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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
This chapter discusses the method in conducting the research which contains the research design, research setting, participants, data collecting, data
analysis technique, validity and reliability of the data, and steps of the research.
A. Research Design
This study is an action research. Action research is done to acquire information in order to solve the problems that are faced in certain condition or
situation. According to McMillan and Schumacher 2010:44 action research is an approach implemented by academicians to make a change in teaching and
learning practices and it is usually conducted collaboratively. The main objective of action research is to solve the problems and increase the class performance. It
could be inferred that action research should be aimed at improving classroom practice and increasing teachers’ understanding of the classroom in the teaching
and learning process. Ferrance 2000: 2 says action research has many characteristics. The first
is that action research is not a library project where we learn more about the topic that interest us, but it is a quest for knowledge about how to improve. The second,
action research deals with the process how the people work to improve their skills, techniques and strategies. The third, it is not about learning why we do certain
things, but how we could do things better. It is about how we changed our
instruction to impact students.
In conducting action research, there are some steps that have to be followed in order to improve students’ writing skills. The most common and popular steps
in action research are proposed by Kemmis and McTaggart in Burns 2010:9. The steps are planning, action, observation, and reflection.
B. Research Setting
a. Place of the Research
The setting of the study was SMPN 6 Magelang. It is located at Jl. Kyai Mojo, Cacaban, Magelang Tengah, Kota Magelang, Jawa tengah. It has eighteen
classrooms, a headmistress’ office, a teachers’ office, a computer laboratory, a
mosque, a library, a concealing room, a health center, a basketball field, two canteens, some toilets, and two parking areas. This school has implemented
Curriculum 2013. The researcher conducted this study in this school because firstly, based on the observation she did at the preliminary stage, she found that
students’ abilities in writing were still low.
b. Time of the Research
The research was held in the second semester, from February to May 2015. In conducting the actions, the researcher followed the English schedule of grade
VIII E of SMPN 6 Magelang. The following is the time schedule of the research.
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