THE EFFECT OF USING SEMANTIC MAPPING ON PRE-READING

ACTIVITY ON STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

A. Background

Reading is very important for study purposes, careers, or simply for pleasure. Most

things cannot be enjoyed without friends-but reading can. While sitting alone in our

house we can travel around the entire world and communicate with those who lived in

thousand years ago. Only by reading, we can get much information and pleasure.

According to Harris, (1980: 39):

Reading is a form of communication. Information and ideas are exchanged between

writer and reader in the act of communicating. The writer expresses his thoughts on

paper with language, using whatever skills and styles he has develop personally.

It means that when we read something, we interact with a piece of written material

that the writer has written in order to give some information or ideas.

There are so many activities that can be done to make the students understand about

the text that the students read. One of the activities is using semantic mapping. Semantic

mapping: mind mapping, idea mapping, word webbing, etc. is a term which describes a

variety of strategies designed to show how key word or concept are related to one another

through graphic representations. Mapping is also an effective technique for teaching

reading skill and textual patterns of organization, and it is effective for improving note

taking and creative thinking skills. During mapping activities, the learners are instructed

to make associations with the main idea in a text and its’ supporting details via word

collocations, coordinates, super-ordinates, and synonym.

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 Antonnaci (1991:174) states that, “semantic mapping is a visual representation of

knowledge, a picture of conceptual relationship. It means that semantic mapping can be

as a visual representation of knowledge. Zaid (1995:6) said that, “the students who use

semantic mapping manifest considerable improvement reading comprehension, written

expression and vocabulary development.

B. Reason For Choosing The Topic

The writer chooses the topic because she wants to know whether the use of semantic

mapping on pre-reading activity affect the students’ reading comprehension.

C. The Aim Of The Research

The aim of the research is to know the effect of using semantic mapping on pre-

reading activity on students’ reading comprehension.

D. Limitation Of The Problem

To limit the problem the writer only investigates the effect of using semantic mapping

activity on pre-reading activity on student’s reading comprehension. The writer only

used the report text.

E. Statement Of The Problem

Does semantic mapping on pre-reading activity affect students’ reading

comprehension?

F. Problem To Investigate

The writer has three problems to investigate:

1. The semantic mapping activity

2. Students’ reading comprehension during semantic mapping activity.

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 3. The effect of using semantic mapping on pre-reading activity on students’ reading

comprehension.

G. Hypothesis

The writer states the alternative hypothesis (Ha) that: there is an effect of using

semantic mapping on pre-reading activity on students’ reading comprehension.

H. Population And Sample

The population of the research is the second grade students of SMA N 1 Ciampea. There

are six classes, each class consists of 40 students, so the total of second grade students are

240 students. The writer uses random sampling.

I. Research Methodology

In conducting the research the writer uses True Experimental (pre-test post test

control group). The formula of the design is:

G1 (rd) T1 x T2

G2 (rd) T1 T2

G1 = Experimental group chosen randomly

G2 = Control Group chosen random

X = Treatment

T1 = pretest

T2 = post test

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 DAFTAR PUSTAKA

Arikunto, Suharsimi. 2002. Prosedur penelitian: suatu praktek, Edisi revisi V.

Jakarta: PT. Rieneka Cipta.

Harris, Albert J. 1981. Readings on reading instruction. New York: David mckay

Company, Inc.

Johnsohn D.D. 1986. Semantic Mapping Classroom Aplication. {on line}

available at http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vol5/vol33/no.3.htm.

Kennedy, Eddy C. 1997. Classroom Approaches to Remedial Reading. Illinois:

F.G Peacock Publisher, Inc.

Zaid, Abdullah M. 1996. Semantic Mapping in communicative language

teaching. Forum vol 33 no.3.