Analysis of the Students Perception Toward Reading

Strategies

By:

ASTUTI

NIM : 18551011

English Tadris Study Program

Education (Tarbiyah) Department

Institute College For Islamic Studies (IAIN) Curup

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the research

There are four language skills in English, they are listening, speaking, reading, and
writing. Reading is one of the language skills that must be mastered by students. Reading
becomes the receptive aspect to acquire knowledge. Learners get information and insight by
reading (text and context) so reading is very important for the learner. Because of that, the
role of teachers who teach in English is to make their students enable easily in reading
comprehension. The main goal of teaching reading especially for Junior High School
students is to enable students to read books, articles, or any other written text in English and
producing various short functional and monologue texts, such as narrative, procedure,
descriptive, recount, and report. Reading is a complex information processing skill in which
there are interacting with the text to create meaningful discourse not just from the words and
sentences but also from the ideas, memories, and knowledge are used by those words and
sentences.
According to Foertsch, three basic definitions of reading skills have driven literacy
programs in the United States. The first definition, learning to read means learning to
pronounce words. The second definition, learning to read means learning to identify words
and get their meaning. The third definition, learning to read means learning to bring meaning
to a text to get meaning from it. The definitions of reading are more than just word
recognition and mastery of phonemic decoding. Contemporary definitions include “or” can
be replaced “by” the dynamic, reciprocal interactions among reader, text, and the context of
the reader’s prior literacy schema. Reading is the process through which the dynamic
interaction of there is background knowledge, the information inferred by the written
language, and the reading situation context are constructing meaning.
Reading is an activity to comprehend the information of a text. Successful reading
comprehension is a complete grasp of meaning in a text in which dynamic and growing
appreciation of interrelationships in the text is required. Furthermore, reading comprehension
is affected by factors such as the reader's proficiency level, the type of text, and the task
demands. In terms of successful reading comprehension, the University of Wolverhampton's
learning and information service states that by reading effectively, you will learn to question
and survey the text you are reading to gain a better understanding of your subject, and by
improving your reading skills, you can reduce unnecessary reading time and this will enable
you to read in a more focused manner. Irvin states some characteristics of an effective reader
and in an effective reader and divides these characteristics into three groups: before reading,
during reading, and after reading, as do most others scholars and experts.
Besides, perception is a word that is closely related to human psychology, it has been
defined in various ways, from a layman's perspective, perception is defined as the conscious
act of a person's environment through physical sensation, which demonstrates the ability of
individuals to understand. Meanwhile, in the opinion of experts, "the perception is defined by
the opinions and views of someone.
The purpose of this quantitative research is to collect data about the strategies of
university-level students during the reading of academic materials in English, to measure the
types and frequencies of the various reading strategies as well as to determine any differences
observed regarding gender. The data of the study were collected from the students of STKIP
Nurul Huda Oku Timur in the academic year 2020/2021 These learners were Graduate
Education students enrolled in each of the skills courses, including writing, reading, listening,
and speaking.
The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) by Mokhtari and Sheorey was modified and
applied as the instrument for data collection. Before collecting data, the administration of the
School of Foreign Languages was asked for written permission to use the research.
Furthermore, the participants were given a consent form that explained the purpose of the
research and assured them of the confidentiality of their responses, the use of these responses
for solely scientific purposes, and the autonomy of participation in the study. Based on all of
the explanations, the researcher is interested in conducting a study titled "Analysis of the
Students' Perceptions Toward Reading Strategies"
B. Research question
The research problem of the study was as follows :
1. What The Highest and Lowest Scored of Student Perceptions Toward Reading
Strategies?
2. Do these reading strategies vary for male and female students?
 CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Review main theories

1. Definition of Reading

Many experts define reading with a different meaning. According to Urquant in Grabe,
reading is the process of receiving and interpreting information encoded in language from the
medium of print. Spears, the reading process begins with decoding words that are, deciphering
the letters that make up individual words. But reading is more than merely processing letters
and sounds. Furthermore, Hittleman in Dallman points out that reading is a verbal process
interrelated with thinking and with all other communication abilities such as listening,
speaking, and writing. Specifically, reading is the process of reconstructing from the printed
patterns on the page of the ideas and information intended by the author.

2. Purposes of Reading

According to Mahmoud, there are at least five main purposes for comprehensive reading.
All these purposes require the necessary skills to be accomplished efficiently. These purposes
include:

a. Reading for Specific Information

Reading for specific information is a type of reading that is commonly used to
discover specific or limited information. Reading for this purpose entails searching for
specific information and quickly locating it. Reading for specific information can include
looking up a word in the dictionary or a phone number in the phone book.
b. Reading for Application
Reading for application is used to accomplish a special task. This type of reading
may consist of reading a cake recipe or the following instruction to make or fix
something
c. Reading for Pleasure and Entertainment
People read for a variety of pleasurable reasons. This includes reading popular
magazines, newspapers, novels, and other materials of a similar nature. It is a slower style
 of reading that allows the reader to enjoy and appreciate the scenery as well as the
background and characters. This type of reading necessitates the reader's complete
involvement.
d. Reading for Ideas
This type of reading requires paying special attention to the main ideas, concepts,
and the nature of the presented information. The reader skims through major topics,
headings, illustrations, and conclusions to obtain a general idea of the content. Reading
for an idea I enhanced through familiarity with the overall field of study, related topics,
facts, and discussions.
e. Reading for Understanding
Reading for understanding requires comprehension of the relationship between
the information introduced and overall knowledge of the subject. It requires
understanding the relationship of topics to sentences, paragraphs, and the main ideas.
f. Reading for Information
Newspapers and other reading materials for information are designed to be read
quickly to find facts. The majority of newspaper sentences are no more than fifteen words
long, and paragraphs are no more than three sentences long. The text is presented in
narrow columns to allow the reader's eye to move quickly down the page. Readers
typically skim the page for key facts rather than reading every word.
g. Reading for main points in general
The main points could include information like why the text was written, what the
purpose of the writer was, how the text is organized, and what the main arguments are.
For example: reading for an exam.
h. Reading for selected main points
Reading for selected main points looks for information about a specific area or
answers to certain questions. For example: reading for a thesis.

3. Reading Strategies
Reading strategies are deliberate, goal-directed actions to understand and construct
meanings of a text. For Cohen reading strategies are the mental processes that readers
consciously choose to use in accomplishing the reading task. As defined by Aarnoutse and
Schellings reading strategies, are cognitive activities that readers can engage in before, during,
and after reading a text to adequately comprehend the text and prevent, identify, or solve any
problems that may arise during this process. Reading strategies are specific heuristics, methods,
or procedures that readers use on purpose to process and comprehend the information presented
in a text.
Based on the definitions available in the literature, reading strategies can be defined as
the specific techniques readers employ to complete reading tasks successfully. Reading
strategies are what readers do to comprehend and/or construct meaning; what they do when
they come across problems in comprehending; and what they do to memorize and consolidate
their comprehension. Six defining attributes that differentiate strategies from other human
actions have been recognized in the literature. Strategies are understood as procedural,
purposeful, willful, effortful, facilitative, and essential. Reading strategies are the procedures
readers often employ when they are engaged in performing well/ill-structured reading tasks.
To deploy strategic behavior, the reader must intentionally decide upon a course of action that
would assist them in performing a reading task. Additionally, the reader must embark upon a
particular strategy, which requires an additional commitment of time and mental resources on
the part of the reader. Reading strategies are shown to enhance the performance of the reader
on a reading task. Strategic procedures are indispensable for acquiring and organizing
information, and for regulating one's reading performance.
According to research on second language reading, readers use a variety of strategies to
aid in the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information. Reading research has identified
strategies such as planning, previewing, predicting, skimming, scanning, recognizing difficult
words, guessing, rereading, translating, taking notes, highlighting key information,
commenting, summarizing, paraphrasing, separating main ideas from supporting ideas,
visualizing, thinking aloud, associating, adjusting reading speed, and checking to understand
of the text.

2. Perspective of Perception

Perception is a word that is closely related to human psychology, it has been defined in
various ways, from a layman's perspective, perception is defined as the conscious act of a
person's environment through physical sensation, which demonstrates the ability of individuals
to understand. Meanwhile, in the opinion of experts, "the perception is defined by the opinions
and views of someone.

To be the source from Nelson and Fast, perception is the process of interpreting
information about other people. The point is that the human opinion of others is influenced by
the amount of information available and the degree to which they can interpret the information
obtained legally. In other words, in certain situations, some people may have the same
information as others; however, a person or group may reach different conclusions due to
individual differences in the ability to interpret the information.

According to Rao and Narayan describes the main characteristics of the above definition,
However, they emphasize that perceptions are among the "important cognitive factor of human
behavior" or psychological mechanism that allows people to understand their environment. In
their language "perception is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret
sensory stimuli to become meaningful information about their work environment. They argue
that perception is the most important determinant of human behavior. Adediwura and Tayo
elaborate on the theories of perception by collecting some experts' explanations. First, they
define "perception as the way an individual judge or evaluate others in everyday life. In the
cognitive dimension, they see that "perception is the process by which people attach meaning
to experiences". It means that perception appears after people attend to certain stimuli in their
sensory memories.

However, perception is critical because it influences the information in working memory.

Background knowledge in the form of schemas affects perception and subsequent learning.
Even, research finding approves this claim that background knowledge resulting from
experience strongly influence perception. Meanwhile, experts strengthen the definition of
perception as the process by which we try to understand other people. Attempt to get
information about temporary causes of others' behaviors.

For further, Adediwura and Tayo depict the perception process. They explain that every
impression that enters our consciousness, whether it is a sentence, something we hear, an
object, or a vision, is drafted off in one or more directions, making a connection with other
materials already present, and eventually producing a reaction. It follows from this that
perception is the reaction elicited when an impression is perceived from without after
connecting with other materials in consciousness (memory). From this point of view, it could
be concluded that perception cannot be done in a vacuum, it depends on some background
information that will think out a reaction. Perception may be energized by both the present
and experience, the individual attitude at a particular moment, the physical state of the sense
organ, the human interest, the level of interest, and the interpretation of the perception.

Students' perception can be understood as the students' ability to justify their own opinions
and distinguish them from research being presented in the class. From a few statements from
experts above, it can be concluded that perception is an excitatory stimulus preceded sensor of
the senses and delivered to the human brain consciously or unconsciously. Perception is
subjective, depending on one's perspective on a particular object. So that the relative
perception is influenced by factors originating from within themselves issued with their
thoughts from someone. According to Walton, the perception is influenced by factors that have
been classified, among others:

a. External factors, namely the stimulus and traits that stand out in the neighborhood
behind the objects that constitute a determination or unity subtle, among others: social
and environmental.
b. Internal factors, i.e. factors related to the ability of self that comes from a relationship
with facets, mental, intelligence, and bodily. Setiyana mentions the perception
influenced by functional and structural factors.
c. Functional factors or personal factors are factors relating to the individual's
understanding of the impact of the stimuli generated or can be referred to as the benefits
of stimuli generated.
d. Structural factors or situational factors are external factors that affect an individual's
understanding of the existing stimuli. From the explanation above, the researcher
concludes that those two experts have the same theories. The differences between these
are: according to David Krech and Richard. S. Critchfield, internal and external factors
are included in functional and structural factors.
B. Procedure of the research
The activities that will be carried out during the stage of this research are as follows :
1. Conducting observations at IAIN Curup about the condition of students, the school
environment, and learning activities including the models and methods used by the
teacher during learning.
2. Determining the research subjects, namely students of 4 th semester then collecting data
through giving questionnaire were collected using a modified version of Mokhtari and
Sheorey’s Survey Of Reading Strategies (SORS).
3. Develop research instruments, namely the questionnaire in data collection offers several
advantages, in this research Mokhtari and Sheorey’s SORS was used in measuring the
frequencies of reading strategies that EFL learners apply while reading academic
materials in English.
4. Tried out the trial test instrument in the trial class which then used the test instrument as
a test of the ability to understand the student's perceptions towards reading strategies.
5. Analyzing test result data.

C. Previous related findings

In this graduating papers proposal, the writer will take three previous research
comparisons. The first research was conducted by Oktay Akarsu and Leyla Harputlu. The
participants were given a questionnaire with 37 statements on it. Several of these 37 were
chosen at random for an interview. Mokhtari and Sheorey's SORS instrument was modified
and used for quantitative data collection. The study's participants included 69 male and 75
female graduate students, for a total of 144 participants, with six fewer males than females.
Participants in this study are from Atatürk University's School of Foreign Languages in
Turkey's east. The data for this study were gathered using a modified version of Mokhtari and
Sheorey's Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS). The findings indicate that Turkish EFL
students at the graduate level are aware of almost all effective reading strategies while
engaged in academic reading, though not all of them are used individually. Rather, students
use effective reading strategies based on their personal preferences. Gender, age, and
academic discipline all had an impact on effective reading strategies, and significant
differences were found. Suggestions are provided after the summary of the results.
 The second research was conducted by Rosalina Domínguez Angel. The present study
involved the participation of thirty-two students divided into two groups. Both groups of
learners were in their 6th semester of undergraduate studies in Applied Linguistics at the State
University of Tlaxcala, Mexico. Outcomes derived from a task on intensive reading carried
out by university students. The main goal is to analyze the frequency of use and the success of
idiom-solving strategies used by the subjects while reading. Additionally, our interest is to
compare the above outcomes and the reading time scores of a group of trained learners with
the results obtained by untrained learners. The results provide evidence to confirm three
hypotheses posed about differences in the use of inferring from context, the times that
unknown words were ignored, and the reading time related to the retention of words between
trained and untrained university-level learners.

The third research was conducted by Kate Tzu-Ching Chen and Sabina Chia-Li, Chen. The
participants consisted of 1,259 students from 34 high schools in Taiwan. Among them, 533 of
them were male and 726 were female. A cluster sampling technique was used because we
cannot get a complete list of the members of a population and the entire population is divided
into classes. As a result, one class of third-year students from each participating school was
sampled in this research. Only third-year high school students were recruited for this study
because they had experienced reading-oriented teaching for two years. Compulsory textbooks
based on the requirements of the examination system were provided by The Ministry of
Education. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) reading strategies used by high school students. The participants were 1,259 students
from 34 high schools in Taiwan. The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) by Mokhtari and
Reichard was used as the instrument to collect data on the participants’ usage of reading
strategies. The results indicated a high awareness of reading strategy use among EFL high
school students. Students had a preference for global reading strategies, followed by problem-
solving strategies and support strategies. Female students used EFL reading strategies
significantly more frequently than male students. Implications for the use of EFL reading
strategies were also discussed.

From all three graduating papers that the writer used for references, it can be concluded
that there are some differences between those research and the writer's, such as the first by
Leyla harputlu she researched by applying "perceptions of EFL students toward Academic
Reading" the two studies are almost the same but it's just a different place Oktay Akarsu and
Leyla Harputlu do research in Turkey and the authors do this research in Indonesia
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Design of the research

This study is a descriptive research study using the survey method as part of a quantitative
approach. The survey method is the technique of gathering data by asking questions to people
who are thought to have desired information, while descriptive studies are design to obtain
current status of phenomenon and are direct toward determining the nature of situation as it
exist at the time of the study. According to Arikunto the approach in this research is a
quantitative approach because this research is presented with figures. Kothari believes that
quantitative research is based on the measurement of the quantity or amount. It applies to
phenomena that can be expressed in terms of quantity. This research is suitable when the
variables that are mixed up are complex, and cannot be done by experiment method or which
its variety cannot be arranged. From the definitions, the writer makes a point that a quantitative
approach is an approach in which the results of research using statistic numbers.

Research often concerns relationships between variables (a variable can be considered as a

construct, operationalized construct, or particular property in which the researcher is
interested). An independent variable is an input variable that causes, in part or entirely, a
specific outcome; it is a stimulus that influences a response, an antecedent or a factor that can
be changed (e.g., under experimental or other conditions) to influence an outcome. A dependent
variable, on the other hand, is the variable that is caused, entirely or partially, by the input,
antecedent variable. It is the result of, or reaction to, an independent variable. This is a
fundamental principle.

B. Population and Sample

a). Population

Sugiyono defines that population as the generalization areas that consist of an object or
subject that has the quality and certain characteristics that are carried out by researchers to learn
and draw conclusions. The population is the sole focus of the study. Sugiyono defines
population as "the generalization areas that consist of a subject that has the quality and certain
 characteristics that are carried out by researchers to learn and draw conclusions." According to
the definitions, the writer can say that a population is a group of people who share
characteristics about which the writer can collect data. This study's population consisted of all
fourth-semester students who had learned academic reading in STKIP Nurul Huda Oku Timur
academic year of 2020/2021.

b). Sample

One of the most important steps in the research process is the selection of a sample who
will be observed or questioned. A sample is a subset of the population from which the researcher
collects data. Sugiyono defines a sample as "a portion of the total and a characteristic shared by
the population." The samples collected must be representative. The sample is a subset of the
population's number and characteristics; for example, due to limited funds, manpower, and time,
the researcher can draw a sample from that population. The conclusion will be applied to the
population-based on what is learned from the samples. This study's sample was the fourth
semester of the English Education Department of STKIP Nurul Huda Oku Timur in the academic
year of 2020/2021. The researcher selected 36 students which is 20% of the population.

C. Technique of Data Collection

The data collection method is about how the writer collects the data. In this study, the
method of data collection was through giving questionnaires were collected using a modified
version of Mokhtari and Sheorey’s Survey Of Reading Strategies (SORS).

Table 2.1 The descriptive statistic of reading strategies

No Answer 1 2 3 4 5
1. When I read, I keep paper and pen within reach
2. Before reading, I do skimming
3. Before reading, I do predict by looking at the title
4. While reading, I do scanning
5. While reading, I do skimming
6. When text becomes difficult, I do read too slowly for my
needs.
7. While reading, I try to find out the, aim ideas
8. I have a purpose in mind while reading
9. I read the introduction and conclusion, then go back and
read the whole assignment
10. I break long text into segments, I read 10 pages, and then do
something else, later, I read the next 10 pages I read
11. I take marginal notes to help me understand what I read
12. I think about what I know to help me understand what I
read
13. When text becomes difficult, I read about it to help me
understand what I read
14. I think about whether the content of the text fits my reading
purpose
15 I try to get back to trace when I lose concentrations
16. I highlight the text to help me what I read
17. I adjust my reading speed according to what I’m reading
18. When reading I decide what to read closely and what to
ignore
19. I use tables, figures, and pictures in a text to increase my
understanding
20. I use tables, figures, and pictures in a text to increase my
understanding
21. I stop from time and think about what I am reading
22. I use context clues to help me better understand what I read
23. I paraphrase to better understand what I read
24. I try to picture or visualize information to help remember
what I read
25. I use typographical features like boldface italics to identify
key information
26. I critically analyze and evaluate the information presented
in the text
 27. I go back and forth in the text to find the relationship among
ideas in it
28. I check my understanding when I come across new
information
29. When the text becomes difficult, I re-read it to increase my
understanding
30. I do something read about to increase my understanding
31. I ask dense questions that I like to have answered in the text
32. I check to see if my guesses about the text are right or
wrong
33. When I read, I guess the meaning of unknown words or
phrases
34. When reading, I translate from English into my native
language.
35. When reading, I think about the information in both English
and my mother tongue.

D. Instrument

The writer's use of questionnaires in data collection offers several advantages. According to
Seliger and Shohamy, these include: They are self-administered and can be given to a large
group of subjects at the same time, according to Seliger and Shohamy. As a result, they are less
costly to administer than other procedures such as interviews. When anonymity is guaranteed,
subjects are more likely to share sensitive information. Because all subjects are given the same
questionnaire, the data are more uniform and standard. The data are more accurate because they
are usually given to all subjects of the research at the same time. Given these advantages, the
questionnaire was used to collect data. The statements were intended to elicit agreement or
disagreement from participants agreement or disagreement. Participants responded according to
a 5 point Liker scale ranging from 1 to 5.
 1 = I strongly disagree;
2 = I disagree
3 = I have no idea
4 = I agree;
5 = I strongly agree

Participants were instructed to circle the response that best corresponded to their level of
agreement per each statement. For the collection of data, the Survey of Reading Strategies
(SORS) was modified and applied. For the adaption and direct user of this survey, permissions
were obtained from the researchers who designed it. Mokhtari and Sheorey’s SORS was used in
measuring the frequencies of reading strategies that EFL learners apply while reading academic
materials in English. SORS is fairly easy to read and administer. It consists of the 30 statements,
classified into “Global Reading Strategies”, “Problem Solving Strategies” and “Support
Strategies.” In the version of the questionnaire modified for this study, 26 of these statements
were used, and no distinction was maintained between the classifications. A short background
questionnaire including gender was administered along with the survey.

For preliminary analysis using a simple distribution table for each variable by using the
following criteria:

a. For alternative answer A, the score is 5

b. For alternative answer B, the score is 4

c. For alternative answer C, the score is 3

d. For alternative answer D, the score is 2

e. For alternative answer E, the score is 1

Next step, to determine the qualification of internal value, the researcher uses the formula that is:
 ( f o−fh)2
x =∑
2
fh

2
x = Chi-square

f: Frequency observed

fh: Frequency expected