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THE DESCRIPTION OF TEACHER’S THINK ALOUD STRATEGY IN
TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION AT TENTH GRADE
OF SMK NEGERI 1 SITOLU ORI IN 2022/2023
Erdin Ziliwu
1
, Adieli Laoli
2
, Afore Tahir Harefa
3
, Yasminar Amaerita Telaumbanua
4
1, 2, 3, 4
English Education Study Program, Universitas Nias
Jl. Yos Sudarso 118 E/S Gunungsitoli, Nias 22812
1
Email: [email protected]
2
Email: [email protected]
3
Email: [email protected]
4
Email: yannaqueence[email protected]
ABSTRAK
Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan penggunaan Strategi Think Aloud dalam
mengajar pemahaman membaca dan untuk mendeskripsikan kelebihan dan kelemahan dari
Strategi Think Aloud dalam pemahaman membaca kepada siswa. Dalam melaksanakan penelitian,
peneliti menggunakan penelitian kualitatif. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa implementasi Strategi Think
Aloud oleh guru diadaptasi dari teori Bahri, et al. (2018). Ada 6 kegiatan yang telah dilakukan
oleh guru dan 1 kegiatan yang belum dilakukan oleh guru. Kelebihan dari Strategi Think Aloud
dalam mengajar pemahaman membaca adalah siswa lebih cepat menemukan gagasan pokok dari
teks, meningkatkan cara berpikir siswa, siswa aktif dalam belajar, dan siswa mendapatkan kosa
kata baru. kelemahan dari Strategi Think Aloud adalah tidak semua siswa bisa mengikuti strategi
ini terutama dalam memberikan pendapat terkait pertanyaan guru dan siswa yang memiliki tingkat
pemahaman lemah membutuhkan waktu yang lama dalam menjawab pertanyaan.
Kata Kunci: Pemahaman Membaca; Strategi Think Aloud; Teks Narasi.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 CC BY-SA International License.
ABSTRACT
The aim of research is to describe the using of teacher’s Think Aloud Strategy in Teaching Reading
Comprehension and to describe the advantages and disadvantages of Think Aloud Strategy in
Teaching Reading Comprehension for students. In conducting the research, the researcher used
qualitative research. The result showed that the implementation of Think Aloud Strategy by teacher
adapted from theory of Bahri, et al. (2018). There were 6 activities that have been done and 1
activity that has not been done by teacher. The advantage of using Think Aloud Strategy in
teaching reading comprehension were students more quickly find main ideas from text, improves
students' way of thinking, students are active in learning, and students get new vocabulary. The
disadvantage of Think Aloud Strategy were not all students could follow this strategy especially in
giving opinion and students whose level of understanding is lack need the long time to answer
questions.
Keyword: Reading Comprehension; Think Aloud Strategy; Narrative Text.
INTRODUCTION
According to the English curriculum for the secondary level (Kemendikbud, 2013a;
Kemendikbud, 2013b; Kemendiknas, 2006), the teaching of reading is directed to enable
students to read effectively to achieve reading comprehension. One of the teacher’s
strategies in teaching reading comprehension is Think Aloud Strategy. Think Aloud
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Strategy is a strategy that involves the process of thinking in reading. It involves the
articulation of thinking, and has been identified as an effective instructional tool. Think
Aloud Strategy requires readers to pause during reading to think, reflect, and discuss their
process. According to Sönmez and Sulak (2018), Think Aloud Strategy is the most
effective strategy to inform readers who have problems in reading comprehension, about
their reading process. It provides opportunity for the teacher to ask questions for the
students related to the content of the text with the aim to encourage students’ thought
during reading. In this strategy, teachers read the text aloud to open up students’ mind
when they read the text. Meanwhile, students read the same text silently. Besides, the
students are quiet listeners and focus on how their teachers explaining.
Think-aloud is one type of verbal report in which an individual expresses everything
that he or she is thinking as she performs a given task. Dr. Tien (2020) argues, Think-aloud
Technique is a way for enabling the understanding of the causes of comprehension
problems and make informed decisions about subsequent instruction because learners will
be able to see the reasoning their teacher, a more experienced reader, is using while she is
reading. In addition, Mofid (2019) argues, “Think Aloud is one of the “transactional
strategies” because it is a joint process of teachers and students working together to
contract understandings of text as they interact with it” where the interaction that think
aloud promotes a better understanding of the texts may emerge in the classroom.
It’s supported by Gunning (1996) in Dr. Tien P (2021) Think-aloud is used to model
comprehension processes such as making predictions, creating images, linking information
in a text with prior knowledge, monitoring comprehension, and overcoming problems with
word recognition or comprehension. Nurdianti, et al. (2019) argue, people get the
information of the written text by reading comprehension where comprehension is the aim
of reading activity. It is supported by Sonmez and Sulak (2018) stating that reading
comprehension refers to the fact that a reader reaches new conception by synthesizing what
has been learned and read from the sources (visual and written). In line with these theories,
Haris and Hodges (2011:9) in Laoli and Zebua (2022) state that reading comprehension is
the construction of meaning of written or spoken communication through a reciprocal and
holistic interchange of ideas between the interpreter and message.
Based on observation conducted by the researcher during Internship III course at
SMK Negeri 1 Sitolu Ori on March 24, 2022 and April 7, 2022 in class X TKJ 1, the
researcher found that the students had difficulty in understanding the content of text given
by the teacher where some of the students were not able to answer the teacher’s questions
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orally. It proved that the students’ comprehension in reading was less. In conducting the
teaching learning process especially in teaching reading comprehension, the researcher
used Think Aloud Strategy. It was supported by the result of interview conducted by the
researcher where the English teacher stated that not all of students could follow Think
Aloud Strategy that affected the students’ comprehension in reading. This was due to the
different levels of intelligence or ways of thinking of students. Students who have a high
level of understanding could follow this think aloud strategy, but students who lack
understanding had the difficulty to comprehend it.
Related to this problem, there are several researches about teacher’s Think Aloud
Strategy in teaching reading comprehension have been conducted by several researchers.
Harefa (2018) who conducted research at SMP Negeri 2 Gunungsitoli regarding the use of
Think Aloud Strategy in teaching reading comprehension, the result of this research
showed that the use of Think Aloud Strategy in teaching reading comprehension increases
the students’ ability in reading comprehension in narrative text especially in fairytale at the
eighth grade of SMP Negeri 2 Gunungsitoli Utara in 2017/2018.
In addition, Sommez and Sulak (2018) entitled: The Effect of the Thinking-aloud
Strategy on the Reading Comprehension Skills of 4th Grade Primary School Students. The
research was purposed to examine the effect of the thinking aloud strategy on the reading
comprehension skills of the 4th grade primary school students. The result of this research
showed that the teaching of the thinking-aloud strategy has positively developed the
reading comprehension skills of the students. The importance of the use and teaching of
the thinking-aloud strategy can be better understood considering its benefits such as; this
strategy improves the social interaction of the students, it activates self-regulation strategy
of students when encountered with comprehension difficulties, and students encouraged to
think-aloud are more successful than other students in summarizing.
Bahri, et al. (2018) also conducted the research entitled: Using the Think Aloud
Method in Teaching Reading Comprehension. The result of this research showed that the
use of this method could significantly improve the students’ reading comprehension at the
school under study. It means that Think Aloud Method can be used to improve the ability
of eighth grade students in EFL reading comprehension. In addition, Bahri, et al. (2018)
state that Think Aloud method can increase the student co-operation and communication
skills in the groups and develop instructional opportunities. It does not only increase their
interactions but also their motivation to find the answer to the questions in their
discussions.
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Based on the previous researches above, it is concluded that all of them say that
Think Aloud Strategy is the good strategy in teaching reading comprehension. In addition,
one of them says that Think Aloud Strategy is not only as the good strategy in teaching
reading comprehension but also can increase the student co-operation and communication
skills in the groups and develop instructional opportunities. Therefore, from the researches
results above there were a slight difference found by the researcher that could be used as a
reproach for research.
Therefore, the researcher has conducted the research to describe teacher’s Think
Aloud Strategy in teaching reading comprehension. In conducting the research, the
researcher used qualitative research to describe teacher’s Think Aloud Strategy in teaching
reading comprehension at tenth grade of SMK Negeri 1 Sitolu Ori in 2022/2023.
RESEARCH METHOD
In conducting the research, the researcher used the qualitative research. According to
Shank (2002:5) in Telaumbanua, et al. (2022) defines qualitative research as “A form of
systematic empirical inquiry into meaning”. In addition, Moleong (2003:3) in
Telaumbanua, et al. (2022) says “A qualitative research deals with a kind of research
which does not use statistic procedures in analyzing the data. It’s supported by Harefa
(2018) argues, qualitative research is a kind of the research which focus on describing,
analyzing and interpreting the subject matter of research.
Therefore, to describe teacher’s Think Aloud Strategy in teaching reading
comprehension, the researcher used descriptive analysis. It is one of qualitative research’s
types. Waliman (2011:10) in Telaumbanua, et al. (2022) states that descriptive analysis
attempts to examine the situations in order to describe the norm. Besides, Gay and Airasian
(2000:11) in Telaumbanua, et al. (2022) say “Descriptive research used to describe,
investigate and study cause effect. Qualitative research aims to describe, analyze, and
interpret about the problem or phenomenon occurs in the fact. The result of qualitative
research must be clear, logic, and systematic accordance with reality.
The location of this research was SMK Negeri 1 Sitolu Ori. This school is located at
Jln. Gunungsitoli-Lotu Km.26, Hilisaloo, Sitolu Ori subdistrict, North Nias. The research
conducted by the researcher on May until June 2023. In this research, the researcher used
three instruments, namely: observation checklist, field notes, and transcript of interview. In
collecting the data, the researcher used two techniques, namely: observation and interview.
Observation is used by the researcher to get the data related to how Think Aloud Strategy
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implemented by the teacher in teaching reading comprehension. Meanwhile, interview is
the interaction between the interviewer and the informant. In interview, the researcher
interviewed the English teacher as informant.
Furthermore, the researcher analyzed the data by using the theory adapted from
Azahra and Rohman in Prenika and Taroreh (2023), they are: data reduction, data display
(Data presentation), and conclusion drawing or verification.
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
The Result of Observation Checklist and Field Notes
In implementing Think Aloud Strategy in teaching reading comprehension, the
teacher used the theory adapted from Bahri, et al. (2018) say that there are several steps of
Think Aloud Strategy as follows.
1. The teacher begins by reading a text and along the way;
2. The teacher clarifies and explains new vocabulary and unfamiliar sentence construction
to the students.
3. After reading the text, the teacher establishes some questions to encourage thinking
aloud, by asking questions for the students to answer by themselves: What do I know
about this topic? What will I learn about this topic? Do I understand what I just read?
Do I have a clear picture in my head about this information? What more can I do to
understand this? What were the most important points in this reading? What new
information did I learn? How does it fit in with what I already know?
4. The teacher gives the students some time to answer them, and give feedback to students
who need assistance.
5. After that, the teacher re-read some selected passages aloud while the students read the
same text silently. At certain points, she stops and asks the students to think aloud of the
answers to some of her questions.
6. During the teaching and learning process, the teacher shows how good readers monitor
their understanding by re-reading a sentence, reading ahead to clarify, and looking for
context clues.
7. Then, students learn to provide answers verbally to the questions as the teacher directs
the think-aloud.
Based on the theory above, the researcher formulated it in the form of observation
checklist as presented in the table on the next page.
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Table 1. The implementation of Think Aloud Strategy in teaching reading comprehension
No
The procedures of Think Aloud Strategy
Done
Undone
1
The teacher began by reading a text and along the way.
✓
2
The teacher clarified and explained new vocabulary and
unfamiliar sentence construction to the students.
✓
3
After reading the text, the teacher established some questions to
encourage thinking aloud, by asking questions for the students to
answer by themselves.
✓
4
She gave the students some time to answer them, and gave
feedback to students who need assistance.
✓
5
The teacher re-read some selected passages aloud while the
students read the same text silently. At certain points, she
stopped and asked the students to think aloud of the answers to
some of her questions.
✓
6
During the teaching and learning process, the teacher showed
how good readers monitor their understanding by re-reading a
sentence, reading ahead to clarify, and looking for context clues.
✓
7
Then, students learned to provide answers verbally to the
questions as the teacher directs the think-aloud.
✓
Based on the result of observation checklist above, there were 6 activities that have
been done by the teacher and 1 activity that has not been done. The teacher did not clarify
and explain new vocabulary and foreign sentence constructions to students because the
teacher assumed that students already understood about the story of Maling Kundang. It
was the story used by the teacher when implementing Think Aloud Strategy in teaching
reading comprehension. This is written in the field notes as presented in the table below.
Table 2. Field Notes
No
Note Description
1
The teacher did not clarify and explain new vocabulary and unfamiliar sentence
construction to the students.
The English Teacher’s Interview Result
In conducting interview, the researcher asked all of the questions that has been
prepared and validated previously. It was related to the teacher's Think Aloud Strategy in
teaching reading comprehension. The result of interviews is presented in the table below.
Table 3. Teacher’s Interview Result
No
Answer
1
In my opinion, the implementation of Think Aloud
Strategy in teaching reading comprehension can be done
by selecting reading books that are appropriate to the
student's level. Then, start by reading a text then give
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instructions to students to read the text. After that,
confirm with students or clarify and explain the new
vocabulary to students. Furthermore, to train students'
thinking processes, a number of questions should be
asked to students about the text they read to find out their
understanding of the text. After that students will be
given the opportunity to answer according to their
understanding during the strategy implementation
process.
2
In my opinion, Think Aloud Strategy is effective to
encourage students' thinking processes, training students
to draw conclusions or information quickly after reading.
3
There are several advantages of using Think Aloud
Strategy in learning reading comprehension, they are: it
makes students find out main ideas or information from
reading texts quickly, then improves students' way of
thinking. Here students will be required to be active in
learning. They will look for vocabulary that is difficult
and that can increase students' mastery of new
vocabulary. Of course here as a teacher I always mark the
important things in the texts for students to think hard
about. In thinking aloud students will not only find the
terms in the text but ask them to examine parts of the text
to get the real meaning.
4
In implementing the think aloud strategy, apart from its
advantages, I also found the disadvantages in
implementing this strategy. Not all students could follow
this strategy. This is due to the different levels of
intelligence or ways of thinking of students. Students who
have a high level of understanding could follow this
Think Aloud Strategy, but students who lack
understanding faced a little difficulty. Besides, students
whose level of understanding is lack need the long time to
answer the questions so that the students need the
teacher’s help to direct students in answering the
questions given by the teacher.
5
Yes, I am. The challenge that I faced in implementing
Think Aloud Strategy was the difference of students’
ability in thinking. There were several of students who
have the ability in thinking were fast or good and several
of them also were lack. It was due to the background of
students' learning’ style is different and students'
motivation is lacking. I think it is an obstacle in
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implementing this strategy.
6
During the learning process students enjoyed, but some
students faced difficulties, especially for those who have
a slow thinking process.
Based on the result of the interview above, the English teacher has answered all of
questions asked by the researcher. From the result of interview above, the researcher
obtained the information about how to implement Think Aloud Strategy in teaching
reading comprehension, the effectiveness of Think Aloud Strategy, advantages and
disadvantages of Think Aloud Strategy for the students.
The result of interview conducted by the researcher showed that Think Aloud
Strategy is effective for the students in teaching reading comprehension. In addition, the
teacher described some of the advantages of the Think Aloud Strategy based on his
teaching experience in class during the implementation of the strategy. The advantage of
using Think Aloud Strategy in learning reading comprehension were a) the students more
quickly find main ideas or information from reading texts, b) Think Aloud Strategy
improves students' way of thinking, c) the students are active in learning, and d) the
students get new vocabulary. In addition, the disadvantages of Think Aloud Strategy for
the students were not all of students could follow this strategy especially in giving opinion
related to the teacher’s questions. This was due to the different levels of intelligence or
ways of thinking of students. This usually happens due to different student learning factors,
lack of motivation to learn, laziness of students in learning English and so on. Besides,
students whose level of understanding is lack need the long time to answer the questions so
that the students need the teacher’s help to direct students in answering the questions given
by the teacher.
CONCLUSION
Based on the description and analysis of the research result explained in the previous
chapter, the use of Think Aloud Strategies in teaching reading comprehension is concluded
as follows:
1. The result of observation conducted by the researcher indicated that the implementation
of Think Aloud Strategy by the teacher adapted from the theory of Bahri, et al. (2018).
It is consisted of several steps in implementing Think Aloud Strategy in teaching
reading comprehension. There were 6 activities that have been done by the teacher and
1 activity that has not been done by the teacher. It proved by the result of observation
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checklist as presented in the Table 1. The activity has not been done by the teacher was
the teacher did not clarify and explain new vocabulary and foreign sentence
constructions to students. The teacher did not conduct it because the teacher assumed
that students already understood the story of Maling Kundang.
2. Furthermore, the result of observation and interview conducted by the researcher
showed that Think Aloud Strategy is effective for the students in teaching reading
comprehension. Furthermore, the teacher described some of the advantages of the Think
Aloud Strategy based on his teaching experience in class during the implementation of
the strategy. The advantage of using Think Aloud Strategy in teaching reading
comprehension were a) the students more quickly find main ideas or information from
reading texts, b) Think Aloud Strategy improves students' way of thinking, c) the
students are active in learning, and d) the students get new vocabulary.
In addition, the disadvantage of Think Aloud Strategy for the students was not all
students could follow this strategy especially in giving opinion related to the teacher’s
questions. This was due to the different levels of intelligence or ways of thinking of
students. This usually happens due to different student learning factors, lack of
motivation to learn, laziness of students in learning English and so on. Besides, students
whose level of understanding is lack need the long time to answer the questions so that
students need the teacher’s help to direct students in answering the questions given by
the teacher.
RECOMMENDATION
For future researchers, the researcher recommends to conduct the research by finding
and analyzing the factors that affected the students’ ability in expressing their thought
orally.
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