CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the researcher discusses the introduction of the thesis. This part includes background of the problem, identification of the problem, limitation of the problem, formulation of the problem, research questions, purpose of the study, significance of the study, and the definition of key terms.

1.1  Background of the Problem

In globalization era, English is one of compulsory subjects that is taught and learned in all level of education. English is taught and learned in elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, and university level. It is very important because it will be used as to develeop knowedge and science or to get job.

In teaching and learning English, students are expected to master four integrated skills,  listening, speaking, reading, and writing (susanti: 2003:3). Among the four skills, reading is still regarded as the prime focus in higher education because reading is window in the future. Without reading the people in the world will not have knowladge.

The main purpose to conduct reading is to get the idea and information from reading text. To achieve this purpose, it is necessary for students to comprehend reading text. But it is not easy task because reading is complex process in which many factors may be involved. That is way different readers may have different understanding about the same text. A good reader reads faster and gets more of message, whereas a poor reader reads slowly and gets less information.

Reading has been defined by many experts. They defined it based on their own thinking and perception. The definition are different but seem to support each other. According to Soedarsono (in Syahfitri, 2009:4), reading is complex activity that includes understanding, imagining, observating, and remembering. Reading is an active cognitive process of interacting with print and monitoring comprehension to establish meaning. It means that reading is not only translating process but also a thinking process.

Furthermore, Wikipedia (2011) states that reading is a means of language acquisition, of comunication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like in all laguanges, it is a complex interaction betwen the text and the reader which is shaped by reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated.

According to Competencty-Based on the Curriculum in junior high school, teaching english is based on genre approach, and one of genre is announcement. The goal of the study announcement are student able to respond the menaing of the announcement, students able to announce something, students able to comprehend an announcement and the last is the student able to write an announcement.

Based on the researcher experience when doing teaching training at SMP N 12 Padang, there are many difficulties that student found in comprehending announcement text.

Based on the explanation above, the researcher is interested in concuding the research which estitles “ An Analysis of first year students of SMP N 12 Padang in Comprehending Announcement text”.

1.2  Identification of the Problem

According to Competency-Based Curriculum, the first students of junior high school is study about announcement. Announcement devided into two, that are spoken announcement and written announcement.

In spoken announcement usually use spoken language. We can find the example of spoken announcement in the plend, station, tv, and many others that is announced by spoken. Written announcement state title, even, time, place, and contact person/people who writes the announcement.

The purpose of announcement are student able to respond the menaing of the announcement, students able to announce something, students able to comprehend an announcement and the last is the student able to write an announcement

There are some problem that influence the student’s ability to comprehend text due to lack of vocabulary they have. Others are caused by the tecniques of reading the text, many students read word by word. Then, they can not understanding the text that read because they do not know the way to understanding the text.

1.3  Limitation of the Problem

Based on the identification above, the researcher limits her study on announcement text it focuses on the student ability’s to responses the meaning of announcement and comprehend an announcement.

1.4  Formulation of the Problem

The problem of this researcher is formulated as follow “ how is the ability of first year students of SMP N 12 Padang in understanding announcement text?”

1.5  Research Questions

Based on the formulation of the problem above, the research question of the problem are:

1.      How is the ability of the first year students of SMP N 12 Padang comprehending title of announcement text?

2.      How is the ability of first year students of SMP N 12 Padang comprehending content of announcement text?

3.      How is the ability of first year students of SMP N 12 Padang comprehending of contact person of announcement text?

1.6  Purpose of the Study

In general, the purpose of this study is to describe the first year students ability of SMP N 12 Padang in understanding announcement text. Specifically the purpose of this study are as follow:

1.      To describe the first year students ability of SMP N 12 Padang in comprehending of title announcement text.

2.      To describe the first year students ability of SMP 12 Padang in comprehending content of announcement text.

3.      To discribe the first year students ability  of SMP 12 Padang in comprehending of contact person announcement text.

1.7  Significance of the Research

This research is expected to give a contribution as the information or solution to teacher who teach English  at SMP N 12 Padang. Teachers can know the ability of first year students in SMP N 12 Padang in understanding announcement text. For the students, they can use it in to improve and increase their motivation to study reading announcement text. For the writer, this researcher is useful to increase her knowledge in doing a research and report in for future.

1.8  Definition of the Key Term

To avoid misuderstanding, the researcher provided the definition of key term used in this study as follow:

1.      Ability is the students; skill to use knowledge to comprehend the text.

2.      Comprehending is the ability of the students to know the purpose of the announcement.

3.      Comprehension is a process negotiation and understanding betwen the reader and the writer.

4.      Text is the unit of a language in use and it is not defined by its size.