Chapter national education

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                                     CHAPTER I

                                   INTRODUCTION


A. Background

       In the curriculum of the national education in Indonesia, especially for the

students of university, English is taught in four skills, namely reading, writing,

speaking and listening. Grammar and vocabulary are supported aspects of

language component skills. However, most of Indonesian students who study

English, do not acquire anything that can be used in practical way from their study

of the language.

       The most important thing of English is how to use for communication with

the other people; special for academism, they need English to improve their

knowledge, so that they must mastery of English tenses as a basic of the English

language.

       The fact points out all of us that there are many subjects, which need help

the mastery of English tenses, almost all sentences of English are filled tenses.

This is one problem, which becomes challenge to all students that without

mastering of English tenses it is very difficult to analyze and differentiate its

functions in the sentence or paragraph.

         Grammar is one of the most difficult aspects in a language. The ability to

put the right words in the right position in the sentence involve specific skills,

such as; the use of subject – verb, structure of sentence, and organization

paragraph. English tenses are crucial means of language because English tenses

are the basic of language. It is used to communicate with other people and also to
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the time of event. In overcoming such problem, it needs teacher’s role in selecting

method in teaching that is being presented to the class. Teacher should present the

good method to improve students’ ability to analyze the correct of English tenses

component.

         The assumption that the good mastery of English tenses will

instrumentally functions not only as the key to develop and advance our ability to

communicate well in English but also as a pride and easiness to understand the

native speaking and native English . In grammar, we don’t only need to involve

any over responses on the part of the students, on the other hand English tenses

involve the ability not only to understand a sequence of speaking but also to

reproduce it in writing. Some of us may remember.

         The strategy to analyze tenses can be done in many ways. It could be

extended in various kinds to overcome to difficulties in understanding certain

tenses. Another kind of learning style is error analysis. Error analysis means that a

reader identifies the incorrect words in the sentence or paragraph.

       In conducting learning process, analyzing functions of English tenses,

subject–verb agreement and its differentiations. English tenses can be handled

well through immediate constituent analysis method. Beside the students can

explore their critical thinking through immediate constituent analysis, they also

more active in search related problem and discuss it to their friends. That is why,

the researcher will discuss about mastery of English tenses through immediate

constituent analysis method to give us depiction and explanation in hope, this
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method will contribute positively towards the students’ ability to analyze English

tenses.

           We know that in special cases a teacher using immediate constituent

analysis as the teaching device. By using immediate constituent analysis the

students can help diagnose and correct these kinds of students to pay attention to

the class. Using immediate constituent analysis as ensures attentive grammar: It

trains pupils to distinguish constructions and functions of English tenses.

           In many cases, a teacher probably explains the teaching material for the

students; so that students could check it about their mistakes. The kinds of the

subject matter that the teacher uses in teaching immediate constituent analysis can

raise the interest of students into the class. There are some factors which may take

students find attentive subject English tenses.

          Based on the observation in the first class IPA 1 of MAN 3 Biringkanaya

Makassar which consists of 15 students, in average the students got 6,25 in

English subject achievement, whereas the target is 7,5. For the classification the

students got excellent is 20 % or 3 students, 4 students or 27 % is good, poor is 40

% or 6 students and very poor is 13 % or 2 students. This fact directly shows us

the weakness of students in grammar and mastery of English tenses.

          Based on the data above, the researcher concludes that the students of the

first class IPA I of MA Negeri 3 Biringkanaya Makassar have less achievment in

grammar especially in mastery of English tenses. Having seen these facts

described in the previous paragraph, the writer is inspired to apply immediate

constituent analysis method to improve the students’ mastery of English tenses.
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B. Problem Statement

         According to the background above, the researcher formulates the

research problem statement as follows:


   1. How is the students’ mastery to identify the functions and categories of the

       English tenses constructions?

   2. How is the students’ mastery to identify the diverse uses of the English

       tenses?


C. Objective of the Study

   According to the problem statement above, the objective of the study is

following:


   1. To know the students’ ability to identify the functions and categories of

       the English tenses constructions through the implication of immediate

       constituent analysis method.


   3. To know the students’ ability to identify the diverse uses of the English

       tenses through the implication of immediate constituent analysis method.


D. Significance of the Study

         The result of the study will be useful information and meaningful

contribution for students and teacher to improve mastery of tenses through the

implication of immediate constituent analysis method. The students know their

ability in using English tenses which one right and which one wrong and they can

motivate themselves in learning grammar especially English tenses through the
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implication of immediate constituent analysis, then teachers can improve their

activities in teaching grammar especially English tenses through implication of

immediate constituent analysis method.

E. Scope of the Study


       This research is limited on the tenses items namely: simple present tense,

present progressive tense, simple past, and present perfect tense and also to

identify constructions of English tenses, functions of English tenses, subject –

verb agreement of English tenses and the differentiation of using English tenses

through immediate constituent analysis. Immediate constituent analysis play

important role to sharpen the students’ analysis ability. Their structures are

meaningful because have very informational content and need not only reading

activities but also deep probe to gain the comprehension.