Developing English reading and writing materials for Automotive Engineering program in vocational high school

Abstract

The aims of this study are: (1) to identify the needs of grade 11 students of Automotive Engineering Study Program in learning reading and writing, and (2) to develop appropriate English reading and writing learning materials. This is research and development that employed Jolly and Bolitho’s model (1998) with some adaptation. The procedure of the development consists of conducting needs analysis, designing the syllabus, developing learning materials, expert judgment, conducting field testing, and materials evaluation. The subject of the research were 64 grade XI students of TKR (Light Vehicle Engineering) at VHS 1 of Purworejo. The instruments used to collect the qualitative and quantitative data are questionnaires, interview guide, and observation sheet. The quantitative data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldana’s data model (2014), namely data condensation, data display, and data conclusion. The needs analysis data indicate that in learning reading, the students want to learn simple instructions and vocabulary items relevant to the automotive field. They also want to learn to write letters and create simple reports that are relevant to automotive field. Regarding the theoretical validation, the appropriateness of learning materials is categorized “very good” according to the expert with the mean score of 3.48 (in the interval 3.28 £ x £ 4). The appropriateness of the learning materials is categorized “very good” according to the students, with the score of 3.54 (in the interval 3.28 £ x £ 4). In general, the developed learning materials are appropriate for grade 11 students of the Automotive Engineering Study Program of VHS 1 of Purworejo.