PENGGUNAAN PERMAINAN DALAM MENINGKATKAN KETEPATAN PENGGUNAAN TATABAHASA SISWA DALAM MENULIS TEKS DESKRIPTIF.
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THE USE OF GAMES IN IMPROVING STUDENT
S’
GRAMMATICAL
ACCURACY IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS
(Action Research at a Junior High School in Bandung)
A Paper
Submitted to the English Education Department of FPBS Indonesia University of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
By:
Febby Febriani Annisa
0906743
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY
INDONESIA UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
2014
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The Use of Games in Improving Students’ Grammatica
l Accuracy in
Writing Descriptive Texts
(Action Research at a Junior High School in Bandung)
Oleh
Febby Febriani Annisa
Sebuah skripsi yang diajukan untuk memenuhi salah satu syarat memperoleh gelar Sarjana pada Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni
© Febby Febriani Annisa 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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PAGE OF APPROVAL
THE USE OF GAMES IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS
(Action Research at a Junior High School in Bandung)
By:
Febby Febriani Annisa 0906743
Approved by: First Supervisor,
Dra. Sri Setyarini, M. A., Ling.
NIP. 196312291990022001
Second Supervisor,
Rojab Siti Rodliyah, S. Pd., M. Ed.
NIP. 197308062002122001
Head of English Education Department Language and Arts Education Faculty
Indonesia University of Education
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The use of games in improvine students grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu
PENGGUNAAN PERMAINAN DALAM MENINGKATKAN
KETEPATAN PENGGUNAAN TATABAHASA SISWA DALAM
MENULIS TEKS DESKRIPTIF
(Penelitian Tindakan di Sebuah Sekolah Menengah Pertama di Bandung)
THE USE OF GAMES IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL
ACCURACY IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS
(Action Research at a Junior High School in Bandung)
AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk menyelidiki apakah permainan dapat meningkatkan ketepatan penggunaan tatabahasa siswa dalam menulis teks deskriptif. Penelitian ini juga bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi respon siswa terhadap penggunaan permainan dalam meningkatkan ketepatan penggunaan tatabahasa mereka. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode penelitian tindakan. Data diperoleh dari tes siswa, wawancara, dan catatan observasi kelas. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa terdapat peningkatan dalam ketepatan penggunaan tatabahasa siswa, dimana sebanyak 88% siswa mencapai level 3 (baik hingga rata-rata) dan 4 (unggul hingga sangat baik). Siswa menunjukkan respon yang positif terhadap penggunaan permainan dalam meningkatkan ketepatan penggunaan tatabahasa mereka. Pada bagian akhir artikel ini disebutkan beberapa saran bagi para guru yang ingin menggunakan permainan dalam kegiatan mengajar.
Kata kunci: permainan, ketepatan tatabahasa, menulis, teks deskriptif Abstract
This study aims to investigate whether games can improve the students’ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts. This study also intends to identify the students’ responses toward the use of games in improving their grammatical accuracy. This research was conducted by employing action research method. The data are gathered from students’ try-out tests, interview, and class observation notes. The result shows that there is an improvement in the students’ grammatical accuracy, in which 88% of all students gain level 3 (good to average) and 4 (excellent to very good). The students show positive responses toward the use of games in improving their grammatical accuracy. In the end of this article, some suggestions for teachers who want to use games in teaching process are also mentioned.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATEMENT... i
PREFACE... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT... iii
ABSTRACT... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS... v
LIST OF TABLES... viii
LIST OF FIGURES... ix
LIST OF APPENDICES... x
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION... 1
1.1 Background of the Study... 1
1.2 Research Questions... 5
1.3 Aims of the Study... 5
1.4 Limitation of the Study... 6
1.5 Significance of the Study... 6
1.6 Clarification of Terms... 6
1.7 Paper Organization... 7
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FOUNDATION... 8
2.1 Games... 8
2.1.1 Definition of games... 8
2.1.2 Games and language learning... 10
2.1.3 Games and writing... 13
2.1.4 The potential strengths of games... 14
2.1.5 The weaknesses of games... 18
2.2. Grammatical Accuracy... 19
2.2.1 Definition of grammatical accuracy... 19
2.2.2 Definition of grammatical errors... 21
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2.3.1 Writing in academic setting... 22
2.3.2 Components of writing... 22
2.3.3 Grammatical accuracy in academic writing... 23
2.4 Descriptive Text... 24
2.4.1 Definition of descriptive text... 24
2.4.2 Generic structure of descriptive text... 25
2.4.3 Lexicogrammatical features of descriptive text... 25
2.4.4 Descriptive text in eighth grade students... 26
2.5 Related Studies... 27
2.6 Concluding Remark... 29
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY... 30
3.1 Research Design... 30
3.1.1 Cycle of action research... 31
3.1.2 Setting... 36
3.1.3 Participants... 36
3.2 Data Collection... 37
3.2.1 Try-out test... 37
3.2.2 Interview... 37
3.2.3 Class observation notes... 39
3.3 Research Procedure... 39
3.3.1 Planning... 40
3.3.2 Action... 43
3.3.3 Observation... 44
3.3.4 Reflection... 44
3.4 Data Analysis... 45
3.4.1 Assembling the data... 45
3.4.2 Coding the data... 46
3.4.3 Comparing the data... 46
3.4.4 Building meanings and interpretations... 47
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3.5 Concluding Remark... 48
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION... 49
4.1 Findings... 49
4.1.1 Increase in the students’ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text... 49
4.1.2 The students’ responses toward the use of games in increasing their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text... 59
4.2 Discussion... 64
4.2.1 Increase in the students’ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text... 64 4.2.2 The students’ responses toward the use of games in increasing their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text... 67 4.3 Concluding Remark... 74
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS... 75
5.1 Conclusions... 75
5.2 Suggestions... 76
REFERENCES... 77 APPENDICES
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1 Teaching Schedule of Research Process in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 40 Table 3.2 Assessment Tool of the Students’ Grammatical Accuracy in
Writing... 42 Table 4.1 Comparison of Try-Out Tests Result... 58 Table 4.2 Interview Questions and the Students’ Responses... 59
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1 Cyclical Action Research Model... 32 Figure 4.1 Frequency of the Students’ Grammatical Errors in Try-Out Test 1 50 Figure 4.2 Frequency of the Students’ Grammatical Errors in Try-Out Test 2 53 Figure 4.3 Frequency of the Students’ Grammatical Errors in Try-Out Test 3 57
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LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX A Lesson Plan
APPENDIX B Students’ Writing on Try-Out Test 1, 2, and 3 APPENDIX C Interview Transcription
APPENDIX D Class Observation Notes
APPENDIX E Teaching Documentation
APPENDIX F Students’ Grammatical Accuracy Score on Try-Out Tests APPENDIX G Administrative Letters Of Study
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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter provides background of the study, research questions, aims of the study, limitation of the study, significance of the study, clarification of terms, and paper organization.
1.1 Background of the Study
Language, especially English, is commonly divided into four skills, which are listening, speaking, reading, and writing (Cameron, 2001). In school context, the latter one is believed as an important part of the curriculum. The importance of writing exists from the earliest to the highest grade. The consequence of this situation is, most children in the countries that have a formal education system will learn to write in school setting (Weigle, 2002). It implies that their ability in writing contributes to their academic success.
There is one thing to consider about learning writing, as Weigle (2002) states in her book that when someone does not have any knowledge about vocabulary and grammar of a second language, then it is quite impossible for that person to write something in the second language. Based on her statement, writing is highly valued in academic setting. Moreover, educational research has suggested that language accuracy has place in written language which makes language in written form is more highly valued than in spoken form.
Grabowski in 1996 (as cited in Weigle, 2002) gives a statement that
writing has “a more standardized system which must be acquired through special instruction” (p. 4). The standardized system can be considered as language
conventions such as voice, tone, style, accuracy, and mechanics (Weigle, 2002).
The presence of this standardized system in writing “allows for a higher degree of sanctions when people deviate from that standard” (Grabowski, 1996, as cited in
Weigle, 2002, p. 4). Therefore, it is clear that learners need to comprehend the language conventions especially grammatical accuracy and use them appropriately in their writing tasks.
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The sanction that has been mentioned by Grabowski above can be realized
in Noguchi‟s statement (as cited in McAlexander, 2000), in which grammatical errors are perceived improper in professional settings. Craig strengthens this idea through survey of the workplace in 2001 (as cited in Davis & Mahoney, 2005) which shows that 98% of all respondents agreed that correct spelling, grammar, and mechanics were considered important in their writing on the job. From the notions above, it can be concluded that there is a responsibility for teachers to help learners to improve their grammatical accuracy in writing. Because, Bizzell
in 2000 (as cited in Davis & Mahoney, 2005) mentions that “correctness is a perennial issue in basic writing instruction” (p. 4), in which grammatical errors may continue to happen in learners‟ writing in the future if it is not fixed as soon as possible.
Grammatical accuracy also contributes in achieving the goal of communication. Grammatical accuracy, as suggested by Larsen-Freeman in 2003 and Lush in 2002 (as cited in Puengpipattrakul, 2009), is important in writing since it ensures the intended meaning of the writers and prevents misunderstanding in communication. Further, grammatical accuracy is considered to be able to create an effective writing (Balaghizadeh & Gordani, 2012). Therefore, comprehending grammatical accuracy does not simply aim to avoid the difficult situation in academic and professional context, but it also has more practical meanings.
There is a contrast between the statements that have been mentioned earlier and a notion from Hillocks (as cited in McAlexander, 2000). Educational research in 1970s, 80s, and 90s suggest that grammar instruction gave small effect on writing, while content and organization were favoured as major elements in writing. Nevertheless, Balaghizadeh and Gordani (2012) assert that grammatical accuracy is an important aspect in composing a good piece of writing. The consequence of implementing accurate grammar in writing is, learners have opportunity in advancing their level of English.
Regarding to the importance of grammatical accuracy in writing as has been mentioned above, in fact there are some cases in which students still cannot
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apply the correct grammar in their writing tasks. According to Puengpipattrakul (2009), the first-year university Thai undergraduates did not possess sufficient ability in employing appropriate grammar in their English writing. Although the learners had already studied English tenses since primary school, they still found difficulty in verb tense accuracy.
The similar situation were faced by the eight grade students in Bandung.
The English teacher and the result of the students‟ try-out tests state that the students were actually able to write descriptive texts, because they had already learnt descriptive text in the previous grade. In their writing, most of them had clear idea and sufficient knowledge of descriptive text. However, the problem was they could not apply the correct grammar in their writing tasks. Although several times the English teacher had explained the grammar aspects that were usually misused by the students, but they still found some difficulties, for example in deciding whether they had to use subject pronouns he and she, object pronouns him or her, or possessive adjectives his or her. Deesri (as cited in Yolageldili & Arikan, 2011) report that the students feel uncomfortable and stressful in the classroom because they have to master unfamiliar and unknown grammatical
structures. On the other hand, students‟ failure in applying correct grammar in
writing may be caused by boring explanation, as suggested by Tuan and Doan (2010). The combinaton of uncomfortable atmosphere, stressful situation, and
tedious grammar explanation appeared as an issue in this eight graders‟ class. The
conclusion is, there is a need to teach grammar in more engaging way for learners. Games can be used as an alternative teaching technique that can sustain the
students‟ interest in learning language, especially grammar (Tuan & Doan, 2010).
Games are fun activities with a goal that has to be achieved by employing some rules (Hadfield, 1990, as cited in Tuan & Doan, 2010). The word „fun‟ causes games, in some cases, are usually done in classes as time fillers. However, Klippel (as cited in Dalton, 2005) proposes that games should not be perceived as marginal and filler activities, but games should have a better place in language teaching program, because actually games have potential strengths and beneficial pedagogical values.
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Rinvolucri (as cited in Yorikan & Alegeldili, 2011) suggests that games can be used in any stages when presenting grammar in class. First, games can be
used before presenting the grammar which aim to investigate students‟ prior
knowledge about the grammar. Second, games also can be employed after the grammar has been explained, in order to check students‟ comprehension about the grammar. Third, games can be utilized as a revision of a grammar area.
This study favours the second and third function of games in which learners are allowed to have exercises of grammar aspects that they have already learnt and also to review them, because Yolageldili and Arikan (2011) add that
“games provide learners with an opportunity to drill and practice grammatical rules and forms by presenting them in a communicative way” (p. 223). In a same
vein, Ara (2009) states that repetition can be found in games, therefore by using games students can accustom themselves to use language. Although repetition in some cases is potential to create an activity becomes tedious, but in games this condition can be reduced. Hadfield (as cited in Tuan & Doan, 2010) supports that
“games can be used . . . as a memory aid and repetition drill” (p. 67). Thus, by
using games, it is hoped that the eight grade students can accustom and familiarize themselves with grammar. The expected result is, they can increase their grammatical accuracy in writing.
Therefore, by considering the advantages that games provide for language learning, games should not be underestimated. It would be better if games are not treated as fun tools that are designed for time-fillers in the end of the term only, but they can be perceived as an integral part of language teaching syllabus (Deesri, 2002, as cited in Yolageldili & Arikan, 2011 and Gaudart, 1999, as cited in Yu, 2005). Games should be put in the center of a language lesson, not treated only as a warm-up activity.
There are a lot of studies that are related to grammar and games, but there is a study which inspires the researcher to conduct a study that focuses on grammatical accuracy in writing. The study entitled The Use of Journal in Developing Grammatical Accuracy in Writing that was conducted by Walaipun Puengpipattrakul in 2009. The study aims at investigating whether journal writing
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gave improvement in grammatical accuracy of Thailand students. The result is, although students showed positive responses toward the use of journal in improving their grammatical accuracy, but there was no significant improvement of their actual grammatical accuracy in journal. However, the use of journal
increased students‟ awareness of grammatical accuracy, self-confidence in using grammar, and motivation in monitoring their own grammatical accuracy improvement. Therefore, instead of using journal, this research employs games as
an effort to increase the students‟ grammatical accuracy in writing.
In this study, different games are utilized in increasing the students‟
grammar accuracy in various areas, because Byrne (as cited in Tuan, 2012) underlines that different games are potential in motivating students. Another reason why various games should be applied in this study is, according to Dalton
(2005) “even the most fun game will become boring if overplayed” (p. 23).
1.2 Research Questions
Based on the explanation of research background above, therefore two research questions can be formulated as follows:
a. Is there any improve of the students‟ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts after having games?
b. How is/are response(s) of the students toward the use of games to improve their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts?
1.3 Aims of the Study
According to the research questions that have been proposed above, then the aims of the study are:
a. to investigate whether there is an improve of the students‟ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts after having games
b. to investigate response(s) of the students toward the use of games to improve their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts.
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1.4 Limitation of the Study
The genre of text that is employed in this study is descriptive text. The eight graders in this study have already learnt descriptive text at the previous grade, therefore it is considered that they are familiar with this kind of text. This condition is beneficial for the researcher, since in this study, the main focus is to increase the students‟ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text. As an
effort to achieve this aim, seven games are used in this study, namely: “Snatch Game”, “Sticking Game”, “Snowball Game”, “Pet Bulaga Game”, “Describe Me Game”, “Sticky Notes Game”, and “Changing Sentences Game”.
1.5 Significance of the Study
There is an expectation that this study will give contributions in some aspects. Theoretically, it is expected that this study will give new theories about games as a language teaching technique in improving learners‟ grammatical accuracy in writing and a new insight into fun, lively, and stress-free learning environment. Practically, this study is expected to give an innovation and solution
for teachers who are interested in improving learners‟ grammatical accuracy in writing, especially descriptive text. It is hoped that, regarding to the result of this study, teachers can employ games to introduce or review grammar to students in more engaging, fun, and friendly manner. Moreover, it is expected that games as a
teaching technique in improving learners‟ grammatical accuracy is not only
applicable in teaching writing descriptive text, but also for other genres of text.
1.6 Clarification of Terms
In order to avoid misinterpretation, below are the clarified terms: a. Games
Games are organized activities that usually have some features such as a certain task or objective, a set of rules, competition between players, and communication between players by using spoken or written language (Platt and Platt, & Richards, as cited in Tuan, 2012).
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b. Grammatical Accuracy
Grammatical accuracy is “the ability to use the language correctly, and
grammar instruction in any language teaching/learning program mainly aims at uplifting accuracy in learners for better communication” (Ahangari & Barghi, 2012, p. 6).
c. Descriptive Text
Descriptive text is a kind of text whose purpose is to give information. The social function of descriptive text is to describe a particular person, place, or thing (Gerot & Wignell, 1994).
1.7 Paper Organization
The organization of this paper is started with Chapter I, which is introduction. This chapter introduces the issue that is discussed in this paper. It consists of background of the study, research questions, aims of the study, limitation of the study, significance of the study, clarification of terms, and paper organization. Chapter II is theoretical foundation which elaborates the related theories and the previous studies that support this research. Chapter III is research methodology with the aim of achieving the research purposes which consists of research design, data collection technique, research procedure, and data analysis procedures. Chapter IV consists of findings and discussion, which reveals the findings of the research and then elaborates the findings by using the experts‟ theories and the previous studies in discussion part. The last one is Chapter V which is conclusion and suggestions. This part concludes the overall findings of this study and gives some suggestions in dealing with the same problem that appears in this study. Opportunity for further research is also provided.
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter intends to describe the methodology that was proposed to achieve the research purposes that have been mentioned earlier. There are some elements that are going to be elaborated in this chapter, namely: research design, data collection technique, research procedure, and data analysis procedure.
3.1 Research Design
The research approach that was employed in this study was qualitative study. As Creswell (2002) argues that “qualitative research is interpretative research, with the inquirer typically involved in a sustained and intensive experience with participants” (p. 211). The gathered data in a qualitative study are in descriptive form (Fraenkel & Wallen, 1990; Locke et al., 1987; Marshall & Rossman, 1989; Merriam, 1988, as cited in Creswell, 2002), which implies that the gathered data have to be interpreted in narrative way (Creswell, 2002).
This study employed action research method. Ebbutt (as cited in Cohen,
Manion, & Morrison, 2007) mentions that “action research is a systematic study
that combines action and reflection with the intention of improving practice” (p. 297). Action research aims to bring practical improvement, innovation, change or
development of social practice, and the practitioners‟ better understanding of their
practices (Zuber-Skerritt, 1996b, as cited in Cohen et al., 2007). The issue that appears in action research is real and immediate, since “it works on, and tries to
solve real, practitioner identified problems of everyday practice” (Cohen et al.,
2007, p. 307).
The efforts in achieving those aims include identifying a „problematic‟ situation or issue that the participants consider worth looking into more deeply and systematically and encouraging teachers to gain their own conclusions and solutions in their own teaching problem, which are more realistic and to the point. The word „problematic‟ here does not mean that the practice of teachers‟ teaching has problem. Rather, the word „problem‟ means that there is a gap between the
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reality and the teachers‟ idealism. Action research has purpose to find something that can fill that gap (Burns, 2010).
In action research study, teachers do not only play their role as teachers. Burns (2010) adds several roles that exist in this kind of study, which are investigator, explorer, and also participant in teachers‟ teaching practice. These additional roles are closely related to the idea of reflective pratice and teacher as researcher, in which teachers evaluate and fix the problems that occured in their own teaching practice (Burns, 2010). Therefore, this study employed participatory action research as the design of the research. Graves in 1991, McTaggart in 1991, and Whitney-Thomas in 1997 (as cited in Turnbull, Friesen, & Ramirez, 1998) explain what participatory action research is:
Participatory action research refers to a process whereby the researchers and stakeholders (those who potentially benefit from research results) collaborate in the design and conduct of all phases (e.g., specification of questions, design, data collection, data analysis, dissemination, utilization) of the research process). (p. 178)
Based on the notion above, then in this study, the researcher also acted as teacher in the classroom.
Burns (2010) adds one of the essential features of action research. She
argues that action research is “small-scale, contextualized, and local in character”
(p. 10). It means that the emerged issues during the teaching-process are only identified and investigated within a specific social situation, such as in a class or at a school. It also implies that the issues and also the solutions may not appear in every class or school in general, since every class or school must have its own uniqueness in character.
3.1.1 Cycle of action research
In general, action research can be divided into two major parts. Cohen et al. (2007) explain the definition of these two parts:
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One can suggest that action research can be cast into two simple stages: a diagnostic stage in which the problems are analysed and the hypotheses developed; and a therapeutic stage in which the hypotheses are tested by a consciously directed intervention or experiment in situ. (p. 304)
Lewin (as cited in Cohen et al., 2007) separates action research into four main stages, which are planning, acting, observing and reflecting. Kemmis and McTaggart (as cited in Cohen et al., 2007) support that idea by arguing that “action research develops through the selfreflective spiral: a spiral of cycles of planning, acting (implementing plans), observing (systematically), reflecting . . . and then re-planning, further implementation, observing and reflecting . . .” (p. 300).
Those stages that have been mentioned above create a formation in a series of spirals, as McKernan (as cited in Cohen et al., 2007) suggests. In order to give clearer insight about spiral series of action research, Figure 3.1 depicts the cycles of action research:
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Kemmis and McTaggart (as cited in Burns 2010) state that “the first cycle
may become a continuing, or iterative, spiral of cycles which recur until the action researcher has achieved a satisfactory outcome and feels it is time to stop” (p. 7). Burns (2010) adds that action research is not a lock-step process. Rather, it is a dynamic and recursive process, which means that a new decision and plan will emerge during the process of research.
As can be seen through Figure 3.1, each cycle is divided into four steps, which are plan, action, observe, and reflect. Zuber-Skerritt (as cited in Cohen et al., 2007) suggests that teachers have their own problem and feel responsible for coping with that through cyclical process which consists of 1) strategic planning, 2) action which implements the plan, 3) observation that consists of evaluation and self-evaluation, and the last one is 4) critical and self-critical reflection based on the result of point 1-3 and decision making for the next cycle. The explanation of each step is elaborated below:
a. Planning
Planning is the initial stage in action research study. At this stage, as Cohen et al. (2007) explain that plan involves the identification, evaluation and formulation of the problem which is considered as „daily problem‟ in teaching that often occurs in teaching practice in classroom. In line with the statement above, Burns (2010) clarifies that at planning stage, it is the inquirers‟ responsibility to identify the problems or issue and design a plan of action that is expected will bring improvement to the area in the research site.
b. Action
Action is the next stage after planning stage. The essence of action stage based on Burns‟ statement (2010) is to intervene the situation in which the problem occurs that aims to bring changes or even improvements in a well-organized manner, in which the action is conducted in agreed period time. The information that is employed to create action stage has been gathered from the previous stage, which is planning stage.
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c. Observation
At observation stage, there is a need to observe the effects of the action stage that has been conducted. In this study, the effects can be identified from the students‟ response and their writing performance after the action stage had been conducted. Burns (2010) adds that at observation stage, there is also a need in documenting the context, actions and opinions of those who were involved. At this stage, it is expected that teacher can be open-eyed and open-minded toward what is happening during and after the action stage has been conducted.
In documenting the action that had been conducted in the classroom including its effect toward teaching and learning process, then after each session, the class observations were noted down. It is important to note the observation right after action session has been conducted because, as van Lier in 1988 (as cited in Emilia, 2005) states, that “the memory of the observation was still fresh” (p. 79), thus things that happened in the class could be recalled completely.
This study was a collaborative research in which the researcher collaborated with the eighth grade‟s English teacher. This situation was beneficial for the researcher, since in action research, there is a need to involve another observer in order to gain more objective and deeper analysis about the emerged problems as the focus of study. As Kemmis and McTaggart (as cited in Cohen et al., 2007)
argue that “action research is collaborative: it involves those responsible for
action in improving that action . . .” (p. 300). They strengthen their statement by suggesting that action research is more systematic and collaborative in collecting evidence which can lead to group reflection. Allwright, van Lier, and Shimahara (as cited in Emilia, 2005) support this idea by stating that observation from the
researcher‟s partner is needed to promote the reliability of the observations.
Another benefit of collaboration in action research is, it allows the researcher to deepen his or her insight into the topics of common interest through dialogue with the colleagues (Burns, 2010).
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d. Reflection
It has been argued before that reflection actually occurs at every stage of action research. This statement emerges based on the idea of reflexivity, which based on Cohen et al. (2007), it plays the role as central part in action research.
Reflection stage is divided into two parts. Schön (as cited in Burns, 2010) portrays two essentials concepts about how teachers reflect on their teaching. The first one is called reflection-in-action. This concept explains that reflection is the spontaneous one which occurs in the classroom in the middle of conducted action. This kind of reflection takes part when teachers evaluate students‟ reaction, whether it is positive or even negative response, toward the conducted action. The second one is called reflection-on-action. This concept explains that reflection happens after the event, in which teachers reflect on the decisions they have made in reflection-in-action phase, teachers‟ own responses, thoughts and feelings about the lesson.
As the one who plays the role as teacher and also researcher, teacher who conducts action research has to be a reflective teacher, in which he or she has a willingness to evaluate himself or herself, no matter what happens during the lesson. Dewey (as cited in Burns, 2010) recognises three characterisctics of a reflective teacher. The first one is openmindedness, in which teacher listens to other points of view, in this case it can be students‟ complaints or even colleague‟s suggestions in collaborative action research. The second one is responsibility, in which teacher becomes more alert and aware to the consequences of their own action that has been decided in the classroom. The third one is wholeheartedness, in which teacher looks into the problems that emerged in the classroom as problems in their way of teaching, not as his or her students‟ fault and weaknesses. Therefore, in this study, there is a need for the researcher to have these characteristics of a reflective teacher, in order to get the essence of problems that emerged in the classroom.
Finally, reflection stage is the stage in which the decision-making moment occurs. Since reflection stage is “dynamic and happens throughout the AR cycle” (Burns, 2010, p. 145), then based on Kemmis and McTaggart‟s suggestion (as
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cited in Burns, 2010), teachers can choose between two possibilities. The first one is to fix the cycle and do it once more in order to improve the situation to achieve the target. Also, the cycle can be continued if more questions emerge during the research process and there is a curiousity to find the answers of the questions. The second one is to stop the cycle if it is considered enough and it has achieved the target, then make the report about teachers‟ finding in the conducted study. The key is, action research is not “a recipe-like approach” (Burns, 2010, p. 56), in which the researcher is allowed to adjust the cycles, processes, and methods creatively in the teaching context to achieve the research goal.
3.1.2 Setting
This study was undertaken at a eighth-grade class of a public Junior High School in Bandung, West Java, namely class 8.8. This study site was chosen by considering some reasons. Firstly, after casual interview with the English teacher and some students had been done, and also try-out test 1 had been conducted, it was found that the eighth-grade students needed guidance in improving their grammatical accuracy in writing. Secondly, the eighth-grade students were learning descriptive text in the beginning of the first semester. It was ideal for this study, since in the seventh grade, they had already learnt descriptive text but with different topic, which was “Person”. At that time, the students had already faced the grammatical problem in writing descriptive texts. This issue had been the focus of this action research study, thus it was expected that this study could provide solution for this problem.
3.1.3 Participants
The participants of this study were eighth-grade students in first semester in Bandung. There were 15 male students and 19 female students, in which the total were 34 students. Their age ranged from 12 to 13 years old. All of them used English as their foreign language.
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3.2 Data Collection
Data collection includes the tools that were employed to collect data. Nunan and Bailey (2009) mention that qualitative data in second language classroom research can be in many forms. In this study, the data collection techniques were try-out tests, interview, and class observation notes. Each method of data collection is going to be elaborated below:
3.2.1 Try-out tests
In this study, the data were collected firstly from the result of the students‟ try-out tests. Burns (2010) suggests that in conducting a research, the techniques should be well-matched to what the researcher is trying to find out. Tests, or writing tests for more specific, can be used as “sample of learner language” (Nunan & Bailey, 2009, p. 323). Therefore, since this study was interested mainly
in the students‟ improvement in grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text,
then there was a need to collect the students‟ texts over a period of time and identify the improvement in each test (Burns, 2010).
Three try-out tests were conducted in the beginning and at the end of cycle 1 and at the end of cycle 2. This data collection method was important, since the students‟ performance before and after the action was conducted were portrayed in these tests, therefore the students‟ progress could be captured. The data contributed to decision-making phase, whether the students had already achieved the target, which implied whether there was a need to do the next cycle.
3.2.2 Interview
Interview, based on Burgess‟ argument (as cited in Burns, 2010) is a
“conversation with a purpose” (p. 74). One of the functions of interview is, it is
able to elicit “views and attitudes of informants” (Nunan & Bailey, 2009, p. 313). They also emphasize that the interview process must be recorded, whether by writing the words down or by audio-recording, and the responses should be transcribed. In this study, interview aimed to investigate the eighth grade students‟
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responses toward the use of games as a teaching technique in improving their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts.
Creswell (2002) states that there are several kinds of interview. One of them is face-to-face interview, which has a strength to allow for greater depth compared to another data collection techniques. Cohen and Manion in 1980 and 1985 (as cited in Emilia, 2005) state that this kind of interview allows the interviewer to look deeper in what the interviewee is thinking about the teaching program. This kind of interview, according to Fraenkel and Wallen in 2000 (as cited in Emilia, 2005) also functions to check the accuracy of the data that have been gathered from observation process. It means that the existence of interview was useful to strengthen and clarify the information that had been collected through class observation.
A guided- or semi-structured interview was employed in this study. It gave more freedom for the interviewees to illustrate and communicate their ideas, therefore the information that was gained from interview can be deeper and richer (Burns, 2010 and Field & Morse, 1985, as cited in Emilia, 2005). Also, it allowed the researcher to expand the informants‟ ideas upon their comments (Nunan & Bailey, 2009).
In interview session, at the end of the cycle 2, the students were asked five questions regarding to their response toward the use of games as teaching technique in improving their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts. The form of question in the interview was open-ended questions “that are few in number and intended to elicit views and opinions from the participants” (Creswell, 2002, p. 214). Burns (2010) suggests that the number of interviewees will depend on the available time, since interviews can be more time-consuming than other data collection techniques. Thus, to be more time-efficient, the interview in this study was administered only to six students which consisted of three male and three female students. In reporting interview result, there is a need to use pseudonyms for the interviewees (Burns, 2010 and Emilia, 2005) Thus, in this study, the names of the interviewees were not their real names.
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3.2.3 Class observation notes
According to Creswell (2002), observation is an activity in which “the researcher takes field notes on the behavior and activities of individuals at the research site” (p. 213). The key of observation is “making familiar things strange” (Burns, 2010, 57), which means that the researcher sees things that commonly happen in classroom in different ways. In other words, the researcher believes that every thing that emerges in classroom happens for a reason and it is worth investigating.
The information collection during observations, based on Nunan and Bailey (2009), include manual and electronic techniques. This study employed both of the techniques, which were class observation notes supported by video-recording. Class observation notes, based on Burns (2010), is one of data collection techniques that records the information in the form of notes that is made by the researcher or other participants. Class observation notes that were employed in this study were analytical observations, in which the classroom events were written and the researcher‟s comments and the analysis of the events were noted next to them (Burns, 2010). The form of analytical observation was modified from the model that was introduced by Aldana in 2005 (as adapted from Burns, 2010). Meanwhile, video-recording, as Burns (2010) states, can be used to “complement direct observations” (p. 70), which can support or add the information that is not covered in the class observation notes, since
video-recordings “provide more precise analyses than does real-time coding” (Nunan &
Bailey, 2009, p. 281).
Class observation emerged from beginning to the end of the research process. There were nine meetings that were recorded in class observation notes, which were six meetings in cycle 1 and three meetings in cycle 2.
3.3 Research Procedure
This part explains the steps of the research procedure, which starts from planning to reflecting stage. However, regarding to the characteristics of action research, then the steps were not in sequence order, but in iterative cycle.
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3.3.1 Planning
In planning stage of action research, the initial state of the participants of this study was identified by using interview and try-out test 1. A casual interview was conducted to the eighth-grade English teacher and also to three students. The result of try-out test 1 corroborated the English teacher‟s and the students‟ utterances which clearly stated that grammatical accuracy was the students‟ obstacle in writing. This obstacle was due to the way of grammar teaching that was done by their teacher, which was not contextual, a little bit boring, and involved a long explanation about grammar rules. In order to cope with that obstacle, then there was an effort to use games in improving the students‟ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts. This was an effort to create more fun and motivating grammar drill and review for the students. Table 3.1 shows the detailed information about planning of teaching schedule in each cycle during this study. (See Appendix A to access the detail of lesson plan).
Table 3.1
Teaching Schedule of Research Process in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 CYCLE 1
Day, Date Topic Activities
Wed, August 21, 2013
“Pets”
Try-Out Test 1
Fri, August 23, 2013 Play “Snatch” game
Daily Test
Wed, August 28, 2013 Play “Sticking” game
Wed, September 4, 2013 Play “Snowball” game
Daily Test
Fri, September 6, 2013 Watch Video about Pets‟ Behavior Play “Pet Bulaga” game Wed, September 11, 2013 Play “Changing Sentences” game
Try-Out Test 2 CYCLE 2
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Day, Date Topic Activities
Fri, September 13, 2013
“Garden”
Read Text
Play “Describe Me” game Wed, September 18, 2013 Play “Sticky Notes” game
Fri, September 20, 2013 Try-Out Test 3
This study involved two cycles, in which cycle 1 consisted of six meetings included out tests 1 and 2 and cycle 2 consisted of three meetings included try-out test 3. The meetings in each cycle were not in the same numbers. Nunan and Bailey (2009) mention some reasons why researchers want to conclude the research. The reasons why this study only consisted of two cycles with unbalanced number of meetings were the issue that had been the focus of this research which had been resolved. Also, the teaching situation was not encouraging to do the next cycles, since there was a need for the English teacher to teach different materials to the students.
Planning stage required the researcher to arrange lessons, prepare the games, and create try-out tests instruction. In designing the games, other components of writing besides grammar such as vocabulary, content, and organization of descriptive text were also inserted. This was a realization of the
try-out tests result, in which grammatical accuracy was the students‟ major
obstacle, but they still needed guidance in terms of getting vocabulary knowledge, generating idea, and organizing a good descriptive text. In try-out tests, the students were required to write a descriptive text with the topic about “Pets” in cycle 1 and “Garden” in cycle 2.
In assessing the students‟ grammatical accuracy in writing, the assessment
tool was adapted from Jacobs et al. in 1981 (as cited in Hughes, 2003). This rubric is analytic scoring which consists of five aspects of composition, which are content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. Since the focus of this study was the language use, then this part was highlighted in Jacob‟s rubric. Table 3.2 gives a more concise depiction of the weights in each level of language use component as have been mentioned in Chapter II:
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Table 3.2
Assessment Tool of the Students’ Grammatical Accuracy in Writing
Language Use
25 – 22 EXCELLENT TO VERY GOOD : effective complex constructions – few errors of agreement, tense, number, word order/function, articles, pronouns, prepositions
21 – 18 GOOD TO AVERAGE : effective but simple constructions – minor problems in complex constructions – several errors of agreement, tense, number, word order/function, articles, pronouns, prepositions but meaning seldom obscured
17 – 11 FAIR TO POOR : major problems in simple/complex constructions – frequent errors of negation, agreement, tense, number, word order/function, articles, pronouns, prepositions and/or fragments, run-ons, deletions – meaning confused or obscured
10 – 5 VERY POOR : virtually no mastery of sentence construction rules – dominated by errors – does not communicate – OR not enough to evaluate
In order to ease the assessment of the students‟ grammatical accuracy level, then these mastery levels were given labels. Excellent to very good was labeled 4, good to average was labeled 3, fair to poor was labeled 2, and very poor was labeled 1. The students‟ grammatical errors were also categorized and counted. This kind of measure was considered useful to portray the reduced grammatical errors that the students had made in each try-out test.
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3.3.2 Action
The action in this study was utilizing games in drilling and reviewing grammar. Here is the explanation of the action stage in each cycle:
a. Cycle 1
The games that were conducted during cycle 1 contained grammar aspects which were usually used incorrectly by the students. The grammar errors were identified from the result of try-out test 1. Overall, there was one game in each meeting. The first game was “Snatch” game which gave the students introduction and review on vocabulary of pets‟ parts of body. The second one was “Sticking” game which focused on generic structure of descriptive text. The third one was “Snowball” game which gave the students drill and review on pronouns and prepositions. The fourth one was “Pet Bulaga” game which gave the students introduction and review on action verbs of pets. The last one was “Changing Sentences” game which gave the students drill and review on simple past tense sentences.
In each meeting, the activities were not only games, but other activities were also conducted. For example, in second and fourth meeting there were daily tests which were used as tools in depicting the students‟ progress during the use of games in learning grammar. In the fifth meeting, a video about pets‟ behavior was used because it was considered important and helpful for the learners to get involved in “Pet Bulaga” game.
b. Cycle 2
There were two games that had been used in cycle 2. The grammar errors were identified from the result of try-out test 2. Some of grammar aspects in cycle 1 were repeated in cycle 2 by considering the errors that still appeared in try-out test 2. Therefore, some grammar aspects in cycle 1 were inserted in different games in cycle 2. The first game in cycle 2 was “Describe Me” game which required the students to create descriptive sentences about objects in garden. The second one was “Sticky Notes” game which gave the students drill
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and review on prepositions, modification of noun, to be, and the use of letter -s as third person singular morpheme, plural marker, and possessive sign. In the first meeting in cycle 2, there was a reading text activity because the students needed to know model texts of descriptive text with “Garden” as the topic.
3.3.3 Observation
Class observation activities were done during the real-time lessons which were supported by video-recording. The class observation notes were taken after each action session had been done. Therefore, class obervation notes were written based on the events that had happened in the class. Since probably there were
many things that were missed from the researcher‟s attention during the real-time
lesson, then the video-recordings were helpful to recall the memory of the classroom events. The class observation notes were also completed with the analysis of how the events in the classroom could happen.
3.3.4 Reflection
As stated in the explanation of action research cycles, reflection stage is divided into two parts. The first one is called reflection-in-action and the second one is called reflection-on-action (Schön, 1983, as cited in Burns, 2010).
The reflection-in-action part emerged in the classroom when teaching process was running. In this study, the researcher who was also the teacher reflected on the way she taught, in which she carefully looked at her students‟ reaction during the teaching processes. It could be seen along the teaching processes, such as in games activities, daily tests, or try-out tests. The researcher could see whether the students were excited, happy, bored, tired, noisy, and other behaviors that they showed. If negative response from the students was found during the teaching process, then the researcher was supposed to do some improvisation to fix the factor that had made the students showed the negative response.
The reflection-on-action took part right after teaching session had been done. The researcher reflected on the decision she had made during the teaching
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processes, to look further whether the decision had been made was successful in coping the problem.
3.4 Data Analysis
Data analysis process in action research, based on Burns (2010), “is a continuing process of reducing information to find explanations and patterns” (p. 104). In addition, data analysis is the process of making sense the data that were obtained through data collection. There is no exact way or rule to analyze and present qualitative data, since qualitative data heavily rely on interpretation (Cohen et al., 2007 and Wolcott, 1994, as cited in Creswell, 2002).
Since there is no fixed rule in analyzing qualitative data, Burns (2010) suggests some steps that can be employed in analyzing this type of data, which are going to be elaborated below:
3.4.1 Assembling the data
In assembling the data, the researcher was required to prepare the data that were needed to be analyzed, such as score of the students‟ grammatical accuracy in writing tests, transcribe the interview result, and type the class observation notes which also look into the video-recordings. The video-recordings of classroom interaction were not transcribed in this study because as Nunan and Bailey (2009) state that “in some cases, it may not be necessary to do any transcribing at all”. This decision was drawn on the second research question of this study which was only interested in investigating the students‟ behavior and responses toward the use of games.
After all the needed data were collected together, then there was a need to review the initial or even revise the research questions. This step was useful to ensure whether the collected data had already provided answers for the research questions. After that, the data had to be read thoroughly in order to find broad patterns, ideas, or trends that were possible to answer the research questions.
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3.4.2 Coding the data
Data coding is the process of looking for the main themes or concepts that will be useful for answering the research questions. Coding, based on Kerlinger (as cited in Cohen et al., 2007) is “the translation of question responses and respondent information to specific categories for the purpose of analysis” (p. 480).
Burns (2010) provides some steps in coding the data. First, gather the needed data, for example is interview transcription. Second, read the data several times and mark anything that gives an impression, whether it is interesting, surprising, unexpected, and so on. Third, give a label to a theme that is being expressed and continue to read the overall data to find words that probably appear more than once. Fourth, sort the statements into the suitable labels. Fifth, make a list of different initial categories on a sheet of paper. Sixth, look over the initial categories and see whether the categories can be divided into sub-categories. Seventh, make a note on the category list of where the sub-categories fit in. Eighth, discuss the categories with the research colleague whether he or she agrees with the formed categories.
Powell and Renner (2003) add that in coding, the data that was considered important could be realized by the appeared frequency of a certain theme. The appearance of numbers did not belong to statistical analysis, but “they can reveal general patterns in the data” (p. 5).
3.4.3 Comparing the data
The data in this study were collected by utilizing the students‟ result of
try-out tests, interview transcription, and class observation notes. After the coding process had been completed, then these different sets of data could be compared. The process of comparison could give two possibilities of inferences, whether they said the same thing or contradict each other. After that, tables or charts which were useful to present the data in a more concise manner were developed, since based on Creswell (2002), tables, charts, or any visuals can be employed as discussion aids.
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In this study, the collected data were displayed differently. The result of
try-out tests which were frequencies of the students‟ grammatical errors portrayed
in a form of bar chart, meanwhile improvement of the students‟ level in grammatical accuracy was shown in percentage. For data of interview, responses from the interviewees were depicted in a table by inserting the general responses from the students completed with the excerpts. The data of class observation notes were used to support the data in the result of try-out tests and interview. By displaying and comparing these different sets of data, then the themes could be formed and support or contradict each other, therefore they would lead to agreeable conclusion.
The process of data comparison is commonly known as triangulation. Creswell (2002) argues that triangulation is one of strategies in validating the accuracy of research findings. In a more detailed definition, Jick (as cited in
Cherry, 1999) states that triangulation is an idea which uses “similarities and
differences in the data from different sources to increase the rigour of the progress” (p. 62). Nunan and Bailey (2009) state that triangulation refers to “quality control strategy“ (p. 211), in which if the various kinds of data lead to the same conclusion, then the conclusion can be said believable.
Triangulation can be grouped into various types, they are data triangulation, theory triangulation, researcher triangulation, and methods triangulation. The type of triangulation that was employed in this study was
methods triangulation which involved the students‟ try-out tests result, interview
result, and class observation notes.
3.4.4 Building meanings and interpretations
Data interpretation, based on Powell and Renner (2003), means “attaching
meaning and significance to the analysis” (p. 5). There are some steps that are
covered in the process of building meanings and interpretations of data. First, think deeply what the data are saying by reflecting beyond the surface details and look for the „big picture‟ concepts of the overall analysis. Second, create questions, identify connections, and develop explanations about what the research
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findings tell at the broader level. Third, reshape the „personal theories‟ about the overall meanings of the research. Polanyi (as cited in Burns, 2010) suggests that “individuals bring their own personal knowledge into the exprience of engaging in research, constructing knowledge, and creating meaning” (p. 142). It implies that
action research involves “emotional and psychological aspect that brings personal
feelings and experiences to the surface” (Burns, 2010, p. 144). In action research, personal practical knowledge of the researcher is highly valued since it allows the researcher to “create deeper meanings about teaching practices” (p. 142). 3.4.5 Reporting the outcomes
In this step, the findings of the research were presented. The outcome report did not only convey the analysis and findings, but they were also well-organized in which the story of the research from beginning to end was told.
3.5 Concluding Remark
This chapter has already conveyed the research method that was utilized in this study, which was action research that contained a cyclical process and involved four stages namely: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting which have already been explained specifically in Research Procedure. The setting and participants of this study were also mentioned in this chapter. The data in this study were collected by using three kinds of data collection tools, which were try-out tests, interview, and class observation notes. Data Analysis has explained how the gathered data were analyzed and interpreted.
The next chapter exposes the findings of this study and also the discussion. Findings convey the data that were gained by using the data collection tools, while Discussion connects the findings with the related theories and previous studies and how the interpretations can create answers for the research questions.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
In this chapter, conclusions of the findings of this study are drawn together. Some suggestions for future research are provided.
5.1 Conclusions
This study intends to find out whether games can improve the students’ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text. Also, the students’ responses toward the use of games in improving their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text are investigated.
The research findings reveal that there is an improvement in the students’ grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive text after the students had games. Other aspects of writing such as vocabulary, text organization, and ideas generation also enhance moderately. After the students had games in cycle 1, their accuracy in grammar and the length of writing enhance in the try-out test 2. However, after action in cycle 2 had been conducted, some grammatical errors increase because of new writing topic and limited time. Nonetheless, more than 80% of all students, which are 88% of all students can gain grammatical accuracy in level 3 (good to average) and 4 (excellent to very good).
The students also show some positive responses toward games as teaching technique in improving their grammatical accuracy. They admit that games are fun for them. The fun and relax atmosphere that games bring to the class have reduced the students’ anxiety toward grammar and grammar learning. As the result, the students are not reluctant anymore to actively participate in the game activities, whether in groups or pairs, or when they work individually. Therefore, their grammatical accuracy in writing descriptive texts improve. Even though the students agree that games are full of joy and excitement, but they decide not to have games all the time.
This study finds that the weaknesses of games appear in the class. Noise and lack of dicipline are the risks of games that are realized during the lessons.
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Long activities span, which is due to lack of time and classroom management are also major issues in conducting games in class. These obstacles can be more complicated if they meet heavy load of curriculum.
5.2 Suggestions
By considering the findings of this study that have been articulated earlier, several suggestions are provided. This is an effort to provide some options of solutions to tackle similar situations in classroom and further to offer opportunity to conduct research that will concern different areas of this study.
There are some suggestions for teachers who employ games in teaching grammar. First, choose or create games that are suitable with the materials that are going to be delivered to students. Second, think more about how to reduce noise and chaos in classroom. One of the efforts can be grouping students in various manner, as this study has suggested. Third, find other ways how to make students obey the rule of games, since students’ obedient will affect the effectiveness of the activities. Fourth, arrange the activities in a lesson well and decide the time allotment wisely in order to make efficient games. Fifth, collaborate with curriculum designers to provide place for games in the curriculum.
Some aspects that has not been covered by this study can be used as further studies. Other researchers may explore the use of games in increasing or improving other aspects of writing besides grammar.
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