STUDENTS DIFFICULTIES IN READING COMPREHENSION

SECTION OF TOEFL TEST

By:
Zahra Fitrah Raja Gukguk1, Mursidah Rahmah2 Entis Sutisna3
ABSTRACT
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) which becomes a standard measurement of
English of non-native speakers ability. TOEFL is related to language skills such as reading
comprehension. The purposes of this research entitled Students Difficulties in Reading
Comprehension Section of TOEFL Test, are to find out the students difficulties and the causes of
students difficulties in reading comprehension section of TOEFL test. This research is conducted
to the eight semester students of English Education Study Program, Pakuan University. In
conducting the research, descriptive method is used. The writer used purposive sampling by taking
four students of each class who got the lowest score in reading comprehension section of TOEFL.
From the finding, she founds the students difficulties in reading comprehension section of TOEFL
test in students work are 98 (22%) in main idea, 96 (21%) in vocabulary, 82 (18%) in supporting
detail, 76 (17%) in inference, 63 (14%) in exception, and 36 (8%) in reference. Besides, the result
of the questionnaire shows that the significant causes of students difficulties in reading
comprehension section of TOEFL test are the reading speed, the length of the text, and lack of
vocabulary. Based on the result of the research, the writer suggests that the students improve their
vocabulary, practice reading a lot, consider about the time, understand how to identify the main
idea, supporting detail, and unspecific information in a text and improve their knowledge in order
to understand about the material in reading comprehension section of TOEFL Test.
Keywords: Reading Comprehension, TOEFL

1 Student of English Education Study Program

2 Lecturer of English Education Study Program
3 Lecturer of English Education Study Program

ABSTRAK
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) menjadi sebuah ukuran standarisasi bahasa
Inggris bagi orang yang bukan penutur bahasa Inggris. TOEFL berhubungan dengan kemampuan
bahasa, salah satunya Reading Comprehension. Tujuan dari penelitian yang berjudul Students
Difficulties in Reading Comprehension Section of TOEFL Test adalah untuk mengetahui kesulitan
siswa dan penyebab kesulitan siswa dalam Reading Comprehension Section di TOEFL tes.
Penelitian ini dilakukan di semester 8 Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Pakuan. Metode
deskriptif digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Penulis menggunakan purposive sampling dengan
mengambil empat orang siswa setiap kelas yang mendapatkan nilai terendah Reading
Comprehension Section di TOEFL tes. Dari hasil penelitian, penulis menemukan kesulitan siswa di
Reading Comprehension Section di TOEFL tes bahwa terdapat 98 (22%) kesulitan siswa dalam
menemukan gagasan pokok, 96 (21%) kesulitan dalam menemukan kosa kata, 82 (18%) kesulitan
dalam kalimat pendukung, 76 (17%) kesulitan dalam menemukan kesimpulan, 63 (14%) kesulitan
dalam menemukan kalimat yang tidak ada dalam bacaan, dan 36 (8%) kesulitan dalam
menentukan referensi. Disamping itu, hasil dari angket menunjukkan bahwa penyebab yang
penting dalam kesulitan siswa dalam Reading Comprehension Section di TOEFL tes adalah
kecepatan membaca, panjangnya suatu teks, dan kurangnya kosa kata. Berdasarkan hasil dari
penelitian, penulis memberikan saran kepada siswa bahwa tingkatkan kosa kata, berlatih
membaca, perhatikan waktu, mengerti bagaimana caranya untuk mengidentifikasi gagasan pokok,
kalimat pendukung, dan kalimat tidak tersirat pada teks, dan tingkatkan pengetahuan dalam
memahami materi pada Reading Comprehension Section di TOEFL.
Kata kunci: Membaca, TOEFL
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
TOEFL stands for Test of English as
a Foreign Language which becomes a
standard measurement of English non-native
speakers ability. TOEFL is used as one of
the requirements of applying jobs and
universities around the world. It is required
primarily by English-language colleges and
universities.
Additionally, institutions such as
government
agencies,
business
or
scholarship programs may require this test.
TOEFL is related to language skills such as
reading and listening and language
component i.e. grammar. There are three
sections in TOEFL test, where on the first
section is listening, second section is
structure and written expression, and the
third section is vocabulary and reading
comprehension. Reading as one of the basic
skills of foreign language becomes
important and inseparable part in language
teaching as well as in TOEFL test. As one of
the basic skills of foreign language, reading
is one of the most difficult skills for students
because it involves many elements to be
mastered.

In reading comprehension test, students

usually will find a question about finding
main idea. In determining main ideas,
students usually get some difficulties
because the students do not know about the
exact position of the main idea in a text.
Then, students find other difficulties in
vocabulary.
Sometimes, the students do not
understand about meaning of a word or a
phrase. Next, the students are confused to
find out supporting details in a reading text.
From the explanation above, that is why, the
writer intends to investigate students
difficulties in doing reading comprehension
section of TOEFL test.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In conducting this research, a
descriptive method is used to describe and
analyze the data. In addition, Travers as
quoted by Adanza (2006: 39) adds,
descriptive method is to describe the nature
of situation as it exist at the time of the study
and to explore the causes of particular
phenomenon. It means that descriptive
method is a method of research used to

describe a situation that may usually occur

in a particular phenomenon.
Documentation,
interview,
and
questionnaire are used as the techniques of
collecting data. First, students works are
collected as the documentation to find out
the
students
difficulties,
then
the
questionnaire is distributed to know the
causes of students difficulty. Next, the
interview is given to the students to get more
detail and strengthen information of
students
difficulties
in
reading
comprehension section in TOEFL test. The
research is conducted at Faculty of Teacher
Training and Educational Sciences, Pakuan
University. The participants of the research
are the eight semester students of English
Education Study Program (EESP). They are
chosen because they have learnt TOEFL
subject. In selecting the participants,
purposive sampling is used by taking four
students of each class that have the lowest
score in reading comprehension section of
TOEFL test.
DATA DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
1.

Data Description of Students Work

To get the data, students works of
Reading Comprehension Section of
TOEFL Test are analyzed to describe
the data. The biggest difficulty in type
of skill in Reading Comprehension
Section of TOEFL Test is in finding
main idea. This is proved by the total
number of mistakes on students made
in main idea which is 98 or 22%. The
second is vocabulary with the total
number of mistakes on students made
in vocabulary which is 96 or 21%.
Third is supporting detail by the total
number of students mistakes in
supporting detail is 82 or 18%. Then,
there are 76 or 17% mistakes made by
students when they have to find
inferences
in
paragraph.
Next,
exception is the fifth types of students
difficulty with the total number of
students mistake is 63 or 17%. Finally,
the lowest difficulty in type of skill in
Reading Comprehension Section of
TOEFL Test is in finding references. It
is proved by the data got that the total
number of students mistakes in

references is 36 or 8%. Here is the

result of students difficulties in
Reading Comprehension Section of
TOEFL Test can be seen on table 4.2 as
follows:
Table 4.2
The result of students difficulties in Reading
Comprehension Section of TOEFL

No.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Total
2.

Types of
skills in
Reading
Comprehe
nsion
Section of
TOEFL
Main idea
Vocabulary
Supporting
details
Inferences
Exception
References

Total

The
Percentag
e

98
96
82

22%
21%
18%

76
63
36
451

17%
14%
8%
100%

Data Description of Questionnaire

Based on the data description of
questionnaire, all of the participants
(100%) have learnt about reading
comprehension in TOEFL subject.
Moreover, there are 16 or 66.7%
participants had difficulty in finding
supporting detail in a paragraph, while
8 or 33.3% participants admitted that
they did not get any difficulty in
finding supporting detail. Then, there
are 14 participants or 58.3% confessed
that they got difficulty in finding
inferences, and the rest of them
(45.8%) did not get difficulty. From
twenty four participants, 7 participants
(29.2%) had difficulty in finding
references, and the rest of them
(70.8%) did not. In addition, 18 of 24
participants (75%) confessed that they
got difficulty in finding main idea,
while 6 (25%) did not. Moreover, 15
participants or 62.5% admitted that
they got difficulty in vocabulary, while
the rest of them (37.5) denied it. Then,
there are 14 participants or 58.3% who
confessed that they got difficulty in

exception, but the rest of them (41.7%)

did not.
From the result of questionnaire, a
half of the participants or 50% agreed
that they did not know about the
strategy of reading comprehension in
TOEFL, and the rest of them known
about it. From 18 of 24 participants
(75%), they did not focus when they
read a passage, while 6 participants or
25% focused read a passage. In
addition, there are 18 participants or
75% got difficulty when they read a
long text, while the rest of them (25%)
did not.
Based on the data description of
questionnaire, all of the participants
(100%) agreed that reading a passage
needs full concentration. From 22 of 24
participants (91.7%), they got difficulty
in reading speed and two participants
(8.3%) did not. In addition, almost all
of the participants (95.8%) agreed that
they were bored and tired, when they
read a long passage in Reading
Comprehension Section of TOEFL.
Then, from 8 of 24 participants, they
felt stressful when they read a reading
passage and the rest of them 16
(66.7%) did not. Based on the data, 17
participants or 71% got difficulty in
vocabulary, it is caused they were lack
of vocabulary. Talking about the
problem solving in students difficulties
in reading comprehension section of
TOEFL test, it is also found that 2
participants or 8.3% practiced reading
an English text through magazine or
newspaper. On the other hand, there are
3 participants or 12.5% often practiced
reading through novel or comic. Then,
5 participants or 20.9% practiced
reading an English text through study
book. Moreover, 15 participants
(62.5%) practiced reading through a
website article.
Based
on
the
result
of
questionnaire, 20 participants (83.3%)
agreed that reading in a comfortable
class makes them easier to read a
reading passage and the rest of them
(16.7%) did not. In addition, from 21
of 24 participants agreed that asked the

lecture or friend when they did not

understand about the material of
reading comprehension of TOEFL,
while 3 participants or 12.5%
disagreed.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
It can be concluded that the most
difficult types on students difficulties in
Reading Comprehension Section of TOEFL
Test are in finding main idea (75%),
supporting detail (66.7%) and vocabulary
(62.5%).
Based on the result of the research,
there are three factors of students
difficulties in Reading Comprehension
Section of TOEFL Test. Those factors are: 1)
the reading speed, 2) the length of the text,
and 3) lack of vocabulary. To overcome
these problems, it can be done by practicing
read a website article and book, asking
lecturer and friends when the students do not
understand about the material of the reading
and choosing comfortable atmosphere such
as class in order to make easier to read a
reading passage.
Based on the research result, the
writer would like to give some suggestions
for the students and the next researcher.
First, students improve their vocabulary
because there are many unfamiliar words in
reading comprehension section of TOEFL.
Second, students practice reading a lot,
because the reading speed of the readers
affects them in answering reading
comprehension section of TOEFL test.
Third, students consider about the time
because time management in reading a long
passage is needed. Fourth, students
understand how to identify the main idea,
supporting detail, and unspecific information
in a text. Fifth, the students improve their
knowledge in order to understand about the
material. The last, it can be conducted for
the next researcher, An Analysis Study on
Students Difficulties in Structure and
Written Expression Section in TOEFL Test.
The research focus is on part of error
recognition which chooses the wrong
grammar.

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BIOGRAPHY
Zahra Fitrah Raja Gukguk was born
in Bogor on June 23rd 1992. The first
daughter from three sisters of Suwandi Raja
Gukguk and Ida Hayati. She lives in Perum.
Griya Katulampa Blok E1 No.25 Bogor. She
had graduated from SDN Tanah Sareal 4
Bogor, SMPIT Ummul Quro Bogor, SMAN
2 Cibinong. Then she continued her bachelor
degree in English Education Study Program,
Faculty of Teachers Training and
Educational Science, Pakuan University on
2010-2015.