CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH

“Improving the Student’s Reading Comprehension Through Mind Mapping”

(DEVELOPING CHAPTER II)

BY:
NAME : Gustari Aulya
NIM : 1910007742005

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
STKIP YAYASAN ABDI PENDIDIKAN
PAYAKUMBUH
2022
 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. REVIEW OF RELATED THEORY

This chapter presents review of theories concerning the research topics and
conceptual framework underlying the study. The details of the theoretical review and
conceptual framework are presented as follows.

1. Reading
a. Definition of Reading
Reading is a process when readers learn something from what they
read and involve it in an academic context as a part of education (Grabe,
2009: 5). In the classroom, some teachers often use texts or books as media to
deliver material of a subject. Furthermore, the teacher asks the students to
read the texts to grab information in order that they could understand the
material.
Reading also engages human brain, emotions, and beliefs as
Weaver (2009) stated that “Reading is a process which is very much
determined by what the reader‟s brain and emotions and beliefs bring to
the reading: the knowledge / information (ormisinformation, absence of
information), strategies for processing text, moods, fears and joys—all of it.”
In the engagement, the readers could understand well what the writer
meant in her or his writing. The readers dominantly use brain when they read
an argumentative or scientific writing. They use emotions when they read a
letter, a story and other texts which dominate feeling. When the readers read a
newspaper or a religious book, they should use their beliefs in order that they
can understand the meaning.
 By doing this, sometimes, the readers will get a new conclusion as a
new knowledge for them. Reading can be a means of consolidating and
extending someone knowledge of the language. Doing it, the reader can
grab any information and pleasure about the subject of the language.
This activity also gives some advantages for the readers. One of the
advantages is the students can improve their knowledge by reading a
text without the teacher‟s help because they can interpret by themselves
(Rivers, 1981: 260).
b. Processes of Reading
Some experts elaborate the processes of reading. These processes
facilitate the readers to read well so that they can get information from what
they read. One of the experts is Rivers (1981: 260) who states in his
book some processes of reading as follows:
1) It is important to recognize the sound patterns which are
represented by graphic symbols and identify their combinations as
language units already encountered.
2) The reader also has to recognize structural clues such as the
indicators of word classes (or part of speech) and of persons and
tenses of the verb; the words that introduce phrases and clauses and
the particular modifications of meaning these indicate; the adverbs and
adverbial expressions which limit the action in time, place, and
manner; and the indicators of interrogation in derogation.
3) They must be able quickly to distinguish word groupings and their
relations with other word groupings.
4) They must be able to anticipate what will probably follow while
holding in their immediate memory inconclusive elements from what
preceded.
c. Technique of Reading
 Anthony in Brown (2001: 14) defines technique as specific
activities manifested in the classroom that were consistent with a method
and therefore were in harmony with anapproach as well. These activities can
be doing tasks or exercises to realize lesson objectives. The activities can help
teacher and students in many subjects in the classroom such as English.
In the English subject, the teacher is also able to use the activities in
teaching and learning process to improve four skills in English subject;
listening, writing,speaking, and reading. In the reading activity, the teacher
has to understand that reading is not a simple activity because students have to
grab a new knowledge in a passage by using their eyes, brain, and
emotion. To harmonize those things, the students apply a force well so
that they learn something from the knowledge they grab in the passage they
read.
The reading activity sometime becomes a huge problem for the
students, even though they have to do it because it is their need in the process
of learning especially language in the classroom. The students are
impaired in reading because of some reasons. Some of them are laziness,
lack of interesting technique, background knowledge, habit, and so on. The
teacher need to understand about it that she or he has need of solving those
problem to make the students can improve their skill of reading written text in
any types.
Designing interactive reading is not easy. It needs techniques in order
to abridge into an easier way. There are principles for designing interactive
reading techniques. An expert named Brown (2000: 313-316) says there
are several techniques. Those techniques are in the following :
1) In an interactive curriculum, the teacher has to gives priority to the
importance of specific instruction in reading skills
2) The teacher has to use techniques which are intrinsically motivating
3) Authenticity and readability in choosing texts should be balanced.
4) The teacher should encourage the development of reading strategies
5) Both bottom-up and top-down techniques are include in the activity.
6) The teacher should follow “SQ3R” sequence.
7) The teacher subdivides the techniques into pre-reading, during-reading, and
after-reading phases.
8) In the last, the teacher should build in some evaluative aspect to the
techniques.
 Doing: the students respond physically to a command
 Choosing: the students select from alternative pose orally or in writing
 Transferring: the students summarize orally what is read
 Answering: the students answer questions about passage
 Condensing: the students outline or take notes on a passage
 Extending: the students provide an ending to a story
 Duplicating: the students the message into a native language or copy it
 Modelling: the students put together a toy, for example, after
reading direction for assembly
 Conversing: the students engage in a conversation that indicates
appropriate processing of information
So, the reading technique is the activities which are done in the
classroom to help the teacher and the students in the teaching learning process of
reading which were consistent and harmonious with a method and an approach so
that the students can comprehend a passage well. A technique of reading which is
used in the classroom should be chosen based on the students‟ need and
capability in order they can enjoy every activity in the classroom. It also aims the
purpose of the teaching learning process.
2. Reading Comprehension
a. Definition of Reading Comprehension
 Comprehension is the ability to understand completely and be familiar
with a situation, facts, etc. Comprehension is not a single unitary process. It
starts from the moving of words on the page to meaning in the mind, the
recognizing of individual words by using memory and knowledge of letter
and sound patterns, matching the resulting pronunciations to meaning, and
finally connects these words into idea units.
In line with the statements above, Wiggens and McTighe concludes
six facets of understanding or comprehension. The first is explanation or
understanding of why and how. The second facet is interpretation. The third
facet is application or the ability to use knowledge in new situations and
contexts. The fourth facet is perspective. The fifth facet is empathy for the
feelings and views of others. The sixth facet is self-knowledge.
Thus, it can be concluded that comprehension is the ability to get
enlightenment on something through several steps in process.Snow cited by
Kurniawan states reading comprehension as the process to get a precise
understanding of the writer‟s message through simultaneously extracting
and constructing meaning by collaborating reader‟s background
knowledge and interaction and involvement.
In line with this, Grabe explains that reading comprehension is the
interaction of information between the reader‟s drawing information from
a text and the reader‟s expectations or information about the text that
already has. Lems concludes that reading comprehension is not a static
competency. It depends on reader‟s purpose to read and reader‟s basic
knowledge with the text in used. In addition, the role of strategies helps
the reading comprehension achieved.
Wilhelm cited in Kurniawan‟s writing defines that reading
comprehension is the degree to which the readers understand what the
readersread. It is the ultimate end-goal of reading that if the readers do
not read to understand, the readers will read for nothing; Comprehension
requires the reader to be an active constructor of meaning.
Based on those definitions above, reading is an important activity
used in learning process, but it becomes more useful when the readers can
comprehend what they read. Overall, reading comprehension can be
concluded as the ability to understand the meaning or idea in the written
text completely and chronically. Eventhough reading comprehension has
long process, what the readers get are comparable with the process itself.
b. Factors Influencing Reading Comprehension
It is undeniable that students‟ ability to comprehend the print that they
meet in the class depend on their ability to understand both what a writer says
and what they do not say, except between the lines. Comprehension is
an active process which engages the interaction between the reader‟s
construct meaning and the information of the text itself.
Therefore, comprehending depends on the ability:
 to evaluate and make a judgment,
 to distinguish between what an author offers as facts and the
author‟s opinions about those facts,
 to recognize the difference between what is fact and what is assumed
to be fact,
 to compare,
 to categorize,
 to grasp the explanation of a process.
 to identify an author‟s theme,
 to know characters,
 to recognize a main idea and the data that support it,
 to distiguish between cause and effect.
 In doing comprehension, it cannot be denied that there are
several factors which influencing the reader to become good or poor
comprehender. Perfetti as in Jane V. Oakhill‟s writing suggests that
comprehension difficulties arise mainly because certain processes that
can potentially become relatively automatic fail to become so.

Paris states five foundations of comprehension:

 Conceptual knowledge.
In developing the students‟ comprehension, they need to be
familiar with the concept of the text like the plot and the character‟s
thought of the story.
 Language skills.
The mastery of language skills prove the better comprehension
of students later. It means that a student who at least had mastered one
skill, he/she can easily comprehend the text. As example, the students
who good in vocabulary can easily do reading comprehension.
 Text features.
In line with the conceptual knowledge, the students need
to know how the concepts of genres, the schematic structures of
texts, the titles, and many terms that related to the meaning of texts.
It is used to help the students to construct the meaning from any types
of texts.
 Strategies.
It is undeniable that students need a variety of strategies
in helping them learning reading comprehension. The appropriate
strategies will make them easier to comprehend the text, such as
summarizing and paraphrasing important information or asking and
aswering questions.
  Fluent decoding.
Comprehension is difficult when the students only focused on
how the words in a text pronounce correctly. In fact, it is easier
when the students learn how to automatically decoding and
recognizing the words quickly and accurately.
In conclusion, the comprehension process is a long
activity that has influencing factors in its process. The plus or the
minus of influencing factors depend on the students‟ decision,
whether or not they want to maximize the information gotten from
what they read. When they want to take the benefit from the reading
comprehension, they can improve their reading skill through
some points of views above. If they are not, they will just get the
information without the experience.
c. Teach for comprehension
Teaching the students to comprehend is more important than
testing reading comprehension. The process is not simply about how to
get information from the text. It is about how the students learn to engage
with the meaning and develop ideas. There must be an engagement of both
the teacher and the students in the class who are discussing a passage.

3. Mind Mapping
a. Definition of Mind Mapping
The mind mapping is a technique to use the whole brain by using
visual and other graphic to create a meaningful impression (DePotter
and Hernacki: 2004). Using the whole brain can balance two sides of human
brain: left and right brain. It means that human can maximize their brains to
create meaningful things because of their brains power.
 Jonassen, Beissner, and Yacci (1993) defined concept maps or mind
maps as “representation of concept and their interrelationship that are
intended to represent the knowledge structures that humans stored in their
minds”. This mind map could be more freestyle, visual, and do not
necessarily have particular meanings imposed on relationships (Buzan:
1995). It is able to be a simple work for the students who learn to understand a
written text.
While Brown (2001: 14) defines a technique as a specific
activity implemented in the classroom that were consistent with a method and
therefore were in harmony with an approach as well.
Hence, the researcher agreed with Panatda‟s definition of mind
mapping techniquein Siriphanich, Panatda & Laohawiriyano (2010: 4). It
is teaching technique using mind mapping as a tool to represent students‟
understanding by using words, picture with colour and symbols in a
hierarchical or tree branch format.
b. The Procedure of Mind Mapping
Making mind mapping is easy. The students can remember many
information through this way. Here are several steps to make mind mapping
from Martin Davies (2010: 11 ) :
1. Starting from the center of the blank paper. It is better to rotate
the paper, so you can use it horizontally (it helps the brain
feels free to spread the ideas).
2. Using picture or photo as the central of the idea. A
picture has thousand meanings and help the students to
use their imagination. A central picture makes the students
focus, concentrate, and feel interested in what they are
mapping.
3. Using colors. Colors have same role as pictures, brain will
stimulate an idea through colorful form. It gives mind map
 more alive and adds creative thinking energy for the
students.
4. Linking the main branches with the central picture and
linking within the supporting branches. An association has
important role in brain activity, by linking two or more things
will make the students easier to understand and remember.
5. Making curved line, not straight line. The straight line
will only make the brain bored.
6. Using only a keyword to every single line. This is used to give
flexibility in making the mind map.
7. Using pictures. Every single picture has thousand
meanings as same as central picture.
c. Advantages and Disadvantages of Mind Mapping
Mind mapping as a technique to help the students in learning reading
comprehension cannot be separated with the advantages and disadvantages in
its use. Facilitating these problems, the writer states several views below
for these terms.Those few headlines shows the advantages of using mind
maps whenever students want to get things done faster, more effectively, and
with better end results. Here are some advantages based on Ibid&Buzan (110)
:
1) Mind map helps the students to speed up their think rapidity.
2) Mind map takes the students to develop new ideas quickly.
3) Mind map gives easy way for the students to plan,
communicate, be creative, arrange, and explain the ideas fastly
and efficiently when they want to work with others.
4) Mind map facilitates the students to understand a
complicated system or structure because mind map delivers
the students to be focused on the ideas.
 Tony Clelford states the advantages and disadvantages of using
mind mapping as below:
Advantages:
1) Easily add ideas or links later.
2) Helps to concentrate on information structure and relationships
between ideas rather than disconnected facts.
3) Mind map may help people to see other connections and
similarities in the information they receive.
4) Add sketches in making mind map is more memorable
than conventional notes.
5) Mind maps can incorporate a mass of material (For
example, a jet‟s maintenance manual was reduced from 1000s
of pages to a room-length mind map. A year's subject notes
became an easily reviewed poster).
6) Mind mappings can help revision, even if the course notes are
conventional. They condense material into a concise,
memorable format.
Disadvantages:
1) People may want to redraw the maps later-but that will help
them remember the material.
2) Someone‟s map may be so personal and it could be
difficult for others to understand.
Mind maps are a great help when preparing essays and
presentations, but they may be inappropriate as the final piece of work.
Instead of those views above, Casco (2014) explains the advantages of
mind mapping into some points. The first is the flexibility to useby
learners with different levels of proficiency in the target language. Next,
mind mapping empowers the learners by allowing them to decide where
to start and what toleave out. This possibility of making decisions develops
 a sense of self-efficacy and fosters autonomy. The last advantage is
stimulating the learners‟ creativity.
From those explanation above, it can be concluded that mind mapping
naturally just a technique which has both positive and negative things
inside. Oftentimes, the learners can take the advantages through this
technique, meanwhile the disadvantages cannot be separated from its use.
Hence, it depends on the user to maximize the advantages of using mind
mapping.

B. REVIEW OF RELATED FINDINGS

Review of the previous study is made in order to avoid replication. This study
is intended to improve the students‟ reading skills by using mind mapping. Another
study has been conducted to find the use of mind mapping to improve students‟
reading skills. The first is a study conducted by Ari Kusmiatun in Astuti (2012:
28). Her study entitled “Improvement of Reading Comprehension and Rhetoric
Speaking Skills of Elementary School Students through The mind mapping
Technique”had shown that the application of the mind mapping technique in
teaching learning process could improve students‟ speaking and reading skills. They
can comprehend the text better so that they can perform rhetorical speaking more
fluently than before.
Next study is from Chang in Astikaningrum (2013: 20). In his study
entitled “The Effect of Concept Mapping to Enhance Text Comprehension and
Summarization”, he found a useful graphic strategy for improving text learning.
He also states that combining a spatial learning strategy with a correction method
or scaffolding instruction is a potential approach for optimizing the effects of
concept mapping.
The last study from Lani Suryani (2015: 23). In her study entitled “
IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS BY USING THE MIND MAP
TECHNIQUE”, she use mind mapping technique to improve student reading skill.
She is the writter inspiration to make this title “Improving Student Reading
Comprehension Trough Mind Mapping”.

C. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

A study has suggested that cooperative learning helps in improving

students’comprehension (Hafizah et al., 2010). In the cooperative integrated reading
and composition with mind mapping strategy, students are assigned to groups for
different readings. In the learning process, every student will work in group that
involves cognitive activities such as reading to each other; making predictions about
the conclusions in reading and writing it in the form of a mind map (Figure 1).
Students work in groups as a team to capture the whole main idea and other skills.
According to Elaine and Melissa (2004) each group is responsible in ensuring that all
team members work in groups to read and write.
 Ilustrates that the conceptual framework formed based on the student-centered
learning, According to Arends (2001) constructivist learning can be defined as the
belief that students construct their own knowledge or based on the concept of actively
existing knowledged and experienced. In the cooperative integrated reading and
composition with mind mapping activity, students will follow all instructions from
the teachers, in-group exercises, assessments and quizzes, as well as
acknowledgement for groups based on their achievement average in the cooperative
integrated reading and composition with mind mapping activity.