THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION IN
DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AT THE EIGHTH GRADE OF
SMP NEGERI (Pre Experimental)
CHAPTER
I
INTRODUCTION
A.
Background
of the Study
In English
teaching-learning, students should
master four language skills. The
language skills are
listening, speaking, reading
and writing. As a
language skill, reading
has significant role
that influence the
other language skills and components. In
addition, the success
of learning any
subject matters depends on
the competence of
reading comprehension since
it functions as a major tool for finding and understanding information.
Reading also has the value to help students learn to express their own thought
and to make them familiar
with the language
pattern and ways
of using language efficiently. Thus, mastering reading
skill is very important.
In
school based curriculum or “Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP)
2006”, reading is one of language skill that should be learned and mastered in
any level of education from elementary up to senior high school. Moreover,
learning reading skill is more focused at senior high school because reading is
to get information and knowledge and KTSP 2006 expects junior high school
students to be able to gain their knowledge which help them to face in senior
high school and also university level. It means that reading is the most
important skills to be mastered by senior high school students.
Rebecca
(2005: 8) Reading is fundamentally important for success. It opens the door to
personal freedom or shuts the door to opportunity. Learning to read is a means
to an end. If children have difficulty learning to read early, how can they be
expected to excel in other subjects as well? The best prevention of reading
difficulties, therefore, is early intervention strategies at the ???????