Application of English Comic Strips in Teaching Writing of

XII-language program could achieve the minimum passing criterion. The use of comic strips could help and gave them confident in writing narrative text. It also could give benefit for the teacher as guidance in teaching writing to the students. The last is “Improving the Students’ Ability in Writing Narrative Using Picture Series”, written by Hermanto. 24 The objective of this research was to improve the students’ ability in writing narrative text by using picture series. In the method used in this research was a classroom action research. The steps included planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. Before the researcher conducted steps, he gave test to the students to investigate their writing ability in the preliminary study. The result showed that students’ average writing score was 56. It meant that the students were not achieved the minimum passing criterion. After conducting the preliminary study, the researcher applied the steps. In the planning stage, the researcher made some preparations before teaching of writing narrative texts by using picture series. In the implementation stage, the researcher started to teach writing to the students as practitioner. Meanwhile, the collaborative teacher observed the students’ progress during the process of teaching and learning narrative text by using picture series. In the observation stage, the researchers recorded and gathered the data about any aspects and events referring to the criteria of success during teaching and learning process. In the reflection stage, the researcher made two kinds of conclusion, namely the each cycle-based conclusion and the final conclusion. Based on the result in the first cycle, there were only 23 students of 40 who did not achieve the target. It meant that the average scores of students did not meet the criteria of success. Then, the researcher changed the scenario of planning strategy in teaching narrative writing by using the picture series. In the first cycle, the picture series was not provided vocabulary with aim to help the students easy in making the draft. Hence, in the second cycle, the researcher provided vocabulary in the picture series. Based on the finding, the result of students’ writing achievement in the second cycle was 24 Hermanto, Improving the Students’ Ability in Writing Narrative Using Picture Series, Journal, 1, 2013, p. 148-154. improved. It meant that the use of picture series in teaching narrative writing was useful. These previous studies can be used by the researcher as a reference in composing and conducting her research. She also can compare the methodology of research and the result between her research and those previous studies.

C. Conceptual Framework

The researcher conducted the research to find out whether teaching using comic strips can be an effective way to increase and influence students’ motivation in writing narrative text or not. She uses comic strips as medium in teaching because they are interesting for children. It consists of unique pictures with fascinating story arranged in a series. The problems that students often face in writing are the factor of laziness, having lack in mastering grammar, vocabulary, diction, and difficult to develop and perform their ideas into written form. Therefore, the researcher assumes that the use of comic strip can stimulus their interest and motivation in writing, especially in narrative text. It can help them to build up ideas in writing the story by creating a topic and then developing into some paragraphs. They will also learn how to write grammatically to make a good composition.

D. Hypothesis of the Study

To know the effectiveness of teaching writing narrative text by using English comic strips, the researcher formulates two hypotheses that will be tested by using t-test. They are: 1. Null Hypothesis H o There is no significant difference between the students’ score in learning narrative writing by using English comic strips and the students’ score in learning narrative writing without using English comic strips at the eighth grade students of SMP Islam Al-Ikhlas.