https://jurnal.unigal.ac.id/index.php/jall/index https://jurnal.unigal.ac.id/index.php/jall/index JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 Received Accepted Published December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 QUESTION ANSWER RELATIONSHIP (QAR) STRATEGY IN CRITICAL READING ON NARRATIVE TEXT Wila Suswika wsuswika2@gmail.com Universitas Galuh Ciamis, Indonesia Rina Herlina rherlina85@yahoo.co.id Universitas Galuh Ciamis, Indonesia Didih Faridah didihfaridah@gmail.com Universitas Galuh Ciamis, Indonesia ABSTRACT This study figured out the way a teacher implement of QAR strategy in critical reading on narrative text, and investigate students overcome the difficulties in answering narrative text questions by using QAR strategy in critical reading. This study used a case study as a research design. The participant was an English teacher and twenty students of tenth grade in one of senior high school in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia. Several instruments were used to collect the data. The first was classroom observation, it was analyzed by transcribing and drawing the conclusion. The second was an interview with the English teacher, it was analyzed by describing the teacher answer, and the last was students' reflective journal that was analyzed by describing students’ opinions. The result showed that the QAR strategy was helpful for students not only to answer the questions but also to understand the text and can help them in critical reading when answering the narrative text questions. Most of the students argued that to overcome the difficulties in answering narrative text questions by using the QAR strategy, students have to understand the whole text with correctly, they can associate the text with their background knowledge and experiences in their lives. Keywords: Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) Strategy, Critical Reading, Narrative INTRODUCTION Teaching and learning are kinds of activities that can be complex and need to be noticed. Teaching can be said as a work art activity because teaching needs good preparation. Learning involves the activities of students that encourage using their prior or background knowledge. Students at a different level have some significant problems because there is no instruction to stimulate their learning process. Questioning is one of the reading strategies which can be practiced with texts including answering literal, inferential and evaluative questions (Sumilia, E., Puspita, Elfrida, 2019). Students must have a JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 96 strategy to recover the problem while reading and answer the questions based on the text given (Siregar, Afriazi, Arasuli, 2019). One of the strategies in answering narrative text questions is Question-Answer Relationships (QAR) strategy which deals with the question. Individuals who are aware of critical reading strategies can read at an advanced level and think about the function of the text. Question-Answer Relationship (QAR)) is a basis for teaching three comprehension strategies: locating information; showing text structures and how the information is organized; and determining when an inference or reading between the lines is required. QAR also shows students the relationship between questions and answers, how to categorize different types and levels of questions as well as how the text does not have all the answers. One of the texts that the writers concentrated on is narrative text. The text is taught by the teacher in the tenth graders. Reading narrative text also deals with various phenomena that lead the reader to think or to find a solution (Putriyantina & Said, 2018). The narrative text is a text which tells about a story and, in doing so, amuses or informs the reader or listener. The generic structures of narrative text are Orientation/Exposition, Complication/rising action, Resolution, and coda/moral value. Related to critical reading, QAR strategy can help students get more from their reading by showing them how to find and use information from a text to answer teacher’s questions (Lehr & Osborn, 2005: 19). In order to know whether students comprehend what they read, the teacher can ask them to answer reading comprehension questions. It may be an indication that students have a low ability to reading if then they cannot answer many questions correctly. Traditionally, having students answer teacher-created questions has been an accepted practice for guiding as well as assessing student comprehension. According to the types of questions, there are explicit and implicit questions. Students must have a strategy to recover the problem while reading and answer the questions based on the text given. However, while answering narrative text questions, the students often feel difficult to answer the questions based on the text. One of the critical reading strategies that the writer discusses is Question-Answer Relationships (QAR) strategy which deals with the question. Individuals who are aware of critical reading strategies can read at an advanced level and think about the function of the text. Furthermore, by implementing QAR strategy the students can answer the questions well. Referring to the background of the study, the researcher formulated the research question JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 97 to highlight the research on what terms will be conducted were; How does the teacher implement Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in critical reading on a narrative text?, and How do the students overcome the difficulties in answering the narrative text question by using QAR strategy in critical reading? From the research questions, the researchers stated the purposes of the present study are to figure out the way the teacher implements the QAR strategy in critical reading on the narrative text, and investigating students overcome the difficulties in answering the narrative text question by using QAR strategy in critical reading. METHOD This study was a case study method. The subject of this study was an English teacher and twenty students of XI-MIPA class in one of the senior high schools in Tasikmalaya because the class received the narrative text in the second semester. The XI- MIPA class was chosen based on the teacher’s consideration and suggestion that this class was very active and attractive while receiving the English subject in the morning so that they were still fresh to receive the material. There were some instruments used by the writer in conducting this research, those are observation, interview, and students’ reflective journal. The study was conducted in three times which were on February 14 th , February 21 st and February 28 th . Furthermore, observation and interviews were used to answer the first research question about the way the teacher implements the QAR strategy in critical reading on the narrative text. Meanwhile, students’ reflective journal was used to answer the second research question about investigating students overcome the difficulties in answering narrative text question by using the QAR strategy in critical reading. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Based on the result of classroom observation, the teacher had implemented all the procedures of the QAR strategy. In the main activity of the teaching and learning process, firstly the teacher started with asked students background knowledge related to the material. Then, the teacher gave a text about the fox and the goat story and checked students understanding about the text before they discussed it together. Furthermore, the teacher asked students with many questions those include the type of questions in the QAR strategy. In line with Moreillon (2007), Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy asked the students to classify the questions by the source of their answers. It could be a JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 98 question literal which the answer found in the specific place in the text. The question could be inferential which was found by combining the information in the text and the background knowledge of the reader or was the questions evaluative or creative level which make a judgment or state an opinion. After conducted the classroom observation, the writer did the interview with the English teacher about the teacher’s way of implementing the QAR strategy in critical reading on the narrative text. Based on the result of the interview, the teacher used the QAR strategy aimed to help students in understanding the narrative text, help them how to find and use information from a text to answer the questions easily which improves their critical reading too. Related to the data above, in line with Lehr & Osborn (2005, p. 19) explained that QAR strategy can help students get more information from their reading by showing them how to find and use information from a text to answer teacher’s questions. For the second question, the teacher answered that QAR strategy is important for students in learning to be a critical reader and this strategy helpfulness for students in answering narrative text questions with the type of questions. Then, for the third question, the teacher argued that using QAR strategy get a good influence on students in improving students' critical reding in answering narrative text questions. It same as explained by Raphael (2005, p. 237), that Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy helps individuals to develop thinking strategies and using this strategy students get a better understanding of the text learned. Afterward, for the fourth question, the teacher explained how to use the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in critical reading on the narrative text. Then for the last question of interview, the teacher told about the difficulties in using Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy those are; the students need to understand the text truly and this strategy also has some type of questions from the easiest to the least difficult in answering narrative text questions then make students required to think and read critically. Based on the result above, the writers found that the teacher used Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy aimed to help students in understanding the narrative text, help them how to find and use information from a text to answer the questions easily which improves their critical reading too. In line with theory by Raphael (2005, p.135) the Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy requires the students to think and use inferential thinking in order to answer the question Then, the teacher had implemented all the procedures of QAR strategy based on Raphael. Those are; Firstly, distribute a narrative JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 99 text to the students. Then, ask them to read a text carefully. After reading a narrative text, ask the students to answer the question by using the types of QAR. Furthermore, the students to analyze their answers based on types of QAR. Finally, discuss the problem experienced and ask students opinion which types are easier to find in answering narrative text questions by using QAR strategy by writing it in a simple learning journal i n Indonesian. The last instrument of this research is students’ reflective journal to answer the second research question about investigating students overcome the difficulties in answering narrative text questions by using Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in critical reading. This instrument was conducted after the interview. In obtaining the data of students’ reflective journals, the writer was analyzed by transcribing, categorizing, describing and interpreting all the data from the students. In collecting the data from students’ reflective journals, the writers divided it into four parts to make it easier in analyzing and interpreting the data from all the students. In the first part, there were twelve students said that to overcome the difficulties in answering narrative text questions by using Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in critical reading, they had to get a well understanding of the text to answer difficult questions using Question Answer Relationship strategy. The second part, there were three students (student 13, student 14 and student 15) said that in facing the difficulties in answering narrative text questions using this strategy they can associate the questions with their experience in their everyday life. In the third part, there were two students (student 16 and student 17) said to overcome the difficulties in answering narrative text questions by using Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in critical reading they could look for vocabulary that they did not know the meaning. then they would understand the sentences that were not understood before in order to answer the questions. In the last part, there were three students (students 18, student 19 and student 20) who said that when they found it difficult to understand the meaning of the text that implied, they could ask their friends or the teacher for discussing and helping in understanding the text. Based on the results from students’ reflective journal, Most of the students said that to overcome the difficulties in answering narrative text questions using Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy, firstly the students have to understand the whole text with correctly, so they can answer various difficulties questions which sometimes implies a lot of meaning. JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 100 The students were asked to identify whether the information they used to answer the questions about the text was textually explicit or implicit information. In addition, Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy helps students learn to get better understand the text. Three students said that they can associate the text with experiences in their lives, then they can answer the questions based on it. Two students argued that they can look for the vocabularies that there is in the text and they do not know the meaning in order to understand the text. The last three students said that they can ask and discuss to the teacher or their friends to helped them in understanding the sentences that they do not know the meaning. In line with theory by Raphael (2006, p. 56) explained that the implementation of Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy had to have an obstacle. There were students felt difficult to follow the strategy because basically there was no interesting point of view about English. They were confused to decide the category of the questions or when they had to think the information through the text. Furthermore, Teachers can help to guide the students in learning and can encourage using higher-level thinking. Based on the results of this research, Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy is helpful for students not only to answer the questions but also to understand the text and can help students’ critical reading in answering narrative text questions. It is beneficial for the students to comprehend and reflect the text they read. It enables them to be more strategic to identify explicit information and recognize implicit information. The result of this study has different from previous studies. Some previous studies had analyzed about Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy. However, the writers tried to analyze with different purposes in identifying the data of previous studies. The first study was done by Thi & Thuy (2018) in Vietnam. This research reports the effects of the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in English as a foreign language (EFL) high school students’ reading comprehension. Then the findings show that the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy had positive effects on students’ reading comprehension and add to the contemporary literature the value of using the QAR strategy to promote student learning reading. However, the study above is different from this study. They just reported the effects of the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in English as a foreign language (EFL) high school students’ reading comprehension, whereas this study analyzing of Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in critical reading on the narrative text. JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 101 The second study was conducted by Kurnianingrum (2018). The study was about “The comparative study between Question Answer Relationship (QAR) method and translation method on reading skill viewed from the students’ motivation”. This study found that: (1) there is any different influence of the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) Method and Translation Method toward students’ reading skill for the students, (2) there is different influence of high students’ motivation and low students’ motivation toward students’ reading skill for the students, (3) there is any influence of the interaction between Question Answer Relationship (QAR) Method and Translation Method as well as students’ motivation toward students’ reading skill for the students. However, the difference between the study above with this study is the writers analyzed about Question Answer Relationship (QAR) in critical reading on the narrative text. Whereas he did the comparative study between Question Answer Relationship (QAR) method and translation method on reading skill viewed from the students’ motivation. The third study was done by Fard & Nikou (2014). He carried out in order the study to identify the efficiency and the effects of Question- Answer-Relationship (QAR) strategy on the reading comprehension ability of EFL students in first-grade high school of Mohaddeseh, Urmia, Iran. The results of this study cater for several incentives for the researchers in the fields of applied linguistics, psychologists, language teaching methodology, English for Specific or Academic Purpose (ESP/EAP), and many other language-related areas of interest who are interested in improving reading comprehension ability of EFL students. However, the difference with this study is the writers in this research analyzing Question Answer Relationship (QAR) in critical reading on the narrative text. Whereas, he identifies the efficiency and the effects of the Question- Answer-Relationship (QAR) strategy. CONCLUSION Based on the result of the data analysis which were collected by classroom observation, interview, and students’ reflective journal, the writers conclude that Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy is helpful for students not only to answer the questions but also to understand the text and can help students’ critical reading in answering narrative text questions. It is beneficial for the students to comprehend and to reflect on the text they read. It enables them to be more strategic to identify explicit information and recognize implicit information. Besides, using the QAR strategy helps JALL (Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literacy), ISSN 2598-8530, February, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2020 102 ensure that there will not be an over-emphasis of lower-level skills and questions that only require students to locate and recall information. Then, to overcome the difficulties in answering the narrative question using the QAR strategy, the students have several manners such as; they have to understand the whole text correctly, so they can answer various difficulties questions which sometimes implies a lot of meaning. They can associate the text with experiences in their lives, then they can answer the questions based on it. They can look for the vocabularies that there is in the text and they do not know the meaning in order to understand the text. They can ask the teacher or their friends to help them in understanding the sentences they do not know the meaning. REFERENCES Fard, M. H., & Nikou, F. R. (2014). The Effect Of Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) Strategy On First Grade High School EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension. International Journal Of Language Learning And Applied Linguistics World, 7(2), 300–312. Kurnianingrum, Reni , Maryadi, Sutopo, A. (2018). 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