Thesis Ringkas

The Correlation between the Vocabulary Mastery and Translation Ability of the EleventhGrade Students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang by ARI DESTIANA a. Problem of the Study “Is there any significant correlation between the vocabulary mastery and translation ability of the eleventh-grade students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang?” b. Objective of the Study To find out whether or not there was a significant correlation between the vocabulary mastery and translation ability of the eleventh-grade students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang. c. Hypotheses of the Study H0 : There is no significant correlation between the vocabulary mastery and translation ability of the eleventh-grade students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang. H1 : There is a significant correlation between the vocabulary mastery and translation ability of the eleventh-grade students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang. d. Method of the Study Correlational method was used to conduct this study. According to Tuckman (1978: 148) cited in Bangun (2006), a correlational study involves the collection of two or more sets of data from a group of subjects with the attempt to determine the subsequent relationship between those sets of data. e. Population of the Study The population of this study was all the eleventh-grade students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang in the academic year 2006/2007 with a total number of 282 students. Arikunto (2002: 108) defines population as a set (collection) of all elements possessing one or more attributes of interest. f.

Sample of the Study According to Wallen and Fraenkel (1991: 340), sample is the group of subjects on which information is obtained. In this study, the writer took two classes out of seven classes to be the sample of the study by using convenience sampling method. The sample was 81 students. Convenience sampling method is a method of sampling in which the selection is based on groups of individuals who are (conveniently) available for the study (Wallen and Fraenkel, 1991: 137).

g. Technique for Collecting the Data The data were collected by means of a vocabulary test and translation test. According to Arikunto (2002: 198), a test is used to measure one’s ability in a particular subject. The vocabulary test was administered to find out the students’ vocabulary mastery. The test consists of 50 multiple-choice items. The translation test was administered to find out the students’ ability in translating English text into Indonesian. In the translation test, the students were asked to translate a text consisting of 5 paragraphs from English into Indonesian.

h. Validity of the Tests According to McMillan (1992: 100), validity is the judgment of the appropriateness of a measure for the specific inferences/decisions that result from the scores generated by the measure. In this study, the writer estimated the content validity of the tests. Content validity refers to the extent to which the test items or questions in the instrument are representative of some appropriate universe domain of content (Brown, 1991: 233). In order to estimate content validity, a tester must decide whether the test is a representative sample of the

content whatever the test was designed to measure (Brown, 1991: 233). In this case, the writer devised the test items in accordance with the table of specifications of each test. Appendix A1 is the specifications table of the vocabulary test and Appendix B1 is the specifications table of the translation test. i.

Reliability of the Tests According to Wallen and Fraenkel (1991: 85), reliability refers to the consistency of the information obtained. Brown (1991: 192) states that the degree to which a test is consistent or reliable can be estimated by calculating its reliability coefficient. In this study, the writer estimated the internal-consistency reliability of the vocabulary test. Internal consistency reliability is a measure of the degree to which the items or parts of a test are homogeneous or consistent with each other (Richards, et al, 1990: 146). To estimate the reliability coefficient of the vocabulary test, the writer used the Cronbach Alpha formula. For the translation test, the writer estimated the intrarater reliability. According to Brown (1991: 203), intrarater reliability may be necessary in language testing situations where raters make judgments on students’ productive skills (speaking and writing) as in composition, oral interview, or role-play situations. To find out the intrarater reliability, a test is administered twice to the students on two separate occasions and then the two sets of scores are correlated. The obtained correlation coefficient is considered as the reliability coefficient of the test.

j.

Technique for Collecting the Data To find out whether or not there was a significant correlation between the vocabulary mastery and the translation ability of the eleventh grade students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang, the writer used the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient formula, as follows (Brown, 1991: 155):

rxy = where:

∑ ( y − y )( x − x ) N .Sy.Sx

rxy

= Y Y Sy X X Sx N

Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient = each student’s score on Test Y = mean on Test Y = standard deviation on Test Y = each student’s score on Test X = mean on Test X = standard deviation on Test X = the number of students who took the two tests

k. Result of the Study The correlation coefficient obtained was 0.620. The value of r-obtained was higher than the critical value of r-table, so H0 was rejected and H1 was accepted. It means there was a significant correlation between the vocabulary mastery and translation ability of the eleventhgrade students of SMA Negeri 11 Palembang.