DIFFERENCES IN THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND POETRY CONTENT THROUGH ACTIVITIES READING AND LISTENING SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP NEGERI 2 LEBAKWANGI KUNINGAN REGENCY ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/2013

Abstract

The purpose of poetry learning is for students to gain experience in appreciating and expressing poetry. Students gain this experience by reading poetry and listening to poetry recitals so that they are able to express themselves through poetry. Based on the above background, the author formulates the following problems. (1) How is the ability to understand the content of poetry through reading activities of seventh grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year? (2) How is the ability to understand the content of poetry through listening activities of seventh grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year? (3) Is there a difference in the ability to understand the content of poetry through reading and listening activities among seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year? The hypotheses in this study are as follows. 1) The ability to understand the content of poetry through reading activities among seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year is good. 2) The ability to understand the content of poetry through listening activities among seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year is adequate. 3) There is a significant difference between the ability to understand the content of poetry through reading and listening activities among seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year. The method used in this study was a comparative descriptive method, the purpose of which was to find comparisons (differences and similarities) between two variables by giving certain treatments to two groups, so that the best treatment between the two groups could be determined. The population in this study consisted of 120 seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi, Kuningan Regency, in the 2012/2013 academic year. The author took samples using cluster sampling. In cluster sampling, the population is divided into several groups or clusters. The required cluster samples are taken randomly through a randomization process. After drawing lots from four groups in the seventh grade of SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi, the samples obtained in this study were 30 students from class VII A and 30 students from class VII C. Based on the research data and data processing, the following results were obtained. 1) The ability to understand the content of poetry through reading activities of seventh grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year was categorized as good, with an average score of 77.50. Therefore, the hypothesis proposed by the author is accepted. 2) The ability to understand the content of poetry through listening activities of seventh grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year was categorized as sufficient, with an average score of 69.48. Therefore, the hypothesis proposed by the author is accepted. 3) There is a significant difference between the ability to understand the content of poetry through reading and listening activities of seventh grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Lebakwangi in the 2012/2013 academic year. This is proven by the results of the t-test calculation, which produced a t-value greater than the t-table value, namely 4.01 > 2.660. This means that the ability to understand the content of poetry through reading activities is better than through listening activities.