Developing Supplementary English Textbook for Fifth Grade of Elementary School at SDN Larangan Slampar II Tlanakan Pamekasan

By Syaifuddin

According to Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP), the purpose of learning English in elementary school is to give knowledge of the language in order that the students are able to communicate in written and spoken language (BSNP document in Ersani, 2010).

            KTSP is the curriculum used in Indonesia that explains; 1) curriculum development based on national standard of education goals. 2) the curriculum at all levels and types of education developed in accordance with the principle of diversification of educational unit, the potential of the area, and learners. Development of a diversified curriculum is intended to allow the adjustment of educational programs in the educational unit with the condition and the uniqueness of the potential in the area (BNSP 2006, p. 6)

            A syllabus is possibly defined as a document, an explicit and coherent plan, an instrument, or even a specification and ordering of content that describes and coordinate whole aspects of language teaching such as what learners expect to know at the end of the course; what is to teach during the course; when to teach and at what rate of progress; how to teach; and how to evaluate groups of learners (Yalden, 1983)

            Dubin and Olhstain (1992, p. 27) describes further a good syllabus under the questions of (1) what learners are expected to know at the end of the course; (2) what is taught and learnt during the course; (3) when it is to be taught and in what rate of progress to the different levels and stage as well as to the time constraints of the course; (4) how is it to be taught; and (5) how is it to be evaluated.

In selecting and developing local topics, there are some points that need big attention; first, local topic taught at primary school are very meaningful; it makes the curriculum more comprehensive and relevant, if local topics are well developed and suited to primary school children, it makes children more interested. They will have chance to know and to study about the topic related with their lives, surrounding, and culture. Second, the local topic must be scientific, educational, practical, and relevant. And the last, developing local content can be geographical feature, flora, fauna, cultural activities, traditional musical instrument, typical art work, and production.

there are some points that need great attention in selecting and developing local topic: 1) Local topics taught at primary schools should be very meaningful as well as beneficial. 2) The local topics must be: scientific, educational, practical, relevant. 3) Developing local topics can be Geographical features, Flora, cultural activities of diffirent (ethnic) groups, local history in Indonesia, Production. 4) Planning a topic.

Method

Research Design

This research was conducted using Research and Development principles as state in Borg & Gall (in Latief, 2010). Research and development (R&D) is understood as a research activity that begins with research and continued with the development (Latief, 2011, p. 102). The processes of research and development (R&D) consist of studying research finding pertinent to the product to be developed, developing the product based on the finding, field-testing the product in the setting where it would be used eventually, and revising it to the correct deficiency, and revising it to the correct deficiencies found in the field-test stage. Therefore, the background reason for this R&D is the classroom problem related to educational product.

The researcher adopted and adjusted the steps from the R&D cycles desighed by Borg and Gall to meet the reality in the field and the sake of practicality. It is because of under consideration in adopting the steps and also the estimation of money, workers, and time to develop the product. The steps used in this research were need survey, developing material, expert validation, first revision (revision form expert), try out, second revision (revision based on the result of the try out), and final product.

Subject of the Research

The number of the students involved for subject of this research is 14 students (one class) in SDN Larangan Slampar II Pamekasan. To get the data, the researcher gave questionnaires and interviewed the English teacher teaching the fifth grade students of SDN Larangan Slampar II Pamekasan.

            The related literatures in this research are: logical problem of language learning in elementary school, ktsp curriculum 2006, syllabus, selection and development of local topics, needs analysis, research and development (R&D), teaching English materials for elementary school students, the model of teaching in elementary school, the model of development.

            The purpose of need survey is to obtain as much information as possible in any given situation in a field. The teachers’ information from school at SDN Larangan Slampar II Tlanakan Pamekasan is needed to develop the materials. It is also to find out availability or inadequacy of English materials for fifth grade of elementary school students. Then the material is analyzed to see their applicability and appropriateness with need of the students and the teachers.

            The need survey uses some instruments, such as questionnaire, interview guide, and field notes. This procedure is intended to obtain the information of the learners’ needs in learning English. The questionnaire for the students is aimed at gathering the students’ need, such as their motivation and interests in learning English.