Background of the Study

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CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

In conducting the research, researcher tried to collect some theory from experts and other research which is in a same field. This chapter will elaborate the variable of the research systematically. The variables are writing and peer- assessment. Due to give some explanations clearly, the researcher will explain from the definition of writing, the text types of writing, the purposes of writing, the definition of recount text and its purposes, the structures of recount text and peer assessment will be explain later.

A. Writing Skill 1.

Definition of Writing Writing is productive skill which is directly produced a written. It refers to Hyland, which stated writing is a developmental process. 1 It can be reviewed by mentioning writing as the way of communicates that produce written language and it needed a process due to share what the writer want to say. Writing is also the way of learning. None of us can write intensively without thinking, probing, observing, asking, experimenting even reading. It is not as easy as artist seems it has to be, because it is like an art which is needed more focus. 2 Writing gives people a chance to share their ideas without feeling anxiety to give it because they can easily construct a written form which is represent their thought. It refers to an opinion from Dumais, writing is to fill the gap between the ability to reveal ideas, feelings, opinions, and thought and also it is one of skills in English. 3 1 Ken Hyland, Second Language Writing, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, p. 9. 2 James C. Raymond, Writing Is an Unnatural Act, New York: Harper Row, Publishers, 1980, p. 2. 3 Fitri Purnama Sari et al., “An Analysis of Students’ Ability and Problem in Writing Recount Texts at Grade VIII of SMPN 29 Padang”, A Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol. 2 No. 1, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang: 2013, pp. 73—85. Writing is a continuous process of thinking and organizing rethinking, and recognizing the power of individual own view through the topic or the idea. 4 Next, O’ Malley and Pierce opine that writing skill is a personal act in which writer takes ideas and transform them into “self-initiative” topic. 5 In the other term, writing is an individual act in delivering some messages to others which is involves some senses such as eye, hand, ear, and also brain in case of they think. In a particular activity, communication is needed. Communication is a process of encoding and decoding. Encoding is a process in giving some codes to others. Meanwhile, decoding means translate the codes-given into a meaning. One of those processes includes in writing. So, writing is a process of encoding which is serving ideas in words. In another term, Flynn and Stainthorp suggest writing as a process of human information which has so many activities in it and demands on the cognitive system. 6 People need to create the way to communicate with others before they delivered it. It is doing in case of making the connection between them is in stable and readers can take the information fully. It called by a complex activity which required a more effort by the limited processing capacity. 7 Furthermore, writing requires writers to develop a cognitive consciousness of the writing options available to them. Due to produce a written form, writers need some other contributing ways such as style or ideas about what and whom they want to write. It is not as easy as people can imagine, it needs more concentrate than they are in speaking stage. In writing, they need to focus on their mind and search the most important memory about which can deliver to others. To sum up all statements above, the writer opines that writing is one of any tools in communicating with others which is involving their cognitive system. It requires people conscious condition, so the message will be delivered as full as the writer means. 4 Ken Hyland, op.cit., pp. 8—9. 5 O’ Malley, J. Michael and Lorraine Valdez Pierce, Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners, United States: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. 1996, p. 150. 6 Naomi Flynn Rhona Stainthorp, The Learning and Teaching of Reading and Writing, West Sussex: Whurr Publisher Limited, 2006, p. 54. 7 Ibid., p. 61.

2. Purposes of Writing

Writing in many ways has its own purposes. It can be looked by the contents and the view of the writer. There are four main purposes in writing based on the types of writing in English language learning, which are 8 : a. Informative It is kind of informative writing. It contains of some ideas, opinions, describing events or experience, give directions or etc. as the purpose is to share the knowledge or information which is important considerable for readers. b. Expressive or Narrative This kind is to share the expressive writing which contains of such pleasure story from the writer. It is usually used to give some narrative story to the readers and mostly use to amuse the readers. c. Satirize Satirize is also a form of humor but in a serious purpose as it is used to reform something. It is a reality which is brought by the writer based on his or her view to give knowledge about the fact surrounding the reader. It requires one or more the fact in the writing as the way the writer avoids deliberately misinterpret the purpose of the writing. d. Persuasive It is called persuasive writing which is purposed to persuade the readers to do something or to follow the instructions. It is mainly appear in an advertisement, in promoting product, controversial issue, in evaluation of book, and etc.

3. Writing Process

Writing will carry a successful process if they attempt whole steps exactly. There are three steps in writing process, such as prewriting or planning 9 , writing and revising 10 . Those are important to make the writing better and systematic.

a. Prewriting or Planning

It is the first step in writing. Before write, the writer should have connected their brain in totally focused on what will be written. It also called warming up activity. There are several ways in warm up, such as; 8 Martha Heasley Cox, Writing: Form, Process and Purpose, California: Chandler Publishing Company, 1962, pp. 261—330. 9 Fletcher Flynn and Thomas G. McGuire, Design: Rhetoric and Anthology for College English, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1982, pp. 32—34. 10 Ibid., pp. 60—62.