Reading Comprehension Strategy

Developing Students’ Achievement and Attitude toward Reading Comprehension using PQ4R Strategy 

I.         Introduction

1.1     Background

In Indonesia English is the first foreign language. It is used in English classrooms but not in everyday communication. This condition makes English difficult for Indonesian students. They have limited time to practice the language. A foreign language, like a native language, requires a lot of practices. In order to master a language, students should use it in every day activities, through a real practice. Since English in Indonesia is a foreign language, most students at any levels of education get difficulty in reading English texts. Many research results (Syatriana, 1998; Hamra, 1993 and 1996; Mardiana, 1993; Kweldju, 2001 cited in Hamra and Satriyana (2010, p.27)) indicated that the ability of Indonesian students to read English texts was very low. Most university graduates are not able to read English with complete comprehension. The Indonesian students need help in reading comprehension. For students, reading is a key to improve learning outcome in many fields of study. Reading is an inseparable part of any English course.

Using a study technique of teaching reading comprehension is another effort to improve the reading comprehension of EFL students, especially the Indonesian students. Ellis (2007, p. 5) states that there are some variations of strategies that students can use related to organization in order to comprehend a text. They are text skimming, PQ4R, SQ4R, RAP, REAP, etc.

The learning strategies, however, cannot be taught in isolation. According to Kiewra (2002) “students can learn how to learn when they are taught strategies in the context of subject matter. Instructors can teach the students how to learn by embedding strategy instruction within their content courses” (p.71).                        A great number of study skills and learning strategies have been identified for use. Cognitive and metacognitive strategies are proven strategies for deep understanding and reconstructive learning. According to Harley (2001, p.336), one of the best known methods for study is PQ4R method. Sanacore (2000, p.3) holds that this strategy is based on the SQ3R approach. Harley(2001, p. 336) maintains that PQ4R technique can be applied either to whole book or to just one chapter in a book. In the view of Sanacore (2000, p. 3), PQ4R method should help the student comprehend better, concentrate better, and retain better.Furthermore, A research done by Hansclocky (cited in Sulhan, 2007, p. 69), concluded that the systematic use of PQ4R could help students to know, understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate what they have read. Logsdon (2007,  p. 4) states that PQ4R will improve the student’s understanding of text and recalling of facts by as much as 70%.

II.      Theoritical Framework

2.1.   The Concept of Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is not a single step or easily acquired skill. It is a very complex process that teachers find difficult to teach. Comprehension is a process that involves thinking, teaching, past experiences, and knowledge (Prado & Plourde, 2005). The foundation of reading comprehension is word identification and decoding. As individuals get better at these skills and are able to read words, they have to move into learning the actual meanings of the words they are reading. Knowing and understanding what is being read is the key to comprehension. Comprehension is the “interaction among word identification, prior knowledge, comprehension strategies, and engagement” (Prado & Plourde, 2005, p. 33).

 Tompkins (1998, p.24) states that reading is a process and students use skills and strategies in order to decode words and comprehend what they read. Further, he also states that there three key concepts about reading, namely:

·           Reading is a strategic process.

·           The goal of reading instruction is comprehension, or meaning making.

·           Students read differently for different purposes.

In other words, students read differently, sometimes they read for pleasure and academic, extensively or intensively. This condition makes the students need some strategies or technique in order to get meaning from what they have read. Wilhelm (2008, p.2) states, “Reading comprehension is the degree to which we understand what we read. It is the ultimate end- goal of reading that if we don’t read to understand, we’ll read for nothing. And comprehension requires the reader to be an active constructor of meaning”.  It means that in reading comprehension, students are hopefully able to create their own interpretation actively as an effort to get meaning from the text he/she reads. From Tompkins and Wilhelm’s definition about reading comprehension, the writer draws a conclusion that reading is an active process and the end purpose of reading is comprehension, in which the readers are expected to understand and construct the meaning behind the text they read. If we test reading comprehension on the eleventh year students we would also discuss about the reading texts they are being learned and tested. As stated in Curriculum 2004 (Depdiknas 2003, p.36), “Kompetensi dasar siswa kelas 11 SMA/MA untuk  reading skill adalah Memahami makna dan langkah-langkah pengembangan retorika didalam text tertulis yang berbentuk deskriptif, naratif, anekdot, dan eksposisi.” In reading comprehension, it is also important to pay attention in specifying what skill that the teacher should test students. According to Hughes (1989, p.117) “There are two skills which are important as a part of a reading test. They are macro skill and micro skill.”

            The macro skills refer to the following objectives:

a. Scanning to find specific information

b. Skimming text to obtain the gist

c. Identifying stages of an argument

d. Identifying examples presented in support of an argument

            The micro skills refer to the following objectives:

a. Identifying referent of pronoun, etc.

b. Using context to guess meaning of unfamiliar words

c. Understanding relation between parts of text

2.2.       The Concept of PQ4R

Sudarman (2009, p. 67) states that PQ4R Strategy is a teaching learning concept which help teachers relate their teaching materials to be presented with their pupil’s real learning, so it can improve the comprehension of a subject matter. PQ4R Strategy represents one part of elaborated strategy. This strategy is used to assist students remember what they read, and to help teaching learning process in the classroom by reading book or text. According to Slavin (2008,         p. 256) PQ4R is a strategy that helps students to understand and remember what they have read. The PQ4R stands for Preview (P), Question (Q), Read (R), Reflect (R), Recite (R), and Review (R)”.The PQ4R study technique was firstly designed by Thomas and Robinson (1941). This Further guidelines about PQ4R study technique are as follows:

1) Preview: Survey   or   scan   the   material quickly to get an idea  of  the  general organization and major idea and supporting idea.

2) Question: Ask your selves  questions about the  material as you read it. Use headings to invent question using the wh-words: who, what, where, why.

3) Read: Read the material. Do not take extensive written notes. Try to answer question that you posted when you read.

4) Reflect : Try  to  understand  and  make  meaningful  the presented information by relating  it  to  things  you already know, relating the subtopics to primary concept or principles in the text.

5) Recite: Practice remembering the information by stating points aloud and  asking and answering questions. You may use headings, highlighted words, and notes on major ideas to generate those questions.

6) Review: in final step, actively  review  the  material  and  reread the material only when you are not sure of the answer.

According to Trianto (2007, p.146),”PQ4R adalah salah satu bagian dari strategi elaborasi. Strategi ini digunakan untuk membantu siswa mengingat apa yang mereka baca” (PQ4R is one part of elaboration strategies which is used to help students remember what they have read). In short, The PQ4R study technique is a technique that students can use to help them better remember and comprehend written materials.

2.3.       Teaching Reading Comprehension through the PQ4R Study Technique

In Teaching and Learning Process, Trianto (2007, p.150) states that PQ4R Study Technique can be applied in six steps. The six steps are displayed in the table 1 below:

TABLE 1: THE PROCEDURE OF TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION  THROUGH THE PQ4R STUDY TECHNIQUE

Procedure	Teacher’s Activities	Students’ Activities
Step 1: Preview	Give a reading  material to the students and ask them to read it.	Scan the material that is given by teacher to get an idea.
Step 2: Question	a. Inform the students to pay attention to the idea of the reading material that’s given.  b. Have students make questions from the idea that they have found in  reading material by using WH –words	a. Pay attention to teacher’s explanation  b. Make their own questions before reading the reading material
Step 3: Read	Have students read the and ask them to try answering their questions when read	Reading actively. Try to answer the questions while reading
Step 4: Reflect	Inform the students to relate their prior knowledge with the reading material that they read.	Think about the reading material they read and try to make it meaningful by relating it to their prior knowledge
Step 5 : Recite	Have students conclude what they have just read	Practice remembering the information by stating the points aloud and asking and answering the   questions and notes the major idea they have got from the expository text as their conclusion.
Step 6 : Review	Have students read the conclusion of the reading material and reread if they aren’t sure of their answer	Read the conclusion of the and reread if they aren’t sure of their answer

 

2.4.    Students’ Attitude on Reading Comprehension

 Because reading is an exigent activity that often involves choice, motivation is crucial to reading engagement. In order for students to develop into effective readers, they must possess both the skill and the will to read. As noted by Guthrie and Wigfield (2000), “motivation is what activates behavior.” Student attitudes toward reading are a central factor affecting reading performance.

Instruction that provides cognitive and emotional supports for learning can increase students’ motivation (Nolen, 2007), it was hypothesized that the student attitudes would improve during their literacy clinic attendance. The specific motivational and supportive components utilized by the reading specialist in conjunction with instructional strategies and practices they chose to use with each student were documented in order to determine their impact on student attitudes.

The positive attitude towards the strategies will cause strong interest  in what they read. So, in this case they can frequently transcend their reading level.

References

Hamra, A. and Syatriana, E. (2010). Developing a model of teaching reading comprehension for EFL students. TEFLIN Journal, 21(1), 27-40.

Harley, T. A. (2001). The Psychology of Language from Data to Theory (2nd ed.) New York, Psychology Press Taylor & Francis Group.

Kiewra, K.A. (2002). How classroom teachers can help students learn and teach them how to learn, theory into practice, Becoming a self regulated learner. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Taylor and Francis Group, 41(2), pp.71-80, Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1477458.

Logsdon, A. (2007). Improving reading comprehension and retention with research based strategy. Journal of Reading Comprehension. Retrieved from http://Ann Logsdon.About.Com

Prado, L., & Plourde, L. (2005). Increasing reading comprehension through the explicit teaching of reading strategies: is there a difference among the genders?. Reading Improvement, 32-43.

Sanacore, J. (2000). Transferring the PQ4R Study procedure. The Clearing House,

             55( 5) pp. 234-236.

Slavin, R. E. (1997). Educational Psychology: Teory and Practice, Fifth Edition. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon Publisher

Sriyadi, I Nyoman. (2012). The effect of PQ4R strategy and Linguistics intellegency on Reading Comprehension of the teneth grade studnets of SMAN 1 Sukasada. Ganesha University of Education

Sulhan, A. (2007). Jurnal Penelitian Peningkatan prestasi Belajar Siswa dengan Mengggunakan Strategi Elaborasi melalu Metode PQ4R. Retrieved from http://wikispaces.com/file/view/rk3019.pdf