Research methodology in comparing student’s ability

Few days ago, I have written a full-length essay about simple past tense and posted it in this blog. The essay consist of My point of view about Education and the way I teach simple past tense in local school. I have described about my research in previous post and at this time I would like to write about Methodology used in the research. Before I continue writing about the topic, I would explain on what I have done in the past few days.

1. I have written first post in this blog which talk about a research which I have done few weeks ago. The research is titled as “A Comparison in Mastery Simple Past Tense between Students Who take Extra English Course and Who Do Not at First Year of Local Junior High School”. The post contain:
   - Objective of the Research
   - The Hypothesis
   - Significance of the Research
   - Limitation of the Research, and
   - Definition of the Key term
2. Second post explaining about ‘Review of Related literature’. Some related literature pertaining to the research were being explained in this article. ’My Methods in Teaching English for student’ is the title for the second post.
3. Third article define about ‘Education’ and also explain how I teach student. I explained about ‘Teaching Simple Past Tense in local School’. This post is part of ‘Review of Related literature’.

So, we move forward to the next chapter.

METHODOLOGY

What is methodology and why it is important for the research? In simple words, Methodology is just like a tool to evaluate subject and/or object of the research. It is essential to have a methodology while doing research because it consist various procedures to analyze the problem and get the answer out of it.
In this chapter, I would discuss about the method used in this research. The discussion is as follows: Research design, Location of the Research, Subject of the Study, Procedure of Collecting Data and Data Analysis.

Research Methodology in Comparing student's ability

Research Design

The research used the descriptive research in this study. The descriptive research is designed to obtain information concerning the current status of phenomenon and it is directed toward determining the nature of situation as it exists the time of the study and there are several types of studies, developmental studies, follow up studies, documentary and relation studies.
In this research, the writer used a survey based on test and questionnaire. It is also a descriptive qualitative, it means that the data of the writer are presented through words than numbers.
In this study, I use observation to describes the activities done in local school. I use questionnaire to get deeper information about the research.

Subject of the Research

To get the data,  I select subject that represent students in local school. B class of seventh grade students is selected as the subject of the research.

The Instrumentation

The researcher use 2 (two) instruments, they are:
a) Test
b) Questionnaire

Technique of Collecting Data

To collect the data researcher combines two techniques there are long time test and short time test. But the researcher uses two sections, there are pre test and post test. Pre test is use to know how far the students ability before they get treatment. In post test the researcher tries to know the result of the treatment in the test, students choose the true answer (like multiple choices). In this test, researcher uses 10 questions. In the task there are 4 choice answers and student must choose the one right answer. In the last time students cross A, B, C, or D to choose the correct answer.

Procedure of Data Collecting

The question between pre test and post test is similar, because the goal is to know how far the treatment increases the student's ability. In this test, the researcher makes ten multiple choices. And then the researcher makes a final score to arrange the total score of students.

Technique of Data Analysis

After getting the data, it is the time to find proper method to analyze it. There are two methods to analyze the data, Scoring and The use of Percentage.

Scoring

After students finished their test, researcher takes a score then the researcher uses the average technique.
S =  P/S
S = Score average
P = total score
s = total students

The Use of Percentage

After the teacher tests them, he will get a score, then percentage the total score. The goal is to know how far the students have mastered the words. The formula as follow:
G = (S x 100%) / 100

The next step after getting the data is to analyze it using the formula as shown above. Data processing and result of the analysis would be posted in next article.

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Teaching Simple Past Tense in Local School

In previous post, I have specified to write my experience while teaching Past Tense. Before I start explaining how I teach student, I believe it is good idea to have the same perception about Education. In my opinion, Education is an effort to educate that has purpose building intelligent, usually through family and school. I think that education is a never ending process that begins with the socialization of the child and continues through all of adult life. I believe “Education process could be done in every places”. It means that education can be carried out both inside and outside classroom, like at home with family, following training and taking Course. Kinds of education often are found and followed deliberately or in-deliberately. They are formal, informal and non formal education.
Formal Education is more familiar with schooling system education. It has standardization like grade, curriculum, and qualification of its elemental management, age, grade of ability, and procedure of evaluation, presentation of materials and exercises and schedule of holiday. It can be concluded that formal education has administrative legality, tighter institute management, and organization qualification. Formal education has certain time for studying that is decided by Department of Education. The example of Formal education are School and university.
Non-formal Education. Non-formal education usually offer special education which has sorter time and teach student with various skills. The example of Non-formal education are courses and training.
The last kind is Informal Education. It is different with both of kind of education above. Informal education has unstructured organization, has no grade and without curriculum. The real examples are education by natural effect of family function, mass media, religious ceremony and participation in an organization. The experience is gotten involuntarily.
So, what is the connection between Education and Past Tense. Simple, I am a teacher whom teach student at school and It mean I have to teach student with the standard of ‘Formal Education’. I have to explain the topic clearly based on the curriculum and it has to be easy to understand. I have explained the methods using to teach my students in previous article (read: My Methods in Teaching English for student)

Simple Past Tense

Definition of Simple Past Tense: it indicates an activity or situation began and ended at a particular time in the past (English Grammar; Betty Schrampfer Azzar).

The Pattern of Simple Past Tense

There are two pattern used while teaching simple past tense. They are nominal and Verbal sentences:

Nominal Sentence

A nominal sentence is a sentence that it’s predicate is ‘not verb’ but adjective or noun.  Nominal sentence is divided into Affirmative, Negative and interrogative forms.

1. Affirmative Form
   It use pattern: “Subject + Be + Complement.
   
   ’Be’ for singular person:
   ’I/He/She/It’ using ‘was’ and ‘You’ using ‘were’.
   
   ’Be’ for plural subject
   ’We/You/They’ using ‘were’
   
   Example:
   - I was a student of university years ago.
   - John was hungry an hour ago
   - We were very busy last night
2. Negative Form
   The Pattern is: Subject + be + not + Complement.
   Example:
   - I was not a student of university years ago.
   - John was not hungry an hour ago.
   - We are not very busy today
3. Interrogative Form
   Pattern: Be + Subject + Complement.
   Example:
   - Was John hungry an hour ago?
   - Were You a student of university years ago?
   - Were We very busy last night?

Verbal Sentence

Verbal sentence is a sentence which it’s predicate is ‘verb’. The form of verbal sentences are as follows:

1. Affirmative Form
   Pattern: Subject + Verb 2nd form
   Example:
   - We watched television last night.
   - I studied English last week
   - They went to the zoo two days ago.
   
   # Special Note :
   Regular verb V1 + d/ed
   
   1. Verbs that end in a consonant ‘E’
   Hope        hoped
   Date        dated
   Love        loved
   
   2. Verbs that end in vowel and a consonant
   *one-syllable verb
   Stop        stopped
   Rain        rained
   Rob        robbed
   Dream        dreamed
   *two-syllable verb
   Open        opening
   Begin        beginning
   Listen        listening
   Control        controlled
   
   3. Verbs that end in two consonant
   Start        started
   Fold        folded
   Demand        demanded
   
   4. Verbs that end in ‘Y’
   Study        studied
   Enjoy        enjoyed
   Try        tried
   5. Verbs that end in ‘E’
   Die        died
   Lie        lied
   
   Irregular Verbs
   Buy            bought
   Go            went
   Drink        drank
   Etc.
2. Negative Form
   Pattern: Subject + didn’t + Verb 1st Form
   Example:
   - They didn’t study last night.
   - I didn't understand what he said.
3. Interrogative Form
   Pattern: Did + Subject + Verb 1st form
   Example:
   A:    Did they come here last week?
   B:    Yes, they did / No, they didn’t.
   A:    Did you go to school yesterday?
   B:    Yes, I did / No, I didn't.

Usually simple past tense is followed by time signal or particular time to indicate that event happen in the past, like as:

1. Yesterday
2. …..Ago
3. Last week. Last …….
4. The other day

Teaching Simple Past Tense

Teaching simple past tense for first grade of Junior high school should be given enough examples in communicative situation by asking and answering, the students will find the real description about it in deliberately. They study from their experience and teacher's explanation that support them to produce their own sentence.
Showing meaning through the situation should be better understanding of language learning that is known Eliciting. Another way of explaining the meaning is to take situation around the classroom, in which the structure could naturally be used. It can be real or imagine. The most important aspect is focus on form or pattern of simple past tense. It is recommended to demonstrate on how form or pattern is formed. It will clearly improve the students' understanding and abilities to produce their own sentences. The teacher should give explanations by the student’s native language because explaining the process using foreign language will only cause confusion (based on my own experience. It differ on each student or situation).

This is a farm around our classroom. Student learn Simple Past Tense by explaining the situation around classroom.

Various Exercises of Teaching Simple Past Tense

Exercise is a measuring instrument for knowing how far student understand the material. It is very helpful for both teacher and students. For teacher, he/she will be able to measure the students' ability. By exercise, Teacher will be able to identify the difficulty faced by students and could serve best solution to overcome it. For students, the exercise measures their ability in mastering material. If student have difficulties in understand a something, they could easily ask their teacher to explain the topic one more again. Student tend to study from their mistakes, isn’t it?. A student who masters the material will be able to overcome and finish every kind of exercise both oral and written, especially exercise of the simple past tense.
So, what kind of exercise which is suitable to be used in classroom? here they are:

1. Repetition
   Repetition is an easiest way to evaluate students. Students just repeat what the teacher says. This one may be useful as first step to make students familiar with the material.
2. Substitution
   This one makes student more active. The teacher gives prompt and gets students to give the examples and practice in forming the structure it self the prompt can be a whole sentence, a phrase or words, or pictures. This aim is to create controlled students' creativity.
3. Mechanical and Meaningful exercise.
   This exercise is useful to practice both oral and written. Students can apply pattern in a sentence directly. There are some practices which make students more active:
   - By getting the students to say the real thing about themselves.
   - By giving situation which simply the structure but It the students to decide exactly what to say.
   - By giving them freedom to add something of their own.
4. Exercise Through Dialogue
   This exercise intends to use grammar, simple past as language component, which is being taught to support language skills, especially speaking skill. So that grammar and some language skills can be taught integrated. Usually the students are given a dialogue to be read in pairs or make the dialogue in pairs then they practice in front of class without reading the book.
5. Exercise Through Writing
   This exercise emphasize in students' abilities of writing. It would be meaningful if the exercise is related with students' experience. Besides that by this exercise the students can produce some examples of simple past tense by their own words and practice the form of structure. Besides that they can develop their writing skill and have deeper understanding of structure.

This article and the others are part of my voluntary project to compare student whom take english course and who do not. I have archived the result as “Comparison in Mastery Simple Past Tense” and hope it would be useful for any teacher whom teaching Past Tense in local school. in next article I would explain the Methodology used in my research. It is already 07:28 PM when I completed writing this article. It is time for me to relax after preparing and writing for more than few hours.

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My Methods in Teaching English for student

This article is part of REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE from a research posted in previous post (read: A Comparison in Mastery Simple Past Tense between Students). In this post I would like to discuss about Students, Teaching English for children, Teaching method, such as Direct Method, Silent Way Method and Communicative Approach Method.

Grammar

Language as instrument of communication will have meaning, if it is used by using its rule. Every language has rule that must be obeyed and applied by language user. Applying the rule in speech will show to the others that speaker is educational individual, for example in Java. Javanese applies the rule according to whom he or she speaks. If he/she speaks to older person, he/she must speak slowly and use polite dialect, known well as "Krama Inggil". When he/she speaks to his/her friends, he/she uses lower level than Krama Inggil, which is "Krama Madya."
Not only Javanese has rule but also English. English has own rule of language. It is applied according the situation. For instance when he/she was in a classroom or meeting must apply formal language but at outside classroom or meeting, he/she can use informal language.
But basically a sentence, which English, Indonesia or Javanese have the same rule just the name of part of sentence is different because in different language. A sentence is composed by subject, verb and object occasionally completed by complement. For example: He played football. He being subject, played as verb and football is object. The object may be indirect or direct object, like this sentence: She gave her a flower. Her is called indirect object, a flower is direct object.
Moreover, a good sentence has right order, it is named structure. English language user has to know its structure. For example: explaining an action in the past time, they use past tense. For habitual action, they use the present time, how to write plural noun, verb for third singular person, and direct or indirect speech, all of them are arranged in Grammar.

Definition of Grammar

Grammar is the rules in a language for changing the form of words and joining them into sentences. The other definition at (http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/content/40/1/73.full.pdf) that "Grammar is sometimes defined as the way words are put together to make correct sentences. This is as we shall see presently an over simplification, but it is a good starting point (and an easy way to explain the term to young learners)". Also Carrol claimed "Grammar is a formal device with a finite set of rules that generates the sentences in language."
From the some resources, the writer can conclude that "Grammar is a set of rule to combine the words or change to form acceptable units of meaning within a language".

Teaching Grammar

A student in my English Class

It is surprisingly difficult to present and explain a foreign language grammatical structure to a class of learners. A good presentation should include both oral and written forms, and both form and meaning. It is important for learner to have plenty of contextual examples of the structure and to understand them. Giving contextual example of the structure is to get students to learn the structures so thoroughly that they are able to produce them correctly on their own but it is unsatisfactory for student to be able to produce correct samples of a structure only when they are being specially tested on it. Many of us are familiar with the phenomenon of learners who get full marks on all the grammar exercises and test, but then make mistakes in the same structures when they are composing their own free speech or writing.
Because students make mistakes, the teachers must be able to minimize and revise the students' mistakes. Therefore, the teachers have to know how to teach for getting the students' understanding oral and written, and master several approaches or methods of teaching grammar. There are kinds of approach or methods like the Grammar Translation method, Oral Approach, Audio-lingual Method, The Silent Way, Total Physical Response, The Natural Approach, Community Language Learning, and Communicative Approach.
In this study not all of approaches or methods above are applied in teaching grammar, just some of them used. They are:

The Grammar Translation Method

The grammar translation method is not new. It is used in teaching of the classical method. In this method, teacher translates the target language into native language. Trough the study of the grammar of the target language, students would become more familiar with the grammar of their native language and that this familiarity would help them speak and write their native language better.
Teacher who uses the Grammar Translation method has a fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language. It is to be able to read literature written in the target language. To do this, students need to learn about the grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language.
The teaching process by using the grammar translation method has some characteristics that can be known easily. Students are taught to translate from one language to another. Thus students study grammar deductively, they are given the grammar rules and examples, are told to memorize them, and they are asked to apply to other examples. They also learn grammatical paradigms such as verb conjugation; they memorize native language equivalents for foreign language vocabulary words.
Moreover, there are some useful techniques associated with the Grammar Translation method are:

• Translation of a Literary Passage
• Reading Comprehension Questions
• Deductive Application on Rule
• Memorization
• Composition

The Direct Method

The direct method has one basic rule, no translation is allowed. It receives its name from the fact that meaning is to be connected directly with the target language, without going through the process of translation into the students' native language. A foreign language could be taught without translation or the uses of the learners' native language if meaning was conveyed directly through demonstration and action.
who use the direct method believe students need to associate meaning and the target language directly in order to do this when the teacher introduces a new target language word or phrase, he demonstrates its meaning through use of realia, picture, or pantomime.
The teacher never translates it into the students' native language.
For grammar is taught inductively, that is the students are presented with example and they figure out the rule or generalization from the examples. An explicit grammar rule may never be given. This condition makes student practice vocabulary by using new words in complete it into the students' native language.
Some techniques are applied in this method for improving students' ability are:

• Reading Aloud
• Question and Answer Exercise
• Conversation Practice
• Dictation
• Paragraph Writing

The Audio - Lingual Method

Learning of foreign language should be the some as the acquisition of the native language. The students do not need to memorize rules in order to use their native language. And there is method that present new vocabulary and structure through dialogues. It is named The Audio Lingual Method, The dialogues are learned from the examples given explicit grammar rules are not provided.
By using this method teachers want their students to be able to use the target language communicatively. In order to do this, they believe students need to over learn the target language, to learn to use it automatically without stopping to think.
Some techniques are given to students

• Dialog memorization
• Repetition Drill
• Single - Slot Substitution Drill
• Multiple - Slot Substitution Drill
• Grammar Game
• Transformation Drill

In next article I would explain about Past Tense, the use of it and How I teach Past Tense to my student. This article is part of my research to get the answer whether students at the first year of Local Junior High School who take extra English course better than who do not in Mastery Simple Past Tense.

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A Comparison in Mastery Simple Past Tense between Students

Simple past tense is a grammar taught at local school. This tense is considered to be 'very important' because every student have to understand it in order to learn English. While some local students think simple Past Tense is quite easy and simple to be learned, other think the otherwise. This article will compare the mastery of simple past tense between student. This post is created based on my simple research conducted in local junior high school. As a teacher, I think it is good idea to do a simple research and write it in my blog. I hope my research would be useful for other researchers (or teachers). In this article, I may list myself as 'the writer' to make the research comply with local rules in conducting researches.

A Comparison in Mastery Simple Past Tense between Students Who take Extra English Course and Who Do Not at First Year of Local Junior High School

English is a means of international communication. It has played very important role in many aspects of human life such as politics, economics, sciences and technologies. English is placed as the first foreign language in Indonesia. It is not only taught and learned by the fourth year of elementary school up to university as a school subject, but it can be also acquired from many informal Institutions.
It proves that English is considered very important in this country so government suggests student to learn English earlier, the sooner a child learn foreign language; the easier he will acquire the language skills. This statement has been realized as we know at Elementary School; it is one of the local content subjects.
Therefore every student tries and completes not only to make good mark but also master four English skills namely listening speaking, reading and writing. Besides four English skills, they also try to master two components of English language. They are structure and vocabulary. Here, in this study the writer will take one of skill from those four skills.
Students study hard inside and outside classroom. The writer can see their efforts like taking extra English course, being member of English club, reading English magazine and listening English song. They do not care if their effort spend a lot of money, time, energy and mind exactly. However their efforts give them influence, primarily for students who take extra English course. And how about the students who do not take extra English course? Do they master English subject as well as who take extra English course especially at first grade of Junior High School? Usually at the Junior High School are taught structure and including study about the speaking skill. The writer thinks it is the most important skill for student, because this skill can make them communicate fluently especially in English.

Why do I compare students who take extra English Course and who do not

Every research has one or more problem that will be researched. This section is stated to clarify and make the reader know what will be observed by the writer. Base on the background above the writer wants to know:
1.    Are students at the first year of Local Junior High School who takes extra English course better than who do not take this course in mastery simple past tense?
2.    How far are significant differences between students who take extra English course and who do not at the first year of Local Junior High School in mastery simple past tense?
3.    What is the effective teaching technique to minimize the differences between students who take extra English course and who do not?

Objective of My Research

Based on the questions listed above, the objectives of the research are:
1.    To find out whether students at the first year of Local Junior High School who take extra English course better than who do not in Mastery Simple Past Tense.
2. To find out significant differences between students who take extra English course and who do not at the first year of Local Junior High School in mastery Simple Past Tense.
3. To find out the effective teaching technique to minimize the differences between students who take extra English course and who do not.

My Hypothesis

Before I begin the research, I has some hypothesis that will be proven by observation. My hypotheses are as follows:
1.    The students who take extra English course are better than who do not.
2.    Extra English course support student's ability.
3.    The best teaching technique can minimize the differences between them

Local student in Junior High School

Significance of the Research

The research is significant because the result is intended to become an input for:

1. The Writer.
   I will use the result of this research to help my student learn English efficiently and faster.
2. The Teacher.
   The result of this study can be information source for teacher, especially English teachers to give motivation for students who do not take extra English course and minimize the differences between students who take extra English course and who do not, also to find out the effective technique to overcome the differences.
3. The Students.
   The result of this study could be good advice for students, especially for students who do not take extra English course. It is expected giving motivations to take extra English course or study harder and able to minimize or even omit the differences between students who take extra English course and who do not.

Limitation of the Research

Limitation of this study is very important to get the best result. Concerning with the problem that must be solved, the writer limits the topic as follows:

1. The study that is done is comparison between students who take extra English course and who do not.
2. The students of this study are the seventh year students.
3. The research area of this study is Local Junior High School.

Definition of the Key Term used in this Research

In this article, there are ‘important’ words or sentences which are essential for my research. I think it is important to define those words/sentences so that the writer (Myself) and Reader have both understanding about those words/sentences. The definition of the key terms are as follows:

1. Mastery: Comprehensive knowledge or command of a subject or skill (Oxford Dictionary)
2. Simple Past Tense : used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past ( English Grammar)
3. Extra: A thing that added to something that is not usual standard or necessary and that costs more (Oxford dictionary)
4. Course: A series of lectures or lessons in a particular subject (Oxford dictionary)

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