THE EFFECT OF PEER REVIEW STRATEGY ON THE STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH.

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THE EFFECT OF PEER REVIEW STRATEGY ON THE

STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE

PARAGRAPH

A THESIS

Submitted to the English Department, Faculty of Language and Art, State University of Medan in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for

the Degree of Sarjana Pendidikan

By:

SRI AGUS MURNIASIH

REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2103321043

ENGLISH AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS

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ABSTRACT

Murniasih, Sri Agus. 2103321043. The Effect of Peer Review Strategy on the Students’ Achievement in Writing Descriptive Paragraph. A Thesis. English Department. Faculty of Languages and Arts. State University of Medan. 2015

This study was conducted to know the effect of applying Peer Review Strategy on the students’ achievement in writing descriptive paragraph. It was conducted by using experimental research method. This research design was conducted pre-test, post test in experimental and control group. The population of this research was the eight (VIII) grade students of SMP IT IQRA’ Medan. The sample of this research was taken by lottery technique. They were in class VIII-1 by experimental group and the class VIII-2 by control group. The experimental group was taught by using Peer Review Strategy while the control group was given no treatment. The instrument used to collect the data was writing essay test. The data were analyzed by using test formula. The result showed that the value of t-observed was higher than the value of t-table. (3,55 > 2,05 ( = 0.05)) with the degree of freedom (df) = 28. It means that there was a significant effect of applying Peer Review Strategy on the students’ achievement in writing descriptive paragraph. So, the alternative hypothesis (Ha) was accepted.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, praise and great gratitude to the almighty God Allah SWT for His blessing, mercy, opportunity and helping the researcher to complete this Thesis entitled “The Effect of Peer Review Strategy on the Students’ Achievement in Writing Descriptive Paragraph “ as one of requirement for the degree of Sarjana Pendidikan (S1) at English Department, Faculty of Language and Arts, State University of Medan.

During the process of writing and conducting the research, the writer was assisted and supported by many people. This Thesis could have not been accomplished without guidance, suggestion, and comment from them, for which the writer would like to express her sincere appreciation which directed to:

 Prof. Dr. Ibnu Hajar Damanik, M.Si., the Rector of State University of Medan.

 Dr. Isda Pramuniati, M.Hum.,the Dean of Language and Arts Faculty, Vice Dean I, II,III and all the administrative staff.

 Prof. Dr. Hj. Sumarsih, M.Pd., the Head of English Department.  Dra. Meisuri, M.A., the Secretary of English Department .

 Dra. Masitowarni Siregar, M.Ed., the Head of English Education Department.

 Dra. Rahma, M.Hum., the Head of English Literature Department.  Dr. I Wayan Dirgeyasa, M.Hum., her Thesis Supervisor.

 Prof. Dr. Lince Sihombing, M.Pd., her Academic Advisor and her Reviewer.

 Dr. Sri Minda Murni, M.S., Indra Hartoyo, S.Pd., M.Hum., as her Reviewer and Examiner

 Alm. Husin and Siti Rohati, S.Pd, her beloved parent.

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 All my familiy members, Julinda Wati S.Pd, Bambang Irwanto, Hardianto, and Rahmayanto, her best brother and sister.

 Her lovely classmates, DIK Extension A,B and C 2010, for the wonderful four years.

 Her beloved friends, Muhammad Ridwan, Asri Rumiris, Fitri Handayani Lubis, Tiarmayanti, Yenni Roffina, Yusniar for always support and helped the writer during completing her thesis

 Her closed friends in PPLT SMP N1 Pagar Merbau, who helped writer during completing her thesis.

The researcher hopes this thesis can give contribution to the English education students and further pedagogical research. And also it can be useful for the readers.

Medan, March 2015 The Researcher

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. The Background of the Study

Last year, the government decided to try out the new designed curriculum

2013 from elementary, junior high school and senior high school. The curriculum

2013 has a specific objective of the language teaching-learning process to make

students active in the language class both in oral and written. English is one of

the lessons that has four skills, they are listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Related to curriculum, writing is one of the language skill that has a

complexity process in teaching (Reid, 1993:266). Writing is a communicative

skill,writing is not only a process of linking words into sentences or paragraphs,

but it is a sequence or steps of ideas, organized thoughts and feeling in the form of

words and combined into sentences into form of paragraphs in which every

sentences is closely related one another.

However, writing skill is more complex and difficult to teach, requiring

the mastery not only the grammatical and theoretical deviced but also the

conceptual and judgment. For many English learners, learning to write fluently in

English is much more challenging and difficult than learning to speak fluently.

Learning to write is difficult especiallyfor those who write in a second or foreign

language;they must write accurately within a limited time. If the English teacher

tries to enable students toproduce fluent, accurate and appropriate writtenEnglish,

there are a number of aspects which need tobe considered (mechanics of writing,

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There are some benefit of writing, namely are; (1) the writing is a means to

find something, in sense can raise ideas and information that exists in nature under

aware of our thinking,(2) writing activities can be brought new ideas be active, (3)

writing activities can train the ability to organize and clarify concepts or ideas, (4)

writing activities can practice detachment that is in someone, (5) writing activities

can help us to rehearse solve several problems at once, (6) writing activities in a

field of science will allow us to be active and not just be recipients information. In line with the students’ writing at SMP IT IQRA’ Medan while trying to

adapted with the curriculum 2013, the researcher found problem in writing a

descriptive paragraph, the students got confuse of what to write and how to start.

Students did not not know to write properly because most of students are not

intersted in learning writing. Most of them also did not have any ideas what

grammar to use or how to organize the ideas. They perhaps have ideas in their

mind but they don’t know how to organize or express their point views in writing.

Those problems related to their knowledge before the treatment and the way they

assumed that english is complicated one. The writer found the student can not

write it individually. They need to have a group or pairs discussion to share

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It is shown in the following table:

Table 1.1. The Eighth Grade Students’ Score of Descriptive Writing in

TheLast Two Semester in SMP IT IQRA’ Medan.

Semester Score Student Percentage

Semester 1 2013/2014 <70 9 66,6%

≥70 6 33.3%

Semester 2 2013/2014 <70 11 60%

≥70 4 40%

Related to the problem mentioned previously, the way of teaching needs to

be improved. Writing descriptive paragraph is a way for students to express their skill and share about they’ve seen. Less vocabulary and knowledge of sentence

structure the are main problem why they fell difficult to express it. By adding their

knowledge in vocabulary and sentence structure teacher hopes that writing

descriptive paragraph will help students to express everything in their mind.

There are many strategies in improving the way of teaching writing text.

However, it is determined to apply Peer Review Strategy in this study because by

applying Peer Review, it will help students to get some new vocabularies and

what we have written with others, our readers, to see if we have been successful in

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applied in group. Working in group can be a productive and congenial part of

writing process in which it can increase the possibility that the students will look

at problems from several perspective. In peer review strategy, students not only

get feedback from their classmates, but they also give feedback to their classmate.

Peer review strategy is works best when students have read, guide with

question or focused tasks, prepared comments on the paper and be ready

discussion. Then give students a clear format for peer review and require written

reviews.

Peer Review has some strengths and advantages such as: a) evaluating

peer writing, b) facilitating discussion and debate, c) facilitating students to give

suggestions and comments, d) providing students field to share and help each

other, e) peer review makes students more aware of general problems in their own

writing, f) peerreview encourages students' sense of ownership of their writing,

helping to promote learnerautonomy. Peer Reviewing allows a diversity of

opinions to be brought to the table, pre-set ideas from the equation and removing

personal biases which these elements will help students to write well.

Thus, in line with the background above, the writer tries to study the effect of peer review strategy on improving students’ ability in composing descriptive

writing and tries to prove that by applying peer review, student in certain school

will be helped extreamly in writing descriptive paragraph.

B. The Problem of Study

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investigation of writing by using peer review strategy. To find the specific

element of writing, the problem that students faced, and help students to write

better than before, the problem of this research was stated in following statement: “Is there any significant effect of peer review strategy on the students’

writing descriptive paragraph?”

C. The Objective of the Study

In relation to the problem the objective of the research is to find out the

effect of using peer review strategy in teaching descriptive paragraph.

D. The Scope of the Study

There are some genres in writing that can be applied to see the students writing skill. This study concentrated to see the improvement of students’ writing

descriptive paragraph, especially describing person. The strategy that will be

applied to improve students achievement in writing descriptive paragraph ispeer

review strategy that can guide students to write well.

E. The Significance of the Study

It is expected that this research will give some significances.

1. For teachers, it might show teacher that peer review and other forms

ofinteresting material could be used for teaching writing. This study alsocould

give motivation to the English teacher to create new ways or media in teaching

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2. For students, it might motivate students to improve their interest in writingsince

they would find out that English writing material was not complicated, boring and

monotonous.

3. For teacher and researcher,the result can be used as process to improve the

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusion

After analyzing the data, it was concluded that use of peer review

significantly effects the students’ achievement in writing descriptive paragraph,

since t-observed>t-table (43.55>2.042;df=28, α=0.05). The used of peer review

strategy in writing descriptive paragraph, the students to explore their ideas with

their own words and as a stimulus to increase their creativity in writing include

the level of vocabulary development and able to gave suggestions and comments

in teaching process. It can help the students more be active. It means the null

hypothesis (Ho) was rejected and alternative hypothesis (Ha) was accepted

because there was significant effect of using peer review on the students’

achievement in writing descriptive paragraph.

B. Suggestions

Based on the conclusion above, the researcher gives suggestion as

following:

1. The English teacher was suggested to apply peer review strategyin

teaching descriptive paragraph as an essential part of thewriting process.

2. The students was suggeted to be more active, confidance, and enjoyable

and exploring their writing ability by peer review strategy.

3. Other researchers, it is expected to the readers who are interested in

dealing with this study so that they have a good understanding to support

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Van den Berg, I., Admiraal, W. and Pilot, A. (2006). Design principles and outcomes of peer assessment in higher education, Studies in Higher Education, 31(3), pp.341-356.

http://teacher-eeductor.jimdo.com/social-science/strategy-method/

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/paragraphs/. accessedon April 15,2014

THE EFFECT OF PEER REVIEW STRATEGY ON THE STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH.