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Table 3.1. Schedule of the Research
No. Activity
Month I
II III
IV V
VI
1 Planning
2 Acting and Observing Cycle 1
4 Reflecting
5 Replanning
6 Acting and Observing Cycle 2
8 Reflecting
9 Data Analysis and Reporting
2. The Subject of the Research
The subject of this research was the eighth grade students of SMP Negeri 1 Wonogiri in the academic year of 20102011. It was the 8G class of RSBI. The
students in this class, who like to call themselves “Thei Golden”, had a better learning ability than the other classes as stated by the teacher, “They can
understand the lesson easily and it is not so difficult to control them.” Having an ideal number of students, 20, this class consists of 5 male and 15 female students
with an average writing skill in grade of eight.
B. The Method of the Research
1. Action Research
Action research is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research
Ferrance, 2000: 1. Supporting to Ferrance, Wallace 1998: 4 states action research is basically a way of reflecting on teaching which is done by
systematically collecting data on everyday practice and analyzing it in order to come to some decisions about what the future practice should be.
Classroom action research begins with a question or questions about classroom experiences, issues, or challenges. It is a reflective process which helps
teachers to explore and examine aspects of teaching and learning and to take action to change and improve.
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Based on the considerations above, the study in this paper was conducted under the scope of action research in order to give practical use of blog in the
classroom and improve the teachers teaching technique in using new media.
2. The Procedure of Action Research
Burns 1999: 35 points out some phases in action research: exploring, identifying,
planning, collecting
data, analysisreflecting,
hypothesisingspeculating, intervening, observing, reporting, writing, and presenting.
a. Exploring
It is the starting point for undertaking some initial action, such as documenting the general observation of situation in order to bring the
understanding about the problem. It may involve doing some reading of recent articles or books to obtain ideas for research.
b. Identifying
This phase involves the recording or documenting observations which relate to the research area. It helps to clarify the nature of the situation and
suggest to further action. c.
Planning This involves developing a viable plan of action for gathering data, and
considering and selecting a range of appropriate research methods. d.
Collecting data During this period, the procedures selected for collecting data are
developed and put into action. e.
Analysingreflecting This phase is considered as a combination of both analysis and reflection
since the close analysis of data is often the stimulus for reflection. f.
Hypothesisingspeculating In this phase, hypothesis is drawn out based on the data that have been
collected to this point, on the analysis and on the reflections that have arisen from the analysis.
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g. Intervening
Intervening involves changing classroom approaches or practices in response to the hypotheses one has made.
h. Observing
In observing the outcomes of the intervention and reflecting on its effectiveness, a new set of teaching strategies and activities and recycling back
into a period of further data collection are involved. i.
Reporting It involves articulating the activities, data collection and results that have
come out of the research process within the research group. j.
Writing In this phase, the research questions, the strategies developed, the process
of the research, and the analyses and results observed are drawn together by writing up an account in a report or article.
k. Presenting
This phase aims at ensuring that the research is presented to a wider audience.
The procedure of an action research is done continuously through cycles. Each cycle is initialized by planning the action after investigating the problems in
the classroom. After finishing the action and the observation, it comes to the reflecting stage when all of the data are analyzed. This reflection is important to
find out the unsolved problem during the research and its final result. In order to simplify the phases mentioned previously, action research is usually done in a
cycle. The cycle of research steps can be visually seen as follows:
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The classroom procedure of this research was conducted within two cycles as listed in the table below.
Table 3.2. The Classroom Procedure of the Research
Cycle Procedures
I Planning
Teacher prepares everything related to the action that will be implemented in the classroom, including lesson plan and
instruments for observation.
Acting
Teacher implements the teaching and learning activities of writing on blogs as stated in the lesson plan.
Observing
Teacher collaboratively observes all of the activities happening in the teaching and learning process and collects
the data needed.
Reflecting
Teacher analyses the teaching and learning process and makes a judgment to revise the activities in order to improve the lack
in cycle I. The results will determine whether it will be continued in the next cycle or not.
II Replanning
Teacher makes new lesson plan which contains the corrective planning.
Acting
Teacher implements the teaching and learning activities of writing on blogs as stated in the lesson plan.
Observing
Teacher collaboratively observing all of the activities happening in the teaching and learning process and collects
the data needed.
Reflecting
Teacher analyses the teaching and learning process and makes a judgment to revise the activities in order to improve the lack
in cycle II. The results will determine whether it will be continued in the next cycle or not.
Figure 1: The Individual Aspect in Action Research Kemmis and McTaggart in Burns, 1999: 33
1 Cycle
1 Cycle
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A. Technique of Collecting the Data
