26 1. Choosing the topic
Choosing the right topic has resulted in more good papers than any probably any other single element in preparing a research paper.
2. Collecting information Going to library is the best place to find relevant materials, read, and take
notes. 3. Evaluating materials
A good research paper reflects a critical attitude toward the information you collect. You should also be sure what you have collected is accurate. You
should also have had time to develop an attitude toward your material. 4. Organizing ideas
A collection of facts, quotations, and ideas can be either meaningless or purposeful.
5. Writing the paper Writing research paper is easier if you have carefully and thoughtfully
completed all the preparatory work. Academic Essay Writing course KPE 357 is a compulsory course for
fifth semester students of ELESP. Based on Panduan Akademik 2007, its competence standards are, on completing the course, the students are able to
analyze and write short essays on language, language education, and literature and to understand academic writing conventions. The topic discussed in the course are
topic and thesis statement, essay outline, paragraph writing, argumentation, comparison and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect, and book or
27 article review. Academic Essay writing is designed to introduce students to the
underlying principles of academic writing. It is projected to help students to be able to analyze the characteristics of academic essay and to write good academic
essay.
B. Theoretical Framework
This study is discovering the students’ perception on the use of Nicenet.org. From the findings of this study, hopefully, the writer can reveal
students perception toward the issue. By having a positive perception, students are expected to have better motivation in achieving the objectives of the course and
improving their English proficiency, especially in writing skills. According to some perception theories by Gibson et al.; Burner; Altman et
al.; Crow and Crow; Vernon; and Huffman et al. discussed previously, the writer defines perception as the way how someone responds to the given stimuli.
Moreover, it is how to see his or her world influenced by several factors. The writer can conclude that someone’s perception is in line with his or her
motivation. The more the students perceive in good ways, the more motivated they are. So do in the class activity, if the students have positive perception
toward what the lecturer delivers about or how the lecturer delivers the material, they will have better motivation to learn.
In Academic Essay Writing classes, Nicenet.org is used as media by the lecturer. It is used to submit the assignments, grab the material, and give
comment. Teaching learning activity can not work properly unless it is supported
28 by good and appropriate media for the students. The media used by the teacher
brings impacts on the students’ attitude. It makes every student perceives differently on the media applied by the lecturer. Various perceptions may come up
on their mind. In this study, the writer tries to reveal the student’s’ perception on use of
Nicenet.org as teaching learning media. Media in teaching learning activity is one of the most important elements to have an effective teaching learning activity.
Brown et al. 1977: 2 state that creative uses of the various media will increase the probability that your students will learn more, retain better what they learn,
and improve their performance of the skills which they are expected to develop. By using various media in learning activity applied by the lecturer, the student
will not get bored. Moreover, they can develop the knowledge by themselves. The writer proposes two research questions. The first is what is the
students’ perception toward the use of Nicenet.org? The second is what are some possible suggestions to improve the implementation of Nicenet.org as teaching
media? In the theoretical background, the writer describes some theories of
perception, technology in media, teaching learning media, Nicenet.org and Academic Essay Writing course. Those theories are going to be basis to find out
the answer of research questions proposed in this study. To answer the research question number one, the writer employs the
theory of the factors influencing someone’s perception by Huffman et al. and Altman et al. Based on their theories, perception is affected by motivation,
personal needs, and past experiences. Those factors make the students have
29 different perception toward the same issue. The use of Nicenet.org as media
imposes, automatically, the students to perceive it in the different ways. If implementing Nicenet.org as media is able to reach the students’ expectation in
learning, as the result, the students are getting motivated to learn more. In other words, the students have a positive perception toward Nicenet.org.
Moreover, the students’ positive response on the use of Nicenet.org brings impact on their learning behavior. The students’ positive perception, here, has meaning
that the students consider Nicenet.org as an effective media, motivating media, and beneficial media.
In order to answer the second proposed question, the writer sums up from the findings. The finding which is the students’ perception is gained by using
questionnaires and interviews. What has to keep in mind to answer the second question is that the suggestions are summarized by the writer based on the
students’ answers. Their suggestions are used to develop a teaching learning media named Nicenet.org. Nicenet.org, as media, is a new concept in teaching
learning activity. Therefore, it needs to be developed. The suggestions of the students can be a gold mine in increasing the use of Nicenet.org. However, the
selection of media has to consider several factors. The major factor is the objective of the course.
To discover the answers of the research questions, the writer requires appropriate methodologies. In the next chapter, the writer discusses the
methodology employed in this study.
