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National Examination Challenge: Teachers Beliefs towards
Teaching Reading in Indonesia
Intan Kusumawardhani
Universitas Negeri Malang
[email protected]
Erwin Suhendra
Universitas Negeri Malang
Astract: Reading is an important skill to be acquired in second
language
learning. The significance of teaching reading is aimed for
educating students to
face life. However, the eistence of national eamination as a
measurementstandard brings some effects toward teachers! beliefs in
teaching reading"
moreover it is taken as students! final evaluation to pass the
school. The soul of
teaching reading to get students! comprehension of tets can be
damaged since
people are thinking more pragmatic nowada#s. Teachers tend to
change their wa#
in teaching reading when the national eamination da# is closer.
This research
will be conducted descriptivel#, using questionnaire and
interview as the research
instruments. $n order to face the newest curriculum in
$ndonesia, national
eamination is pondered as good to be held as the measurement of
education in
$ndonesia, but the side effects in teaching reading should be
taken as
consideration. This paper is also aimed at finding out solution
for betterment of
education.
Ke! words:%ational &amination, teachers! beliefs, teaching
reading
Reading is an activit# with a purpose in which individual has
his'her own goal in
reading. ( person ma# read in order to gain information or
verif# eisting knowledge, or
aiming at critici)ing a writing!s ideas or writing st#le. (
person ma# also read for *o#ful
activit#, or to enhance knowledge of the language being read
+#rnes, 199-. The purpose for
reading also determines the appropriate approach to reading
comprehension. To achieve
reading comprehension, there are some factors contributing
reading comprehension.
/erfetti, 0arron, and ol) as cited in 0cnamara!s book +2334569
divided the factorsthat contribute to reading comprehension into
two general areas5 processes and knowledge.
/rocesses involve decoding, working memor#, inference making,
and comprehension
monitoring. $n contrast, knowledge factors include word meanings
and domain knowledge
related to the content of what is being read. The teaching of
reading as a foreign language
+&7 reading in $ndonesia can be generall# included in the
teaching of reading
comprehension. This is because it aims to improve the skills of
learners, who have been able
to read in their first language and in &7, in understanding
the meaning of a written tet.
Thus, the term reading in this article refers to the nature of
reading in this sense, not to the
initial reading.
The core curriculum for reading education should equip
graduating teachers to producereaders who are successful in the
classroom and on standardi)ed tests and use reading
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effectivel# to negotiate the world. (ccording to the 2336
&nglish curriculum, the ob*ectives
of &nglish instruction at the two levels of secondar# school
+*unior and senior high are as
follows +Translated from 8epdiknas, 23365 9 and 8epdiknas, 2335
4, originall# written in
slightl# different $ndonesian wordings5 developing communicative
competence in spoken
and written &nglish language which comprises listening,
speaking, reading, and writing,
raising awareness regarding the nature and importance of
&nglish as a foreign language andas a ma*or means for learning,
developing understanding of the interrelation of language and
culture, as well as cross:cultural understanding.
Having a status as a local content in the curriculum,
&nglish in primar# schools is
targeted toward the development of abilit# to understand simple
oral and written &nglish
discourse +;ah#ono, ., 233?. (side with that statement, reading
for second
language learners is arranged as reading to find information,
reading for general
understanding, reading to learn, and reading to critique and
evaluate respectivel# +aville:
Troike, 233?" Arr, 1999. esides, reading abilities is defined as
a means of communication
+ulist#o, 2311.
Research "ethod
Teachers Beliefs on Teaching Reading
Teacher belief is one important thing to be there in teaching
learning process. $t is
associated to the reflection of teachers upon their own actions
in order to make eplicit their
often implicit beliefs s#stems and to help teachers clarif# what
is personall# meaningful and
significant to them in their professional roles +=illiams and
urdens, 1994. Teachers! beliefs
are important in teaching learning activities since it brings
effect towards ever#thing teachers
do in the classroom, eplicitl# or implicitl#.
Benerall#, teachers! beliefs towards teaching reading can be
seen from micro: and
macro:skills for reading comprehension, teaching reading
strateg# derived from rown!s
book +23345C-:C9 those are bottom up and top down processing,
schema theor# and
background knowledge, teaching strategic reading, etensive
reading, fluenc# and reading
rate, focus on vocabular#, the role of affect and culture, adult
and literac# training. $t deals
with language knowledge and also culture knowledge to be brought
in classroom to achieve
students succeeded reading comprehension.
$n $ndonesian contet, teachers! beliefs towards teaching reading
are more alike. The
method and strategies used are not necessaril# different to
teaching reading generall#.
However, the shifted of teachers! beliefs in teaching reading
are shown when students are in
final grade of the school, especiall# for secondar# school. The
goal of reading is to achieve
high score in %ational &amination.
Criteria of Successful Teaching Reading
(s cited from aville:Troike, criteria of successful teaching
reading can be
determined from how a relative beginner can scan tet for a
specific topic or word, and
intermediate 72 learners can comprehend the main ideas and get
some supporting
information, but reading to learn and critical'evaluative
reading are generall# for discourse ortetual schemas and common
technical vocabular#.
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$n $ndonesia, the criteria of successful teaching reading are
not merel# different from
general. The goal actuall# the same, but problem that is faced
b# $ndonesian &7 teachers is
the responsibilit# to make students pass the national
eamination. Therefore, the goal of
teaching reading not onl# for getting information, but how the
wa# students can answer and
notice the possible answers from multiple choices.
National Examination Challenge
The coming of newest curriculum in $ndonesia that is 231
curriculum or abbreviated
as D:1, brings new enlightment towards $ndonesian!s education.
The goal of learning
language as a means for communication along with the spirit of
EAbserving:Fuestioning:
(nal#)ing:&periment:%etworking! is considered can make
betterment for future of
$ndonesia. However, the eisting national eamination is still
being one enem# for teaching
reading.
Concluding remar#s
Reading is an important skill to be acquired in second language
learning. The soul of
teaching reading to get students! comprehension of the tets can
be damaged because of the
eisting national eamination. Teachers change their wa# in
teaching reading when the
national eamination da# is closer. %ational eamination is good
to be held as the
measurement of education in $ndonesia, but the side effects in
teaching reading should be
taken as consideration.
