EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English Vol. 4 No. 2 (2019) Page 63-69 EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English Journal homepage: http://jurnal.unmer.ac.id/index.php/enjourme/index Online ISSN 2502-5740/© 2019 EnJourMe. All rights reserved. Genre preferences in Reading Comprehension materials in first level English book of Senior High School 1 Heldina Irawati Panjaitan, 2 Nofita Romianna Togatorop, 3 Erikson Saragih 1,2,3 English Education Department, Prima Indonesia University, Jl. Sekip, 20111, Medan, Indonesia Corresponding author: heldinapanjaitan@gmail.com A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Reviewed 01 December 2019 Received in revised from 01 December 2019 Accepted 20 December 2019 Available online 31 December 2019 This study aimed to know genre preferences in the reading comprehension material in first level English book of senior high school. This study, which is employed a qualitative-narrative technique with no statistical analysis, described some material for reading comprehension material, such as descriptive text, narrative text, and recount text. This study revealed that the reading comprehension materials in first level English book of senior high school was presented into ten reading comprehension materials. Such as: self-introduction, expression of compliment, plans and intention, descriptive text I and II, announcement, past and present prefect tense, recount text, narrative text, and song. It also revealed that genre preferences in the reading comprehension materials in first level English book senior high school was presented into three genre preferences: descriptive text, recount text, and narrative text. © 2019 EnJourMe. All rights reserved. Keywords: Genre, second language reading, reading comprehension DOI:10.26905/enjourme.v4i2.3708 How to cite this article: Panjaitan, H., Togatorop, N., & Saragih, E. (2019). Genre Preferences in Reading Comprehension Materials in First Level English Book of Senior High School. EnJourMe (English Journal Of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, And Teaching Of English, 4(2). doi:10.26905/enjourme.v4i2.3708 1. Introduction Reading is an activity performed to develop an understanding of a subject or topic. Thus, having the ability to read means comprehending what is being read (Fariduddin & Parlindungan, 2018). Hence, based on research evidence, reading is playing a role in the successfulness of the academic achievement. Further, high level readers tend to be more success in their academic performances compared to low level readers (Rachmajanti & Musthofiyah, 2017). Therefore, reading skill awareness is needed because it supports other mailto:heldinapanjaitan@gmail.com Panjaitan, H., Togatorop, N., & Saragih, E. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(2) 63 – 69 64 language skill competence (Kurnia & Erawati, 2018). In addition to this, in the term of teaching reading comprehension, it is evidently believed that there are many method that can improve one’s reading skill, for example jigsaw (Silalahi, 2019), Task-Based Language Teaching (Prasetyaningrum, 2018; Shabani & Ghasemi, 2014), Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (Fariduddin & Parlindungan, 2018). In getting the meaning from the materials in first level English book there are some genre preferences in reading comprehension. Such as descriptive text, recount text, narrative text. These genre indicate an important of reading comprehension for students. Some studies relating to this field have been carried out. Gallo & Ness (2013) investigated students’ perceptions and attitudes toward informational text. The subject was 46 third-grade primary school students. The research revealed that the students read more fictional texts compared to nonfiction. Thus the researchers suggested strategies so that teachers might help the students to diversify their text preferences. Although many previous research reports has given a comprehensive portrait on reading comprehension, the researcher think that it is important to explore more about the reading comprehension used materials in first level English book of senior high school. In this case, this study focus to materials of reading comprehension in appropriate at first level in senior high school. In line with the background of the study, the problem of the study is formulated as follows: 1. What are reading comprehension materials in first level English book of senior high school? 2. What is genre preferences in reading comprehension materials in first level English book of senior high school? 2. Method This research used a qualitative study design. This study was chosen because this research purpose was to find out what were the reading comprehension materials and genre preferences in the reading comprehension materials. By looking over this, this study is qualitative in the book with observations used to do the research. According to Airasian, Gay, & Mills (2006) said the qualitative methodology allows researcher to focus on perceptions, behaviors and experiences. The subjects for this study were genre and reading comprehension. The data on the genre preferences used for the reading comprehension materials was gathered by doing observations to the books in the first level English of senior high school. The genre used on reading comprehension materials in first level English of senior high school was the focus of this study. Both the genre and the reading comprehension materials were the focus of these observations. Each part of data collection was by observing the first level English book in senior high school which was analysed directly. Specifically all data were collected transcribed, compacted, displayed, and finally verified and reported. The data analysis in this study used the qualitative-narrative technique with no statistical analysis. Panjaitan, H., Togatorop, N., & Saragih, E. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(2) 63 – 69 65 3. Result and discussion The Reading Comprehension materials in first level English book of Senior High School The first researcher question of these study was an attempt to find out the reading comprehension materials in first level English book of senior high school. Based on the observations of the first level English book, “Bahasa Inggris untuk SMA/MA/SMK/MAK Kelas X Kelompok Wajib (Herman Benyamin)” the reading comprehension materials in first level English book of senior high school was presented into ten reading comprehension materials, they are: self-introduction, expression of compliment, plans and intention, descriptive text I and II, announcement, past and present tense, recount text, narrative text, and song. In the self-introduction materials, students learned about introductions, including the expression of self-introducing, completing the dialog consisting of self-introductions, analyzing the dialog and monolog related to self-introduction text, exploring the expressions and personal information in self-introduction, and composing a self-introduction text. Introduction self-identity is important in building a healthy, beneficial, and harmonious meeting that may lead to friendship. In the expression of compliment materials, students learned about complimenting expressions, and its responses, in which include the observation of the expressions of a compliment, analyzing the dialog and video related to compliment, exploring the expressions of a compliment and its responses, and writing dialog consisting the expressions of a compliment and its responses. Giving compliment is important since it gives positive energy either for the receiver or the giver. In the plans and intention materials, students learned about expressing intentions to do things in the future, and responding to it. It includes the observation of the expressions of showing intentions, analyzing the dialog and watching video as related to expressions of showing intentions, exploring the expressions of showing intentions and responses, and writing a dialog consisting the expressions of showing intentions which need conscious decision, consistency, and efforts. On the other hand, planning things in many aspects really pays off, especially when students complete the plan. Planning things will keep students on course in achieving students’ goals and objectives. Moreover, when students complete the plan, students will be overwhelmed by gratitude, pride, and satisfaction. In the description text I materials, students learned about descriptive text through some learning process, such as observing descriptive text, discovering the characteristics of descriptive text, exploring descriptive text, and communicating. Descriptive text’s purpose is to described and reveal a particular person, place, or thing. Therefore, a good descriptive text gives a clear and through description that makes the reader be able to imagine the things being described. In the descriptive text II material, students’ learned about describing historical buildings. The materials were learned by watching a video, reading texts, and comparing the texts. Students’ used adjectives to describe something, and also used adverbs of degree to make students description more alive. Most descriptive texts used passive sentence rather than active ones. In the announcements materials, students’ learned about announcements through observing, questioning, exploring, associating, and communicating steps. Announcement can be found easily in students’ lives, at schools, train stations, airports, streets, etc. Panjaitan, H., Togatorop, N., & Saragih, E. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(2) 63 – 69 66 moreover, it can be in the form of spoken or written. In the past tense and present perfect tense material, students learned about a simple past and the present perfect tense. Both materials consist observing of the transactional text containing the simple past and present perfect tense, questioning the simple past and the present perfect tense, exploring the use of the simple past and present perfect tense in transactional text, associating the use of the past and present perfect tense, and producing text containing the simple past and present perfect tense. Even though these both tenses were dealing with the past action or situation, but each of them have different kinds of rules. In the recount text materials, students’ learned about the recount text through historical event. The learning process includes observing the recount text in forms of videos or text, discovering the characteristics of a recount text, exploring recount text with means to identify its social functions, and text structure, associating the language features of recount text, and communicating. Recount text is a text which deals with telling past events. It purposed either to inform or to entertain. In the narrative text materials, students learned about a narrative text in form of folklore. The material was learned by observing the narrative text, questioning the social functions of narrative text, exploring the topic sentences of each paragraph in order to discover the text structure of narrative text, analyzing the language features of narrative, such as the direct-indirect sentence and past tenses, comparing two narrative texts concerning is structure and language features, and continuing the narrative text based on students’ own imagination. Similar with the other text genres, narrative texts take form either in written or spoken form. It purposes to amuse and entertain the reader or listener. Narrative text include folktales, fable, legends, and myth, and so forth. A narrative text not only to entertain but also gives moral values since there are lessons can be appreciated in the story. In the song materials, students learned about a functional text, song. The materials were learned by watching a video, listening to songs, discovering the social functions of song, exploring the part of songs, analyzing the language features found in songs, comparing two songs in terms of their structure, and language features, and performing song. Songs were very important in daily live. A song carries its writer/singer true feeling. Understanding the message of a song brings us to get closer with the writer or singer. However, it is acceptable if a song may be interpreted differently based on the listener’s assumption. Panjaitan, H., Togatorop, N., & Saragih, E. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(2) 63 – 69 67 Figure 1- The front cover of the book being observed Figure 2- The back cover of the book being observed The Genre Preferences in Reading Comprehension materials in the first level English Book of Senior High School According to Pardyono (in Purba, 2018), there were twelve types of genre, they were: narrative, recount, description, report, discussion, explanation, analytical exposition, procedure ,anecdote ,hortatory exposition, spoof, and news item. Based on the observation, genre preferences in the reading comprehension materials in first level English book of senior high school was presented into three genre preferences: descriptive text, recount text, and narrative text. Further he said that a descriptive text was about the description of Panjaitan, H., Togatorop, N., & Saragih, E. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(2) 63 – 69 68 something or someone who consists of characteristics, something special, quality and quantity. Based on the explanation above, descriptive text which says what a person or a thing was liked. It’s purposed to describe and reveal a particular person, place, or thing. The context of these kinds of the text was to describe and reveal a particular thing, animal, person, or others. The generic structure of descriptive text were identification (identifying the phenomenon to be described), and description (describing the phenomenon in parts, qualities, or/and characteristics). There were some language features of descriptive text. Such as : certain nouns, simple present tense, detailed noun phrase for adding information about the subject, descriptive, adjectives, thinking verbs and feeling verbs for expressing the writer’s personal about the subject, action verbs, and adverbials. According to Grace, Eudia and Sudarwati (2007) recount text was a text that told the reader or listener what happened in the past through a sequence of events. The researcher concluded that recount text was the text telling the reader what happened. It retells a past event. It begins by telling the reader who was involved, what happened, where this event took place and when it happened. Based on curriculum 2013, there were some kinds of text that students of senior high school need to learn, one of them was recount text. The researcher believes that recount text was the text which was so closed to the students’ life. The students do need to think hard to find the ideas in creating the story, because they went through the events, so, they can write the story smoothly. Recount text was one of the kinds of text which aims to inform in the pastime and amuse the readers. The generic structure of recount text were orientation consists of opening which introduces the participants in the story, events consists in sequence of activity, reorientation was conclusion of the event. There were some features of recount text. Such as : introducing personal participant, used chronological connection, used linking verbs, used action verb, used the simple past tense. Narrative text was a kind of text that exactly tell the activities or events in the past, that showed problematic experience and resolution means to amused oftentimes meant to give moral lesson to the readers (Pardyono in Purba, 2018). Based on the explanation, narrative text was a genre of text that told a series of events or stories that were written to entertain the reader. Narrative text has several sections such as orientation, complications, and resolution. Orientation was the opening part in which the character of the story was introduced. Complication was the part of the story where the problem of the story begun to emerge. Resolution was the problem solving part of the story. Some language features of narrative text were as follow: direct and indirect speech, description of characters and places used adjectives to described nouns, adverbs to describe verbs, time words, action verbs, used past tenses. 4. Conclusion and Suggestion The researcher concluded that descriptive text, recount text, and narrative text become genre preferences in the reading comprehension materials because, in these types of texts, everything was explained in detail in paragraph form. Each paragraph contains a core/ meaning in which the reader must really understand the story to know the intent and purpose of the author. Then, the researcher suggested providing students’ with more exercises, especially reading comprehension by using descriptive text, narrative text, and recount text as a genre preferences in the reading comprehension materials. And for the next researcher to use other method in going researching. Panjaitan, H., Togatorop, N., & Saragih, E. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(2) 63 – 69 69 5. References Airasian, P., Gay, L., & Mills, G. (2006). Educational research: Competency for analysis and applications (8th edition). New Jersey: Pearson Prentince Hall. Fariduddin, M., & Parlindungan, F. (2018). Comprehending Narrative Text: The Effectiveness of Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC). Ethical Lingua: Journal of Language Teaching and Literature, 5(2), 139-148. 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