35 number of related composite picture linked to form a series of sequences. Hence,
its main function is to tell a story or sequence of events .” Based on the definition,
picture series enable to help the students to write a narrative text based on some factors. They will provide the students with a sequence of pictures that has a
function to tell a sequence of events. The detail of each event in the pictures helps the students generate and develop their ideas. They will also give guidance on the
organization of the text by showing the sequence of events which helps the students write a well-organized writing. They also can attra
ct the students’ attention to be more motivated in writing by providing colourful and interesting
pictures. They can also give guidance for the students in term of vocabulary that is possibly used in the story by looking at the pictures and help them guess the
meanings of some words. In summary, picture series will be effectively help teachers to teach
writing because they can help the students to generate their ideas by looking at each picture. They also can
improve the students’ motivation in learning.
B. Reviews of Related Studies
In the teaching and learning process of writing, there are various teaching aids that can be applied by the teacher. One of them is picture series. They
provide the students with a sequence of pictures that can help them to generate, develop, and organize their ideas. There are some similar researchs that had been
conducted before. The result of the research is described as follows.
36 The first research was conducted by Nurjanah 2012. She conducted
research in the context of English teaching and learning in Indonesia. She conducted a study for the tenth grade students by using picture series. She used
picture series to improve the students’ writing ability in some aspects which were content and organization. Furthermore, she used another action which was
picture- based activity to improve the students’ writing skill in terms of vocabulary
and language use. The study showed that after the used of picture series in teaching writing, the students could generate and organize their ideas. They also
became more motivated to learn English. Picture-based activities conducted also could help to improve the st
udents’ vocabulary mastery and also their understanding about the use of simple past tense.
Another study was conducted by Ayuningtyas and Wulyani 2012. They conducted a study in SMAN 1 Srengat-Blitar. The subjects of their study are the
eleventh grade students and they used picture sequences to improve their writing skill.
They focused on the students’ attitude and the writing products. They conducted the study in one cycle consisted of two meetings. The research findings
proved that the sequence of pictures could improve the students’ attitude and
writing ability. The students became more active in the teaching and learning process and in the peer review activity. The result of the questionnare showed that
they gave prositive responses to the use of picture sequences where they were interested in using picture sequences to help them producing narrative texts. They
also felt that their writing ability was improved. The students’ improvement was
37 also shown in their writing products. Their mean score showed better
improvement especially in term of vocabulary. Based on those previous research conducted, it can be concluded that
picture series have a good impac t towards the students’ writing ability. They can
help the students to generate and organize the students’ ideas. They also can
improve the students’ motivation. However, in order to have maximum result, other supporting actions need to be implemented. That is the reason why the
researcher tried to conduct a research on “Using Picture Series to Improve Writing Ability of the Eighth Grade Students at SMPN 2 Wonosari in the Academic Year
o f 2013 2014”
C. Conceptual Framework
Writing is one of the four skills that students have to learn and master in learning English. As stated in the previous chapter, students are expected to be
able to write in English accurately, fluently, and acceptably in the daily life context.
However, as it has been stated in Chapter I, Grade VIII D students in SMPN 2 Wonosari had difficulties to write in English. Based on the observation
and interviews with the English teacher and some students, the researcher found some problems related to the students. First, the students had difficulties to
generate and develop their ideas. Second, they found it difficult to organize their writing into good, cohesive, and coherent writing.Third, many of them also had
38 difficulties in using the appropriate grammar rules for a certain text and they also
had limited vocabulary mastery. Many of them also did not really excited to participate in the teaching and learning process.
Therefore, the researcher wanted to overcome the problems by using picture series in the writing class. They have many benefits as media in teaching
writing. They can help the students to generate their ideas. By looking at them, it can help the students express their ideas of what they are going to write. They also
can help the students to organize their writing because they are in the form of sequences.
