PROBLEMS OF COHESIVE TIES IDENTIFICATION IN UNDERSTANDING READING TEXTS

Abstract

This research was conducted to find out: (1) some problems that might arise during teaching the recognition of cohesive ties to the second year students, (2) those that might arise while students work on texts in groups to recognize the existing cohesive ties, and (3) the students’ opinions and feelings toward teaching the recognition of cohesive ties. The data were taken from one class only of the second year students of SMA Muhammadyah Gisting. Since the focus of this research was on the process of students’ learning and their problems as well as their opinions and feelings toward the material, the researcher employed the descriptively qualitative research design. She came into class as an observer. As instruments in collecting the data, the writer used questionnaires, observation and tests. Questionnaires, before and after the implementation of teaching the recognition of cohesive ties, and the students’ reading texts after the tests were collected in order to make the data more comprehensive. Observation was conducted while the teacher taught cohesive ties to students. After analyzing the result of the research, some conclusions are drawn based on the first questionnaire, that most students did not know what cohesive ties were. Therefore, they could not understand English texts well. After being taught the cohesive ties, the students began to understand texts though not so comprehension. Concerning with the students’ opinions and feelings, the writer found that they were impressed at teaching the recognition of cohesive ties and they stated that, if possible, the cohesive ties could be taught longer at schools so that the cohesive ties might help them to understand the idea, conveyed in reading materials completely. Based on the result of this research, the writer suggests that cohesive ties would better be taught at schools, if possible, in order to make high schools students able to understand the idea in English reading texts well.

Keywords: identification cohesive ties, narrative text, reading.