INCREASING THE
STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH LISTEN-READ-DISCUSS (LRD) STRATEGY
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.
