Teaching and learning process of test-taking strategies in answering reading comprehension section

Elika Aji Zulmaini

doi:10.15294/elt.v10i2.43281

Abstract

The study was aimed at finding the difficulties faced by test takers in Reading Comprehension section of TOEFL and describing the teaching and learning process of test-taking strategies of Reading Comprehension section of TOEFL. This study used qualitative research design. To collect the data, the researchers used document analysis and observation as the instrument of the study. The subjects of this study were the students or test takers and a teacher or tutor in TOEFL preparation class. The study showed the range of difficulty faced by students or test takers are skill 6 (57.14%), skill 8 (50%), skill 7, 9, 10, and 11 (33.3%), skill 3 (31%), skill 4 and 12 (16.7%), skill 1 (8.3%), and skill 5 (0%). In teaching and learning strategies, the Planning Strategy was applied in skills 1, 3, 9, 6, 7, 4, 5, and 8. Monitoring Strategies was applied in in skills 1, 3, 9, 6, and 4. Comprehending strategy was used in skills 1, 3, 6, 7, 4, 10, and 11. Retrieval Strategy was applied in skills 9, 5, and 8. Socioaffective strategy was applied in skill 9. Test-wiseness strategy was applied in skills 1, 3, and 9. Based on findings, the researchers found that there is still high percentage of difficult skills faced by students or test takers and more than one strategies were applied in almost every skill of the Reading Comprehension Section of TOEFL.

Highlights

English is an important language in the world as it is used as an international language
Farha & Rohani (2019) have stated that “Reading is the process of connecting written symbols with reader’s knowledge to comprehend the content of the text.”As Abboud & Hussein (2011) found that “The difficulty in time allotted for each section with percentages shows that Listening Comprehension section has 70% difficulty percentage, Structure and Written Expression section has 68% difficulty percentage, and Reading Comprehension section has 77% difficulty precentage.” From the difficulties in taking this Reading Comprehension section, the researchers is interested in investigating the difficulties and the strategies in answering the Reading Comprehension section
AND DISCUSSION The difficulties faced by test takers in answering the Reading Comprehension section

Summary

Introduction

English is an important language in the world as it is used as an international language. Because English is not the first language in Indonesia, some Indonesian people are having difficulties in taking this test, which one of the sections is the Reading Comprehension section. 110-138) From the difficulties in taking this Reading Comprehension section, the researchers is interested in investigating the difficulties and the strategies in answering the Reading Comprehension section. The researchers has formed two statements of the problem that are used to guide this research. They are (1) What are the difficulties faced by test takers in answering the Reading Comprehension? (2) How is the teaching and learning process of test-taking strategies in answering the Reading Comprehension section? They are (1) What are the difficulties faced by test takers in answering the Reading Comprehension? (2) How is the teaching and learning process of test-taking strategies in answering the Reading Comprehension section?

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion