8

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE RELATED THEORIES

A. Theoretical Review

1. Grammar Translation Method

a. Concept of Grammar Tanslation Method

About four decades ago Edward Anthony (1963) gave us a

definition that has admirably withstood the test of time. His concept of

“ method” was the second of three hierartical elements, namely

approach, method, and technique. An approach, according to Anthony,

was a set of assumptions dealing with the nature of language, learning

and teaching. Method was described as an overall plan for systematic

presentation of language based upon a selected approach. Techniques

were the specific activities manifested in the classroom that were

consistent with a method and therefore were in harmony with in

approach as well.1

In the teaching language, the teacher as the guider should prepare a

generalized set of classroom specification for accompishing linguistics

objective, it can be called method, before she/he gives the acting in the

classroom. There are many methods that can be used by teacher in the

1
Douglas Brown, Teaching By Principles : An Interactive Approach To Language
Pedagogy, San Francisco State University, Second Edition, 2001, p.14
 9

teaching; one of the methods which is believed in teaching is Grammar

Translation Method (GTM).

Grammar Translation Method is a number of methods and

technique have evolved for teaching English which maintains the

mother tongue of learners as the reference particularly in the prosess of

learning the foreign languages. It can be used by teachers because the

phraseology of the target language is quickly explained. Translation is

the easiest way of explaining meaning or word and phrase from

langage into another. Any other method of explaining vocabulary

items in the second language is found time consuming. A lot of time

will be wasted if the meanings of lexical items are explained through

definition and illustrations in the second language.

In ninteenth century the Classical method came to be known as the

Grammar Translation Method. There was little distinguish Grammar
Translation from what had gone in foreign language classrooms for
centuries beyond a focus on grammatical rules as the basis for
translating from the second to the native language. Remarkably, The
Grammar Translation Method withstood attempts at the twenth
century to “reform” language teaching methodology (see Couin’s
Series Method and Direct Method, below) and to this day is practical
in too many educational contexts.2

In teaching of Latin and Greek grammars, the first language

teaching method had already done. They used the method to design

people to be able to speak read and write Latin. The most popular

method that used was Grammar Method; they used it because the

method was effective to teach the language. “There were a number of

2
Ibid p.18.
 10

attemps to improve the teaching of languages. One attempt was

suggested by Meidenger (1787), who advocated translation into the

target language through the application of rules grammar.” 3

Teaching method never stops developing, “Karl Plotz improved the

teaching method, and his method was devided into two parts: (1) rules

and paradigms, and (2) sentences for translation into and out or target

language. His method also incuderote learning or grammar rules,

learning to put grammar labels on words, and learning apply the rules

by translating sentence. This way of teaching was finally called

Grammar Translation Method.”4

b. Principles of Grammar Translation Method

The purpose of Grammar Translation Method in learning language

as foreign language provides students with good mental exercise which

help student’s mind to learn grammatical of language. “The Grammar

Translation Method (GTM) apptoach to language teaching has a belief

that mental diciline was essential for strenghtening the power of the

mind.” 5

3
Bambang Setiyadi, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Graha Ilmu, Yogjakarta,
2006, p.31.
4
Ibid, p.31-32.
5
Hery Yufrizal , An Introduction to second language Acquisition, Pustaka Reka Cipta,
Bandung, 2008, p.153.
 11

As a method that helps students mental exercise, there are several

principles that consisted by Grammar Translation Method (GTM). The

principles are :

1. Grammar rules are presented and studied explicity. Grammar is

taught deductively and then practiced through translation
exercises.
2. The primary skills to be developed are reading and writing.
3. Hardly any attention is paid to speaking and listening skills.
4. Teacher correction is the only way to make sudents produce the
right forms of the foreign language.
5. The goal of foreign language learning is the ability to
understand the texts wriiten in the foreign language.
6. Mastering the grammar of the foreign language is essential in
order for students to understand the written target language.
7. Vocabulary is learnt from bilingual word lists.
8. The mother tongue is used as the medium of instruction.

9. A paramount use of translation exercises is given.6

c. Procedures of Grammar Translation Method

Although many new method that have been introduced to this day,

the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) remains a standard

methodology for teaching English as Foreign language in Indonesia.

There are major characteristic in Grammar Translation Method

(GTM). As prator and Celce-Murcia who listed major characteristic of

the grammar-translation method. In the learning, classes are taught in

the students’ native language in learning target language and very

little teaching is done in the target language. The area which is much

6
Bambang Setiyadi, o. cit,. p. 34.
 12

emphasized is vocabulary and vocabulary in the target language is

learned through direct translation from the native language in the class.

Instead, readings in the target language are translated directly and then

discussed in the native language and little attention is paid to the

content of text. Grammar is taught with extensive explanations in the

native language, and only later applied in the production of sentence

through translation from one language to the others. And in the

classroom, when the teachers uses Grammar Translation Method

she/he don’t to pay attention to the student’s pronunciation. 7

The teacher can develop their own procedurs as long as are in

accordance with the characteristics with the following Grammar

Translation Method (GMT). The following procedures of teaching the

target language through the Grammar Translation Method is adpted

from Larsen Freeman as follows :

1. The class reads a text written in the target language.

2. Students translte the passage from the target language to their
mother tongue.
3. The teacher asks students in their native language if they have
any questions, students ask question and the teacher answers
the questions in their native language.
4. Students write out the answer to reading comperhension
questions.
5. Students translated new words from the target language to their
mother tongue.
6. Students are given a grammar rule and based on the example
they apply the rule by using new words.
7
Douglas Brown, op.cit p.18-19.
 13

7. Students memorize vocabulary.

8. The teacher asks students to state the grammar rule.
9. Students memorize the rule.

10. Errors are corrected by providing the right answers.8

Grammar Translation Method is one of popular method that

requires few specialized skills on the part of teachers. Test of grammar

rules and of translation are easy construct and can be abjectively.

Having the student get thw correct answer is considered very

impoetant. If students make errors or don’t know an answer, the

teacher supplies them with the correct answer. 9

2. Narrative Reading Ability

a. Concept of Ability

The word ability in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

can be defined “as a level of skill or intelligent. Somebody is able

to do something.”10 Furthermore, according to Wikipedia “ability

can be defined the quality of being able to do something, especially

the physical, mental, financial, or legal power to accomplish

something. A Natural or acquired skill or talent”.11 Based on the

definition above, ability is the quality of level skill or intelegent

which is owned by the people to do something.

8
Bambang Setiyadi, loc,.cit, p. 36-37.
9
Larsen Freeman, Diane, Technique And Principles In Language teaching, Oxfort
University press, 1986, p.12.
10
As Hornby, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, Oxford
University Press, New York, 2010, p. 2
11
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ability,25-09-2011
 14

b. Concepts of Reading

There are so many experts that have different definitions

for reading, but here the writer will take several definitions

according to the experts as follows:

According to Anthony, et.al “ Reading is the process of

constracting meaning throught the dynamic interaction among the

readers existing knowledge, the information suggested by written

language, and the context of the reading situation”.12 It means that

the Readers should use their previous knowledge and experience

when trying to understand the meaning of a passage in reading.

Moreover, Albert Josiah harris states that reading is a result

of the interaction between : the perception of graphic symbols that

represent language and the reader’s language skills, cognitive

skills, and knowledge of the word.13 It means that reading is the

process of mastering the content from the text which related with

one’s knowledge.

In addition Caroline T Linse state that reading is a set

ofskill that involves making sense and deriving meaning from the

12
Thomas S.C. Farrel, Planning Lesson for a Reading Class, Singapore,SEAMEO Regional
Language Centre,2002,p.1
13
Albert Josiah Harris, How to Increase Reading Ability, The Alpine Press, united States of
America,2002,p. 12
 15

14
printed word. In order to read, must be eble to decode (should

out) the pointed words and also comperhend what we read.

Sanggam Siahaan elaborates “reading is the skill of a reader

or a group of reader to interpret information transfered by a writer.

This skill is also realized by the ability of the readers to identify the

rules of the language used by the writer to transfer the information

s/he puts in the language she or he is writing.”15

Based on the quotations above, it can be inferred that

reading is a complex activity process which is very important

involving the language and thought in order to get meaningful

message, science or information sent by the writer through printed

language such as grahic symbols and written verbal symbols.

c. Concept of Narrative Paragraph

According to Sanggam Siahaan “narrative paragraph is a

paragraph in which a writer recounts an event to his readers. It can

be about biographies, autobiographies, historical event,

instructions, and processes.”16 In addition Thomas elaborates that”

narrative is meaningful sequence of events told in words. It is

sequential events which ordered, not merely random. Sequence

always involves an arrangement in time (and usually other

14
Caroline T. Linse, Practical English Language Teaching Young Learners, Mc. Graw Hill
Companies,inc, New York,2005,p. 69.
15
Sanggam Siahaan, The English Paragraph, Graha Ilmu, Yogyakarta, 2008, p. 2
16
Sanggam Siahaan, Ibid, p. 110
 16

arrangements as well).”17 “Narration is a type in which the writer

tries to recount an event and introduce a story which consists of

events that happen one after the other of his world experiences in

order his readers can see and feel it as he can. This story can be

shaped true or fictional. “18

Furaidah, et.al elaborate Narrative paragraph has three

impotant characteristic; 1) It tells a story. 2) It is organized by time
orderor chronological order, and 3) it shows the writer’s attitude or
point.
1. A narrative paragraph tells a story
Narration tells a story about a series of events or
actions. The events may be real or nonfiction -as in
histories, biograpics, and newspaper stories or imagery or
fiction, as in short stories, novels and plays.
2. A narrative paragraph is organized by time order
In addition, the series of events in narration are
generaly arranged by time order or chronological order.
This means that the story begins with what happened first,
then moves on to what happened next and ends with what
happened last.
3. A narrative paragraph makes a point
When writing a narration, you should have a
purpose. In others words you tell a story to teach
something, persuade or make a point. Otherwise, your
readers will probably wonder why they need bother to read
your story. Your purpose will guide you to select the details
to include and those to exclude in your story.19

Narrative paragraph describes the actions that occur within

a story. These consecutive groups of sentences help move the story

along by explaining what happens next and why. They are written

in such a way as to place the writer, the reader, or both rights in the

center of the action. When written in the third person ("he," "she,"

17
Thomas S. Kane. Essential Guide to Writing. Barkley Books. New York, 2000, p.366
18
Sanggam Siahaan, Issues in Linguistics, Graha Ilmu, Yogyakarta: 2008, p. 217
19
Furaidah,dkk., Advanced Writing, Universitas Terbuka, Jakarta:2007, p. 1.36-1.37.
 17

etc.), the reader follows the character around, mentally visualizing

the events. In first person ("I," "me," etc.), the writer acts as the

main character and takes the reader along for the ride. The

narrative paragraph acts as the vehicle of the story. Narrative

paragraphs must always be written in an active voice and normally

cover past tense.

The paragraph consists of three parts, namely: introduction or

the beginning, body and conclusion. Here are the explanations

from Sanggam Siahaan about three parts in the paragraph:

The first part is or the beginning. Commonly it only has one

sentence. It is the most important sentence in the paragraph. It
functions as the introductory sentence. Technically it is also called
the topic sentence.

The second part is called the body. It contains several

supporting sentences. Each of these sentences elaborates the topic
sentence. Writers usually classify them into some types according
to their function. The first type is called the major supporting
sentences. Each of them is about each main point of the divisions
of the topic sentence. They are directly related to the topic
sentences. The second type is called the minor supporting
sentences. A major supporting sentence may have one or more than
one minor supporting sentence. Each of them is about the major
supporting sentence they elaborate. They directly relate to the
major supporting sentence. They also elaborate the topic sentence,
but they directly relate to it. In a complicated, a minor supporting
sentence may also have one or more than one sub-minor supporting
sentence.

The third part is the ending. It is a complete sentence. It

concludes the development of the paragraph. It closes the
paragraph. As the ending it is always at the end of the paragraph.
Technically, it is also called concluding sentence. It can be defined
 18

then that a paragraph is a piece of writing which contains a topic

sentence, some supporting sentence, and a concluding sentence. 20

Based on the explanation above, it can be inferred that the

paragraph consist of three parts, they are introduction of a

paragraph as the topic sentence, the body or the development of a

paragraph as give details about the idea of the topic (supporting

sentence) and the ending of a paragraph as the concluding sentence

(summarizing). Base on the defintion above it can take the example

of narative paragraph.

Yesterday evening I got home from work at 6 o'clock. My wife

had prepared dinner which we ate immediately. After I had

cleaned up the kitchen, we watched TV for about an hour. Then

we got ready to go out with some friends. Our friends arrived at

about 9 o'clock and we chatted for a while. Later we decided to

visit a jazz club and listen to some music. We really enjoyed

ourselves and stayed late. We finally left at one o'clock in the

morning.

3. The English Syllabus at the Tenth Grade

In the syllabus at the tenth grade of SMA N 1 Sekampung in

standard competence reading, the basic competence is expressing the

meaning and rhetoric steps in simple short essay by using kinds of the

20
Sanggam Siahaan, op. cit., p. 5-6
 19

language accurately, fluently to interact in around environment in recount

and narrative form. The material of instructional for the students are text

essay narrative and recount, the students know the characteristic of

narrative and recount, the students know using simple past or past

continuous. So that, the indicator to achieve basic competence is the

students write a short recount and narrative text based on their experience

and they have ever read.

B. Theoretical Framework and Paradigm

1. Theoretical Framework

There are two variables in this research. They are independent variable

(X) and dependent variable (Y). The independent variable (X) is Grammar

Translation Method. Then the dependent variable (Y) is the students’ narrative

narrative ability. The importance of using Grammar Translation Method is to

train the students to translate the text. Because, this method is used to help the

students identify the main idea and find out the specific information from

narrative reading after they translate the text first. Therefore, by using

Grammar Translation Method, the students will be able to increase the

students’ narrative reading ability at the tenth grade of SMA N 1 Metro in the

academic year of 2011/2012

2. Paradigm

Based on the Theoretical Framework above, the writer describes the

paradigm as follows:
 20

Figure 1

The Influence of Using Grammar Translation Method Toward The

Students’ Narrative Reading Ability

Good P
Grammar O
bb The student’s
Translation Fair
narrative Reading T
Method (GTM)
ability H

Poor E

Grammar translation method gives an influence toward narrative

reading ability. If the grammar translation method can be given a good and

the students can understand it, so their narrative reading ability can get

very good score or fair perfect.

C. Hypothesis

Based on theoretical framework and paradigm above the researcher

formulates the hypothesis as follows:

 21

There is a positive and significant the influence of using grammar

translation method toward the students’ narrative reading ability at the tenth

grade of SMA N 1 Sekampung in the academic year of 2011/2012.