Table 3.1 Pre and Posttest Design
Select Control Group Pretest
No Treatment Posttest
Select Experimental Group
Pretest Experimental Treatment
Posttest
In this research, the students used pre-test to know their descrptive pargaraph writing ability before treatment and posttest after the treatment by concept
mapping. The pretest and posttest conducted for control and experimental class.
B. Variables of the Research
Variable is a quanty which can take a number of different values or states. According to Sudjana, there are two kinds of variable; they are independent
variable and dependent variable. Independent variable is a variable that are easily obtained and can be diversified into free variable, while dependent variable is the
effect of independent variable
3
. In this study, the writer focused on two variables: 1. Independent variable
The independent variable in this research is Concept mapping that is symbolized by X.
2. Dependent variable The dependent variable in this research is the students’ Descriptive Paragraph
Writing Ability that is symbolized by Y.
3
Sudjana, Metode Statistika, Bandung;Tarsito, 1996, p.310
C. Operational Definition of Variable
The operational of variable is to describe the character of the variable that investigated by the writer to collect the data and information. The writer explain
the definitions as follows: 1. The students’ descriptive paragraph writing ability is the ability of the
students to produce or compose a descriptive paragraph that describes the characteristics of an object; it can be a person, a place or thing, which fulfills
such criteria of a good writing, as content, organization, vocabulary, language, and mechanics.
2. Concept mapping is a good way for students to understand and remember
new information; moreover, the students can describe the concept of the knowledge that is represented by diagrams or drawings. Students will
combine the existing knowledge with the new knowledge, becomes an existing knowledge structure. This is why a picture or a diagram can be more
effective than only words. Therefore, concepts mapping technique can be used as a tool to facilitate writing.
