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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
A. Type of the Research
The goal of this research was to improve the students’ writing ability using cue card. This research was an action research study. Firstly, the researcher tried to
find and identify the problems during the English teaching and learning process. Then, she found problems of writing. She discussed with the English teacher as her
collaborator to find the solution of the problems. As Stephen Kemmis and Robbin McTaggart 1988 in Burns 2010: 7-8, the research design used in this research was
the spiral of cycles of planning, action, observation, and reflection.
B. Settings of the Research
1. The Place of the Research The research was conducted in SMPN 4 Yogyakarta. It is located in Hayam
Wuruk St. No. 18 Lempuyangan, Yogyakarta. It is near Lempuyangan railway station. The school is located in the centre of the city, so the access is quite easy. The
school is quite small. It has 18 classes from grade seven until nine. There are six classes for each grade. SMPN 4 Yogyakarta has enough facility to support the
teaching and learning process. Each class has LCD projector and speaker. The other facilities are library and language laboratory. Total student in SMPN 4 Yogyakarta is
more than five hundred.
The reason why the researcher conducted the research in that school is because, most of students has problem in English especially writing. When the researcher
interviewed the students for the first time, most of them said that they were not really like English. They thought that English is difficult and boring. Their motivation to
visit the library to read English book was also low. Moreover, they said that they often felt sleepy in the class especially in learning writing. It was proved when the
researcher held a class observation. The students’ motivation in learning writing was low. They were not actively participated in the learning process. The result of pre-test
was also not satisfied. Based on the interviews, observations and pre-test, the researcher and the English teacher decided to conduct research in that school in order
to improve the students’ writing ability by using cue card. 2. Time of the Research
The research was conducted in the second semester in the academic year of 20152016. It was from January to March 2016. In conducting the actions, the
researcher followed the English schedule of class VIII-E of SMP Negeri 4 Yogyakarta.
C. Participants of the Research
The participants of the research were the students of grade eight in SMP Negeri 4 Yogyakarta in academic year 20152016. The researcher discussed with the
English teacher to decide which class the research took place. It was in VIII-E class which is has 34 students. The students learn English as foreign language. Most of
them were native of Javanese and Indonesia. They had less ability in English especially writing because they only got and practiced English in the school. They
rarely use English in their daily conversation.
D. Types of the Data
The data were qualitative data and supported by quantitative data. The qualitative data were in the form of the descriptions of the process during the actions
written in field notes, observation checklists, and interview transcripts. While quantitative data were from the questionnaires and students’ score before, during, and
after the action.
E. Techniques of Data Collection
This research used both qualitative and quantitative data collection technique. The qualitative data were collected before, during, and after the action. The
researcher dug the information by interviewing the English teacher and some students, observing the teaching and learning process and conducting tests. Moreover,
the quantitative data were collected from the questionnaires and scores of the students’ writing tests.
Firstly, the researcher conducted the interviews to the English teacher and some students. Then, she observed the teaching and learning process in the class.
After that, the researcher conducted a pre-test to know the writing ability of the
students. After the data was collected, the researcher and the English teacher designed the course grid and lesson plan using cue card as media to teach writing.
1. Interviews The interview is aimed to get the data related to the teacher’s and students’
behavior and their perspectives in writing before, during, and after the action. In the reconnaissance step, the researcher interviewed the English teacher related to the
teaching and learning process and the problems faced. Then, she interviewed the students to know about their opinions and their difficulties during the teaching and
learning process of writing. During the actions, the interviews were conducted in every meeting of each
cycle of the research. The interviews were needed to get the feedback from the English teacher, the students, and the collaborator. After conducting the actions, the
researcher also interviewed the students to know improvement of writing’s behavior. 2. Observations
To get the information needed, the researcher observed the teaching and learning process in class VIII-E. It related to students’ behavior in writing, the
teacher’s action in the class, and problems related to the teaching and learning process. These observations were conducted before, during, and after the actions of
the research. Those things were noted. 3. Tests
Pre-test and post-test were conducted to measure the students’ writing score before and after the actions. Moreover, it aimed to obtain the information of students’
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