These problem led the writer to find the solution of all this about. The writer tries to solve this problem by using picture sequences as a visual aid to
see the sequence events of a recount text, in order to ease the students in writing the recount text. Picture is one of visual aids used to help the students
to understand their material to be learned. An expert said that: Kinds of ready-made pictures can be used to develop and sustain
motivation, to procedure positive attitudes toward English and to teach or reinforce some language learning skills. The teacher must
supply the necessary motivation and make up for the lack of natural
stimuli, in order to develop the enthusiasm hisher students’ imagination to help himher. But words alone are not sufficient to
carry the student over into an imaginary situation. More than anything else, it is visual aids in form or another that the students
enter an imaginative experience beyond the classroom.
4
Picture is a useful media in teaching-learning activities. It can create the students’ mindset, so that they will be easy to catch their teacher’s
explanation. Besides, the pictures as an instructional media can also create enjoyable atmosphere of teaching-learning activities. In addition, pictures can
attract the students’ attention, and they can raise the students’ motivation and interest in learning English, especially for English text.
T his research will be focused in improving students’ writing ability of
recount text that is taught at the first semester of tenth grade of Senior High School. It based on the competence standard of Senior High School stated
that: Mengungkapkan makna dalam teks tulis fungsional pendek dan
esei sederhana berbentuk recount, narrative, dan procedure dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari.
To express the meaning in short functional written text and simple essay in the form of recount, narrative, and procedure in daily life
context.
5
In this “skripsi”, the writer will focus on the picture sequences as a visual aid in teaching recount text writing. As Betty Morgan Bowen said that,
4
Marie Ernestova, How to Use Ready-Made Pictures, English Teaching Forum, Volume XIX No.4 October, 1981. p.5.
5
KTSP 2006. Departemen Pendidikan Nasional., Jakarta.
“Picture sequence is a series of pictures of a single subject. Its function is to tell a story or a sequence of events
”.
6
It is in line with the purpose of recount text that retelling some events in the past.
According to the explanations above and the strong desire of solving these problems, the writer has motivation to do a classroom action research in
improving the students’ ability in writing recount text in real class by using
picture sequences as the instructional media. It is hoped that the media can improve the students’ ability in writing, especially in recount text.
According to the preceding statement, the topic that will be discussed by the writer is
“IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN WRITING RECOUNT TEXT THROUGH PICTURE SEQUENCES”.
B. Scope and Limitation of the Research
This “skripsi” focuses on the teaching writing of recount text at tenth grade
of MA Darul Ma’arif at the first semester 20102011 academic year. To make it deeper, the problems will be limited to: The
students’ ability improvement in writing recount text through picture sequences.
C. Research Problem
Based on the background presented above, the writer plans to solve the problem through
picture sequences in improving students’ writing ability of recount text at the firs
t semester of tenth grade of MA Darul Ma’arif. The general question of this research is
“Can picture sequences improve effectively the first year
students’ ability in writing recount text at MA Darul Ma’arif - Cipete, South Jakarta?”
6
Betty Morgan Bowen, Look here Visual Aids in Language Teaching, London: Essential Language Teaching Series, 1973, p.28.
D. Objective of the Research
In line with the research problem above, the objectives of this research is: To know whether picture sequences can improve effectively the first year
students’ ability in writing recount text at MA Darul Ma’arif – Cipete.
E. Significance of the Research
The results of this research are expected to provide useful information about teaching recount text by using picture sequences at the first semester of
tenth grade at MA Darul Ma’arif. It is expected that these results can help the teachers to solve the problems happened in the English classroom, especially
when learning writing recount text. And also contribute to all people involved in developing quality of English education, especially for students.
The writer expects that the research will be useful for the English teachers who might use this technique when they teach recount text. It might
become a guide for teachers to teach in a better way. And for the students, hopefully it can help them to build their understanding of the sequence events
in recount texts by having images of recount texts. Therefore, they can get a better achievement and higher interest in learning English.
F. The Definition of Key Term
To make the readers have the same perception for some terms used in this study, so the following definitions are needed, they are:
Recount Text writing is the form of text that aims at retelling past
events for entertaining.
Picture sequence is a series of pictures of a single subject. Its function is to tell a story or a sequence of events.
7
MA Darul
Ma’arif Cipete refers to Islamic Senior High School Darul Ma’arif Cipete, which under the administration of the Religion
Department of Indonesia.
7
Betty Morgan Bowen, Look here Visual Aids in Language Teaching, London: Essential Language Teaching Series, 1973, p.28.
7
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Writing
Just like speaking, writing is a way of communicating a message. It is a means of expressing our thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a written form. By
writing people may share their knowledge and experiences, or ideas and
concepts to others.
Writing involves more than just producing words and sentences. In writing, a writer should be able to write a series of words and sentences which
are grammatically and logically correct, so that the reader can possibly understand what the writer has in hisher mind or what hisher purpose is.
For example, when someone wants to write, heshe sits down, holds a pen and faces a piece of paper ready to write, heshe uses hisher mind to
think and hisher ideas to flow out. These acts lead us to create a good and careful thinking in order to be a good writing.
1. The Definition of Writing
As stated above that writing is a way of expressing our thoughts in order to the reader can understand what we have in our mind in the written
form, it is in line with Sheridan Baker said in her book, The Practical Stylist:
In writing, you clarify your own thoughts, and strengthen your conviction. Indeed, you probably grasp your thoughts for the
first time. Writing is a way of thinking. Writing actually creates thought, and generates your ability to think: you discover
thoughts you hardly knew you had, and come to know what you know. You learn as you write. In the end, after you have
rewritten and rearrange for your best rhetorical effectiveness, your words will carry your readers with you to see as you see, to
believe as you believe, to understand your subject as you now understand it.
1
It is clearly stated that a writer can carry hisher reader to believe as heshe believes and see what heshe sees by the writing itself. A “writing”
can change the reader’s mindset after heshe reads it.
Another expert, Sherman Kent stated that, “Writing is expression, and that successful expression is dependent upon the continuity and clarity
of the thought”.
2
It means, when someone wants to write something, heshe must know what heshe intend to write about based on their
thought. Another definition was given by James A. W. Heffernan and John
E. Lincoln who defined, “Writing is a means of communication you must
consciously learn. And part of what makes it hard to learn is that written words usually have to express your meaning in your absence, have to
“speak” all by themselves”.
3
From this statement, it is clearly stated that to make “a writing” it is
not as simple as verbal communication. It needs to be learned first in order the writer can express what heshe really means.
For many of foreign language learner, writing is considered as the most difficult skill, because in writing they have to combine the correct
grammatical and also the coherent and cohesion of the paragraphs. It is in line with Jack C. Richard
statement that, “Writing is the most difficult skills for second language learner to master of putting together strings of
1
Sheridan Baker, The Practical Stylist, New York: Harper Row Publishers, 1987, Sixth Edition, p.2-3.
2
Sherman Kent, Writing History, New York : Appleton Century Crofts, 1941 , Second Edition, p.56
3
James A. W. Haffernan and John E. Lincoln, Writing a College Handbook, New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, 1986, Second Edition, p.3
