THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING SIMPLE PAST TENSE BY USING DISCOVERY LEARNING(An Experimental Study at the Eight Grade of SMPN 21 Bekasi)

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Nur Pratiwi1110014000017VI A

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATIONFACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS TRAININGSYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITYJAKARTA2013PAPER OUTLINECHAPTER I: INTRODUCTIONA. Background of the StudyB. Identification of the ProblemC. Limitation of the ResearchD. Formulation of the StudyE. Objective of the StudyF. Significance of the StudyCHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH HYPOTHESISA. Simple Past Tense1. Definition of Simple Past Tense2. Form of Simple Past tense3. Usage of Simple Past Tense4. Discovery Learning5. Definition of Discovery Learning6. Purpose of Discovery Learning7. Teaching Simple Past Tense through Discovery Learning8. Previous Study9. Hypothesis of the ResearchCHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY10. Place and Time of the Study11. Research Method12. Population and Sample13. Techniques of Data Collecting14. Techniques of Data Analysis15. Statistical HypothesisBIBLIOGRAPHYCHAPTER IINTRODUCTION

16. Background of the Study

Nowadays, English becomes one of the international language which used by many people in the world. English fulfills the role that Latin had in the middle ages. The status of English is changing as the world is changing and becoming multicultural around us. Recognizing the role played by English in international communication, the educational systems of the different countries have started teaching it at an ever younger age.It is quite difficult to learn and teach a language, in this case is English, which is not a mother language in one country. Furthermore, in learning English as a foreign language, the students should learn four main skills such as speaking, writing, listening, and writing. Besides, students also have to master the language component like grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, to help their comprehension in learning the four main skills. As one of the language component, grammar considered as the most challenging aspect in learning English. According to Michael Swan, in his book of Practical English Usage, Grammar is the rules that say how words are combined, arranged and changed to show different meanings. Grammar is a component language which too complicated to be learned because of its rules and exception. But grammar is needed in building the other skills in learning English such as writing, speaking, reading, and listening because you cannot use word unless you know how they should be out together. Grammar is a must to be taught in learning English, whether we admit it or not. Moreover, grammar is not just to be learned but it has to be used.For many teachers in a country which learn English as second or foreign language, teaching grammar is teaching its rules. English teachers still use traditional teaching and learning method in teaching grammar whereas that method is no more suitable for teaching grammar in this globalization era. Teachers should leave the teacher-centered learning and emphasis the student-centered learning. The students should be more active than the teacher in the learning process. Teacher could be the facilitator for students in teaching and learning process instead of being the main actor of the learning process. Talking about grammar, we will also talk about tense. Tense is a verb form which shows the time of an action or event, will go (future); is sitting (present); saw (past). According to standard competence and basic competence of School-Level Curriculum for eight grade in Junior High School, it said that students at eight grade are expected to comprehend the narrative and recount text. Both of those texts are mostly written in simple past tense so they must master the simple past tense before they learn how to write narrative and recount text.Teaching simple past tense for eight grade of Junior High School students can be very interesting for students if teachers are creative in creating good situation and condition for learning and teaching process in the class to meet students need. In teaching grammar, in this case is simple past tense, the writer want to avoid teaching grammar by teaching its rules. The writer will try to use Discovery Learning in teaching grammar. According to Jerome Bruner defined that, Discovery learning is an inquiry-based, constructivist theory that takes place in problem solving situations where the learner draws on his or her own past experience and existing knowledge to discover facts and relationship and new truths to be learned.The writer thought that it is important to activate students inquiry in learning grammar through discovery learning. The students will get more comprehensible input in learning grammar using discovery learning because in discovery learning students should find the problem, analyze the problem and get the problem solving by their own ability. By learning using discovery learning, students will put the information they got into the long-term memory. The writer believes that through discovery learning, teaching and learning grammar will be more interesting, fun, and meaningful for the students.Based on the explanation above, the writer would like to apply discovery learning in teaching simple past tense and find the effectiveness of that method. That is the reason why the writer chooses the title of the paper, The Effectiveness in Teaching Simple Past Tense by using Discovery Learning (An Experiment Study at the Eight Grade of SMPN 21 Bekasi)

17. Identification of the ProblemBased on the background above, the problems that can be found by the researcher are:18. The difficulties in teaching grammar for students who learn English as second or foreign language.19. The difficulties in understanding the rules and the exception of the grammar in a sentence.20. The difficulties to find new method which is best to teach grammar instead of using traditional teaching and learning method.

21. Limitation of the ResearchBased on the background of the research above, the writer wants to limit the discussion only on finding the effectiveness of using discovery learning in teaching simple past tense for eight grade students of SMPN 21 Bekasi.22. Formulation of the StudyAs mentioned on the background above, the writer would like to formulate this study as follows:Is the using of discovery learning can be effective in teaching simple past tense?23. Objective of the StudyThe objective of this study is to find out the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of using discovery learning in teaching simple past tense.24. Significance of the StudyThe significance of this study for the writer and English teacher is to increase their knowledge about the new method or alternative method which is best for teaching simple past tense. This study is also expected to help students in increasing their ability to be more active and critical thinking in learning simple past tense.

CHAPTER IILITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH HYPHOTESIS

25. Simple Past Tense26. Definition of Simple Past TenseIn term of definition, different linguist may have different perception about the definition in simple past tense. However, the definitions are more or less the same. Talking about simple past tense, firstly, the writer will define the meaning of tense. Tense is any of the form of a verb that may be used to indicate the time of the action or state expressed by the verb: the present/past/future tense. According to Betty S. Azar, he defines that the simple past tense indicates that an activity or situation began and ended at a particular time in the past. Marcella Frank described that simple past tense represents definite time; it refers to events that were completed before the statement is made. It often accompanied by such expression of definite past as yesterday, last year, two years ago, etc. Furthermore, according to Michael Swan in his book Practical English Usage, he said that the simple past tense is the one most often used to talk about past. It can refer to short, quickly finished actions and events, to longer actions and situations, and to repeated happenings.Referring to those definitions, it can be seen that past tense is used to talk about an action that happened in the past. The use of the past tense only locates the situation that happened in the past, without saying anything about the situation whether it continues to the present and future or not. We also use the simple past tense to describe the events that move story forward. And finally, simple past tense usually uses expression of definite time in the past when action was completed such as yesterday, last week, last year, last summer, etc.27. Form of Simple Past tenseSimple past tense is formed with subject + auxiliary verb did + main verb. Nasrun Mahmud said that the simple tense is formed with the past form of the verbs which may be either regular, i.e. by adding ed to the infinitive form (incidentally, most verb are regular) or irregular which must be learned and memorized in each case. Here we can see examples of the past form and base form for irregular verbs and regular verbs:Table 2.1

V1baseV2pastV3past participle

regular verbworkexplodelikeworkedexplodedlikedworkedexplodedlikedThe past form for all regular verbs ends in -ed.

irregular verbgoseesingwentsawsanggoneseensungThe past form for irregular verbs is variable. You need to learn it by heart.

The structure foraffirmativesentences in the past simple tense is: Subject + main verb (past)The structure fornegativesentences in the past simple tense is:Subject + auxiliary verb (did) + not + main verb (base)The structure forinterrogativesentences in the past simple tense is:Auxiliary verb (did) + subject + main verb (base)The auxiliary verbdidis not conjugated. It is the same for all persons (I did, you did, he did etc). And the base form and past form do not change. Look at these examples with the main verbsgoand work:Table 2.2subjectauxiliary verbmain verb

+Iwentto school.

Youworkedvery hard.

-Shedidnotgowith me.

Wedidnotworkyesterday.

?Didyougoto London?

Didtheyworkat home?

Exception!The verbto beis different. We conjugate the verb to be (I was, you were, he/she/it was, we were, they were); and we donotuse an auxiliary for negative and question sentences. To make a question, we exchange the subject and verb. Look at these examples:Table 2.3subjectmain verb

+I, he/she/itwashere.

You, we, theywerein London.

-I, he/she/itwasnotthere.

You, we, theywerenothappy.

?WasI, he/she/itright?

Wereyou, we, theylate?

28. Usage of Simple Past TenseWe use the past simple tense to talk about an action or a situation - an event - in the past. The event can be short or long. Here are someshortevents with the past simple tense:The car exploded at 9.30am yesterday.She went to the door.

pastpresentfuture

The action is in the past.

Here are somelongevents with the past simple tense:I lived in Bangkok for 10 years.The Jurassic period lasted about 62 million years.

pastpresentfuture

The action is in the past.

Notice that it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in the past, or millions of years in the past. Also it does not matter how long the event is. It can be a few milliseconds (car explosion) or millions of years (Jurassic period). We use the past simple tense when:29. the event isin the past30. the event iscompletely finished31. we say (or understand) thetimeand/orplaceof the eventFurthermore, the use of simple past tense declared by Marcella Frank, The past tense indicates definite time terminating in the past, whether a time word is given or not. The past tense may refer to:32. One event completed in the past: I visited my Uncles house yesterday morning.33. Repeated events completed in the past and no longer happening: When my sister was young, she went playing a doll every day.34. Duration of an event completed in the past: John stayed in Singapore for two years and then he decided to return to Jakarta.Besides, Betty S. Azar stated some usages of simple past tense as follows:35. The simple past tense to talks about activities or situations that began and ended in the past (e.g. yesterday, last night, two days ago). Example: Mary walked downtown yesterday36. To express the duration of an event completed in the past. Example: Shinta was in Paris for two years. (Shinta is in Bandung now)37. To express the habitual action in the past. Example: They always helped us when we were in difficulty.

38. Discovery Learning39. Definition of Discovery LearningDiscovery learning is largely attributed to Jerome Bruner and he said that the real learning takes place when students become problem solvers. As students test hypotheses and develop generalizations, they interact with the environment around them and discover solutions. When they discover their own solutions, they will better remember what was taught.Discovery learning is an inquiry-based learning method. It takes place when a teacher sets up an experiment, acts as a coach, and provides clues along the way to help students come to solutions. In this way, teachers provide students with certain tools for learning a concept, and the students make sense of the tools. Discovery learning is used mostly while students problem solve. It produces students who are constructivists as they work with others and learn from firsthand experiences. New information and skills are discovered as students use prior knowledge and past experiences. Students find problems, gather information, develop hypotheses, and prove their solutions.Referring to the interpretation above, the writer can conclude that the discovery learning mode requires that the student participates in making many of the decisions about what, how, and when something is to be learned and even plays a major role in making such decisions. Instead of being 'told' the content by the teacher, it is expected that the student will have to explore examples and from them 'discover' the principles or concepts, which are to be learned.40. Purpose of Discovery LearningBicknell-Holmes and Hoffman described that, the three main attributes of discovery learning as 1) exploring and problem solving to create, integrate, and generalize knowledge, 2) student driven, interest-based activities in which the student determines the sequence and frequency, and 3) activities to encourage integration of new knowledge into the learners existing knowledge base. Through exploring and problem solving, students take on an active role to create, integrate, and generalize knowledge. Instead of engaging in passively accepting information through lecture or drill and practice, students establish broader applications for skills through activities that encourage risk-taking, problem solving, and an examination of unique experiences. A second attribute of discovery learning is that it encourages students to learn at their own pace. This attribute contributes greatly to student motivation and ownership of their learning. A third major attribute of discovery learning is that it is based on the principle of using existing knowledge as a basis to build new knowledge. Scenarios with which the students are familiar allow the students to build on their existing knowledge by extending what they already know to invent new ideas.41. Teaching Simple Past Tense through Discovery LearningThere are three principles associated with Discovery Learning Theory: 1) instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness), 2) instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student (spiral organization), and 3) Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given). Teaching simple past tense through discovery learning is different with other traditional teaching learning. The most fundamental differences are 1) learning is active rather than passive, 2) learning is process-oriented rather than content-oriented, 3) failure is important, 4) feedback is necessary, and 5) understanding is deeper. In teaching simple past tense, teacher gives a problem with clear direction to the students without explaining the topic they will learn. Teacher can divide the students into a small group so that they will be active in discussion with other friends in learning process. Teachers should control the learning process. When learning process is ongoing, there should be some mistakes or failure that students made. Let the students make failure first, and then teacher can correct it later through positive feedback. Failure is important because cognitive psychologists have shown that failure is central to learning. The focus is learning and just as much learning can be done through failure as success. In fact, if student does not fail while learning, the student probably has not learned something new.In teaching simple past tense by using discovery learning, teacher also can use Bruners theory of instruction that has four parts: curiosity and uncertainty; structure of knowledge; sequencing; and motivation. The first part of Bruners theory was that classes should offer experiences to make students want to learn or be predisposed to learning. Then, he believed that teachers could present any problem to students as long as they simplify it so students can understand it. To do this, it must be represented by either enactive representation (a set of actions), iconic representation (a set of pictures), or symbolic representation (logical statements). Next, students should complete hands-on activities that are concrete. They should have a visual representation of the concept. Finally, it is important that students receive feedback so they can develop knowledge and get deeper understanding.42. The Previous StudyThis research is inspired by some previous researcher about teaching simple past tense with many teaching methods which had conducted by Umi Ruchaniyah, Hizbullah, and Erna Fatmawati. Mrs. Umi Ruchaniyah conducted a research about improving teaching simple past tense by using discovery learning. Mr. Hizbullah conducted a research about teaching simple past tense by using cooperative learning. And Mrs. Erna Fatmawati conducted a research about teaching simple past tense through audio-lingual method.The first research by Umi Ruchaniyah has a purpose to know whether students understanding could be increased by discovery learning or not. This research used Classroom Action Research in 8 grade at SMP Dua Mei. The result of this study showed that the students progress during teaching and learning process using discovery learning to increase students understanding in learning simple past tense was good. It was proved by three data results, observation, interview, and test. The second research by Mr. Hizbullah teaching simple past tense by using cooperative learning was conducted at eight grade of Mts. Pembangunan UIN Jakarta. This research has a purpose for finding the empirical evidence whether or not there is significant difference between students score in learning simple past tense by using cooperative learning, especially using jigsaw technique and using grammar translation method. The techniques of collecting data used in this research are pre-test and post-test. And to analyze the data, the researcher used t-test. The third research by Erna Fatmawati about teaching simple past tense through audio-lingual method was conducted in SMP Islam Al-Fajar Pamulang. This research has a purpose for finding the empirical evidence whether or not there is significant difference between students score in learning simple past tense by using audio-lingual method and using grammar translation method. The design of this research used experimental study. The data collecting in this research is done by the observation and documentation. From the data, it clearly said that teaching simple past tense by using audio-lingual method is more effective that using grammar translation method.43. Hypothesis of the ResearchH1: Teaching simple past tense by using discovery learning is effectiveH0: Teaching simple past tense by using discovery learning is not effective

CHAPTER IIIRESEARCH METHODOLOGY

44. Place and Time of the StudyThe place of this study will conduct in SMPN 21 Bekasi which is located in Villa Indah Permai Regency Teluk Pucung Bekasi Utara. The research will carry out this study from March 5th until April 10th for five meeting in both classes.45. Research Method and DesignIn this research, the writer employs experiment method. The writer will teach simple past tense in two different classes an experiment class and a control class. The experiment class will be conducted by using discovery learning in teaching simple past tense and the control class will be given a technique as what they teacher gave them before. The writer will give the students the pre-test in the beginning of the research to know their comprehension in simple past tense for both classes with the same test. Then, at the end of the research, the writer will held the post-test for both classes to know the comparison of the two classes and their improvement in learning simple past tense after given the discovery learning. The writer will compare the score between the two classes to know which class gets higher score, whether the experiment class or the control class.46. Population and SampleThe population in this research is the second grade students at SMPN 21 Bekasi. The second grade students in that school consists of four classes which have 30 students for every class so the amount of the population is 120 students. The sample will take by purposive random sampling technique which the sample of this research is 60 students included 30 students from 8A class as an experiment class and 30 students from 8B as a control class. 47. Techniques of Data CollectingTo collect the data for this research, the writer will use some instrument as follow:48. TestThe test for this research consists of pre-test and post-test. The writer will make the pre-test which is multiple-choice answer format about simple past tense to know their understanding about simple past tense. Then, in the end of the research, the writer will also make the post-test which is multiple-choice to know their improving in understanding simple past tense. Finally, the writer will compare those two score to know the effectiveness in using discovery learning in teaching simple past tense.49. QuestionnaireThe questionnaire will distribute to the students which consists of the list of the question about their reaction when learning simple past tense by using the previous method that their teacher taught and learning simple past tense by using discovery learning. From that questionnaire, the writer expects to know the students reaction if the writer compares those two methods.

50. Techniques of Data AnalysisFor the techniques of data analysis, the writer used statistical calculation of (t-test) to compare the score to see the average of the gained scores. The higher score indicate the effectiveness. The formula of t-test which will use in this research is: M1 : Mean of the Difference of Experiment ClassM2 : Mean of the Difference of Control ClassSE M1: Standard Error of Experiment ClassSE M2: Standard Error of Control ClassThe procedures of calculation are as follows:51. Determining Mean of Variable X, the formula is: 52. Determining Mean of Variable Y, the formula is: 53. Determining Standard of Deviation Score of Variable X, the formula is: 54. Determining Standard of Deviation Score of Variable Y, the formula is: 55. Determining Standard Error of Mean of Variable X, the formula is: 56. Determining Standard Error of Mean of Variable Y, the formula is: 57. Determining Standard Error of Difference of Mean of Variable X and Variable Y, with formula: 58. Determining with formula: 59. Determining t-table in significance level 5% with Degree of Freedom (df): df = (N1+N2) - 2Variable X: teaching simple past tense by using discovery learningVariable Y: teaching simple past tense by using traditional teaching method

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://publikacio.uni-miskolc.hu/data/ME-PUB-37599/24.pdfMichael Swan, Practical English Usage, (Oxford: University Press, 1980), p.23Penny Ur, Grammar Practice Activities: A Practical Guide for Teachers, (Cambridge: Cambridge