SRI TATMININGSIH1
Academic Staff of Faculty of Teaching and Education
Sciences, Universitas Terbuka
Cabe Raya Street, Pondok
Cabe, Tangerang 15418
Abstract
This paper is a research finding aimed
at implementing a learning model that used a big book model for improving
children’s reading readiness in kindergarten. This research was employed action
research model from Kemmis and Mc Taggart which divide the action into some
cycles and every cycle consists of some steps namely planning, action,
observation, and reflection. This research method is very appropriate for
implementing a program aimed at improving a program, applying a method or a new
teaching style or approach, developing a teacher’s career, and changing an
attitude or behavior. The focus of this research was the use of big book
approach in an A3 group children. It was conducted in four weeks. At the end of
the actions, based on researcher’s observations and field executers and inter
raters, it can be concluded that all children have a good improvement in their
reading readiness. Even though the improvement occurred in some various ranges
between 6.7 and 16.7 points, the children have performed expected indicators of
reading readiness. The conclusion is also strengthened by the calculation of
statistical analysis with t-test showed that there is a significant difference
(p-value < 1%) at 0,348 point. It means that there is an improvement of
assessment results of the children’s reading readiness before and after the
actions. Therefore, it can be said that the actions have succeeded in improving
the children’s reading readiness and the achievement of the program satisfies
the stated aims.
Key words: big book, Children’s Reading Readiness in Kindergarten
Introduction
Based on the autor’s view, generally the battle of
opinion about the allowness of teaching reading and writing in kindergarten is
still going on.
Some of the experts say that in kindergarten teaching reading and writing
is forbidden because the teaching materials are insuficient for the students in
this age.
Some other experts including the parents of the
students say that reading and writing should be tough to the kindergarten
students because in fact to enroll to a primary school the students must be
able to read and write;
This pro and cont has created a situation in which
most of kindergarten teachers teach reading and writing to their students
without a permission of their supervisors and when the supervisors come they
pretend not to teach reading and writing and they hide their teaching materials.
To bridge this pro and
cont, there is an alternative way that can be done by the teachers that is
using big book. Big book is a picture book chosen
to be enlarged because it has a special quality (can involve students’
attention quickly) (Karges, 1990). Big book is not just a reading material
because it contains a reading strategy in which whole language plays an
important role. By using Big book students will be able to share their
knowledge about words and sentences among them.
Based on
this situation, this research was designed in using an action research way to
apply Big book in kindergarten classes in order to improve the students’ reading
readiness. The result of this research will be useful to widen teachers and
parents’ view about the sufficient simulant in improving students’ reading
readiness.
METHODOLOGY
Design, Location, and Time
The research about Big Book for improving reading readiness is done by
using action research method. Action research is a research about, for, and by
certain society by using direct interaction, participation, and collaboration
between the research and the targeted society and in this case is teacher-teacher. Action research is also
one of strategies to solve the problem by using actual activities and the
development process of skill in detecting and solving the problem. In the
process, all groups involved have to support each other and have to be completed
with facts and developing the analysis skill. In the practice, action research
combines action with the research procedure. This is an effort to solve the
problem as well as finding the scientific support. In the action research method, there is no control
class because this research is a case study.
The involved group tries to
formulate the action or the interventions to solve a problem and then to watch
the practice in order to know the successfulness. The research was done in Ananda kindergarten Universitas
Terbuka (UT) or The Indonesia Open University. The respondents of this
research were kindergarten students in the A3 group which consists of 13
children. Ananda kindergarten UT is located on Tangerang, Indonesia under the
Yayasan Pembina Insan Indonesia (YPII). The research was done in the first semester from July to
October 2008. The
learning activity with Big Book is done everyday every 15 minutes and
continued by a theme which is related to the Big Book. The action is analyzing
the focus of the subject or the participant who involved in this research. In this research the
researcher is the instrument of the research or participatory researcher. The
researcher is acted as the planner and the doer of the research and the teacher
of Ananda kindergarten UT in A3 group is the collaborator who accompanied the
researcher in planning, doing, analyzing/reviewing, and revising the action
done. Further, the headmaster of Ananda kindergarten becomes one of the
informants in doing the research especially in the preparation part. A group of students that is the A3 group becomes the
object of the research and they were given the intervention and being observed
during the research.
Before the research, the
reading readiness of the A3 children is assessed. The earlier assessment is
done to know the data of the first skill of the respondent. The purpose of the
assessment is to keep the planning and the managing program clearer, in the
right direction, and suitable with the goal of the research. The instrument
which is used to collect the data is the reading readiness instrument which has
been tested to the A children of Ananda kindergarten from the previous year. The
result of the assessment will be compared to the final assessment by using t
test and percentage comparison. The purpose of the t test is to know whether
the program which will be used in every cycle will be increased.
Respondents of The Research
1.
The researcher her self that act as a research
instrument (participatory researcher)
The researcher acts as designer and axecuter of the research.
2.
Group A3 Kindergarten Ananda-UT teachers that act as
collaborators that assist the researcher in planning, conducting,
analisyng/reviwing and revising the actions.
3.
Kindergarten Ananda head of school as an expert in
doing this research especially in preparation stage.
4.
Group A3 Kindergarten Ananda
students as research objects that were given intervention and were observed
during the execution of the reserach.
Before the research was conducted, students’
reading readiness in group A3 were assessed. This preliminary assessment was done to obtain
initial data capabilities of the research respondents and it was intended
to make planning and arrangement of the action programs to be more obvious, focused and in line with the research objectives that have been set.
The instrument used to collect
the preliminary assessment data was an instrument to
assess students’ beginning reading
readiness that has been tested to children in group A Kindergarten Ananda
at previous school year.
The results
of the preliminary assessment were compared to
the final assessment by using t test and percentage comparison.
The objective of t test was to determine whether there is an improvement
in kindergarten students reading readiness as a result of the Big Book action
program.
Data Analysis
The data obtained in this study were analyzed qualitatively and
quantitatively. In qualitative analysis, the data in the form of observations
contained in the field notes were analyzed using the method of Miles and
Huberman (1992). This method consists of several components, namely data
reduction, data display and conclusion drawing and verification.
By quantitative analysis, the researcher compared the child’s reading
readiness data obtained from the initial assessment and final assessment (after
the action). This analysis is done by comparing the result of child's reading
readiness assessments at baseline and after the implementation of the action.
Analyses were performed by using a percentage of average results and by using
the t-test.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Reading Readiness
Reading
readiness becomes the part of school readiness. School readiness in some
literature was called just “readiness”.
Commonly, parents and kindergarten teachers think that this readiness as the
ability of the children to participate and success at school. This readiness includes the
ability of the children to finish specific activities and to involve in the
process related to school in certain period of time. The children have
to do it in children care place, playing group, kindergarten, or the first
class of Elementary School. So, readiness is a group of physical development,
cognitive, social, and emotional of the children in certain period of time
(Morison, 1988). On the other hand, Cronbach defines school readiness as the
characteristic or the strength which make something react with specific way
(Dalyono, 1977).
The term of reading readiness can be defined as the
condition which someone is easy to influence or predisposition to get reading
teaching method. This readiness is not only depending on the intelligent,
physical mature level or the muscle and nerve mature level but also depending
on the hearing, sight, the common attitude with mass media, and the knowledge
about letters (Spodek 1978). Wilma
Miller (1997) stated that reading readiness includes several abilities, those
are: visual discrimination, auditory discrimination, oral language skills,
experiential background, left to right progression, picture interpretation,
sequence ability, laterity (ability to discrimination between the left and
right sides of the body), motor coordination and social emotional adjustment.
A child is said
as ready to read if they pass several requirements (Dalman, 1982), those are:
a. Reading interest, which includes the attention in
observing a story, interesting to the picture books and borrowing some of them
to read,
b.
Oral language, which includes: the
ability to say most of words, can communicate orally effectively, and speak
clearly and smoothly.
c.
Hearing
ability, which includes: can hear words in a poem and can differentiate the
spelling
d.
Sight ability, which includes: the
ability to see the different of similar letters and the ability to see the
different of similar pattern of word.
e.
Scrutinize, which includes: the ability
to memorize the story, the ability to follow simple orders, and the ability to
memorize the series of event.
f.
Orientation from the left to the right,
which includes: watch closely to the series of picture from the left to the
right and recognize the series of letter in a word from the left to the right.
g.
The knowledge of letter, which
includes: the ability to mention each letter, the ability to show the letter,
the ability to write down from the capital letter to small letter, and the
ability to associate the spoken spelling into letters.
h.
Emotional and social factor, which
includes: the ability to work in a group, the ability to show manner, the
ability to work by themselves, and the ability to responsible toward job given.
If we see it from the children’s development point of
view, the time when they born up to 6 years old is the most important period
for the cognitive development to understand literature (listen-read, write, and
speak) (Teale & Sulzy, 1990). According to Teale, reading subject in first
class of Elementary School is too late. It is better for the children to know
about literature since they were born. On the other hand, many people said that
the hearing and speaking ability is a must to be given earlier and reading and
writing ability can be given later when they are in the Elementary School. This
statement is different if it is compared to the educational expert who said
that all of literature abilities have to be given in the same time because
those abilities affect each other and develop in the same time.
Many experts believe that children have a great
potential to learn literature as long as they are treated in the right manner.
It can be caused by several things:
a.
Children learn naturally
b.
Children know a lot about literacy
before kindergarten
c.
All children can learn
d.
Children learn best when learning is
kept whole, meaningful, interesting and functional
e.
Children learn best when they make their
own choices
f.
Children learn best in a community of
learners in a non competitive environment
g.
Children learn best by talking and doing
in a social context
Fisher (1991) also stated the statement from the
experts about the present of literature, which is:
a.
Literature
learning begins far away before children get the formal learning
b.
Literature
development is the suitable way to describe the reading readiness in which when
the children develop as a writer or a reader.
c.
Literature
develops in the setting of life in order to finish something.
d.
Children have
cognitive development in literature development, since they born up to 6 years
old.
e.
Children learn
written language through their activities with their world.
Although, the literature learning can be described in
general steps, children can pass those steps in different types of way.
Big
Book
Big Book is a book with picture which chosen because
of its special quality (Karges & Bone 1992), those are including:
1.
A
Big Book has involved the children attractiveness fast because of the pictures.
2.
Consist
of interesting rhyme for children and it makes the written text easy to
memorize.
3.
It
has big size of pictures.
4.
There
is a repeatedly written text.
5.
It
has a planted phrase and most of them are repeated.
6.
t
has plot and clear and simple story.
7.
Commonly
it involves comedy.
There is no exact size about Big Book. Several Big
Books out there have different size. There is a Big Book in A3 and bigger than
that. The size of Big Book which is used by the researcher is 60x40 cm. Every
Big Book consists of 5 up to 15 pages along with big illustration and big
written text. The sentence in every Big Book is still a simple and short
sentence. The illustration in every page is bigger than the written text. The
cover is laminated to keep it strong.
Big Book is a concept, strategy and learning medium
coming from foreign country. The learning activity by using Big Book is done in
fun through playing activity. But, the activity of the kindergarten with Big
Book has to be managed with the latest curriculum. It means that the reading
and writing activity in the kindergarten is only an introduction. This Big Book
can be used to support learning process in a kindergarten and one of the
functions is to increase the reading readiness.
Learning process by using Big Book is used whole
language philosophy which based on the whole aspects of language ability. The
learning ability with Big Book (Fisher 1991) consists of:
Pre-reading
activity before reading Big Book, the activity consists of:
Introducing the part of Big Book such as showing the
front cover, pages, the upper part, and the bottom part of Big Book, the back
cover and how to open the book in the right way, showing the front cover,
creating a conducive to get a great discussion with the children by giving a
comment on the illustration or the picture with the word in the front cover.
The teacher tells the title of the book, the writer, and the illustrator loudly.
Then, they ask about the possible story of the book based on the title and the
illustration from the front cover.
Reading
The Complete Story
This activity is done when the teacher read the story
continuously from the first page up to the last page. The teacher can stop in
certain page and ask the children to guess the text in the next page or give
additional information about the story or the illustration. The teacher reads the
story loudly along with interesting expression and intonation.
Re-Reading
Activity
This activity is done by repeating the story page by
page. The teacher shows the words and says it clearly. The teacher asks the
comment from the children and stop for awhile in the certain page to give a
chance to the children to memorize and guess the next words.
After
Reading Activity
The activity is discussing the keyword in the story
and helping the children to connect one concept with another concept. Next, the
teacher and children read the story together. The teacher gives stressing in the
way to read and gives a correction about the way to read in comfortable way.
Cloze
Activities
Cloze activities are done with various types of
interesting activities based on the area. The teacher can give guessing word
game, bolding the words game, arranging the words game, completing the missing
words, coloring picture, cutting, folding, adhering, drawing, drama playing,
pantomime, imitating certain character in Big Book, drawing with finger, sand
playing, painting, and putting number to the picture, arranging geometry, story
telling, and many more based on the area.
The Result
Qualitative research results obtained
from field notes made by teachers and researchers can be formulated this way:
the use of a Big Book in learning activities in kindergarten can be used to
improve the child’s reading readiness. This learning model can be adapted into
daily teaching activities. Teaching activities include opening activities
consist of morning prayers, say hello and checking on the student
presence/absence, sing children's songs which fits their age and appreciate it.
Core activities that includes several activities of the Big Book consists of
pre-reading activities, read together, repeat reading the source, after reading
and closing activities consist of several number of activities carried out in
certain area, that is: the area of literacy,
numeracy, blocks, art, and acting. During these core activities teachers must
able to demonstrate interesting and attractive reading activities, actively
involving children, giving children the opportunity to guess the content of a
story or predicting it, correcting the wrong expression and using media, tools
and resources accordingly. Closing activities includes providing children
motivation, assessing student work, read after school poetry, evaluating, and
say closing salutation. In carrying out all these activities, teachers should
pay attention to the variety of personal styles while teaching, these were
including variations of tone, volume and tempo of reading, expression change
and gestures or facial expressions, changes in position while reading, and give
an eye contact to each child.
As mentioned earlier that this
research does not stop at the qualitative data but also involving the use of
quantitative data to reinforce the belief that the strategy employed was
successful and was scientifically proven through quantitative research
procedures.
The quantitative results of the study
was seen by comparing the percentage of the child’s reading readiness, between
the results of the initial assessment and the results after the implementation
of the action. It can be seen in Table 1. The data shows that every child
reading readiness has increased significantly, ranging between 6.7 points to
16.7 points. To be clearer, the data is illustrated by the graph presented in
Figure 2.
Table no 1: Comparison of the
average score assessments before and after the action (in percent)
Subject
|
Early
Score
|
Final
Score
|
Improvement
|
1.
|
45
|
61,3
|
16,3
|
2.
|
39
|
51
|
12
|
3.
|
38
|
50,3
|
12,3
|
4.
|
49,3
|
63,3
|
14
|
5.
|
42,7
|
55,3
|
12,7
|
6.
|
44,3
|
59,7
|
15,3
|
7.
|
31
|
45,3
|
14,3
|
8.
|
49
|
67,3
|
18,3
|
9.
|
33,3
|
47,3
|
14
|
10.
|
43,3
|
60
|
16,7
|
11.
|
41
|
57
|
16
|
12.
|
34,3
|
51
|
16,7
|
13.
|
9,7
|
16,3
|
6,7
|
Description:
Subject: Children
Early
Score: The average score obtained by each child before the implementation of action
Final
Score: The average score obtained by each child after the implementation of action
Figure 2
Chart reading on the result of the child’s reading
readiness before and after the implementation of the action
From the figure above, it is quite clear that the
child’s reading readiness after the implementation of actions has increased
significantly despite the increase varies but overall it appears that the
learning activitie using Big Book approach that is applied in the model area
can improve the child’s reading readiness.
Furthermore,
to strengthen the analysis, the results of the calculation of normality test
and the average difference test using t-test against the average child's
reading readiness assessments at the early condition compared with reading
readiness assessment results after the implementation of the action, are also
presented.
Based on the average pair, the differences between the
test result on early child's reading readiness assessment, and the data after
the implementation of the action shown that there was a significant difference
(p-value <1 0.348="" accordance="" action.="" action="" after="" an="" and="" as="" assessment="" be="" can="" child="" condition="" early="" execution="" implementation="" improving="" in="" increase="" intended="" is="" it="" means="" much="" of="" points.="" purpose.="" quite="" readiness="" reading="" result="" results="" s="" said="" span="" successful="" that="" the="" there="" this="" thus="" was="" with="">
Conclusion
This conclusion based on the result of the study can
be taken a conclusion as follows.
1.
Research the action was carried out for four weeks or 19 meetings. The result
showed that the activity of learning through the use of the approach of big
book can improving readiness read children. Its implementation will be most
effective if activities of learning applied in accordance with proper steps.
Among others include activities (consisting of praying, the opening present,
and give salutations singing according to the theme song children and apperception
), according to the theme the activities of the nucleus consisting of pre-reading
activity, read together, the repetition of reading, after reading and
activities of the involve are in the form of cloze activities done in the area
and activities a covering consisting of the administration of strengthening on
child, appraise the outcome of the work of children, give rhyme school, cover
the, and give salutations. In addition,
to make it more effective teachers must demonstrate reading with interesting
and attractive, engaging children actively, correcting the wrong child,
greeting and use of media, tools and resources that are appropriate. All the
components must be made of teachers with variations in price and style of the
variation in tone, volume and tempo in reading, facial and body motion changes,
changes its position and make contact with a child's perspective.
2.
At the end of the implementation of the Act, based on the observations of the
researchers and implementers as well as the interater field obtained that all
children have an increased readiness in reading. Despite its increase occurs in
a range that varies between 6.7 to 16.7 points. The children have shown
readiness indicator reading is expected. This conclusion is also reinforced by
the results of the calculation with a statistical analysis of the test t
(t-test) which indicates that there is a significant difference (p-value & < 1%) amounting to 0,348 points. This means that there
is an increasing readiness assessment results read the child before and after
the implementation of the action. Thus it can be said that the implementation
of the Act has managed to increase the readiness of reading and the results
achieved in accordance with the intended purpose
3.
Based on the data qualitative obtained by observation, seemed that teacher for
conducting activities of learning by the use of big book, teachers need to
understand beforehand about the concept of learning big book. Besides the
teacher have to be creative in creating a variety of activities (especially on
a stage a close activities ) that are seamless and associated with the theme
big book that is being used at that time so that, in the event of learning will
be many stimuli for readiness to read children in particular and child
development completely.
4.
The use of big book in their experiences in the tk will be more add alternative
learning in kindergarten and by the presence of an activity that varies make learning
activities become more attractive and exciting so that the optimization of the
capability of a child could be more effective.
5.
The teacher could develop big book his own adapted to the theme and the
condition of his school each and adapted to the terms of big book.
Recommendation
The use of big books in the learning activities in
kindergarten can be applied in various situations. In this case it takes
creativity of teacher to create more play and learn activities that vary by
utilizing the tools and materials available so that the activities become more
interesting and fun for children. In this way, the stimulus provided the easier
it responded to complaints by children so that each child's abilities will be
developed optimally
Learning to use big book can be applied to every kindergarten
can apply it. This is because the big book that can be created by teachers with
materials that are relatively inexpensive with the story developed by teachers
in accordance with the circumstances and local conditions. Before deciding to
use big book should every teacher and head of TK need to study theoretically
the very substance of the approach of the big book and how the implementation
of the lesson so that teachers can implement it with appropriate measures.
Reading readiness as part of school readiness need to
stimulated as early as possible to avoid an element of coercion. Stimulation
given should be in the form of activities that are enjoyable and compelling
that the optimization of the capability of children particularly readiness read
it better. Besides the need of cooperation between parties educational
institutions and the parents so as to stimuli given in school can be followed
up again at home so does not occur the gap between education and learning
applied in schools and education and learning carried out of the house.
Following are photos
implementation of activities with big book learning
The teacher
read a big book with a loud voice (Shared reading Activities)
One of the
children read the Big Book (activity after reading)
Introduce the
letter in the name of the day (Cloze Activities)
Introduce the
letters on the name of child ( cloze
activities )
References
Bernard S. 1978. Teaching In the Early Years. New
jersey: Prentice Hall.
Bobby F. 1991. Joyful Learning, A Whole Language Kindergarten. USA: Heinemann.
Dalyono. 1977. Psikologi Pendidikan.
Jakarta: Rineka Cipta.
Departeman Pendidikan dan kebudayaan,
(1999), Penelitian Tindakan (Action Research), Jakarta: Ditjen Dasmen,
Dit Dik Menum
Dorothy SS, Lesley MM. 1990. Emerging Literacy: Young Children Learn to Read and Write. Delaware: International
Reading Association.
George SM. 1988. Early Childhood Education Today. Ohio: Merril
Publishing Company.
L. Karges, Bone. 1992. Bring
on the big books, the reading teacher.
Sidney.
Martha D, et al. 1982. The Teaching of Reading. New York: CBS College Publishing.
Miles, Matthew B,
Huberman AM. 1992. Analisis
Data Kualitatif. Translate
by Tjetjep Rohendi Rohidi. Jakarta: Universitas Indonesia Press.
Artikel ini telah diseminarkan dan dimuat dalam Proceeding International Conference on Educational Research and Innovation (ICERI 2013) ISBN 978-602-7981-04-1 dengan tema: "Strengthening the Ties Between Education and Research" pada tanggal 16-17 Mei 2013 di Universitas Negeri Yogjakarta- Indonesia
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