CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Research
Language learning is important for human’s social development. As a language which is used by more than a half of population in the world, English holds the key as international language. English is a tool of communication among peoples of the world to get trade, social-cultural, science, and technology goals. Moreover, English competence is important in career development, therefore students need to understand and use English to improve their confidence to face global competition.
English as a formal subject is given to junior high school (SMP) level, which the goals are translated as follows: “The goals of teaching and learning English for this level are improving the four English skills. They are the mastery of the receptive skills (reading and listening) and the mastery of the productive skills (speaking and writing), within a specified word level and relevant grammatical structures and notions, in the context of the specified themes which are enclosed for junior high school (SMP) students” (Balitbang Depdiknas, 2002:42).
The fact shows that the result of teaching learning English is still low. Somantri said (2003) that there can be a wonder about the condition of the student’s English ability. The students have learned English from the first-grade of junior high school until senior high school, but most of them still cannot use English as tool of communication. Zamroni in Somantri (2003) found that it not only happened to the students who have score below five, but the students who have score over eight in junior high school can not use English in real communication in their level. Besides, their receptive skills are also below the expectation. For example, the students who have graduated from senior high school, they still find difficulty in reading English literatures (Balitbang Depdiknas, 2002:1).
These failures are influenced by many factors. According to Zamroni in Somantri (2003), it happens because of the education system at school just transfer the dead knowledge where the knowledge is separated from the application. Teachers teach materials that will be tested. The goal is that the students get good score in the final test. While Ali in Ant-O2 (2005) argues that the low of the students quality in teaching and learning English happens because the students are used to memorizing and doing multiple choice assignment. Both of arguments above show that the process of teaching and learning English is not so support the improvement of life skills. Students can get good score in the final test and they can memorize the theory well but they cannot use English in real communication.
Assessment is one of important thing that has important role in education. The importance of assessment in education is stated by Hughes (1989) who says that the proper relationship between teaching and assessment is partnership. By assessment process teacher can discover how far students have achieved the objectives of a course of study. Teacher also can use the result of assessment to analyze which material that should be explained again and which instruments that should be repaired. Besides, assessment is useful for the students to motivate in teaching learning process.
Based on the earlier observation, researcher finds that most of teachers still use traditional assessment. The students are given some tasks in the form of multiple choice, do the LKS, practice a dialog in textbook and another task, which make the students as a passive subject. Traditional assessment includes multiple-choice questions and asking students to respond questions with short answers. Many kinds of task are given in order the students can respond the questions with correct answers in the final test. The product of learning is more emphasized then the process it self. Teacher gives quizzes and tests to assess cognitive aspect only. This kind of assessment is just recall student’s memorization.
The indicators of portfolio assessment are daily test result, structured tasks, anecdotal record, and report of the student’s activity out of school (Budimansyah, 2002: 108). These indicators are put on the list and documented in a file. From the collection, teacher assesses skill of the students. Teacher turns the students to see their ability in learning by using portfolio and turns the students to be careful in doing the work, pay attention to the error in their work and correct the error.
Based on the background, researcher interested in studying the student’s learning achievement in the classes which use traditional assessment and portfolio assessment. Researcher was conducting this study on the students of SMP 4 Jambi, with the title “Student’s Learning Achievement with Traditional Assessment and Portfolio Assessment”.
1.2 Formulation of the Problems
The problems of this research are:
(1) How is the student’s learning achievement with traditional assessment?
(2) How is the student’s learning achievement with portfolio assessment?
(3) How is the difference between the student’s learning achievement with traditional assessment and portfolio assessment?
1.3 Objectives of the Research
Based on the research questions above, the main purposes of this research are to find out the following:
(1) To describe the student’s learning achievement with traditional assessment.
(2) To describe the student’s learning achievement with portfolio assessment.
(3) To find out the difference between the student’s learning achievement with traditional assessment and portfolio assessment.
1.4 Significance of the Research
The result of this research might be significant for education field, in the form of giving information to the teachers and the students about how portfolio is implemented at school especially at SMPN 2 Jamblang. Furthermore, it might be able to help the teachers and the students understand benefits and weakness of using portfolio assessment. It also can be a reference for further research, especially a research about portfolio assessment.
1.5 The Limitation of the Research
This research is limited to the following problems:
(1) The lesson that will be studied in this research is English subject for the 1st semester of the 1st Class at SMPN 2 Jamblang.
(2) The subjects who are involved at this research are the students of the 1st class who still use traditional assessment and also the students who have used portfolio assessment at SMPN 2 Jamblang.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Traditional Assessment
Traditionally, assessment is held at the end of teaching-learning process. Its purpose is to know whether the students have understood the subject that is learned or not. Certain grade is used to decide the understanding degree of the students to the subject. If the students get a good grade at the test, it means that they passed. On the contrary, they didn’t pass if they get bad grade. This notion is the traditional notion of assessment (Budimansyah, 2002).
From those notions of assessment, it is clear that traditional purpose of teaching and learning process is in order the students can respond the questions with correct answers. The product of learning is more emphasized then the process it self. Teacher gives quizzes and tests to assess cognitive aspect only. This kind of assessment is just recall students’ memorization. This is seldom requiring students to apply what they know and can do in real-life situations. It encourages instruction of less important skills and passive learning.
Table 2.1 bellow represents differences between Traditional Assessment and Portfolio Assessment (Brown, 2004:13).
Table 2.1 Traditional and Portfolio Assessment
| Traditional Assessment | Portfolio Assessment |
| One-shot, standardized exams Timed, multiple-choice format Scores suffice for feedback Norm-referenced scores Focus on the “right” answer Summative Oriented on product Non-interactive performance | Continuous long-term assessment Untimed, free-response format Individualized feedback Criterion-referenced scores Open-ended, creative answers Formative Oriented to process Interactive performance |
2.2 Strength and The Weakness of Traditional Assessment
Although alternative forms of assessment are currently popular, traditional assessment should not necessary be eliminated by other type of assessment because it do have strength over other forms of assessment. Brown and Shavelson (in Watson and Taylor, 1994) say that traditional tests are valid for testing students’ factual knowledge.
The weakness of traditional assessment are described by Applebee (in Luitel, 2002) that the traditional notion of assessment cannot assess the student learning process realistically because it views the assessment as the notion of knowledge-out-of-action. It tends to prompt the students to overcome with basic skills only. Although basic skills may be important goals of education, they are often over-emphasized in an effort to raise test scores.
2.3 Portfolio Assessment
There are many theorists who give definition about portfolio. According to Yasin (2001), in the beginning, portfolio is only collection of task, learning experience, exhibition, and assessment of own work result in art areas. From the collection, teacher assesses painting skill of the students. So that assessment result is not only from final test. Final test sometime is not shows the student’s ability because the students’ work at the final test can be influenced by the situation and condition at the time, for example the students is in pain or less concentration, so they can’t make good work.
Format of the assessment in portfolio for English subject that is used by the teacher in this research contains of:
1. Documentation of Formative and Summative Test
2. Documentation of Student’s Work
3. Documentation of Anecdotal Record
4. Documentation of Activity Out of School
5. Self and Peer-Assessment
2.3 Strength and Weakness of Portfolio Assessment
Portfolio assessment can be used for many necessities. It records the students’ learning process. Berenson and Certer in Rusoni (2001) stated that there are some portfolio assessment’s strengths:
(1) To make document of the student’s progress for certain period of times;
(2) To inspire self confident and motivation in learning;
(3) To give rise to responsible to learn.
Although there are some Strength of portfolio assessment have been extolled in a number of sources, but it also has weakness, they are:
(1) Students need more time in doing the work;
(2) Teacher needs more time in completing portfolio of the students;
(3) School’ parties need more cost to give portfolio to each student. To record the student’s work needs kind of folder for each student.
Portfolios can fail if objectives are not clear, if guidelines are not given to students, or if systematic periodic review and feedback are not present.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
This research is conducted in Ex Post Facto design. According to Furchan (1982:50), ex post facto is a systematic empiric research where the researcher can’t set up the independent variable directly because it happened, or because of the independent variable can’t be manipulated.
Researcher does an observation without any manipulation; just choose the class that still uses traditional assessment and the class that uses portfolio assessment. The observation progresses at SMPN 2 Jamblang
The design of this research can be seen at the table bellow:
Table 3.1 Ex Post Facto Design
| Group | Independent Variable | Dependent Variable |
| 1st 2nd | (X) - | Y1 Y2 |
Source: Furchan (1982:404)
Explanation:
(X) : The using of portfolio assessment that have been run;
Y1 and Y2 : The students’ learning achievement
3.2 Subject of the Research
3.1.1 Population
According to Arikunto (2002:108), population is all of the subjects who are connected to the research. Gay (1987:102) gives clearer definition of population that is the group of interest to the researcher, the group to which she or he would like the results of the study to be generalizable. Population at this research is the 1st class of students of SMPN 2 Jamblang.
Table 3.1.1 Numbers of Students at 1st Class of SMPN 2 Jamblang Academic 2009 / 2010 Years
| CLASS | STUDENTS | ||
| MEN | WOMEN | TOTAL | |
| 1 A | 24 | 18 | 42 |
| 1 B | 25 | 20 | 45 |
| 1 C | 20 | 20 | 40 |
| 1 D | 21 | 20 | 41 |
| 1 E | 22 | 18 | 40 |
| 1 F | 23 | 19 | 42 |
| 1 G | 21 | 20 | 41 |
| 1 H | 23 | 20 | 43 |
| 1 I | 17 | 25 | 42 |
| TOTAL | 196 | 180 | 376 |
Source: TU SMPN 2 Jamblang
3.1.2 Sample
Sample is a number of individuals for a study in such a way that the individuals represent the larger group from which they were selected (Arikunto, 2002:109). In this research, the sample is selecting by using clustered random sampling.
The steps to select the sample are arranged as bellow:
(1) Choose the class which use portfolio assessment as the first group.
(2) Choose other classes, which still use traditional assessment.
To step up the credibility of ex post facto design should be used criteria to choose the sample (in Furchan, 1982:393) as the following:
a. Have the same English teacher with the first group;
b. Given the same material with the first group;
c. Given the same process of learning except the process of assessment;
d. Find that the classes are normally distributed, have homogeny variances, and have the same class average of English ability.
(To get this data, researcher asked the document of first English daily test score to the teacher then found mean and standard deviation of each class).
(3) The last step is choosing one class that uses traditional assessment by using roll of papers randomly.
3.2 Test
To find the normal distribution of the classes, researcher uses Lilliefors Test. According to Sudjana (in Syafyendri’s thesis, 2002: 30), test is done to find whether the subject is normally distributed or not. The steps are arranged as bellow:
a. Arrange the score of summative test in a table by ordering the score from lower score to higher score;
b. Find standard scores from by using formula:
Explanation: = mean s = standard deviation
c. Find the proportion score of standard scores which is less then or the same with score Zi. It is denoted by S(Zi), S(Zi) = sum of Xi divide with n;
d. Calculate margin of F(Zi) – S(Zi), then decide the absolute score;
e. Choose the highest absolute score, which is denoted by Lo. If Lo < Ltable so the average score of students’ learning achievement is normally distributed.
3.3 Data Collection Method
3.3.1 Kind of the Data
The data in this research are from observation and documentation. The documentation involve the data about number of the students, English score at first daily test to know the average ability, and the score of final test to find the difference of students’ learning achievement between the two classes.
3.3.2 Source of the Data
Sources of the data in this research are:
1) TU (Tata Usaha) of SMPN 2 Jamblang, to get the data about numbers of the students of 1st class at SMPN 2 Jamblang in 2009/2010 academic years.
2) English teacher of 1st class at SMPN 2 Jamblang, to get document of the final test (summative test) score at first semester in 2009/2010 academic years. Final test was teacher made test.
3) Observation of 1st class at SMPN 2 Jamblang, to know how teaching and learning process held, to find the differences of assessment process at the two classes.
a) The Class with Portfolio Assessment
The first step, teacher gave information to the students about the using of portfolio that would be conduct in this semester, then explained what portfolio assessment is. Each student was given peaces of paper, which contained the indicators of portfolio assessment. Those papers are put in a folder. Before teacher gave material, teacher did warming up by asking the students everything that was related to the material and then explained teaching learning goals to the students.
The second step, teacher explained the material. Then teacher gave some exercises to the students. After students were finished, teacher and students discussed the exercises together.
The last step, teacher concluded the material and then gave a homework for the next meeting.
In the next meeting, teacher collected the homework and corrected it at home. It was returned to the students at the next meeting. Students, who did errors in their work, must make a revision. Score of the work were recorded on format of structured task in portfolio.
b) The Class with Traditional Assessment
The first, teacher did warming up by asking the students everything that was related to the material and then explained teaching learning goals to the students.
Next, teacher explained the material. Then teacher gave some exercises to the students. After students were finished, teacher and students discussed the exercises together.
The last, teacher concluded the material and then gave a homework for the next meeting. Teacher did not ask the students to make revision of their works.
3.4 Technique of Data Analysis
In this research, researcher would conduct the data analysis through the following steps:
a. Doing tabulation to the first English daily test (formative test) score at first semester in 2009/2010 academic years.
b. Classifying the sample based on the result of the tabulation.
c. Interpreting the data that have been analyzed
CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Findings
The samples are chosen by using roll of papers. After lottery the roll of papers is gotten class 1A as the first group with portfolio assessment and class 1B as the second group with traditional assessment.
From the study, researcher get the mean ( X ) and standard deviation (s) of final test score both of the class with traditional assessment and the class with portfolio assessment. The mean and standard deviation of the score can be seen at the Table 4.2.
Table 4.2 Average and Standard Deviation of Final Test Score of The Class With Traditional Assessment and Class With Portfolio Assessment
| | Class 1A With Portfolio Assessment | Class 1B With Traditional Assessment |
| N Σ x Σ x2  Xs s2 | 42 2953 220109 70.3095 17.4503 304.5117 | 45 2700 173970 60 16.4938 272.0455 |
Explanation:
N = the number of the students
Σ x = the sum of the score
Σ x2 = the sum of the score’s square
X = means = standard deviation
s2 = standard deviation’s square
From the percentages of the score of each class, the scores of Class 1A is in balance, but the scores of Class 1B is still low because almost 50% of the students in Class 1B get unsatisfactory scores.
To analyze how the difference between them is whether there is a significant difference or not, researcher using t-test method. After analyzing the data by using t-test at the level of significance (a) 0.05, is got tratio is bigger than ttable, that is tratio = 2.833 > ttable = 1.992, it shows that there is a significant difference between the students’ learning achievement with traditional assessment and portfolio assessment.
4.2 Discussion
The differences of student’s learning achievement between the class with portfolio assessment and the class with traditional assessment are caused by the difference of assessment process at those classes. At class with traditional assessment, teacher and students do not make documentation of student’s score and do not record the student’s work. While, at class with portfolio assessment, teacher and students always make documentation of student’s score and record the student’s work, so both teacher and students know the student’s learning progress time to time. Portfolios can fail if objectives are not clear, if guidelines are not given to students, or if systematic periodic review and feedback are not present.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusions
After analyzing the data by using t-test at the level of significance (a) 0.05, is got tratio is bigger than ttable, that is tratio = 2.833 > ttable = 1.992, it shows that there is a significant difference between the students’ learning achievement with traditional assessment and portfolio assessment. It can be seen from means of the two classes, mean of the class with portfolio assessment is 70.31 and mean of the class with traditional assessment is 60.00.
It can be concluded that the student learning achievement with portfolio assessment is better than the student learning achievement with traditional assessment at the level of believe 95%.
5.2 Suggestions
This research describes the student’s learning achievement with traditional assessment and portfolio assessment. Based on the result of this research, researcher has the recommendation as follows:
1. In using portfolio assessment, teacher should have well preparation for the materials, assignments, and another activity, which is appropriate with the time allocation.
2. Portfolio assessment is better implemented in small class because teacher will be easier in managing the class.
3. Government should take a close look at teacher’s salary because this is out of proportion to teacher’s duty in complementing portfolio assessment.
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