This research design of the study was classroom action research. This classroom action research was conducted with teaching writing by using two kinds of tests, those were pre-test and post-test. Action research is compatible for educators as a practical process since it commonly does not gain elaborate statistical analysis. Action research is more concerned with improvement in the context of study.1 Norton describes that the purpose of action research is to investigate systematicly the teaching or learning facilitation practice with the dual aim modifying practice and contributing to theoretical knowledge.2 Additionally, action research, cited in Burns, means part of an extended
1 Jean Mcniff & Jack Whitehead, All You Need to Know about: Action Research. An Introduction, (London: Sage Publications, 2006), p. 7.
2 Lin S. Norton, Action Research in Teaching & Learning, (New York: Routledge, 2009) p. 4.
movement that has been going on in education universally for some time. It is concerned to the ideas of ‘reflective practice’ and ‘the teacher as researcher’.3 Besides, Ary devides into three major characteristics of action research such as: “(1) the research is situated in a local context and focused on a local issue, (2) the research is conducted by and for the practitioner, and (3) the research results in an action or a change implemented by the practitioner in the context”.
Considering some theories above, the implementation of classroom action research is able to give improvement of the quality of teaching and learning of school in education since it can analyze and solve the problem in teaching learning activity.
The procedure of data collection for this study conducted in two cycles. Each cycle included into four steps. In the classroom action research, there were four steps suggested by Kemmis’ model namely Planning, Acting, Observing, and Reflecting.4 Those are explained below:
Figure 2. Kemmis’ Model of Classroom Action Research
3 Anne Burns, Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching. A Guide for Practitioners. (New York: Routledge, 2010), p. 2.
4 Ibid., p. 9.
The activity that had done in each cycle was as following here:
1. Cycle I
In this cycle, students’ writing descriptive text measured and their problem to understand about writing descriptive text. The steps concluding the research were:
a. Planning
Planning is the first step in the Classroom Action Research (CAR). It is the most important part in the development of the strategy. The researcher as the teacher and the teacher of the English subject work together to plan everything needed in order to solve the students’ problem in teaching learning process.
In this step, there are some activities done by the writer, they are:
1) Prepared lesson plan that apply in teaching writing descriptive text at action step.
2) Prepared the material and media that were needed when doing scenario of teaching learning.
3) Prepared the instruments of analyzing the data, such as observation sheet and questionnaire sheet.
4) Prepared the test in the cycle.
5) Made the pre-test as the instrument to know the students’ basic skill in mastering descriptive text.
b. Acting
In this step, the scenario was teaching writing descriptive text by using Suggestopedia Method in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. In this step, there are some activities were done by the writer, those were:
Pre activity:
1) The English teacher of the second year students of MA Nurul Ulum Kotagajah monitored the researcher in the classroom.
2) Teacher greeted to students.
3) Teacher called the students’ name in attendance list.
4) Teacher gave the material about writing descriptive text.
5) Teacher informed the instructional objectives.
Main activity:
1) Gave information about the steps of suggetopedia method.
2) Assigned the students to teams. Teams were heterogeneous that consisted of four or five members. They were divided in some groups.
3) Teacher distributed the material in each group.
4) Students received same materials and same task.
5) Teacher gave task to each groups and each member do the task individually.
6) The teacher gave evaluation.
7) Calculated to know the students’ achievement.
8) Announced the result of the teams and give reward
c. Observing
1) The writer observed what students do during teaching and learning process.
2) Observed students’ behavior in the classroom.
d. Reflecting
1) The researcher asked the students weather they have some difficulties when they are studying.
2) The teacher wrote the questionnaire sheet to find the solution of students’ problem in learning.
3) The writer checked the result of their work weather there was any improvement in writing descriptive text.
2. Cycle II
In the second cycle, there were some aspects found that should be improved after the reflection in the first cycle. Based on the analysis, there were still some students who didn’t gain improvement of the score. So, the researcher attempted to make a better way to make the method more effetive in the learning process. In the second cycle, the researcher revised the plan appropriate the students’ needed, either in action, observed the process or the reflected the students’ result as a consideration for the next cycle.
a. Re-planning
1) Prepared lesson plan.
2) Designed the lesson about writing descriptive text by using Suggestopedia Method.
3) Prepared wise word to motivate the students’ passion in learning English.
4) Prepared questions that would be asked in the teaching and learning process to check the students’ understanding.
5) Designed the application of Suggestopedia Method.
6) Pointed directly to the students who did not want to present their opinion or to give their answer.
b. Acting
1) The English teacher at the eleventh grade of MA Nurul Ulum Kotagajah monitored the researcher in the classroom.
2) Reminded about the generic structure, purpose, and kinds of descriptive text.
3) Demonstrated the use of Suggestopedia Method in writing descriptive text.
4) Checked the students’ understanding by giving some questions about descriptive text:
a) Definition of descriptive text.
b) The generic structure and purpose of descriptive text.
c) Kinds of descriptive text.
5) Concluded the lesson.
6) Conducted post-test II.
c. Observing
1) Observed the students’ activities and participation during teaching learning process.
2) Observed the students’ behavior in the classroom.
d. Reflecting
The researcer checked the score of the students in the post-test II, it was found that the students’ score in post-test II shown the differences of scoe in pre-test and post-test I. If the students’ score in post-test II are higher than their score in post-test I and pre-test. It means the students’ skill in writing descriptive text improved.