P-ISSN 2302 2825

JELLi
JOURNAL OF ENGLISH EDUCATION
Vol. 6, No. 1, 2023 - 04 – 05 , hlm. 1 - 10

The Effectiveness Of Small Group Discussion Method On

Reading Comprehension At The Tenth Grade
SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga

Muhammad Khoerul Hadist1, Al Juska Sasni Akbar2, Hidjanah3,

Ana Ratnasari, Siti Nadiatul Husna.
Universitas Muhammadiyah Bogor Raya
[email protected]

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the application of the Small
Group Discussion Technique to students' reading comprehension learning
and to determine the impact of small group discussion on students'
reading comprehension learning at Tenth Grade SMA Negri 1 Jasinga.
The population taken was the tenth grades students of SMA Negeri 1
Jasinga and the sample was class X.4 and X.9. The design of research
was experimental research. In collecting the data, the writer used pre-test
and post-test. To find the significance of the study from experiment class
and control class, the writer used Normality test and T-test. The research
findings indicate that t-test > t-table (5,3 >1,99) It meant Ho was rejected
and HI was accepted. The data showed that student’s mean score in post-
test for Experimental class (74,21) was higher than in Control class
(59,61). Based on the result of this research, it can be concluded there
were effectiveness of small group discussion on reading comprehension at
the tenth grade of SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga.

Keywords: Small group discssion, Reading comprehension,effectivenes)

Diserahkan: 07-04-2023 Disetujui: 27-04-2023. Dipublikasikan: 04-05-2023

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Muhammad Khoerul Hadist1, Al Juska Sasni Akbar2, Hidjanah3,
Ana Ratnasari, Siti Nadiatul Husna.

Introduction
Although not the only language used for intercultural communication,
English is the most common. It is the primary language used in international
trade, shipping, popular music, and sports, while not being used everywhere.
Students must master four languages in order to teach and learn English. These
abilities include speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Students must also
master language components including grammar, pronunciation, and other aspects
of the language in addition to language abilities. Students should be able to
communicate more easily as a result of acquiring language and language skills
components.
Reading comprehension is one of the components of English language
instruction. Reading with the intention of fully understanding a text is what is
meant by "reading with comprehension." By mastering this skill, readers can
experience the writers' thoughts firsthand. According to Linse (2005: 71), reading
comprehension is the process of understanding the main ideas that a writer
conveys to their readers. Reading provides readers with a wealth of knowledge
that can broaden their perspectives on a variety of topics. Reading should have a
purpose because someone with a clear reading objective will comprehend what
they are reading quickly and will be more focused on their goals as a result. So,
we should decide what we want to accomplish before reading. The goal of reading
is to find and acquire the information or knowledge we are looking for. Reading is
done to seek for and receive information or messages that the author is trying to
get through written communication in order to understand and learn.
Reading difficulties are common occur among students. Students struggle
to identify the text's major theme, which is better. It appears that when the teacher
asks the class to identify the text's primary idea, they presume that the text's title is
"gaming ideas". Students find it difficult to access detailed information texts.
They simply read the first sentence of each paragraph of material, even though the
teacher encourages them to absorb the work's overall substance. Finally, the
student's vocabulary is lacking. It appears that the students do not understand the
meaning of the words they are reading while doing so. Students should be able to
read with a wide vocabulary. Assess the depth of the student's comprehension of
the text.
Teachers must assist in facilitating and finding effective methods to
develop students' reading skills and understanding in order to overcome students'
reading problems. It is critical for us and teachers to find simple methods that
students can use to learn to read. Because teaching methods influence student
success, students who use an effective method can better follow the lessons and
improve their reading comprehension. As a result, the writer resolves this issue by
employing the small group discussion method of teaching reading. According to
Brown (2011: 177), a small group discussion method is a group of six or fewer
students who are assigned tasks that require collaboration. According to some
previous studies, there are several methods or strategies that can be used to
improve student reading understanding, among them are joyful learning strategies,
Skimming and scanning techniques and paraphrasing techniques.

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SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga

Even though, the students struggle with reading, in fact they do not
comprehend the material's content, what the text is about, difficult to find main
idea of paragraph and word definitions. It might some issues occurs as reading
comprehensions problems; the first, issues are because the text is uninteresting,
the students are bored reading it. The second, the students have limited vocabulary
so it is difficult to understand the reading of the text.
In senior high school, each student has capacity to read, comprehend, and
then complete the book, in fact, Generally unique. There are students that can
quickly and intelligently comprehend the material in a text while there are other
students who attempt to finish and decipher the texts.

Literature review

a. Reading Comprehension
According to Woolley (2011) that reading comprehension is the process of
making meaning from text. The goal is to gain an overall understanding of what is
described in the text rather than to obtain meaning from isolated words or
sentences. Peter Westwood (2012) stated that Reading comprehension is the
process of making meaning from the text. The goal therefore is to gain an overall
understanding of what is described in the text rather than to obtain meaning from
isolated words or sentences.
In the light of such theory, reading is viewed as a social skill that requires
an active participation, interaction and involvement of learners (Reza &
Mahmood, 2013). That statement, also supported by Horowitz (2014) reading
comprehension is a complex cognitive process that the reader must also be
intentional and thoughtful while reading, monitoring the words and their meaning
as reading progresses. From all definitions above, it can be synthesized that
reading comprehension is someone’s ability in understanding the message from
the written text. The readers who are good in comprehending can organize
between their background knowledge and the message in the text and decide on
the process needed to meet their purpose of reading. The comprehending process
which is focused on how it works guides the readers to comprehend a reading text
systematically. During this process, the reader combines his language skills,
background knowledge and strategies to determine the meaning. Besides, the
reader emphasized the importance of prior knowledge and reading skills in order
to find information in the text.

b. Principles of Reading Comprehension

According to several studies, a variety of factors can affect how well a
reader can comprehend. McLaughlin and Allen contend that the reading concepts
that are supported by research have the greatest impact on reading comprehension
(Rahim, 2002: 3).
1. Understanding is a social constructivist process. constructivist intent is the
use of language and the construction of meaning. Students build the
knowledge that must be obtained by the knowledge they already know.

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Muhammad Khoerul Hadist1, Al Juska Sasni Akbar2, Hidjanah3,
Ana Ratnasari, Siti Nadiatul Husna.

2. The balance of literacy is a curriculum framework that fosters

understanding. The point is that which gives the same position between
reading and writing and recognizing the importance of cognitive and
affective knowledge that makes us involved in the process of reading and
writing directly.
3. The superior reading teacher influences student learning. It means that the
teacher who excels will do the best and provide what their students need to
become successful students.
4. Good readers hold strategic roles in taking an active role in the reading
process. A good reader is a reader who actively participates in the reading
process. They have a clear purpose and monitor the purpose of reading them
from the text they are reading.
5. Reading should occur in a meaningful context. That is, when the reader
reads a text, of course it must have the benefits of the reading and
understand the contents or important things of the text. What is read can be
meaningful.
6. Teaching and developing a vocabulary have an impact on reading
comprehension. It is important to strike a balance between teaching
vocabulary and learning vocabulary from context. Teaching should be
engaging for students, use vocabulary from their readings, and center on
different methods for helping students figure out the meaning of words they
are unfamiliar with.
7. Participation is crucial to the process of comprehending. The idea is that by
actively participating in the reading, readers can develop understanding by
connecting previously learned material to new information. Readers are
involved because they are motivated to read for a number of reasons, using
their prior knowledge to create new understanding and engage in
meaningful social interactions around the reading material.
8. Strategies and understanding skills can be taught. The intention is to link
skills and strategies to make it easier for students to understand strategies
that are generally more complex than understanding skills.

c. Small Group Discussion

Small Group Discussion is a learning process in which students gain the
ability to solve problems related to the subject matter as well as problems
encountered in everyday life. Arends (1997: 201) states that discussion gives
students public opportunities to talk about and play with their own ideas and
provides motivation to engage in discourse beyond in the classroom. It is
supported by Wu (2008) who states small group discussion could stimulate
students to be involved in the active process of constructing knowledge. Sanchez
(2009) defined a small group as having at least three members and no more than
twelve or fifteen members, with each group consisting of 3-6 students. The
technique allows students to actively participate in the learning process, which
saves time. Students in a circle can relate to one another despite distance and other
barriers to learning. As a result, students' achievement and communication will
improve.

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SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga

Furthermore, whether consciously or unconsciously, students learn from

one another during group discussions. As a result, as students successfully share
ideas and experiences, their confidence will gradually grow. One active learning
strategy that can get students involved starts with group-building exercises and
quickly gets them to start considering the material is small group discussions.
Also, there are teaching methods that can be used by the entire class or by smaller
groups (Small Group Discussion). This approach is distinct from the lecture
approach. The conversation method is not as prevalent in the teacher's message.
Typically, the master just directs the discussion's direction and assists in drawing
conclusions from student-led debates.

A. Characteristics of the Small Group Discussion Method

This method is different from the lecture method. In the teacher's message,
the discussion method is not so dominant. Master usually only provides direction
for the course of the discussion and helps conclude results of discussions
conducted by students. In terms of its usefulness, the discussion method is ideal
for the teaching and learning process. But apparently not many teachers use the
discussion method to convey lessons, that's because many teachers do not
understand the discussion method, and yet know the benefits of the discussion
method, and require a lot of time even though hours are limited and not all topics
can be the subject of discussion. In the implementation of the Small Group
Discussion model there is also a pedagogical basis and psychological basis. Small
Group Discussion Models have a group approach.
The types of Small Group Discussion According to Ernest W. Brewer (1997),
small group discussion has three types, as follow
1) Cooperative learning groups
In cooperative learning, a small group of participants work together to
achieve a common goal. Cooperative learning operates on the premise that
participants achieve more when they work together. Positive
interdependence, face-to-face connection among participants, individual
responsibility within the group, and interpersonal and small group abilities
are the objectives of cooperative learning.
2) Problem solving Groups
These groups exist to collaborate, learn, research, and think critically. For
instance, a group of individuals might cooperate to explore solutions to
mathematical issues. The goal of the problem-solving groups is to tackle
actual challenges in life with the right attitude. The participants research
various methods for solving the issue and test them to discover the most
effective one.
3) Groups Investigation
The presenter divides the participants into smaller groups according to areas
of interest. Each group collects information and interprets it according to a
particular category. Following that, the participants get ready and convey
what they learned to the class. The procedure teaches participants how to
cooperate, pay attention to one another, and encourage one another's ideas

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Muhammad Khoerul Hadist1, Al Juska Sasni Akbar2, Hidjanah3,
Ana Ratnasari, Siti Nadiatul Husna.

and work. This is a teaching strategy that improves peer connection while
developing group skills.
B. The Technique of Small Group Discussion
Dobson (1981: 62- 63) as quoted by Antoni (2014: 56) explains that
discussion techniques for use in small group discussion are outlined as
follows: 8 First, Divide the class into small group of three to four students
each. Give each group a different discussion topic that will necessitate
outlining of several important points. Have one student in each group to
write down these points as they emerge from discussion by group members.
Second, Allow the groups to discuss their respective topic for at least 10
minutes. When group member has finished their discussion, they should
elect a spokesman who will report on the group collective thoughts to entire
class. Third, Call on the spokesman of one of the groups. After he gives a
short presentation (five minutes or so), class members should question him
or anyone else in the group in viewpoint expressed. You can help general
discussion along by addressing your own questions to members of the
group. Follow some procedure with the remaining groups until all groups
have given their presentation. The teacher’s help students do the activity
until the end. In this small group discussion learning model, there is some of
the advantages and disadvantages of implementing this discussion method,
that is:
1) Advantages
a) The atmosphere of teaching and learning in the classroom will
develop
b) Give lessons to be tolerant, democratic, critical and systematic
thinking.
c) Conclusions from the problem being discussed students can easily
remember. That's because students follow the flow of thinking and
discussion.
d) Provide experience to students about deliberation
2) Disadvantage
a) The course of the discussion is often dominated by clever students,
thus reducing the chances of other students to participate.
b) The course of the discussion is often influenced by the conversation
deviate and the topic of discussion of the problem, so that widened
discussion.
c) Discussions usually waste more time, so inconsistent with the
principle of efficiency.

Research method

This type of quantitative research used the experimental method. In this

research, the writer divided the students into experimental class and control class.
The writer implemented all group discussions. Then use tests to measure. There
are two kinds of tests in this study, namely pre-test and post-test. The final

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 The Effectiveness Of Small Group Discussion Method On
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SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga

objective is to investigate and explore students' abilities in reading comprehension

through small group discussions. The first, the writer gives a pre-test to students
to measure their ability in reading and understanding. Then, the writer provides
treatment. And finally, the writer gives a post-test to students to see a significant
difference.

Findings

a. The Result of Students’ Pre-test in Experimental and Control Class

The result scores of students’ pre-test in Experimental Class were attach in
the Appendix. It showed that the lowest score of pre-tests in Experimental class
was 16 for 1 student and highest was 70 for 3 students. For the Control Class, it
showed that the lowest score in the pre-test was 20 for 1 student and the highest
score was 78 for 4 students. After assessing the individual score, the writer
calculated the score to get the mean score. It was important to determine the mean
score for both classes and the t-test to measure students’ basic knowledge, to find
out whether the result was significant or not and to be able to make sure whether
the research can be continued or not. Students’ means score for both classes and
the t-test in the pre-test were shown in the following table.
Table 4.4
Students’ result of Mean Score, T-test, and T-table in pre-test

Class Mean Score t-test t-table

Experimental 54,27 -1.32 1.99

Control
59,21

The table showed that the mean score of the students in the Experimental
class was lower than in the Control class. The result of the mean score described the
difference of the students’ basic knowledge. In addition, t-test of the pre-test
between Experimental and Control class was -1.32 and the t-table was 1.99.
Making a conclusion about student’s score was by comparing the t-test and
the t-table. When the result of the t-test was smaller than the t-table, it meant that
there was no significance among the result of the students’ basic knowledge and it
was appropriate for the research to be continued. The table above showed that there
was no significance between students’ scores in the pre-test because the t-test was
smaller than the t-table (-1.31<1.99).

b. The result of Students’ Post Test in Experimental and Control Class

The result scores of students’ post-test in Experimental Class and control
class were attach in the Appendix. It showed that the lowest score of post-tests in

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Muhammad Khoerul Hadist1, Al Juska Sasni Akbar2, Hidjanah3,
Ana Ratnasari, Siti Nadiatul Husna.

Experimental class was 55 for 1 student and highest was 88 for 6 students. For the
Control Class, it showed that the lowest score in the post-test was 32 for 1 student
and the highest score was 76 for 3 students.

Discussion
In Reading Comprehension, the teacher should be innovative enough to
ensure that students are not bored during the teaching and learning process. As a
result, the majority of students believe that Reading Comprehension is a simple
topic. Using the small group discussion technique to teach Reading
Comprehension in the classroom is a suitable method for the active class. This
method can be used in the teaching and learning processes.
The writer presented Small group discussion in teaching reading
comprehension, as well as how to practice this method, during the first meeting.
In addition, it describes the analytical exposition material. The writer provides
text examples for students to read and comprehend. The text is read aloud, and the
students are tasked with determining the generic structure of the analytical
exposition of the text.
After the writer implemented a small group discussion method in teaching
Reading Comprehension, the writer got the data that the students' reading
comprehension ability improved significantly. Students were engaged in the
teaching and learning process through the use of small group discussions. Most
students are engaged in responding to queries from other students or teachers.
Students could also understand the meaning of context without consulting a
dictionary. The writer concludes that was an improvement on students’ ability in
reading comprehension after taught using a small group discussion.
There were several reasons why the Small Group Discussion was helpful
in teaching reading comprehension. That the reasons such as follow:
1. The majority of students claimed that Small Group Discussions make
students more active in class.
2. By using the small group discussion, the students were engaged in learning
to read.
3. The students enjoyed the teaching-learning process by utilizing the small
group discussion.
4. The use of small group discussion techniques makes material easier for
students to understand.
5. It has increased student’s enthusiasm for learning reading comprehension.
6. The students stated Small Group Discussion made the students’ more
participated.
7. Small Group Discussion made the students happy in learning reading
comprehension.
8. Small Group Discussion Technique created the student ideas in learning and
gave the students a lot of information in understanding the text.

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 The Effectiveness Of Small Group Discussion Method On
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SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga

Conclusion
Based on the finding above, it can be concluded that the students’ reading
comprehension taught by using Small Group Discussion Method at the tenth
grades student of SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga, which was the result of data analysis
showed that the mean score of students in Experimental class in the pre-test was
54,27 and 59,21 for Control class. The mean score in post-test for Experimental
class was 74,21 and 59,69 for Control class.
The data showed that students’ score in post-test for Experimental class
was higher than in Control class. It meant that Small Group Discussion more
effective than conventional method in teaching reading comprehension at the
tenth grades student of SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga. And there was significant
difference between students’ reading comprehension taught by using Small group
discussion and conventional at the tenth grades student of SMA Negeri 1 Jasinga.
The data showed that students’ competence in Experimental class was higher than
in Control class. The t-test for both classes in post-test was 5,3 compared to the t-
table with 1, 99 since the score of t-test was larger than the score of t-table, null
hypothesis (Ho) was rejected and alternative hypothesis (H1) was accepted. It
meant that the Small Group Discussion there is effectiveness on reading
comprehension.

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