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There are many problems that can occur in writing. However, the most common problem students often face in writing is their difficulty in generating
ideas. It is the first stage in writing activity that has to be done and one can only wonder what will happen to those students if they cannot even think about what
they want to write. The second most common problem in writing is grammatical mistakes. That is why editing stage is also really crucial.
To solve all those problems, teacher can use cooperative learning method. It helps integrating knowledge through group discussion and interaction. By using
this method, writing will no more be the boring activity in class. Cooperative learning provides an outlet for students both to write and to talk. It will also
benefit the teacher as they do not have to talk all the time. They just need to be there to assist students in their writing. Working in groups is also evidently useful.
It enables students to build their interest, confidence, and improve their mastery of linguistic features.
According to Kagan cited in Davoudi and Mahinpo 2012 there are other things that can be influenced by using of cooperative learning. Those things are
students’ academic achievement, self-esteem, empathy, social skills, class climate, responsibility, diversity skills, individual accountability, and so forth.
Throughout this research, the researcher did some important steps such as preliminary classroom observation to find and identify the problems, finding a
solution to solve those problems, planning feasible actions, implementing them, and reflecting the implemented actions. In the end, by using cooperative learning,
the problems could be solved and students writing skills could be well improved.
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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
A. Type of Research
Based on the objective of this study which was to improve students’
writing skills through cooperative learning, this research was categorized as an action research that is known to be collaborative in nature as the researcher had to
work in close collaboration with the principal of the school, the English teacher, and the students.
According to Carr and Kemmis cited in Burns 2010: 5 this type of research itself is “self-reflective inquiry” that is conducted by participants with the
purpose of improving the rationality and justice of their own works, their understanding of them, and the situations in which those works are carried out.
In addition, action research has three main characteristics. Firstly, this type of research is carried out by practitioners. Secondly, it is collaborative and, lastly,
it is aimed at changing something Nunan cited in McKay, 2006.
B. Target Community Setting
The research took place at SMP N 1 Jogonalan, Klaten. It had 29 classrooms and was divided into three grades. The numbers of student who
attended this school were around 1282 people. The school itself was considered as one of the best junior high schools in the area because it had so many potential
teachers who were really qualified in their fields and because a lot of the graduates had been accepted to some of the best senior high schools in town.
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C. Participants
The data were collected from the eighth grade students at SMP N 1 Jogonalan, Klaten. The researcher specifically chose middle grade because unlike
seventh-graders, the eighth grade students were already used to the pace of teaching and learning process in junior high school.
After having a brief discussion with the English teacher, it was decided that the research would be conducted in class VIII B based on the fact that its
students were quite cooperative. There were 42 students as participants which consisted of 20 males and 22 females. The age average of the students was around
13 years old and they all learned English as a foreign language.
D. Time of the Research
No. Activity Stages
Time
1. Selecting data resources
January – March 2014
2. Consulting research title
April 2014 3.
Submitting research proposal May 2014
4. Writing chapter I, II, and III
May – August 2014
5. Preparing for collecting data
August 2014 6.
Collecting data February
– March 2015 7.
Writing chapter IV and V April
– August 2015 8.
Examination September 2015
E. Data Collection Techniques and Instruments
The researcher collected both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were shown in the form of descriptions. It contained the opinions of research
participants. On the other hand, quantitative data were presented in numerical
