IMPROVING
THE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH LISTEN-READ-DISCUSS (LRD) STRATEGY
AT THE SMA
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
A.
Background
Nowadays,
science and technology development demands people to increase their knowledge
and experience. One way to increase their knowledge and experience is by
reading. Reading is one-step to study effectively. Through this step, it can
develop our memory, comprehension, and more knowledge for example when the
people study textbook, article, short story, and even a novel. Reading can
increase our science and give us knowledge information. Reading is an activity
with a purpose. Someone may read for many reasons, for instance to gain
information and exiting knowledge, or in order to critique a writer’s ideas or
writing style.
Reading
is one of the basic communicative skill, but it has very complex process. It can be
said that, reading is a process in which reader finds information given by the
writer in the written form. In this case , reading can be said as an interactive
process, checks, and ask questions about what the text is about. Leonard (1961)
states that reading involves nothing more than correlating sound image, that is
”spelling” while Robert Karim (1980) defines that reading is as a thinking
process instructing the ideas of the authors.
Reading
comprehension is not just reading with a loud voice but reading is established
to understand the meaning of word, sentences, and paragraph sense relationship
among ideas as it is. If a student just reads loudly but can’t understand the
content of the text, it means that he fails in comprehending passage.
(Simanjuntak 1998:4)
The
theory of comprehension assumes that effective understanding is a function of
the relationship between present information and active knowledge , and that
effective communication therefore depends on the degree to which listener and
speakers share a common semantic
“field”.(Buhler,1908). When preparing students for a reading activity, we can
help them become aware of relevant prior knowledge, while we judge whether or
not that knowledge is sufficient for comprehension of the text. And that point
we will be able to make knowledgeable decisions about reading assignments and
instruction and related concepts, (Langer, 1981:153)
Most
of students in south Sulawesi find difficulties in comprehending a short story
for example to identify the character of the actors and the plot of the short
story, so that, learning English needs a good strategy for their students, we
must try to think whether our strategy, the teachers should understand what the
best strategy is suitable or not because it can give a impact to students. All
the point of the object must be understood. This orientation is consistent with
Buhler’s (1908) “field theory” of comprehension, which assumes that effective
understanding is a function of the relationship between present information and
active knowledge, and that effective communication therefore depends on the
degree to which listeners and speakers share a common semantic “field”.
In teaching learning process we see that most of the
teachers just use conventional teaching in the class, so I think if the
teachers use a technique to the students in the teaching reading materials it
can increase their reading comprehension because with technique the students
can be easy to comprehend than without technique. The technique of teaching
reading are very important to influence the students in success reading. A
technique can help students in reading so in teaching English a teacher must
use technique or methods where can help students to comprehends easy what the
teacher teach to them.
A strategy that is Listen-Read-Discuss method is one of
strategy can be used by the teacher in teaching. A technique can help students
because learning strategy for students more effective than without a technique.
Because teching by a technique the students more effective in learning. it is
suitrable with that Manzo said that the listen-read-discuss method is one
teaching strategy for the teacher and learning strategy for the students more
active in comprehending material. (Manzo, 1985)
Based
on the explanation above, the research uses L-R-D strategy to overcome the
problems. The researcher is interested in applying this strategy so the
research will conduct the research entitled “improving the students’ reading
comprehension through Listen-Read-Discuss (LRD) strategy at the SMA.
