100, so writer taken all of the population as his sample.

Suharsimi Arikunto, Prosedur Penelitian Suatu pendekatan Praktik (Jakarta:

Rineka Cipta, 2006), 134.
Technique of Collecting Data
In order to get some data, which are needed to support this research, the
writer uses description method. The technique as follow:

The writer prepare test about short functional text. The test consist of 20 item
of multiple choice which consisted of four options. The reason why the writer
made the test in the form of multiple choice was that is easy to check or to
score. It used to find out the students’ ability in reading comprehension of
short functional text.

The times of this test is 60 minutes, after that the writer collect the data

Analyze the collection data

Prepare the report data

Data Analysis Technique
After distribusing the test to the samples, the writer scored the test by using the following formula based on Heaton:

M = x 100
Where:

M = Individual Score
X = The number of correct answer
N = The number of items

For example, if the students can answer 15 items correctly, his score will be:
M =x 100
M = X 100 = 75
Based formula above, the student get score 75.
To know percentage of students’ mastery in answering the test, the writer using formula:

P = x 100
Where:
P = Percentage
F = Frequency
N = Number of Students

Siti Masliha, The Students’ Ability in Reading Comprehension of Anecdote Text at the Eight grade of MTs Ihya Ulumuddin Sebangar
Duri Kecamatan Mandau Kabupaten bengkalis. Thesis, 2012.
Nana Sudjana dan Ibrahim, Penelitian dan Penilaian Pendidikan (Bandung: Sinar Baru Algesindo, 2007), 129.
MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

MEAN
MEDIAN
MODUS

MEASURES OF DISPERSION

THE RANGE
VARIANCE
STANDARD DEVIATION
To found central tendency (mean, median, and mode) and
dispersion (range, variance, standard deviation, minimum and
maximum) score of test, the writer uses SPSS version 17.0 with
the steps below:

1. Click Icon SPSS version 17.0

2. Input data of the research to data view
3. Click analyze > Descriptive Statistic > Frequencies
4. Move all items to variables’ column
5. Click statistic, checklist all items in central tendency and
dispersion and then click continue
6. Click chart and checklist on the chart types and click continue
7. Click format, and checklist on order by and click continue
8. Click OK
The Validity and Reliability
Validity is the degree to which a test procedure accurately measure what it
was designed to measure. Validity is use to the extent to which the
accuracy and precision of a measurement instrument to perform the
function of the measuring and in order to obtain data which could be
relevant/ appropriate to the purpose of the measurement.
Validity is an important key to effective research. If a piece of research is
invalid then it is worthless.

Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison, Research Methods

in Education Sixth edition (London and New York: Routledge, 2007), 133.
Reliability is permanence or constancy of
assessment instruments in assessing what it was
assessed. That is to say, whenever the
assessments’ instruments used to giving out the
same relatives result.
Reliability is very important in order to get the
reliable test. It is necessary characteristic of any
good test.