A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain a Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education
By:
Theresia Rosaria Putri Kristanti
09202241031
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS YOGYAKARTASTATE UNIVERSITY
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NIM : 09202241031
Program Studi : Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Fakultas : Bahasa dan Seni
Judul Skripsi : Using Graphic Organizers to Improve Students’ Writing Skills of Grade VIII at SMP Negeri 5 Wates in the Academic Year 2015/2016
Menyatakan bahwa karya ilmiah ini adalah hasil pekerjaan saya sendiri dan sepengetahuan saya, karya ilmiah ini tidak berisi materi yang ditulis oleh orang lain, kecuali bagian-bagian tertentu yang saya ambil sebagai acuan dengan mengikuti tata cara dan etika penulisan karya ilmiah yang lazim.
Apabila terbukti pernyataan ini tidak benar, sepenuhnya menjadi tanggung jawab saya.
Yogyakarta, August 16th 2016 Penulis
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It Always Seems Impossible Until It is Done
Family is everything
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering
wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice
through to victory. (Matthew 12:20)
vi This thesis is lovingly dedicated to:
My beloved father, Florentinus Sukisno
and
My beloved mother Valentina Sri Yuni Kusmartanti
who have never failed to give me endless love, prayer, patience, and support. You’re my greatest motivation for
every single step I take.
I can’t say anything because words will never be enough to
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All praise is to the Holy God who always loves and take care of me, no matter what I have done, so in the end I could finish this thesis and complete my study.
My sincere gratitude goes to my supervisors, Drs. Suharso, M.Pd and Siti Sudartini, M.A, who have guided me during the process of this thesis writing. I thank them for the guidance, advice, knowledge, and patience that really help me a lot. My earnest gratitude goes to the partners in conducting this research: the family of SMP N 5 Wates, the school principal, Tri Waluyati,S.Pd.,M.M., the English teacher, Puji Lestari, S.Pd., the students of grade VIII A SMP N 5 Wates, and my research collaborators, Francisca Tri Wardani.
My greatest gratitude goes to my parents, my father, Florentinus Sukisno and my mother Valentina Sri Yuni Kusmartanti who has always supports, believe, love me whatever I do.
My sincere gratitude goes to my “sister” Wati, my best friends Dwi, Defi, Cha, Hesti who always help and support me.
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Yogyakarta, August 16th 2016 The Writer,
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Identification of the Problems ... 2
C. Limitation of the Problem ... 4
D. Formulation of the Problems ... 5
E. Objective of the Study ... 5
F. Significance of the Study ... 5
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ... 7
A. Literature Review ... 7
1. Theory of Writing ... 7
a. Definition of Writing ... 7
b. Basic Types of Writing ... 8
c. Microskills and Macroskills of Writing ... 10
d. The Writing Process ... 11
2. Writing in Junior High Schools ... 14
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b. Characteristic of Graphic Organizers ... 22
c. Types of Graphic Organizers ... 22
1. Cause and Effect Diagrams ... 23
2. Sequence Charts ... 23
3. Main Idea and Detail Chart ... 24
4. Compare and Contrast Diagram ... 25
d. Benefits of Graphic Organizers for Writing ... 25
e. Related Study ... 26
B. Conceptual Framework ... 27
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHOD ... 28
A. Research Design ... 28
B. Research Setting ... 30
1. Time ... 30
3. Data Collection Techniques ... 32
4. Data Analysis Techniques... 33
5. Validity of the Data ... 34
6. Reliability of the Data ... 35
D. Research Procedure ... 36
1. Reconnaissance ... 36
2. Plan of Action ... 37
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1. Identification of the Field Problem ... 39
2. The Selection of The Problem Based on Urgency Level ... 50
B. Determining the Action to Overcome the Selected Problems ... 50
C. Research Process ... 51
1. Report of Cycle 1 ... 51
a. Planning ... 52
b. Action and Observation ... 53
c. Reflection ... 62
2. Report of Cycle 2 ... 66
a. Planning ... 66
b. Action and Observation ... 68
c. Reflection ... 72
D. Research Finding ... 75
E. Discussion ... 77
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION, IMPLICATION,SUGGESTION: ... 78
A. Conclusion ... 78
2. Appendix B (Interview Transcript) ... 100
3. Appendix C (Course Grid) ... 118
4. Appendix D (Lesson Plans) ... 130
5. Appendix E (Observation Checklist) ... 179
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Table 2: Scoring profile adapted from Jacobs et al. ...19
Table 3: The Frequency Distribution of Students’ Scores in Pre-Test ...45
Table 4: The Problems Found in Reconnaissance Step ...48
Table 5: The Result of the Changes of the Students’ Writing Ability in Pre-action and Cycle 1 ... 64
Table 6:Students’ writing in Pre-Test ... 65
Table 7: Students’ writing in Cycle 1 ... 65
Table 8: The Result of Change of the Students’ Writing Ability in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 ... 72
Table 9: The Students’ Scores in Cycle 1 ... 74
Table 10: The Students’ Scores in Cycle 2 ... 74
Table 11: The Students’ Scores in Post-Test ...75
Table 12: Comparison of the Students’ Mean Scores in Pre-Test, Cycle 1, Cycle 2, and Post-Test...75
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Figure 2: Cyclical AR Model based on Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) in
xv 09202241031 ABSTRACT
The objective of this action research study was to improve the writing skills of Grade VIII A students of SMP N 5 Wates in the academic year of 2015/2016 through the use of graphic organizers
This action research was conducted in two cycles. The research steps are reconnaissance, planning, action and observation, and reflection. The action consisted of the use of graphic organizers in the teaching and learning process. The data were qualitative and quantitative. The validity of the data was obtained by applying the democratic, outcome, process, catalytic, and dialogic validities. The qualitative data were obtained by observing the teaching and learning process and interviewing the students and the collaborators. The data were in the form of field notes, and interview transcripts. The qualitative data were analyzed by assembling, coding, comparing, and building interpretations of the data, and then reporting the outcomes. Besides, the quantitative data were analyzed by comparing the mean scores of the pre-test to the post-test.
The results show that the students’ writing skills improved through the use of graphic organizers. The students made improvement in five aspects of writing especially in the aspect of content and organization. In the aspect of content, graphic organizers help them to collect and generate ideas before they started to write. Graphic organizers contain charts which can be filled by the topics to brainstorm the ideas. Therefore, they would write many ideas in their writing. Meanwhile in organization aspect, graphic organizers help the students to organize their writing based on the generic structure of recount text. The students can fill charts with the sequence of the text in details. Therefore, the organization of their text can be in the well-organized.
1 A. Background Of The Study
Writing is one of the skills that should be mastered in order to communicate effectively in English. It is considered as productive skill along with speaking, while listening and reading are receptive skills. Writing can be explained as a mean of communication because writers need to communicate with readers delivering certain messages through written language. In addition, it is necessary to master writing because this skill is required in schools, in the world of work, and also in other sectors.
mechanic. The last problem is dealing with the students’ motivation in
writing. They are not interested in writing because they think that writing is difficult.
The students of Grade VIII B at SMP N 5 Wates also experienced the same things dealing with the problems in English writing. When it comes to writing activities, they usually were confused to write down the ideas in their mind into a paper. In addition, they also found some difficulties in arranging ideas into a logical order. Furthermore, some of them also had difficulties in creating correct grammatical sentences and choosing the appropriate vocabulary for their writing. Their low motivation in writing activity was also one of the problems for them.
Based on these problems, the researcher feels it is important to find an effective solution to be applied in the teaching-learning process of writing at SMP N 5 Wates. The implemented solution is believed to be able to improve the students’ writing skills and solve the problems related to writing
activities.
B. Identification Of The Problem
limited background knowledge related to the topic. In the writing process, sometimes they feel stuck to continue their writing. They also did not know what to write and how to start their writing. To overcome this problem, many students tended to copy the model text in their textbook as it was easier to complete the task. They just changed the subjects or objects of the sentences from the model text. Sometimes, they copied their friend’s work as they
believed it was the correct one. The other problem was they felt anxious to start writing because they afraid to make mistakes especially related to grammar
Secondly, they had a problem in arranging their ideas into a logical
order. They just wrote down random ideas and used them as the final work without
paying attention to the logical order of paragraphs on their text. It made the arranged sentences were not in the right order. They tended to write disorganized sentences when they felt confused what to write. Moreover, they still did not understand the generic structure of the text, especially recount text
Moreover, they did not use dictionaries effectively in order to find appropriate words in creating meaningful sentences in the text. The problems with mechanics were they tend to forget to use the correct punctuation in the sentences.
The last problem was the low motivation of the students in English. The students felt that English was difficult subject. It made them rarely pay attention in class because they did not like the subject.
Considering their problems in writing skills, the researcher thought that there should be an effort to improve the students’ writing ability. To solve these problems, the researcher decided to implement graphic organizers in the teaching and learning process. The researcher believes that graphic organizers would improve their writing ability, especially in the terms of delivering and organizing ideas.
C. Limitation Of The Problem
Based on the identification of the problems, it was stated that there were two main problems in writing skills of students Grade VIII SMP N 5 Wates. They were problem of their low writing skills and also their low motivation in writing. However, it was impossible for researcher to solve all of the students’ problems in writing. Therefore, the researcher would only solve the students’ problem regarding to their writing skills. To improve their
D. Formulation Of The Problem
This research attempts to answer the following question:
How can graphic organizers be implemented to improve the students’ writing
skills in Grade VIII at SMP N 5 Wates?
E. Objective Of The Study
Related to the formulation of the problem, the objective of the research is to improve the writing skills of Grade VIII students at SMP N 5 Wates by using graphic organizers.
F. Significance Of The Study
The researcher expects that this study will give a valuable contribution to the following parties.
1. Theoretically
a. to the English Education Department of Yogyakarta State University, the researcher expects that the result of this study can be used as a reference related to the topic of writing skills especially on the use of graphic organizers.
b. to other researchers who want to conduct similar research, the researcher
expects that the result of this study can be used as a reference in doing their
2. Practically
a. to the students of Grade VIII at SMP N 5 Wates, the researcher expects that this research will improve their writing skills.
b. to the English teacher especially at SMP N 5 Wates, the researcher expects that the research will be a new insight in terms of writing teaching technique.
7 A. LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Theory of Writing a. Definition of Writing
Writing is both physical and mental act (Nunan, 2003). At some basic level, writing is described as an act of committing words and ideas into some medium such as the act of picking up pencil form letter or the act of typing an email into computer. In the other hand, it is also mental work of inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statement and paragraph
Richard and Renandya (2002) define that writing is the most difficult skill for second language learners to master since the skills involved in writing are highly complex. The difficulty in writing is not only in generating ideas but also in translating these ideas into readable text. The writer has to pay attention to higher level skills of planning and organizing as well as lower level skills of spelling, punctuation, word choice, and so on.
When writing is seen as the product, the attention is placed on the final product of writing such as the essay, the report, the story or what the product should look like (Brown, 2001). Harmer (2001) says that the writer is only interested in the aim of task and in the end of product. In other words, the product is the main thing to be focused on rather than the process of writing itself.
On the other hand, writing also sees as a process. Harmer (2001) states that those who advocate a process approach of writing pay attention to the various stages that any piece of writing goes through. Hyland (2009) states that writing is a creative act of discovery in which the process is as important as the product to the writer. The process of writing includes planning, drafting, revising, and editing. And to be able to overcome these processes of writing, people should have enough knowledge on how to generate ideas, organize them coherently, use the appropriate words and punctuation, use the right grammatical structure and organize the sentences into a good text.
b. Basic Types of Writing
The first type is imitative writing. It is the basic and fundamental type of writing performances in which learners simply imitate writing letters, words, punctuation, and simple sentences. The learning focus on this stage is the form, while the context and meaning are secondary concerns.
The second type of the writing performance is intensive writing. It is concerned with the skills in producing appropriate vocabulary within a context, collocations and idioms, and correct grammatical features up to the length of a sentence as important things in determining correctness and appropriateness. However, it still focuses on the form rather than the meaning.
The next type is responsive writing. The task requires learners to perform at limited discourse level, connecting sentences into a paragraph and creating a logically connected sequence of two or three paragraphs. The focus of this level is on the discourse level with a strong emphasis on context and meaning. In this category, the writer has mastered the fundamentals of sentences-level grammar and is more focused on the discourse conventions that will achieve the objective of the written text.
process of multiple drafts to achieve a final product. Focus on grammatical form is limited.
c. Microskills and Macroskills of Writing
Writing has its own microskills and macroskills needed by teachers to define the ultimate criterion of an assessment procedure of writing as Brown (2004) states. The microskills of writing are appropriate for imitative and intensive types of writing tasks, while macroskills are needed in the mastery of responsive and extensive writing.
The microskills of writing focus on producing graphemes and orthographic patterns of English at an efficient rate of speed to suit the purpose and also in producing an acceptable core of words and use appropriate word order patterns. Additionally, the use acceptable grammatical system (e.g. tense, agreement, pluralisation), patterns, and rules, express a particular meaning in different grammatical forms, and the use cohesive devices in written discourse are included on the microskills of writing.
specific references in the context of the written text. In addition, the macroskills of writing also distinguish between literal and implied meanings when writing and also correctly develop and use a battery of writing strategies, such as accurately assessing the audience’s interpretation, using prewriting devices,
writing with fluency in the first draft, using paraphrases and synonyms, soliciting peer and instructor feedback, and using feedback for revising and editing.
In order to be good writer, people have to master all the macroskills and microskills in writing. However, in the teaching and learning process in the classroom, a teacher does not need to cover all the skills mentioned above. The teacher just needs to make sure that skills are needed by the type of writing being assigned.
d. The Writing Process
To be able to produce a written text, a writer should pass some process of writing. Harmer (2001: 257) states that
In teaching of writing we can focus on the product of that writing or on the writing process itself. When concentrating on the product we are only interested in the aim of a task and in the end product. Those who advocate a process approach to writing, however, pay attention to the various stages than any pieces of writing goes through.
product itself is important. The writer cannot just pay attention on the process of writing while putting aside the product, because the product is the ultimate goal and the reason why the writer should go on the process of writing
The process of writing involves highly structured stages. Teacher should plan an effective classroom learning which is appropriate to teach each stage of writing process. The writing stages that each writer should perform during the writing are as Peha (2003) states below
Figure 1: The Writing Process
Peha (2003) proposes that pre-writing is any activity in the writing process that encourages the writers to get ready to write. It is the time for them to make a planning of what they are going to write. In this stage, writer can determine the topic, brainstorm the ideas related to the topic, and gather information related to the topic that will be written. They can get the information from books, magazines, newspaper, and any other resources. They even can gather the information from their own experience. The process of gathering the information is depending on the genre of the text that will be written. The more information which they obtained will help them to start to write text easily.
at this stage, the writing process focuses on the sharing of the writer’s ideas
smoothly in their writing. The writers can be focused on the process of the sharing their ideas in the paper without feel worried with the grammatical accuracy of their writing. In this process, the writer will try their best to communicating and delivering the message in their mind to the audience.
Sharing is the process of sharing the writer’s work with other people and
getting some feedback about how is their writing. In sharing process in the teaching-learning classroom, the teacher can give respond to the students’ work in order to correct the students’ mistakes in the content, organization, language
use, vocabulary, and mechanic. The respond from the teacher can be in the form of written respond or oral respond.
Peha(2003) states that revising is the process to see again what has been written. Revising is checking not only the grammatical mistakes but also the content of the writer’s writing. At this stage, writer responds to the other’s
opinion on their writing by revising the content of their writing. Sometimes writers need to add some details to their writing, rearrange words or sentences, and cut the sentences that do not support their writing. . The process of revising is needed to see how effectively they have communicated their messages to the audiences.
After the fifth stages are completed, the last stage of writing process is publishing. In this process, writer can publish their work so that it can be read, understood, and enjoyed by the public.
2. Writing in Junior High Schools
a. The Curriculum of Grade VIII Junior High School
The education system in Indonesia uses standard curriculum as stated in the School Based Curriculum or SBC. Generally, the goal of the teaching and learning process in Junior High School is that graduates are able to communicate at four literacy level: performative, functional, informational, and epistemic. From those four of literacy levels, students are only expected to be able to communicate at the functional level. In this level, students are expected to use language for their daily activities.
The teaching of English in Junior High Schools has some purposes to develop the students’ communicative competence in oral and written form to
achieve the functional level of literacy, to gain their awareness about the nature and importance of English to further improve the nation’s capability to compete in the world’s global society, and, to develop the students’ understanding about
The teaching and learning at SMP N 5 Wates in the even semester of year 2015/2016 is also developed based on School-Based Curriculum. Below, the researcher presents the Standard of Competence and Basic Competence that are required to be achieved by the students in the writing skills.
Table 1 : Standard of Competence and Basic Competencies of Writing for Grade VIII in the Even Semester
Standard of Competence Basic Competence
Writing
12.Expressing meanings through very simple functional written texts and short essays in the forms of recount and narrative texts to interact with the surroundings.
12.1 Expressing meanings through very simple functional written texts accurately, fluently, and
appropriately to interact with the surroundings.
12.2 Expressing meanings and rhetorical steps in very simple short essays using written manner accurately, fluently, and appropriately to
interact with the surroundings in the forms of recount and narrative texts.
b. Learning Cycle
Figure 2: Stages of the teaching/learning cycle
The procedure of teaching-learning process implemented can be explained as follows.
1. Building the context
In this stage, students are expected to be able to build their background knowledge of the topic they are going to write. The process of the building of background knowledge can be presented through some media, for example pictures, audio, video, etc.
2. Modeling and deconstructing the text
how and why examples of a particular genre are organized to make meaning. This stage allows students to analyze the representatives of a text, its generic structures and linguistic features.
3. Joint construction of the text
In this stage, students work together with the guidance of the teacher to create a text. The teacher gives a chance for students to practice writing in peers or groups to share their critical thinking in creating a text.
4. Independent construction of the text
In this stage, students begin to work independently. After they obtaining the writing skills from the process of joint construction of the text, they are expected to be able to produce a new text of a certain genre individually. 5. Linking related texts
In this stage, students relate the text they have created to other texts which have been produced before or will be produced. The teacher can ask them to show the similarities and differences between those texts.
c. Writing Assessment
Each skill in language teaching also has its different method in assessing the students’ performance. Writing is no exception. In the field of the second
language teaching, writing is no longer a convention for recording speech and for reinforcing grammatical and lexical features of language. Teachers have fully understood the uniqueness of writing as a skill with its own features and conventions. They also understand that writing skill is difficult to master, even in the students’ native language. It follows logically that the assessment of writing
is no simple task to do. Teachers have to consider the different genre of written language, types of writing, and micro- and macroskills of writing before starting to do the writing assessment.
Table 2: Scoring profile adapted from Jacobs et al. (1981) in Weigle (2002:116)
24-30 Relevant to assigned topic and give detail information
Matches the social purpose of the text
Good to average
16-23 Mostly relevant to topic but lacks of detail information
Matches the social purpose of the text but lacks of detail. Fair to
poor
8-15 Inadequate development of topic
Almost matches the social purpose of the text
Very poor
1-7 Not related to the topic
Does not match the social purpose of the text
Organization Excellent to very
11-15 Loosely organized but main ideas stand out
Logical but incomplete sequencing
Fair to poor
6-10 Ideas confused or disconnected
Lacks of logical sequencing and development
16-20 Effective word form, choice and usage
Word form mastery Good to
average
11-15 Occasional errors or word form, choice, or usage but meaning not obscured
Fair to poor
6-10 Frequent errors of word form, choice, or usage
Very poor
1-5 Little knowledge of English vocabulary and word form, choice, or usage
Language use Excellent to very good
25-22 Few errors of agreement, tense, word order, articles, pronoun, preposition
Good to average
21-18 Several errors of agreement, tense, word order, articles, pronoun, preposition
Meaning seldom confused or obscured
Fair to poor
17-11 Frequent errors of agreement, tense, word order, articles, pronoun, preposition
Meaning confused or obscured Very
5 Demonstrates mastery of convention
Few errors of spelling,
punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing
Good to average
4 Occasional errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing but meaning not obscured
Fair to poor
3 Frequent errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing
Meaning confused or obscured Very
poor
2 No mastery of convention
3. Graphic Organizers
a. Definition of Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers are a series of visual charts and tools that can be used to help students to organize their knowledge and ideas in the process of writing. Lee, Bopry, and Hedberg (2007) describe graphic organizers as visual representative of ideas in keyword format. Meanwhile DiCecco & Gleason (2002) in Delrose (2011) define graphic organizers as visual and spatial displays of information that graph the logical relationship between the key, concepts, facts, terms, or ideas from the learning task. Key concepts, usually in term of single words or phrases, are arranged logically on the graphic organizers chart with lines, arrows, and spatial representations and clearly highlighting interrelationship and providing a structured way to see a picture of information (Delrose, 2011).
Moreover, graphic organizers are also a thinking tool. Miller (2011) states that graphic organizers are visual representations of ideas which help students organize their thought and apply thinking skills to the content in a more organized and orderly way. Bromley, Irwin-DeVitis, and Moldo (1995) in Baxendell (2003) define graphic organizers as visual representations of knowledge. It is a way of structuring information, or arranging important aspects of a concept or topic into a pattern using labels.
students to focus on the meaning rather than the format of complete sentences and sentence structure (Miller, 2011). Baxendell (2003) says that by using graphic organizers, the students’ organizational skills and content retention improve when
they are exposed to a graphic organizers in a consistent manner.
b. Characteristic of Graphic Organizers
Lancaster (2013) says that graphic organizers should be presented in a creative way. It will help to encourage students in using it in the writing process. Egan (1999) in Baxendell (2003) states that graphic organizers will not be an effective teaching method unless they are clear and straight forward. They must be easily understood.
In addition, graphic organizers can be done both individually and in groups. Jacobson (2007) suggests that graphic organizers are the visual tools allowing students to structure information and to arrange key concepts which can be performed as a whole class, small groups, or individual activities.
c.Types of Graphic Organizers
1. Cause-and-effect diagrams
A cause-and-effect diagram highlights the direct relationship between different events or concept. It can be used to visualize a major event that has multiple causes-and-effects. Tayib (2015) says that cause-and-effect diagram is widely used to assist students identify the major causes of certain events and their effects on surrounding atmosphere. Delrose (2011) suggests that cause-and-effect diagram assists students in visualizing the relationship between a single cause and a single effect, or the focus can be on a single main event and its primary causes and effects. This format allows students to organize thought before writing by displaying abstract relationships in a graphic representation where the relationships are clearly displayed. Baxendell (2003) states that cause-and-effect graphic organizer is one of the most common and beneficial instructional tools in our classroom. This format comes in various types, for example: problem-solution map, sequential episodic map, etc.
2. Sequence chart
stages or steps of their occurrence. Baxendell (2003) uses sequence chart to review the key element in a story, in writing to organize “how to” paragraphs
or short stories, and in social studies to create timelines. Moreover, he also uses this chart in pre- and postfield trip activities. This chart is useful in telling a series of event such as in recount text. Sequence chart come in various types such as series of event chain, flowchart, story map, timeline, etc.
3. Main idea and detail chart
The main idea and detail chart helps to generate main idea and supporting details of the topic. Baxendell (2003) proposes that a main idea and detail graphic organizer is beneficial tool to use in all subjects areas to help students with this vital academic skill. Once main idea has been established, students then provide supporting details which highlight the main idea’s importance. According to Miller (2011), this chart generally has one
4. Compare and contrast diagram
Compare and contrast diagram help students to visualize similarities and differences across main idea. A compare and contrast diagram can be any diagram, chart, or outlined figure that asks the writer to compare two different topics by finding what they have in common, and what differences they own (Miller, 2011). Tayib (2015) suggests that compare and contrast diagram is widely used to assist students compare and contrast concept according to their main features or quality. This format can be used to present one main idea with its supporting details along one strand in the diagram which is then contrasted with the opposing main idea or ideas can be compared and contrasted point by point across main idea. (Baxendell, 2003). The examples of this diagram format are Venn diagram, compare and contrast matrix, comparative and contrastive map, etc.
d. Benefits of graphic organizers for writing
Graphic organizers are very useful in helping the students to finish their writing project. There are some benefits that the students get when using graphic organizers in the writing process.
1. Graphic organizers help to generate ideas
Graphic organizers can help students brainstorm their ideas.
(2007) explain that the students will have a clear sense of direction when they are writing if they are using graphic organizers in pre-writing stages.
2. Graphic organizers help to organize ideas
Kohler (2009) says that graphic organizers are useful for students who have difficulty organizing information. As Baxendell (2003) says, it is useful because it provide a visual representation of key details and ideas.
3. Graphic organizers promote creativity
Kroll and Paziotopoulos (2004) in Sharock (2008) say that graphic organizer can help students become creative and analytical thinkers. Meanwhile Baxendell (2003) suggest that the success of the students in learning will be obtained if graphic organizers presented in a creative ways
e. Related Study
Miller (2011) also conducted a research on the implementation of graphic organizers as writing tool. She found that graphic organizers became metacognitive tools that enabled students to think more about their writing. In addition, students showed better improvement in the organization of their writing.
B. Conceptual Framework
This study begins from the researcher and the English teacher finding on the low writing ability of students at SMP N 5 Wates. Based on the observation in the field, the researcher finds some writing problems that occur in the students’
writing process and product. Students had difficulty in determining the topic and generating ideas related to the topic. They also have problem dealing with arranging their ideas into a logical order. The last problem is most of the students feel that it is difficult to create a text with the correct English sentences.
Looking at the problems related to the students’ writing ability, the researcher is interested in using graphic organizers to improve the students’
28 A. Research Design
The design of this research study is action research, also known as problem-based research. Burns (2010) defines action research is an action which the teacher take a self-reflective, critical, and systematic approach to exploring their own teaching process. In action research study, teacher plays a role as an investigator or an explorer in his or her classroom while at the same time being one of the participants in it. The main aim of this study is to investigate the problems or issues occurring in the teaching and learning process systematically in order to bring changes and even better improvements in the teaching and learning process. The improvements that happen in action research are ones based on data that the researcher collects systematically.
In addition, Carr and Kemmis in Burns (2010) describe action research as a self-reflective enquiry done by the participants in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own educational practices, their understanding of these practices and the situations where these practices are carried out. In other word, action research is the process to reflect about the teacher’s
teaching and understanding of the process.
teaching and learning process. Then, based on the data collected, she tried to find and implement a solution based on the relevant theory in order to bring the improvement in the teaching and learning process.
In this action research, there was a procedure to be followed based on the cyclical model by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) in Burns (2010). The procedure consisted of four general steps: planning, action, observation and reflection and divided into two cycles. Cycle 1 consisted of plan, action, observe, and reflect; while Cycle 2 consisted of revised plan, action, observe, and reflect. Firstly, the researcher went through Cycle 1 in the action research process. After the reflection of Cycle 1, the researcher felt that there was needed some improvement, thus the researcher went through Cycle 2 which were revised plan, action, observe, and reflect.
of the action in order to make sense of what has happened in the research and to understand the problems the researcher explored more clearly.
Figure 3: Cyclical AR model based on Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) in
Burns(2010)
B. Research Setting 1. Time
2. Place
The research took place at Grade VIII A in SMP N 5 Wates. The school is located near the national street Jogjakarta-Purworejo. The address is in Triharjo, Wates, Kulon Progo.
3. Participants
The participants of this research were the students of class VIII B of SMP N 5 Wates. This class consisted of 24 students.
C. Data Collection 1. Types of Data
The types of data collected were both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data used were field notes and interview transcripts. In addition, the quantitative data used were the result of the students’ writing
scores from tests.
2. Instruments
The instruments for the qualitative data used were observation sheets and interview guidelines, while the instruments for quantitative data used were the students’ tests. The researcher used the observation sheets to record the students’ responses, progresses and motivation during the implementation of
students’ test called by pre-test conducted at the beginning of the
implementation of the technique, meanwhile the second students test called by post-test conducted at the end of the implementation.
3. Data Collection Techniques
The data of this research obtained from the three major instruments. The researcher collected the qualitative data which was required in this study through observation and interview. On the other hand, writing tests were used to collect the quantitative data.
The observation was done in two ways. First, it was conducted before the beginning of the technique implementation to get to know the direct insight on the problems in the teaching and learning process. Second, it performed during the implementation of the technique to record the students’ responses, progresses and motivation during the implementation of graphic organizers in the writing process.
The interview also was done in two ways. First, the researcher interviewed the teacher and the students to get the information about the occurring problems in the teaching and learning process. Second, the interview conducted during the process of the implementation of the technique to know the students and teacher’ opinions and responses toward the implementation of
The first test called by pre-test conducted before the implementation of the technique. The second test (post-test) performed after the implementation of the technique.
4. Data Analysis Techniques
This research was qualitative in nature; however, the data collected in this study were in the form of quantitative and qualitative data. That made the data analyze in two ways, quantitative and qualitative.
The data obtained from the observation and interview analyzed qualitatively. There are some steps to analyze qualitative data based on Burn (1999). Those steps are (i) assembling the data, (ii) coding the data, (iii) comparing the data, (iv) building meaning and interpretation, and (v) reporting the outcomes.
Regarding the quantitative data, the researcher evaluated the students’ writing scores based on writing rubric. Then, she analyzed the students’ scores
by the use of mean scores of the students pre-test and post-test and the students’ score in cycle I and cycle II task. Mean score is the average of students’ writing score. It was obtained by dividing the total of students’ scores
5. Validity of the Data
According to Anderson et al. in Burns (1999), there are five criteria to fulfill the validity of research, i.e democratic validity, outcome validity, process validity, catalytic validity, and dialogic validity.
a. Democratic validity
It is related to the extent to which researcher is truly collaborative. This study tries to fulfill the criterion by doing such interviews with the students and having discussion with the English teacher in finding and selecting problems to be solved and in planning, implementing, and observing the action.
b. Outcome validity
It is related to the notion of action leading to outcomes that are “successful” within the research context. This research is expected to be able to
solve more than one problems in teaching-learning process, for example ones which are related with writing skills, motivation and involvement.
c. Process validity
d. Catalytic validity
It is related to the extent to which the research allows participants to deepen their understanding of the social realities of the context and how they can make changes within it. This may be addressed by their role and the actions taken as a result of these changes, or by monitoring other participants’
perceptions of problems in the research setting. e. Dialogic validity
It is related to the extent that parallels the process of collaborative enquiry or reflective dialogue with “critical friend” or other participants.
Asking the teacher to act as an observer who observe and report the students’ reaction during the teaching and learning process will fulfill this criterion.
For validating the quantitative data in this research, the researcher used two types of validity proposed by Cohen, Manion, and Morrison (2005). They were content validity and face validity. Content validity was achieved by ensuring that the content of the test is relevant to what are taught during the implementation. Face validity was achieved by ensuring the test appears to test what it is designed to test.
6. Reliability of the Data
triangulation, investigator triangulation, space triangulation and theoretical triangulation. However, the researcher only used two types of triangulation. a. Time Triangulation
The data are collected at a different point in time to know what the changes are. In this research the researcher collected the data about the students’ writing ability improvement through the pretest, writing task Cycle I,
Cycle II and then the post-test. b. Investigator Triangulation
More than one observer will involve in the same research setting to avoid observer being biased and to provide checks on the reliability of the observation. In this research, the researcher, the collaborator and the English teacher were in charge of observing the teaching and learning process.
The reliability of quantitative data obtained by using inter-rather reliability proposed by McKay (2006:12). In inter-rather reliability, the researcher assessed the students’ writing scores together with the English
teacher and collaborator to avoid bias and subjectivity.
D. Research Procedure
The researcher conducted this research in two cycles. There were five stages that conducted by the researcher in each cycle.
1. Reconnaissance
in the process of teaching writing. This step intended to identify the problems occurring in the process of writing in the class. After the observation was done, the researcher conducted some interviews to ask the students some difficulties they face in the learning process and to ask the teacher about the students’
problem in the writing. After that, the researcher conducted the pretest and then observed the students’ writing they had done in the pretest. Based on the data collected from the observations, interviews, and students’ writing score on pre
-test, the researcher then formulated the problems occurring in the teaching and learning process of writing.
2. Plan of Action
After formulating the problems in the teaching and learning process of writing in the reconnaissance, the researcher made a plan of action to solve those problems. The researcher implemented graphic organizers to solve the students’ problems dealing with writing. The students were expected to
improve their writing performance especially in the area of generating and organizing ideas through the use of graphic organizers. Moreover, the researcher planned the instruments and also lesson plan which were needed in the implementation of the action. In this research study, there were two cycles to be done to solve the problems on the students’ writing. Each cycle consisted
3. Action and observation
In this step, the action was done in the same time because the action and observation cannot be done separately. As mentioned earlier, the implementation of action in this research study were done in two cycles. Each cycle was done in three meetings. The action conducted based on the lesson plan that has been designed.
During the implementation of the technique, the researcher needed to observe the students’ behaviour and progress. The data from the observation
described in the field note. Meanwhile, the researcher collected the students and teacher’s opinions and feelings through interview before and after the
teaching and learning process.
4. Evaluation and reflection
The researcher evaluated all the process and problems occurring in the implementation of graphic organizers in the teaching and learning process on the Cycle I. The result of this evaluation would determine the decision needed to be taken in the next cycle. The data taken from the observation, interview, students’ worksheet and test were considered here. If the implementation of the
39 CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
The purpose of this research is to improve the students writing skill through the use of graphic organizers. This chapter discusses the process of the research that consist of reconnaissance, the selection of the problem based on the urgency level, determining the action to overcome the selected problem, research process, research findings and discussion.
A. Reconnaissance
In this step, the researcher did some activities to obtain the preliminary data of the teaching and learning process of recount text in Grade VIII B SMP N 5 Wates, especially writing. First, the researcher did an observation toward the teaching and learning process of recount text in the class. After that, she conducted an interview to acquire the opinion of the students and the teacher toward the teaching and learning process of recount text especially in writing. Last, the researcher organized a pre-test for students to find out the actual problem in students’ writing of recount
text.
1. Identification of the Field Problem
April 9th 2016. The researcher also interviewed the students and the English teacher to get the information related to the problems of the teaching and learning process of writing. The following transcript shows the interview that the researcher did with the English teacher.
P : Bagaimana motivasi siswa dalam belajar bahasa Inggris? (How about students’ motivation to learn English? )
GBI : Tergantung sih mbak. Kalau sekelas itu biasanya yang minat banget cuma 10 anak, yang lainnya biasa saja. Biasanya yang minat tu yang perempuan. Yang laki-laki sih biasanya cuma ramai sendiri.
(It’s depends. Usually just 10 students who motivated to learn
English, the others are just so so. Usually, the girls are more motivated to learn English than the boys. The boys usually just talked to each other in class.)
S6 : Ga dong Mbak yang diomongin apa. (I don’t understand what
From the extract of interview above, we can see that the students’
interest to learn English was low. Many of them did not like English. The teacher stated that the students who motivated to learn usually just around 10 students. She stated that the girls were more motivated to learn English than the boys. This views also supported by the result of students’ interview. Some of the students said that they did not like
English because it is difficult. Some of them also stated that they did not understand the meaning of text in English. Furthermore, the following field note shows the activities in the classroom.
Today’s topic is recount text. The English teacher asked the students some questions. “ Students, what do you know about recount text?”
Most of the students were silent. There were some students who talked to each other. The English teacher asked the question again.
“Students, what is recount text?” I had repeated this materials many
times. Why did not you understand yet? Please open your LKS. The materials are there. Where is your LKS? Please take it from your bag. Some students started to take out their LKS from their bag and open it to search the related materials about recount text. )
From the field note above, the students seem not too interested in learning English. They did not prepare what should they learn that day. Moreover, they did not open their book once the lesson begins. Some of them chose to keep silent when the teacher asked them some questions, while the other did the other opposite which was talk to each other rather than paid attention to the teacher’s explanation and questions.
The other problem found was related to the students’ writing. The interview transcript below showed the problem.
P : Apakah siswa pernah menulis satu teks lengkap dalam Bahasa Inggris Bu? (Did the students ever write the full text in English Mom?)
GBI : Kalau itu sih jarang mbak. Materinya saja mereka susah paham jadi susah buat nyuruh mereka yang belum paham untuk menulis.
(I rarely asked them to write. They still don’t understand the
materials so it is difficult to ask them who still don’t fully understand the material to write. Usually, they still had difficulty when I asked them to do the task about making or completing the sentence. I had guided them to do that but some of them still make the mistake in doing the task. I think the students here need to be guided slowly in order them to fully understand. Once a time, I had asked them to write but it is still difficult for me to ask them to write a text. Sometimes, when I started to make them to write, the time is over so they have to finish it at home as homework.)
A person have to practice a lot to be a good writer, however the students in SMPN 5 Wates rarely practice to write in their classroom. The transcript above shows that problem. They usually just did the task on their textbook related to completing the sentences or arranging the jumbled paragraph as the activity for writing. They rarely write a text in English because the teacher thought that they were not able to write a text yet before they fully understood the materials given. In addition, the students also faced the limited time problem when they tried to write a text in English.
There was another writing problem found. When it was a time for writing activity, the students had some difficulties in delivering the ideas in their mind into a written product. They did not know what would they write in their writing. They need a lot of time to brainstorm about what they would write. When the time was over, some of them still did not finish their writing. Excerpt above indicate that problem.
P : Kalau untuk nulis ada kesulitannya ga dek? (Is there any difficulty in writing in English?)
S3 : Biasanya bingung mbak mau nulisnya apa. (Usually, I felt confused with what should I write Miss.)
S1 : Iya mbak susah cari idenya gitu. Pas dapet ide, eh waktunya usah abis. Biasanya sih dibuat PR gitu sih mbak. (Yes Miss, I felt the same. When I got the idea for writing usually the time is over. Usually, it becomes a homework.)
(Interview Transcript 2/9-4-16)
P : Selain itu ada lagi kesulitannya? (Is there any other problem?) S6 : Nek aku susah golek idene mbak. Angel wae. (I have a problem with generating ideas Miss. It is difficult for me.)
S4 : Iya mbak, susah cari inspirasi. Waktu dah dapat wis ditumpuk, interviews transcript that indicate that problem.
P : Kalau yang content, susahnya apa Bu? (What is the difficulty in thecontent aspect?)
GBI : Itu tadi, cari idenya susah. Kadang mereka butuh waktu yang lama baru bisa nemu idenya. Padahal waktunya sudah habis.
Jadi biasanya dibuat PR seperti saya bilang tadi. (They had difficulty in generating the ideas. Sometimes, they need more time to find the ideas to write whereas the time is over. So, usually I make them to write at home.)
P : Kalau masalah organization, apakah ada kesulitan Bu? (What about organization aspect?)
GBI : Kalau organization itu yang masalah struktur bahasa gitu bukan mbak. Kalau itu mereka sering lupa struktur bahasa dari teks. Belum bisa hapal. Kalau grammar sih memang susah mbak, dan mereka itu pelupa. Saya sudah ajarkan pakai rumusnya tapi mereka belum bisa.
(For organization, I think the generic structure Miss. They still forget what the generic structure for each text. They still cannot memorize it. Grammar is still bit difficult for them and it is worse because they are forgetful. I had taught them
the formula but they still don’t understand. )
(Interview Transcript 1/9-4-16)
had difficulty in grammar aspect because they still could not memorize the formula of the grammar the teacher taught to them.
The other problems were related to vocabulary and mechanics. The interview below showed that problem.
R : Apakah ada masalah juga dalam hal vocabulary dan penggunaan tanda baca Bu? (Is there any problem related to vocabulary and mechanics?)
T : Kalau vocabulary masalahnya adalah mereka belum banyak menguaai kata. Kalau ada kata yang baru yang mereka belum kenal, mereka malas untuk mencari artinya. (The problem in vocabulary is they had low vocabulary mastery. If there is a new unfamiliar word, they were lazy to find the meaning of the words. )
R : Apakah mereka tidak mencari artinya di kamus Bu? (Did they not find the meaning in the dictionary, Mom?)
T : Itu saya sudah suruh mereka tapi ya mereka itu malas bawa kamus. Yang bawapun kamusnya hanya kecil jadi banyak kata
text in the dictionary. They just waited for the teacher to show them the meaning of those unfamiliar words. In addition, they often did not bring the dictionary to class. Some of them brought the dictionary but it was the pocket one and sometimes when they had to search of some unfamiliar words, that dictionary did not help much. The students also had a problem related to mechanics. According to the teacher interviews, they often forgot using the correct punctuation in their sentences.
In order to get the complete data, the researcher also conducted a test for the students in this reconnaissance step. The result from pre-test showed that the students still misunderstood the tenses used in a recount text. Some of the students used a simple present tense in the recount text, while the others used simple past also simple present tense in their writing. Moreover, they often used double verbs in their sentences. They also tend to forget using article and conjunction. Some of the sentences that the students made were direct translation from Indonesia to English, then, it made some of the meaning of the sentences obstructed.
changing the subjects or objects of the sentences because they did not have ideas what they should write.
The other problems found in their writing were the wrong word choice they made in their writing. Sometimes, it made the meaning of the sentences become ambiguous. The last problem was related to mechanics. Some of the students found to forget using the correct punctuation. Moreover, they also had a problem in spelling and the use of capital letter in some words.
The students’ writing in the pre-test were evaluated by using
writing scoring rubric mentioned in chapter II. The researcher collaborated with the collaborator to assess the students’ writing to obtain
the inter-rater reliability. The students’ writing analyzed as follows.
Table 3: The Frequency Distribution of the Students’ Score in Pre-Test
Class Interval Frequency Level
86-above 0 Excellent
76-85 2 Very Good
66-75 2 Average
56-65 8 Fair
46-55 1 Poor
36-45 11 Very Poor
Mean 54,71
Based on the table above, it can be concluded that most of the students’ level was very poor. There were eight students who had fair
the range score 46-55. Two of them were in the range score 66-75. Two students were in the range score 76-85 which is considered very good. Meanwhile, no one was categorized as excellent. The passing grade of the English subject for eight grade students of SMP N 5 Wates is 75. Based on the result of the pre-test, it indicated that the writing ability was very low.
The result of interviews, observation, and pre-test showed some problems found in the teaching and learning process of writing in SMP N 5 Wates. The table below showed the conclusion of the problems found in the reconnaissance step.
No. Problems Found Explanations
1. The students’ interest toward
The students did not understand the materials given in English 2. The students’ attitude toward
the teaching and learning process.
The students were not interested in the teaching and learning the teacher gave explanations.
They did not well prepared when they started the English lesson.
4. The students’ writing
a. Content The students had difficulty in generating ideas.
They did not know what should they wrote.
They collected their writing unfinished.
The students copied the model texts or their friend’s writing. b. Organization They did not understand the
generic structure of recount texts.
c. Language use They could not memorize the formula of the grammar.
They used simple present times in a recount text.
They used double verbs in their sentences.
Their sentences were direct translations from Indonesia to English
d. Vocabulary They had low vocabulary
mastery.
They were lazy to open dictionary to find the new words they did know yet.
They chose the wrong words choice.
e. Mechanics The students forgot to use the correct punctuation in the sentences.
They had problems in spelling.
They had problems in capital letter.
2. The selection of the problem based on urgency level
After identifying the filed problems in the teaching and learning of English in SMP N 5 Wates, the researcher, the English teacher, and the collaborator specified the problems into the specific one. They decided to focus on improving the students writing skills only. The selected of the problems were presented as follows.
a. The students’ difficulty in generating ideas. b. The students’ problem in organization. c. The students’ grammar mastery. d. The students’ low vocabulary mastery. e. The students’ problems in mechanics.
B. Determining the Action to Overcome the Selected Problems
After selecting the problems, the researcher and the English teacher determined the actions to solve the selected problems. Those actions are elaborated as follows.
1. Use graphic organizer to attract the students’ interest toward writing. Graphic organizers are visual charts and tools that will attract students attention because of the interesting graphic in pictures and colors.
beneficial for students to use graphic organizer to brainstorm their ideas before they started to write.
3. Graphic organizer also will help the students who had difficulty in organizing ideas. It will also help the students’ problems in understanding
the generic structure because the researcher will make a graphic organizer by adding the generic structure as the pattern of the graphic organizers. 4. Related to grammar, the researcher paid more attention in explaining the
language features of a recount text and gave some grammar exercises. 5. To improve the students’ mastery of vocabulary, the researcher motivated
the students find the meaning of the new unfamiliar vocabulary in their dictionary.
6. The researcher emphasized the use of correct mechanics in writing in the teaching and learning process.
C. Research Process 1. Report of Cycle 1
a. Planning
1) First Meeting
In the first meeting, the researcher and the collaborator planned to achieve some learning indicators that stated on the lesson plan. They planned to explain the recount texts and the generic structure of it. Moreover, they would introduce graphic organizers to the students in purpose to help them getting better understanding of the text. In addition, there would be some activities related to language features of recount text for example gave certain signs in conjunctions, adverbs, and verbs 2.
2) Second Meeting
3) Third Meeting
In this stage, the researcher and collaborator planned to give the students opportunities to write their recount text individually. Before that, they would write their ideas in the graphic organizer. They had to write some details information there. Then, they would develop the ideas from graphic organizers into a recount text.
b. Action and Observation 1) First Meeting
The first meeting was on Saturday, 16th April 2016. The researcher, the English teacher, and the collaborator entered the class. The English teacher and the collaborator sat at the back row of the class. The researcher started the lesson at 10.30 a.m. She greeted the students and calling the names. There was no one absent that day.
After that, she asked the class about their holiday experience. “What did you do on holidays?” The students did not understand the
researcher questions in English so she asked them again, “What did you do on holidays?” No one answered then she asked them in Bahasa. “Apa yang kalian lakukan saat liburan?” The students gave various
answer.
researcher asked if there were unfamiliar words in the text. The students answered that they found some unfamiliar words. The students enthusiastic went to the front of the class to write the unfamiliar words for them. After that, the researcher asked the students to find the meaning of those words on whiteboard. If they had known the meaning, they just had to go in front of the class and wrote the meanings of the words. It seemed that the students were enthusiastic to do that. The teacher said that they rarely want to go in front of the class just to write the answer of the questions. Then, the whole class discussed the meaning of the words together. After that, the students asked the teacher to let them wrote the meaning and the unfamiliar words in their book. After the students finished, the researcher asked them about the text Holiday in Mount Bromo. The researcher asked them about the generic structure of the recount text especially in the text Holiday in Mount Bromo.
It seemed that the students forgot the generic structure of the recount text. Therefore, the researcher discussed the generic structure while making the example from the text. “ What is the first paragraph tell us about?” The students gave the answer about the first paragraph.
