THE USE OF PICTURES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS : A Quasi-Experimental Research of Tenth Grade Students at one of Senior High Schools in Bandung.
THE USE OF PICTURES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN
WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS
(A Quasi-Experimental Research of Tenth Grade Students at one of Senior High Schools in Bandung)
A Research Paper
Submitted to the English Education Department of Faculty of Language and Arts Education of Indonesia University of Education in Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the SarjanaPendidikan Degree
By
RaisaMayang Sari 0902639
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
INDONESIA UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
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THE USE OF PICTURES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN
WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS
(A Quasi-Experimental Research of Tenth Grade Students at one of Senior High Schools in Bandung)
By
Raisa Mayang Sari 0902639
Sebuah skripsi yang diajukan untuk memenuhi salah satu syarat memperoleh gelar Sarjana pada Fakultas Pendidikan Ekonomi dan Bisnis
© Raisa Mayang Sari 2014 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Januari 2014
Hak Cipta dilindungi undang-undang.
Skripsi ini tidak boleh diperbanyak seluruhya atau sebagian, dengan dicetak ulang, difoto kopi, atau cara lainnya tanpa ijin dari penulis.
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RAISA MAYANG SARI
THE USE OF PICTURES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS
APPROVED BY: Main Supervisor
Drs. Prawoto S. Purnomo, M.P.d. NIP. 195110081980021002
Co-Supervisor
Lulu Laela Amalia, M.Pd. NIP. 197504092007102001
Head of Department of English Education Faculty of Language and Arts Education
Indonesia University of Education
Prof. Dr. Didi Suherdi, M.Ed. NIP. 196211011987121001
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Abstrak:Penelitian ini mengkaji keberhasilan penggunaan gambar dalam meningkatkan kemampuan siswa dalam menulis teks deskriptif, dan tanggapan siswa terhadap kegiatan tersebut. Enam puluh siswa kelas sepuluh di Bandung berpartisipasi dalam penelitian ini, dan partisipan dibagi kedalam 2 kelas yang berjumlah sama, yakni kelas eksperimen dan kontrol. Penelitian ini meggunakan metode quasi experiment.Data diperoleh dari beberapa instrumen, yaitu observasikelas, wawancara siswa dan hasil menulis siswa yang dianalisis menggunakan criteria penilaian menulis yang diambil dari Rose (2007, dalam Emilia, 2011,p.151). Hasil temuan penelitian ini menyatakan bahwa menulis dengan bantuan gambar meningkatkan kemampuan siswa dalam menulis deskriptif teks, umumnya karena siswa beranggapan bahwa kegiatan tersebut menyenangkan. Secara khusus, mereka menunjukkan beberapa peningkatan pada penggunaan tata bahasa dan struktur penulisan. Selain itu, data yang diperoleh dari observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi teks siswa menunjukkan beberapa kelebihan dalam menggunakan gambar. Kelebihan tersebut yaitu (1) meningkatkan motivasisiswa untuk berpartisipasi secara aktif dalam kelas menulis; (2) membantu siswa dalam menambah pembendaharaan kata; (3) membantu siswa memecahkan masalah mereka dalam tata bahasa. Berdasarkan temuan tersebut, penelitian ini merekomendasikan penggunaan gambar dapat diimplementasikan dalam pengajaran menulis bahasaInggris.
Kata Kunci: Gambar, PengajaranMenulis, DeskriptifTeks
Abstract: This study examines the effectiveness of using pictures in improving students’ ability in writing descriptive text, as well as their responses to the writing activity. Sixty tenth-grade students in Bandung participated in this study, in which the participant were divided into two groups; experiment and control group. This study implemented quasi experimental design as the research method.The data were obtained from several instruments, namely class observations, students’ interview and students’ writing products which were then analyzed using writing assessment criteria taken from Rose (2007, as cited by Emilia, 2011, p. 151). The findings revealed that the teaching writing through pictures was successful to improve students’ descriptive writing skill. Specifically, they showed some improvement on schematic structure, grammar roles, and graphic features. Moreover, the data from observation, interview, and documentation of students’ text showed some benefits of using pictures. These include: (1) increasing students’ motivation to participate actively in the writing class; (2) helping students to have more vocabularies; (3) helping students to solve their grammatical problems. Based on these findings, it is recommended that pictures can be implemented in teaching writing.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION……..………...……… PREFACE………...……….. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………..…………... ABSTRACT……….. TABLE OF CONTENTS………...
LIST OF TABLES………
LIST OF CHARTS...……… LIST OF APPENDICES………...
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background………..
1.2 Research Questions……….………... 1.3 Aims of Research…..………..………...
1.4 Scope of the Study…..………..………..………
1.5 Significance of the Study….………..………….
1.6 Research Hypothesis………...
1.7 Clarification of Terms. ………...
1.8 Organization of the Paper………
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
2.1 Media………...……….……….
2.1.1 Media in Teaching Writing ...
2.1.2 Visual Media.……….………...
2.1.3 Picture ……….………….………
2.1.4 Pictures in Teaching Writing ... 2.1.5 Picture as Visual Aids in Teaching…………...……… 2.1.6 The Use of Pictures in Classroom ……… 2.1.7 The Advantages of Using Picture ………
2.2 Writing………...………
The Nature of Writing……….……….
i ii iii iv v ix x xi 1 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 15
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2.2.2 Approaches to Teaching Writing ...
2.2.3 Process of Writing ……….………..
2.2.4 Writing Aspects ………...
2.3 Descriptive Text……….
2.3.1 Definition of Descriptive Text……...……….. 2.3.2 Characteristics of Descriptive Text………..
2.4 Genre Based Approach ……….………
2.4.1 Teaching Writing Descriptive Text through GBA ………..
2.5 Teaching Writing Text through Mind Mapping ………...
2.6 Related Studies ……….
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design……….………
3.1.1 Variables…………...………
3.2 Research Hypothesis ………...
3.3 Population and Sample………....
3.4 Data Collection…….………... 3.5 Research Procedures……… 1. Administering the pilot test……… 2. Administering the pretest………... 3. The Treatments………... 4. Post Test………. 5. Administering observation………. 6. Conducting the interview……… 3.6 Data Analysis Procedures………
3.6.1 Scoring Procedures………..………...………... 3.6.2 Data Analysis Procedures of Pilot test, Pretest, Posttest, and
Interview ………..
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISSCUSSIONS
4.1 Findings………...……….
4.1.1 Instrument Analysis……..……….
4.1.2 Pretest Data Analysis ……….... 4.1.3 Posttest Data Analysis………..……. 4.1.4 Effect Size ………
4.1.5 Paired t-test Analysis……….
4.1.6 Observation Data Analysis ………...
4.1.7 Interview Data Analysis………
4.2 Discussions……….. 4.2.1 The Students’ Improvement on the Technique….………
16 18 18 19 19 19 20 22 23 24 26 27 27 28 29 29 31 31 32 33 33 33 34 34 35 41 41 41 43 46 46 47 48 51 51
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1. Discussion of Interview Data………
2. Discussion of Observation Data………
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS
5.1 Conclusions……….………...
5.2 Suggestions……….………....
BIBLIOGRAPHY……… 55 56
61 62 63
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.0 GBA Stages in Teaching and Learning Activity... 22 Table 3.1 Quasi-Experimental Design……….………... 26
Table 3.2 The Research Schedule……….. 30
Table 3.3Writing Rubric... 34
Table 3.4Effect Size……….. 39
Table 4.1Pretest Scores………. 42
Table 4.2 Students Posttest Scores………. 44
Table 4.3 Paired Sample Statistic Pretest and Posttest……….. 47 Table 4.4 Observation Checklist……… 58
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LIST OF CHARTS
Chart 4.1 Students’ Responses to the Use of Pictures……….. 48
Chart 4.2 The Interesting Activities………..49
Chart 4.3 The Advantages of the Technique ... 49
Chart 4.4 Students’ Difficulties in Describing Pictures ... 50
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A
Lesson Plan Appendix B
Students’ Work
Observation data Interview data Appendix C
Students’ Pretest Scores Students’ Posttest Scores
Appendix D
SPSS Output on Pretest Scores SPSS Output on Posttest Scores Appendix E
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter outlines the background of this research, research questions, aims of the research, scope of the study, significance of the research, research hypothesis, clarification of terms, and organization of the paper.
1.1 Background
Writing is a complex process of communication in which the writer needs to have both knowledge of language and knowledge of formulating ideas. According to Alwasilah and Alwasilah (2007), writing is the most difficult skill in learning EFL. In writing, the students have to consider some rules to create a better text. Harris (1995) states that students have to consider some diverse elements namely content, form, grammar, style and mechanics. In other words, the students are required to be able to develop their ideas and organize the elements of writing to write well.
Considering the complicated process faced by students, writing is considered as the most boring language activity to do in the class. Harmer (2004) states that writing is a weird activity for students because they seldom write even in their own language. It is hard for them to start writing. The main reason which causes that problem is teachers still do not know how to create attractive and effective ways in teaching writing. Consequently, students do not have any clue when they are asked to compose a text. As Dewey (cited in Mooney, 2000) states, enjoyable teaching-learning process will occur when students are interested in the materials. So, teachers should do their role as facilitator in which they need to prepare the fun and easy way in delivering the materials (Brown, 2001).The use of media such as a picture is one of ways in creating the fun and enjoyable learning.
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Pictures can be tools or media to stimulate students in describing an object or a person in the pictures. Students can acquire the meaning by seeing things in the pictures without teacher’s explanation. Pictures also help the students to communicate or explain the events in the pictures. Moreover, the pictures can also avoid boredom in learning descriptive text. According to Raimes (1983), pictures can be valuable resources for teaching writing. Picture provides a shared experience for students in the class, a common base that leads to a variety of language activities.
In relation to the teaching writing descriptive texts, pictures are useful to use. The use of pictures can support the process of teaching writing descriptive texts. It helps the teachers to serve the important aspects in teaching descriptive genres that are to introduce the genres and to point out some distinctive characteristics of genres such as the social functions, generic structures, and the language features of the text (Kim, 2006). In doing so, GBA (Genre-Based Approach) can be used as one of the methods in teaching writing descriptive texts.
Referring to the previous study conducted by Farikhah (2010), when the use of pictures was applied in teaching descriptive text, there was improvement on students’ writing performance in Kebumen. Students became more focus in learning descriptive text, particularly on writing activity. Moreover, Sa’diyah (2012) also conducted the same research on teaching descriptive text through pictures. The result shows that students’ ability in writing descriptive text was improved. The majority of students also showed the positive responses towards the use of pictures in learning descriptive text.
Departing from the previous research findings, this research is aimed to find out the effectiveness of using pictures in teaching writing descriptive text in tenth graders of Senior High School. Thus, the paper titled The Use of Pictures to Improve Students’ Skill in Writing Descriptive Texts was chosen.
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1.2 Research Questions
Based on the background above, this research is conducted to answer the following questions:
1. Is there any significant improvement in the students’ score after implementing the pictures in writing descriptive texts?
2. What are the students’ responses towards the use of pictures in their writing class?
1.3 Aims of Research
The main concerns of this study are:
1. To find out whether the use of pictures improves students’ score in writing descriptive texts.
2. To find out the students’ responses to the use of pictures in writing descriptive texts.
1.4 Scope of the Study
This study is going to be only limited to examine the effectiveness of pictures in improving students' skill in writing descriptive texts. In addition, this study reveals the ways in which the use of pictures increases students’ ability in writing descriptive texts.
There are two classes that were taken as the sample of the study. Each class consists of 42 students. The results are expected to indicate a degree of generalization in that population. This means that there is a tendency which is statistically justified.
Nevertheless, the context of the study was limited to teaching descriptive texts by using pictures in tenth graders of one senior high school in Bandung.
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1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is expected to give a contribution to teachers, students, further researchers and material designers. For teachers, it is expected that this study can make them easier in teaching English to improve students’ writing skill in teaching descriptive texts and make them more creative in conveying the materials using the appropriate way of writing. Whereas for the students, both the technique and the media implemented hopefully can help them writing descriptive texts easily and understand the materials so that they can also improve their writing ability in English. For the other researchers, this study is expected to be used as an additional source especially for those who conduct a research on the students’ writing ability in learning descriptive texts. Last but not least, for the material designers, this study can be used as the reference in making the interesting teaching materials by using pictures.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In this study, the researcher proposed a hypothesis according to Hatch and Farhady (1982: 85-86). They state that hypothesis can be considered as the tentative statement about the outcome of the research. It is one important aspect in conducting a study since it is used to predict the temporary answer of the research questions. Furthermore, this study takes null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. The null hypothesis (H0) states that there is no significant difference between the posttest mean of control and experimental groups after the treatments. While, the alternative hypothesis (Ha) states that there is significant difference between the posttest mean of control and experimental groups after the treatments.
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1.7 Clarification of Key Terms
The following terms are the core key words dealing with the research:
Descriptive text is the text that describes particular person animal, place or thing and function to tell about the subject by describing its specific features (Gerot and Wignell 1995:208). In this study, it refers to the text that describes human physical appearance.
Picture is a two dimensional visual representation on person, places, or things (Gerlach, 1980:83). However, in this study it refers to the static pictures that represent human physical appearance.
1.8 Organization of the Study
This paper is organized into five chapters as follows: CHAPTER I: Introduction
This chapter contains introduction which explains the background of the study, the research questions, objectives of study, scope of study, significance of the study, clarification of key terms, and organization of the paper.
CHAPTER II: Theoretical Foundation
This chapter reviews the theoretical foundation of this research. In detail, this chapter explains the media in general, the use of pictures in classroom, the nature of writing, writing aspects, purpose of teaching writing, descriptive text, characteristics of descriptive text, Genre Based Approach, Teaching Writing Descriptive Text through GBA, characteristics of Adult learners, and related study.
CHAPTER III: Research Methodology
Chapter III explains the methodology of research. It provides the information about research design, site, and participants, the procedures of collecting and analyzing the data.
CHAPTER IV: Findings and Discussion
Chapter IV reports research findings and research interpretation of the result of the research.
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CHAPTER V: Conclusions
Chapter V contains some conclusions and recommendations for further research in accordance with the result of the research.
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter explains the methodology of the research. It provides the information about research design, site, and participants, the procedures of collecting and analyzing the data.
3.1 Research Design
The quasi experimental design was used to get the empirical data in investigating the use of pictures to improve students’ ability in writing descriptive text. Empirical data is data that is produced after a procedure has taken place such as an experiment or investigation. Since this study used the quasi experimental design, there were two groups taken as the investigated groups. The first group is the experimental group, which was given the treatment by using pictures, while the second group is the control group, which was given mind mapping techniques as the treatment. Furthermore, two kinds of test were conducted in this study, those were pre-test and post-test. The following is the design adapted from Hatch and Farhady (1982:21):
Table 3.1
Quasi- Experimental Design
Groups Pretest Treatment Posttest
Experimental T1E X1 T2E
Control T1C X2 T2C
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Where
T1E : students’ writing scores of the experimental group on pretest T1C : students’ writing score of the control group on the pretest X1 : treatments using pictures for experimental group
X2 : treatments using mind mapping for control group
T2E : students’ writing scores of the experimental group on posttest T2C : students’ writing scores of the control group on posttest
The table 3.1 above presents both groups that were given pretest and posttest, but they received the different treatments. The use of pictures was administered as the treatments in the experimental group, while the use of mind mapping was administered in the control group. The purpose of the study is to find out whether the students who are given treatment by using pictures through GBA could achieve a higher score than those students who are given another treatment.
3.1.1 Variables
Two variables were used in this quasi experimental research; those included both independent and dependent variables. According to Coolidge (2005:15), independent variable is the variable which influences dependent variables; meanwhile a dependent variable is the variable that will be affected by independent variable. In the study, the use of pictures is the independent variable which was the major variable selected, manipulated, and measured by the
researcher. Meanwhile, students’ ability in writing descriptive text is the
dependent variable which was observed and measured to determine the effect of the independent variable.
3.2 Research Hypothesis
According to Hatch and Farhady (1982: 85-86), hypothesis can be considered as the tentative statement about the outcome of the research. It is one of important aspects in conducting a study since it is used to predict the temporary answer of the research questions. Furthermore, this study takes null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. The null hypothesis states that there is no significant
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difference between the posttest mean of control and experimental groups after the treatments. While, the alternative hypothesis states that there is significant difference between the posttest mean of control and experimental groups after the treatments. The following is its formula:
H0 :µcontrol = µ experiment
Ha :µcontrol ≠µ experiment 3.3 Population and Sample
According to Levin and Stephen (2005: 5), cited in Mahdiawati (2012), population is all members of a group which you want to draw a conclusion. Population of this study was the tenth graders of Senior High School in Bandung. The tenth graders of one of senior high school in Bandung consist of ten classes in which the total population was about 400.
The selection of sample was based on the following considerations; 1) descriptive text is taught in tenth graders of Senior high school; 2) the two groups have the same number of students (42 students); 3) the two groups were chosen by
a teacher’s judgment which explains that both groups are homogeneous. Besides,
the study was conducted in one of senior high school in Bandung. There are three reasons of choosing this research site. First, this research site was accessible in gaining permission to enter the site of the study. Creswell (2012) stated that “to research problem, investigators need to gain permission to enter a site and to involve people at the location of study” (p.61). Second, the school has language program which the students became the participants in this study. In this study, the researcher wanted to investigate the existence of language anxiety in writing English experienced by language program students in which has more time allocation in English than other programs. Third, the researcher had been familiar to this site. Since the researcher had been familiar to the situation and condition of the site, thus the researcher could adapt easily to the surroundings and the students (Creswell, 2012, pp. 210-211).
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3.4 Data Collection
In gathering the data, the researcher used three main steps as stated below: 1. Preparing and organizing lesson plan
2. Making research instrument:
a. The instruction of writing test b. The questions list for interview
2. Implementing the Lesson Plan (Teaching Phase)
a. Administering pilot test. It aims to examine the test whether the writing’s instruction was appropriate or not.
b. Administering the pretest is to investigate students’ writing score before
treatments
c. Conducting teaching-learning process using pictures through GBA method in writing descriptive text (giving treatments).
d. Observing students’ responses to the use of pictures through GBA in
teaching writing descriptive text.
e. Administering the posttest to know the result of students writing score after given the treatments
f. Conducting the interview to gather further information about students’
responses toward the use of pictures through GBA method in writing descriptive text.
3.5 Research Procedures
This study was conducted from September 11th 2013 to October 1st 2013. The researcher organized the research schedule of procedures to make it well organized. The research schedule can be seen in table 3.2 and was interpreted in the next section.
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Table 3.2
The Research Schedule
No. Date Activity EG (Pictures) CG (mind map)
1 Wed, September 11th 2013
-
Pretest 2 Thursday, September 12th
2013
Pretest
- 3 Friday, September 13th 2013
-
Treatment 1
Describing human physical appearances 1
4 Monday, September 16th 2013
Treatment 1
Describing human physical
appearances 1 -
5 Wed, September 18th 2013
-
Treatment 2
Describing human physical appearances 2
6 Thursday, September 19th 2013
Treatment 2 Describing human physical appearances 2
- 7 Friday, September 20th 2013
-
Treatment 3
Describing human physical appearances 3
8 Monday, September 23th 2013 Treatment 3
Describing human physical appearances 3
- 9 Wed, September 25th 2013
-
Treatment 4
Describing human physical appearances 4
10 Thursday, September 26th 2013
Treatment 4
Describing human physical appearances 4
- 11 Friday, September 27th
2013 -
Treatment 5 Describing human physical appearances 5
12 Monday, September 30th 2013 Treatment 5
Describing human physical appearances 5
- 13 Tuesday, October 1st 2013
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1.Administering the pilot test
The first step of this research was conducting a pilot test. This test was conducted to measure the validity and the reliability of the instrument before it is used in the study. This pilot test was administered to 10 students of tenth grade of Senior High School which were not included to the experimental group but had already learned descriptive text. Theme of the descriptive text was “my idol”.
2. Administering the pretest
The pretest was conducted on September 11th - 12th 2013. It was administered to the experimental and control group in which each group consists of 42 students. This pretest was aimed to measure students’ prior ability in writing descriptive text.
3. The Treatments
In conducting the treatments, the researcher played a role as a teacher who taught writing descriptive texts using pictures.
The treatments were given in five meetings which lasted in 90 minutes for each meeting. The treatments which used pictures in teaching and learning process were discussed below:
Treatment 1: Describing human physical appearance (part1)
Regarding the methodology used in administering this treatment, this first treatment applied the first stage of Genre Based Approach (GBA) method that is BKOF.
First of all, the researcher who acted as teacher distributed some texts related to the topic. The topic was “superstar”. Next, the teacher asked students to read the text. Before reading the text, students were asked to get the important information. After reading, teacher proposed some questions to students related to the text they read. Then, the teacher presented some examples of expressions used in descriptive text. In this step, students were encouraged to identify the
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students to identify some expressions and terms from new texts by used pictures. The detailed activity was available in a lesson plan of the first meeting. (see Appendix A)
Treatment 2 : Describing human physical appearance (part2)
On the second treatment, teacher continued to administer the next step of GBA, which was modeling. Besides, before the teacher continued the stage, she reviewed some materials that were discussed in the previous meeting. Secondly, the teacher explained the organization structure and also the language features of descriptive text. The teacher asked students to analyze the text together. Next, the students were asked to analyze the text individually. (see Appendix A)
Treatment 3: Describing human physical appearance (part3)
On the third treatment, the teacher began the class by reminding the students to the previous material. In this case, the teacher reviewed some materials and activities that were done by students.
After that, the teacher continued the material that was learned in the previous meeting. Teacher showed the students the pictures related to the topic and invited them to discuss them. Lastly, the teacher gave them exercises of learning adjective phrases. (see Appendix A)
Treatment 4: Describing human physical appearance (part4)
In this treatment, teacher began the class by reviewing what students had done in the last meeting. Next, teacher asked students to work in groups of 3-4 people and gave them different pictures to each group. In this activity, students were only given 40 minutes to write a descriptive text related to the picture given. After they finished it, students were asked to do the peer-correcting. During this activity, teacher asked students to deliver the difficulties of writing descriptive text. (see Appendix A)
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Treatment 5: Describing human physical appearance (part5)
In the last treatment, teacher involved students to discuss some difficulties and some tips in writing descriptive text. After that, teacher gave students some pictures and asked them to make a descriptive text based on the picture chosen. The detailed activity can be looked at the lesson plan. (see Appendix A)
4. Post test
The posttest was conducted to measure the influence of the treatments, whether there was any significant difference between the control and experimental groups in which both of them received different treatments.
5. Administering observation
This observation was conducted during the treatments given. This instrument used to investigate the students’ responses towards the use of pictures in teaching descriptive text. This checklist was filled by the collaborator who
observed the students’ behavior during teaching and learning process.
6. Conducting the interview
The structure interview was administered to the experimental group. It aimed to get the fixed range of answers (Corbetta: 2003, p.269). The close-ended questions that were asked to the respondents referred to the implementation of pictures in writing activity. It consisted of eight questions, related to the students’ responses to the use of pictures, the interesting activities, the advantages of the technique, students’ difficulties and students’ strategy in solving the difficulties.
The interview questions are formulated based on the current research in
which it aims to know the students’ responses toward the implementation of
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3.6 Data Analysis Procedures 3.6.1 Scoring Procedures
In obtaining the data, the criteria of assessing writing is an important thing to be provided as a guideline to measure students’ scores. These criteria should be explained clearly to get the valid score. According to Rose (2007:9-30), there are five aspects that should be included in writing scoring rubrics including genre, register, discourse, grammar, and graphic feature. The point of each aspect is in range of 1 up to 20 in which the total maximum score is 100. The detailed criteria of this scoring procedure can be looked at this following table.
Table 3.3 Writing Rubric
Writing Aspects Criteria Score
Genre The organization text completely consists of identification and description in which it is appropriate to elements of organization structure of descriptive text.
1-20
Register The availability of appropriateness, clarity and complexity of language features, context, and its addressee.
1-20
Discourse The writer constructs the meaning by using good connection, coherency, suitable references, and expressive ideas.
1-20
Grammar Consists of whole aspects of grammar, such as tenses, verb-agreement, sentence construction, the use of adjectives, etc.
1-20
Graphic feature This aspect includes the spelling, neatness in presenting the writing, such as margins, spacing,
and ordering. 1-20
Total maximum score 100
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3.6.2 Data Analysis Procedures of Pilot test, Pretest, Posttest, and Interview As the interrelated steps, data analysis is the step that is used after collecting the data (Creswell, 2012). It has been explained previously, there were four steps of analyzing the collected data in this study. Firstly, pilot test’s score was analyzed to examine the validity and reliability of the instruments. Secondly,
students’ score in pre-test and postest were calculated by using independent
t-test to know significance difference between both of experimental and control groups. Thirdly, paired t-test was used to analyzed the effectiveness of the implementation numbered head together by comparing means score on pretest and posttest. Lastly, the result of observation and the transcription of interview were interpreted to get additional information in order to answer the second research questions. The following is the detail explanation of each test.
3.6.2.1 Pilot Test Data Analysis
In this study, the obtained data from pilot test was analyzed to examine the validity of instructions of instruments used in pretest and posttest.
3.6.2.2 Pretest and Posttest Data Analysis
In analyzing data from pretest and posttest, dependent t-test is used to compare the means’ difference between both tests. Regarding Hatch and Farhady (1982), dependent t test is used to investigate the significance of means between pretest and posttest score.
In this study, SPSS 20.0 for Windows was used to calculate the dependent t-test. After obtaining the tobt, it was then compared to t table. If the result showed that tobt ≥ ttable (p=0.05), then it means the mean's score of pretest and posttest are not significantly different and null hypothesis (H0) is accepted. Besides, if tobt < tcrit, then it means the means were significant and the null hypothesis is rejected (Kranzler and Morsound, 1999).
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However, before the output data was analyzed in t-test, it should fulfill some following criteria as cited in Coolidge (2000):
1. The data should have a normal distribution 2. The variance of two groups must be homogenous 3. The participants must be different in each group
Departing from three criteria above, the performing of normal distribution, variance homogeneity test and independent t-test is coming first before calculating data by using t-test formula. If the data was not in normal distribution, then the Mann-Whitney test would be operated to test the hypothesis.
1. Normality Distribution
Normality distribution is one formula used to analyze whether the data is in normal distribution or not (Kranzler, 1999). In this study, it was used to check the normality distribution of pretest and posttest score in both of groups. Furthermore, it is used to find out whether or not determined hypothesis was accepted.
There are two steps in analyzing the normality distribution of data. It included in formulating the hypothesis of normality distribution case and determining its significance level. The following was the first step in which the null and alternative hypothesis stated in analyzing the normality distribution of pretest and posttest score.
H0: the scores of the experimental and control groups are normally distributed
Ha: the scores of the experimental and control groups are not normally distributed
The second step was determining the significance level of normality data in which α = 0.05 is chosen. Based on the level of significance, there was criterion stated that if the probability > 0.05, H0 is accepted. Whereas if the probability < 0.05, H0 is rejected (Hatch & Farhady, 1982:88). As a result, if the H0 is accepted, then the score is normally distributed.
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2. The Variance of Homogeneity
After finding out that the pretest and posttest score were normally distributed, the next step was analyzing the variance of homogeneity. In this case, Levene’s test for equality of variance in SPSS 20.0 was used to examine whether the data homogenous or not.
In detail, the first step did in analyzing the homogeneity was determining the hypothesis as follow:
H0 : the scores of both experimental and control groups are homogenous
Ha : the scores of both experimental and control groups are not homogenous
After determining the hypothesis, the second step was determining
significance level in the level α = 0.05. Based on the level of significance, there
was criterion stated that if the probability > 0.05, H0 is accepted. It means that the variance is approximately equal. While, if the probability < 0.05, H0 is rejected and it means that the variance are significantly difference (Hatch & Farhady, 1982:88).
In addition, if the data is not normally distributed, Mann-Whitney test was administered to test the hypothesis and SPSS 20.0 will be calculated the result.
3. t-test Computation
t-test is the common statistical test used in the educational research. It aims at determining whether or not the means of both experimental and control groups have differences statistically in significant degree (Kranzler & moursund, 1999). There were two kinds of t test including independent t-test and dependent t-test.
4. Independent t-test
Analyzing independent t-test was administered after all data from normality distribution and homogeneity revealed. It was used to analyze statistically the relationship between independent variables and dependent variable in both of experimental and control groups (Coolidge, 2000).
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37
There were some significant criteria in analyzing independent t-test, as follow:
1. The level of significant is α = 0.05
2. Analyzing the independent t-test by using SPSS 20.0 3. Determining t-test hypothesis.
a. tobt < tcrit = Ho is accepted and there is no significant difference between both of groups in pretest mean.
b. tobt > tcrit = Ho is rejected and there is significant difference between both of groups in pretest mean.
5. Dependent t-test
Dependent t-test was administered to analyze the difference of mean between the score of both pretest and posttest of each group (Kranzel & Moursund, 1999). In case, the dependent variable must have normal distribution and homogeneity in each group.
There were also some significant criteria in analyzing dependent t-test, as follow:
1. The level of significant is α = 0.05
2. Analyzing the dependent t-test by using SPSS 20.0 3. Determining t-test hypothesis.
a. tobt < (α) 0.05= Ho is rejected and there is significant difference between both of groups’ means.
b. tobt > (α) 0.05= Ho is accepted and there is no significant difference between both of groups’ mean.
6. Effect Size
After analyzing data through t-test computation, the effect size computation was administered to check the effect level of treatments by using SPSS 20.0 from independent t-test of posttest (Coolidge, 2000). It statistically was used to determine the significance effect of the treatments given to experimental group. The following was effect size formula:
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38
√
Based on the formula above, t refers to the t value obtained from independent t-test in calculating posttest data. After that, the df was the amount of samples in which it was minus by 2 (df= N-2). Lastly, the obtained data was analyzed by using Effect Size Scale. (Coolidge, 2000)
Table 3.4 Effect Size scale Effect size r value Small 0.100 Medium 0.243
Large 0.371
3.6.2.3 Observation and Interview Data Analysis
Observation was used to collect the quantitative data in this study. The observation checklist was chosen to assess the students’ learning behavior. It is
used to observe students’ activities during the learning process. This observation
checklist was filled in by a collaborator in this study in which she is a school English teacher. The observation checklist which is used in this research was
adapted from Harris’ scoring rubric (1969) and Brown’s analytic scoring scheme
(2004). It involves some statements related to students’ responses, such as the seriousness of students during the learning process, the enthusiasm of students in
doing the tasks, and the students’ participation in the classroom. Moreover, there
were three indicators that were used to describe the students’ responses towards the treatments given. Those were high, medium and low. (see Appendix B)
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39
to the use of pictures in teaching writing descriptive text (see appendix B). It was only administered to students of experimental group. Specifically, an interview was conducted to answer the second question in research question that was in order to find out the factors which influence the effectiveness of using pictures in teaching descriptive texts to improve students' writing skill.
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59
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS
This chapter contains the research conclusions and suggestions. The conclusions are explained from the analysis of the research findings. Meanwhile, the suggestions are expected to give a contribution for the further researchers, English teachers, the students, and material designers.
5.1 Conclusions
This study was proposed to analyze the use of pictures in improving students' skill in writing descriptive text and to know the students' responses towards the implementation of the method. The result of the data shows that the use of pictures in describing activity is effective to improve students' writing skill.
In addition, the computation of the data by using SPSS 20.0 for Windows explains that the experimental group has better improvement in their writing after receiving some treatments than the control group. Regarding the result, it can be proved that the use of pictures during the treatments give good impact to the students. The result also proves that the pictures give many advantages in improving students' writing skill. The students are motivated to actively participate in the teaching and learning process because the pictures can create fun and enjoyable atmosphere in the classroom.
In short, it can be concluded that the use of pictures is an appropriate medium to improve students' writing skill. The activity of describing pictures
builds students’ confidence in generating their ideas through words.
(33)
60
5.2 Suggestions
Based on the findings in this study, there are some suggestions given to the further studies, teachers, students, and material designers in teaching English.
For further research, it would be excellent to investigate the effectiveness of using pictures in improving other skills such as writing and listening. In addition, it is suggested that the further researchers should create an attractive activities and clearer instruction to get students' attention. Moreover, the further researcher can find the effectiveness of other techniques or methods such as the use of video, or movie in improving students' writing skill.
The use of pictures in teaching language has many advantages. Hence, the teachers are suggested to use this method by implementing the activity of describing pictures. It is expected to help the teachers in improving students' writing skill by enriching students' vocabularies. However, the teachers should adjust the method with students' characteristics and students' need.
The students are also suggested to use the pictures in improving their writing ability. It hopefully motivates the students to exercise their writing ability by describing the pictures. Hence, the pictures also can be implemented in designing the materials by the material designers to get students' understanding.
(34)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alwasilah, A.C & Sussana. S.(2007). Pokoknya Menulis: Cara Baru Menulis dengan
Metode Kolaborasi. Bandung: Kiblat Buku Utama.
Badger, R.& White, G.(2000). A Process Genre Approach to Teaching Writing. ELT Journal, 54(2), 153-160.
Boughey, C. (1997). Learning to Write by Writing to Learn: a group work approach. Retrieved September 28, 2011. From http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/ 51-2-4.pdf .
Brokes, Arthur & Grundy P.(1998). Beginning to Write. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Brown, H. D.(2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language
Pedagogy. San Fransisco: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Buzan, Tony. (1993). The Mind Map Book. London: BBC Books.
Byrne, D. (1979). Teaching Writing Skills. England: Longman Group Limited.
Coolidge, L.F. (2000). Statistics a Gentle Introduction. Great Britain: The Cromwall Press Ltd, Trowbridge.
Cresswell, J.W. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 4th Edition.Boston: Pearson
Derewianka, B. (1990). Exploring How Texts Work. Sydney: PETA.
Derewianka, B. (2004). Trends and Issues in Genre-Based Approach. RELC Journal 34 (2) pp. 133-54. [Online: http://re;.sagepub.com/content/34/2/133] Accessed: September 30th, 2013
Doff, A. (1990). Teach English; A Training Course for Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
(35)
Emilia, E. (2008). Menulis Tesis dan Disertasi. Bandung: Alfabeta.
Emilia, E. (2011). Pendekatan Genre-Based dalam Pengerjaan Bahasa Inggris:
Petunjuk untuk Guru. Bandung: Rizqi Press.
Farikhah, U. (2010). Using Pictures to Improve Students’ Ability in Writing Descriptive
Texts. FPBS UPI Sarjana Degree: Unpublished Paper.
Flower, L. & Hayes, J.R. (1977). Problem-Solving Strategies and the Writing Process. College English 39, 449-461.
Gerlach, V.S., & Donald, P.E. (1980). Teaching Media: A Systemic Approach, 4th
Edition. London: Prentice Hall Inc.
Gerot, L. & Wignel, P. (1995). Making Sense of Functional Grammar. Sydney: Gerd Stabler
Harmer, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching (3rd Ed.). London:
Pearson Educational Limited.
Harmer, J. (2004). How to Teach Writing. London: Pearson Educational Limited. Harris, Theodore Lester & Hodges, Richard E. (1995). The Literacy Dictionary: The
Vocabulary of Reading & Writing. Network: IRA.
Hatch, E. M & Farhady, H. (1982). Research Design and Statistics for Applied
Linguistic. University of California, Los Angeles: Newbury House Publisher
Inc.
Heaton, J.B. (1975). Beginning Composition through Pictures. London: Longman. Heinich, et.al. (1993). Instructional Media and The New Technologies of Instruction,
4th Edition. MAXWELL: Macmillan, Canada.
Hillocks, G. (1987). Synthesis of Research on Teaching Writing. Educational Leadership 5 (87), 71-82.
(36)
Houts, et.al.(2006). The Role of Pictures in Improving Health Communication, A
review of research on attention, comprehension, recall and adherence. http://www.tahud.org.tr/uploads/sunumlar/2809d1288234fa5ce42b99ed1F10 67c7667ee95e.pdf.
Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hughes, J. M. (2007). Teaching Language and Literacy [online]. Available at: http:// faculty.uoit.ca/ [February 11st, 2013]
Hyland, K. (2003). Second Language Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hyland, K. (2008). Teaching and Researching Writing 2nd Edition. Edinburgh: Pearson
Kim, Y. & Kim, J. (2005). Teaching Korean University Writing Class: Balancing the Process and the Genre Approach. Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, 7(2), 69-90. Knapp, P.& Watkins, M. (2005).Genre, Text, Grammar, Technologies for Teaching and
Assessing Writing. Sydney, NSW: UNSWPress
Kranzler, G. & Moursund, J. (1999). Statistics for the Terrified. United States of America: Prentice Hall.
Mooney, C.G. (2000). Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori,
Errickson, Piaget, and Vigotsky. New York: Redleaf Press.
Murray, D. M. (1982). A Writer Teaches Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Nunan, D. (1992). Reseach Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Nunan, D. (2003). Practical English Language Teaching. New York: McGraw-Hill. Raimes, A. (1983). Techniques in Teaching Writing. New York: Oxford University
(37)
Romiszowski, A. (2004). How’s the E-learning Baby? Factors Leading to Success or Failure of an Educational Technology Innovation. Educational Technology
Journal, 44 (1), 5–27.
Sa’diyah, H. (2010). Improving Students’ Ability in Writing Descriptive Texts through a Picture Series AidedLearning Strategy. The English Teacher,60(1), 164-182.
Simamora, Riris Mutiara. (2010). The Use of Mind Mapping in Improving Students’
Writing Ability. FPBS UPI Sarjana Degree: Unpublished Paper.
Stevick, E.W. (1982). Teaching and Learning Language. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sudjana, N. & Rivai, A. (2009). Teknologi Pengajaran. Bandung: Sinar Baru.
Wright, A. (1976). Visual Materials for The Language Teachers. Longman Handbook for Language Teachers. England: Longman Group Ltd.
Wright, A. (1994). Pictures for Language Learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Wittich and Schuller. 1957. Audio-Visual Materials. New York: Harper and Brother Publisher.
Zemach, D. E & Rumisek, L. A. (2005). Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay. Retrieved from ebook. Accessed on November 11st 2012.
(1)
59
Raisa Mayang Sari, 2014
The Use Of Pictures To Improve Students’ Ability In Writing Descriptive Texts
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS
This chapter contains the research conclusions and suggestions. The conclusions are explained from the analysis of the research findings. Meanwhile, the suggestions are expected to give a contribution for the further researchers, English teachers, the students, and material designers.
5.1 Conclusions
This study was proposed to analyze the use of pictures in improving students' skill in writing descriptive text and to know the students' responses towards the implementation of the method. The result of the data shows that the use of pictures in describing activity is effective to improve students' writing skill.
In addition, the computation of the data by using SPSS 20.0 for Windows explains that the experimental group has better improvement in their writing after receiving some treatments than the control group. Regarding the result, it can be proved that the use of pictures during the treatments give good impact to the students. The result also proves that the pictures give many advantages in improving students' writing skill. The students are motivated to actively participate in the teaching and learning process because the pictures can create fun and enjoyable atmosphere in the classroom.
In short, it can be concluded that the use of pictures is an appropriate medium to improve students' writing skill. The activity of describing pictures
builds students’ confidence in generating their ideas through words.
(2)
60
5.2 Suggestions
Based on the findings in this study, there are some suggestions given to the further studies, teachers, students, and material designers in teaching English.
For further research, it would be excellent to investigate the effectiveness of using pictures in improving other skills such as writing and listening. In addition, it is suggested that the further researchers should create an attractive activities and clearer instruction to get students' attention. Moreover, the further researcher can find the effectiveness of other techniques or methods such as the use of video, or movie in improving students' writing skill.
The use of pictures in teaching language has many advantages. Hence, the teachers are suggested to use this method by implementing the activity of describing pictures. It is expected to help the teachers in improving students' writing skill by enriching students' vocabularies. However, the teachers should adjust the method with students' characteristics and students' need.
The students are also suggested to use the pictures in improving their writing ability. It hopefully motivates the students to exercise their writing ability by describing the pictures. Hence, the pictures also can be implemented in designing the materials by the material designers to get students' understanding.
(3)
Raisa Mayang Sari, 2014
The Use Of Pictures To Improve Students’ Ability In Writing Descriptive Texts Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alwasilah, A.C & Sussana. S.(2007). Pokoknya Menulis: Cara Baru Menulis dengan Metode Kolaborasi. Bandung: Kiblat Buku Utama.
Badger, R.& White, G.(2000). A Process Genre Approach to Teaching Writing. ELT Journal, 54(2), 153-160.
Boughey, C. (1997). Learning to Write by Writing to Learn: a group work approach. Retrieved September 28, 2011. From http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/ 51-2-4.pdf .
Brokes, Arthur & Grundy P.(1998). Beginning to Write. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Brown, H. D.(2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. San Fransisco: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Buzan, Tony. (1993). The Mind Map Book. London: BBC Books.
Byrne, D. (1979). Teaching Writing Skills. England: Longman Group Limited.
Coolidge, L.F. (2000). Statistics a Gentle Introduction. Great Britain: The Cromwall Press Ltd, Trowbridge.
Cresswell, J.W. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 4th Edition.Boston: Pearson
Derewianka, B. (1990). Exploring How Texts Work. Sydney: PETA.
Derewianka, B. (2004). Trends and Issues in Genre-Based Approach. RELC Journal 34 (2) pp. 133-54. [Online: http://re;.sagepub.com/content/34/2/133] Accessed: September 30th, 2013
Doff, A. (1990). Teach English; A Training Course for Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
(4)
Emilia, E. (2008). Menulis Tesis dan Disertasi. Bandung: Alfabeta.
Emilia, E. (2011). Pendekatan Genre-Based dalam Pengerjaan Bahasa Inggris: Petunjuk untuk Guru. Bandung: Rizqi Press.
Farikhah, U. (2010). Using Pictures to Improve Students’ Ability in Writing Descriptive Texts. FPBS UPI Sarjana Degree: Unpublished Paper.
Flower, L. & Hayes, J.R. (1977). Problem-Solving Strategies and the Writing Process. College English 39, 449-461.
Gerlach, V.S., & Donald, P.E. (1980). Teaching Media: A Systemic Approach, 4th Edition. London: Prentice Hall Inc.
Gerot, L. & Wignel, P. (1995). Making Sense of Functional Grammar. Sydney: Gerd Stabler
Harmer, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching (3rd Ed.). London: Pearson Educational Limited.
Harmer, J. (2004). How to Teach Writing. London: Pearson Educational Limited. Harris, Theodore Lester & Hodges, Richard E. (1995). The Literacy Dictionary: The
Vocabulary of Reading & Writing. Network: IRA.
Hatch, E. M & Farhady, H. (1982). Research Design and Statistics for Applied Linguistic. University of California, Los Angeles: Newbury House Publisher Inc.
Heaton, J.B. (1975). Beginning Composition through Pictures. London: Longman. Heinich, et.al. (1993). Instructional Media and The New Technologies of Instruction,
4th Edition. MAXWELL: Macmillan, Canada.
Hillocks, G. (1987). Synthesis of Research on Teaching Writing. Educational Leadership 5 (87), 71-82.
(5)
Raisa Mayang Sari, 2014
The Use Of Pictures To Improve Students’ Ability In Writing Descriptive Texts Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu
Houts, et.al.(2006). The Role of Pictures in Improving Health Communication, A review of research on attention, comprehension, recall and adherence.
http://www.tahud.org.tr/uploads/sunumlar/2809d1288234fa5ce42b99ed1F10
67c7667ee95e.pdf.
Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hughes, J. M. (2007). Teaching Language and Literacy [online]. Available at: http:// faculty.uoit.ca/ [February 11st, 2013]
Hyland, K. (2003). Second Language Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hyland, K. (2008). Teaching and Researching Writing 2nd Edition. Edinburgh: Pearson Kim, Y. & Kim, J. (2005). Teaching Korean University Writing Class: Balancing the
Process and the Genre Approach. Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, 7(2), 69-90. Knapp, P.& Watkins, M. (2005).Genre, Text, Grammar, Technologies for Teaching and
Assessing Writing. Sydney, NSW: UNSWPress
Kranzler, G. & Moursund, J. (1999). Statistics for the Terrified. United States of America: Prentice Hall.
Mooney, C.G. (2000). Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Errickson, Piaget, and Vigotsky. New York: Redleaf Press.
Murray, D. M. (1982). A Writer Teaches Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Nunan, D. (1992). Reseach Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Nunan, D. (2003). Practical English Language Teaching. New York: McGraw-Hill. Raimes, A. (1983). Techniques in Teaching Writing. New York: Oxford University
(6)
Romiszowski, A. (2004). How’s the E-learning Baby? Factors Leading to Success or Failure of an Educational Technology Innovation. Educational Technology Journal, 44 (1), 5–27.
Sa’diyah, H. (2010). Improving Students’ Ability in Writing Descriptive Texts through
a Picture Series AidedLearning Strategy. The English Teacher,60(1),
164-182.
Simamora, Riris Mutiara. (2010). The Use of Mind Mapping in Improving Students’ Writing Ability. FPBS UPI Sarjana Degree: Unpublished Paper.
Stevick, E.W. (1982). Teaching and Learning Language. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sudjana, N. & Rivai, A. (2009). Teknologi Pengajaran. Bandung: Sinar Baru.
Wright, A. (1976). Visual Materials for The Language Teachers. Longman Handbook for Language Teachers. England: Longman Group Ltd.
Wright, A. (1994). Pictures for Language Learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Wittich and Schuller. 1957. Audio-Visual Materials. New York: Harper and Brother Publisher.
Zemach, D. E & Rumisek, L. A. (2005). Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay. Retrieved from ebook. Accessed on November 11st 2012.