1
AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ ABILITY ON USING SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
Dina Zahra 1), Rika Afriyanti2), Rani Autila3)
123) English Education Program, STKIP PGRI West Sumatera, Jln. Gunung Panggilun Padang
Abstrak
The purpose of this research was to see the student’s ability in writing descriptive text. Writing is a skill that must be learned by the students. Writing in the learning process, they should have the ability to write a sentence that is good and true. To create a good and correct sentences they have to understand about grammar usage, especially in the Simple Present Tense using that phrase that they create can be understood by the reader. This research is a descriptive study intends to analyze the ability of the students on the use of the Simple Present Tense in writing the descriptive text.
Respondents of this study were 18 students. Class XII IPA at SMAN 1 Lubuk Alung 2015/2016 school year were selected by sampling techniques purposes. Data were collected through test students on the text. Based on data obtained during the study, researchers were able to conclude that the use of verbal correct sentences with a total percentage of 80.7% wrong and total percentage of 19.3%. While the nominal sentence correct use 89.8% and 10.2 false. it can be concluded that the data obtained good ability, both in verbal and nominal sentences.
Writing adalah salah satu keterampilan yang harus dipelajari oleh siswa. Dalam proses pembelajaran writing, mereka harus mempunyai kemampuan dalam menulis sebuah kalimat yang baik dan benar.
Untuk membuat kalimat yang baik dan benar mereka harus paham tentang penggunaan grammar terutama dalam menggunakan Simple Present Tense agar kalimat yang mereka buat dapat dipaham ioleh pembaca. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif yang bermaksud menganalisa kemampuan siswa tentang pengunaan Simple Present Tense dalam menulis Teks Deskriptif.
Responden dari penelitian in iadalah 18 orang siswa Kelas XII IPA di SMAN 1 Lubuk Alung tahun pelajaran 2015/2016 yang dipilih dengan purposes sampling teknik. Data dikumpulkan melalui test siswa tentang teks. Berdasarkan data yang didapatkan selama penelitian, peneliti dapat menyimpulkan bahwa penggunaan kalimat verbal yang bena rdengan total persentasi 80,7% danpenggunaan yang salah total persentasi 19,3%. Sedangkanpadakalimat nominal penggunaan yang benar 89,8%
danpenggunaan yang salah 10,2%..
Key word: Students’ Ability, Simple Present Tense and Writing Descriptive Text INTRODUCTION
Writing is one of the four language skills that beastered well by the students. It’s why writing is the way of communication in daily life. The reader and the writer can communicate through written form. Besides, writing is medium to deliver the idea, feeling and perception. The students do not only use the oral language in their communication, but it can be used the written form to share the
idea. It shows that simple present in writing is important for the students.
In writing, the students should know to write well. It means the students should know the use of simple present tense, for example verbal and nominal sentences. Verbal sentence is subject followed by verb. Nominal sentence is be followed by adjectives/ place/ noun.
Moreover, School Based Curriculum 2013 Senior High School states that writing is placed in one of the fourth skill.
2 Futhermore, the monolog texts are in form of procedure, news item and descriptive text. Then, For these standard competencies, the students should be able to use English in acceptable ways, fluently and accurately.
In the other word, the students should have the ability in writing descriptive text by using simple present. Based on pre-observation at SMAN 1 Lubuk Alung, not all the students can write well. Some of the students were difficult to compose sentences in simple present. The others were difficult to write by using good component of writing. It was supported by students’ score in simple present in writing. It does not get the standard minimum criteria (KKM) while writing a text.
In fact SMA students use English in daily communication, that why they should know much about simple present. Since the students use English in daily life that why the researcher choose this tiltle. In this case simple present tense is in writing descriptive text. It shows that simple present in writing is important for the students to write descriptive text. The students use simple present not only descriptive text but also report text, procedure text etc. And this topic is needed to study because it based on the problems above.
This phenomenon caused the several reasons. The pre-observation with some students showed that first, the students lack of vocabulary it makes the students can’t develop the idea by using simple present tense in writing. The second, the students also faced the difficulties to improve their structure vocabulary in writing. The third, the students argued that did not know to write the simple present tense. The students cannot used the good structure or grammar in simple present tense. Grammar in simple present tense is very important, while the students cannot use their sentence. Last , the students did not aware the good elements in simple present tense, such as nominal and verbal sentences.
However, simple present should be learn by the students at Senior High School.
The problem that is faced by the students is important to analyze.
Futhermore, the researcher conducts a study “an analysis of students ability in writing descriptive text by using simple present at twelve grade of SMA 1 LubukAlung”.
Students’ ability in simple present will appear by doing a research; therefore the teacher can find the good strategies for helping the students. Expected, the students can write a simple present tense well in their writing descriptive text.
II.REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE a. Simple Present Tense
There are some definitions of simple present tense are given by the experts. Azar(
1992:3) states that simple present is used to express daily habits, or usual activities, express general statement. Simple present tense is used for events or situation that exists always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom, rarely, never.
According to Hall (1992: 163), simple present tense indicates an action that is taking place at the same time as the speaker is talking about the action. The simple present tense is used to indicate a customary or habitual action which has not been terminated. It also used to express general truth.
In addition, Springer (2006:12) language features use: Simple Present tense is the most popular tense in using. This is due to the factual nature of a descriptive text. In this case, it cases one of tense which is students should master in writing English descriptive text. If the students master it, they are easier to express ideas into good writing.
In conclusion, simple present tense is the most popular tense in using. This is due the factual nature of a descriptive text. In this case, it is one of tense which students should master in writing descriptive text. If the students master it, they are easier to express ideas into good writing.
In summarize, the researcher could take the conclusion of the definition of above that the simple present is one of the verb forms associated with the present tense in modern English. It commonly refers to as a tense,
3 although it also encodes certain information about aspect in addition to present time. Based on the opinion above there are some definitions of simple present tense. Simple present tense is general action. Action happens all the time, or habitual activity. The action is happening now. Simple present tense is the statement is always true or general statement.
In conclusion, simple present tense very important to be mastered by the students.
Simple present tense is the tense that using to express an activities that is habitual and fact which are formed which based of verbs, except for the third singular subject by adding s/es. Simple present tense is tense denoting an action happening in this time.
b. Writing
Writing is an activity to express the ideas of someone that used to communicate with other else on the paper. From that statement can get that writing is which one way to express someone ideas besides speaking. According to Nunan (2003:88), writing is the work of inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraphs that will be clear to a reader. It means that to express writers ideas in writing is not easy way, because they must get attention how to make writing to be interesting in order to the readers enjoy to read it.
On the other hand, as stated by Hacker (2009:154) writing is the production of one self or others under the direction of one’s goal-directed metacognitive monotoring and control, and the translation of that thought into an external symbolic representation. The mean of this theory is clearly said that writing is production of writers though. The writer writes something actually has a goal, so it makes the goal can be created to make his/her writing well.
Futhermore, Campbell and Dickinson (2004:21) define that writing carries ideas from one person to another with distinct purposes and meanings. It means that writing is as a tool or someone to share his/her ideas in order another knows what the purposes and meanings his/her information and ideas for. In other word, with writing the ideas that are to be explained are clearer. So, writing is another form to someone in giving information
with the complex word and language to distinct purposes and meanings.
Finally, the researcher concludes that writing is a process to express the idea of a topic in the spare time which should always be reviewed and revised to result a product that will be published and read by the readers. The writer must get much concentration in writing to get great product because it will not be attained instantly.
Therefore, the writer should pass through the stages of writing. In other the readers know what the purposes and meanings of that writing. However, the writer must be able to create language to distinct purposes and meanings of his/ her ideas.
c. Descriptive Text
One of the types of genre which is learned by Senior High School students is descriptive text. According to Springer (2006:
12), descriptive text is description about a particular person, places or things. In descriptive text, the writer usually uses the simple present tense.
Meanwhile, Benjamin B.V.( 2008:30) states that descriptive text is a kind of text that gives illustration or to present person, place, and thing which clear detail that the reader can visualize or image about the object being describe. It means that, descriptive text can describe physical appearance of the object.
Furthermore, Keir (2009:25) says that descriptive text is a text that tells an idea by providing details about characteristics of people, place, and things. The ideas are intended to appeal your sense to help you to create a mental picture or to make you feel a certain way. In addition Descriptive texts have two generic structures. They are identification and description. Identification is to identify phenomenon to be describe. Description is to describe parts, qualities and characteristic of the object that is being described.
4 According to Pardiyono, ( 2009: 34), descriptive text is kind of text that describe information about something in description mode such as characteristic, behavior, physical appearance, etc. Then, this text also gives opportunity for students to know about something.
Meanwhile, Pardiyono (2009:34), descriptive text has two generic structures identification, and description. Identification refers to Identifying phenomenon to be described. Description refers to Describing parts, qualities, characteristic. In addition, Sudarwati in Siska (2011), this text has social function to describe a particular person, place or thing. By writing this text the students get specifically information about something.
Based on the definitions above writer makes conclusion that descriptive text is a kind of texts which is used to draw up out the real object (person, place, and things). Then, descriptive text consists of identification and description. In identification, it has to be known something that present to be described and description, it has to be describe the object as real. The writer can conclude that a descriptive text is a kind of activity that consist of the description, characteristic, definition about something also person. It is crucial for the teacher to create an interesting way to motivate students learning descriptive text.
In conclusion, descriptive text is a text that describes about particular thing, such as person, an animal, or a place. This text also can make the readers be easy to imagine what the writer’s feeling by giving some information in detail. They can make physical appearance of someone, characteristic of animal, or shape of an object. This text can help the students to increasetheir writing achievement by describing about factual thing that they see or feel
III. RESEARCH METHOD
This research is classified into descriptive quantitative research. According to Subana and Sudrajat (2005: 26) descriptive quantitative research concludes fact, situation, variable, and phenomenon that happen at the time and present it reality. It means, in this research, the reseracher would find out the data at the field based on the fact and
phenomenon related to the variable of the research and describe it based on the theory that is put at previous chapter. The researcher would describe students’ ability using simple present in writing of descriptive text at twelve grade of SMAN 1 LubukAlung.
In this case, this study wants to analyze students’ ability using simple present in writing descriptive text. In this research, the researcher would analyze students’ ability using simple present tense in writing a descriptive text. In other words, the data can be classified into quantitative data. According to Prasetyo and Lina (2005: 33), quantitative data is presented by numeric, rational, and real data. It means the data of this result would be produced in quantitative data.
After collecting the data, the researcher analyzed the data to get conclusion in order to answer the research question. The data analyzed based on the indicators of the instrument. The data that have been collected used by the researcher to analyze the students ability in using simple present tense in writing descriptive text. Then, the researcher and teacher gave score as result of the students writing test. And the last, the researcher and teacher of Senior High School LubukAlung. In writing descriptive text by use formula (Arikunto 2012: 229):
P = R/T x 100%
Note:
P = Percentage
R = the sum of the students’ grade T= Total of the participants
To get the percentage of students’
writing the researcher used categories that is modified by Arikunto (2009:54).
5 IV. FINDING AND DISCUSSION
To find the data students’ writing test about descriptive text. The researcher managed the data by using writing test analysis. The researcher used writing test analysis about students’ ability on using simple present tense in descriptive text as instrument.
Before analyzing the data, the researcher did some preparation. The researcher collected the data that consists of 18 students from IPA1, IPA2, IPA3, IPA4, IPA5, IPA6 class. Researcher organized and categorized the data into two types of simple present tense. In this research, the researcher used red pen to classifying the data in students’ writing test about descriptive text.
The researcher organized the data by classifying the data into two types of simple present tense. Here, the researcher found out students correct answer and incorrect answer on using each types of sentence. In this research, the researcher used two types of simple present tense on analyzing students’
ability in descriptive text such as: verbal sentence, and nominal sentence.
First, verbal sentence is verb that expresses an action. This type was more dominant in students’ descriptive text because many students use it in their description. The finding of this type could be found in their percentages. The correct sentence percentages 80,7% and incorrect sentence percentages 19,3%. It means that students’ ability on using verbal sentence was good because the correct sentence percentages bigger than incorrect ones.
Second, Nominal Sentence is an sentence that the predicate is not verb and the sentence uses to be ( is, am, are). In this type, the students are expected to be able to use it in their situation/condition, because this type could connect the subject with an adjective.
The finding in this types could be found in their correct answer percentages 89,8% and incorrect answer 10,2%. Dealing with their percentages, it could be found that students’
ability on using nominal sentence was good.
It could be seen that students’ ability on using verbal sentences and nominal sentences was good. It could be proved by their percentages of each type that correct was bigger than incorrect. So, the finding of this
research about students’ ability on using verb sentences and nominal sentence in writing descriptive text were good ability.
V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS CONCLUSION
Writing is an important skill in English besides listening, reading and speaking that should be learnt by the students as foreign language. It is one of language competences which should be mastered by students.
Many of students find difficulties in writing especially in descriptive text because they do not know how to produce their idea.
Not only that, In order to get a good construction and well arrangement in written form, the students have to produce a good and right sentence.
The students have to consider on using grammar especially on using verb and adjective (simple present tense) in descriptive text. In descriptive text, there were two types of sentence that should be considered by students in writing descriptive text such as verbal sentence and nominal sentence. In this research, the researcher want to find students’
ability on using verbal and nominal sentence in writing descriptive text at the Twelve Year Students of SMAN 1 Lubuk Alung in Academic Year of 2015/2016.
Beside that, the researcher used cluster sampling in selecting sample. The total of participant was 18. In getting the data the researcher used writing test as instruments.
Based on data description, the researcher concluded that the ability of students on using verbal and nominal sentence especially simple present tense in descriptive text are very good. It can be proved by their percentages. In verbal sentence, the percentages true 80,7% meanwhile the percentages false 19,3%. In nominal sentence the percentages true 89,8% whereas false 10,2%. Based on their percentages above, it can be concluded that the students, ability on using verbal and nominal sentence are good.
Based on the result of this research, the researcher hopes this research can give contribution for the teacher, students, and researcher.
6 SUGGESTION
This research is a kind of descriptive research which has the purpose to find out students’ ability on using verbal and nominal sentence in descriptive text. Based on the result of this research, the researcher hopes this research can give contribution for the teacher, students, and researcher.
a. Teacher
The data might become a reference for teacher while teaching writing especially teaching descriptive text.
Teacher should pay more attention to the verb, adjective or sentence structures on the students writing.
b. Students
By reading this research, students are expected to be able to enlarge their understanding in learning writing especially when they use verbal and nominal sentence in descriptive text.
Students have to focus on the process of sentence in writing subject because verb and adjective are important rules in making a sentence.
c. Researcher
Through this research, the researcher is able to improve her knowledge in writing good sentences in this research and mastering with it.
By reading this research, it hoped the reader or other researcher can broaden this research completely to get better development in the education progress, because there is no practice without theory.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Finally, this research has done well by researcher. The research done well because of the support that comes from God, Lecture, parents, and researcher friend. Therefore, in this research, researcher would like to say thanks for all of them who are very special for the researcher. Firstly, researcher says thanks to her God who has given her guidance and chance to complete this research. Without God, research feel nothing at all during doing the research, God gives a healthy, comfort, and strength to her during doing this research.
This research also can’t complete well without a helping from the first and first advisor are Rika Afriyanti, M.Pd as the first advisor and Rani Autila, M.Pd as the Second advisor. Without their helping such: giving time, ideas, suggestion, and advice then researcher will fell nothing and couldn’t finish the research. Therefore, researcher would like to express her special appreciation to them.
Researcher prays and hope that they always health in future.
REFERENCES
Arikunto, S. 2002. Procedure Penelitian.
Jakarta: RinekaCipta
Azar, B.S. 2005. Basic English Grammar.Third edition. New York: Pearson.
Benjamin B.V, Jhon. 2008. Linguistic Choice Across Genres. Amsterdam.
Library of Congress Cataloging In Publication Data. .
Diskinson Dee, Bruce and Linda campbell.
2000. Teaching and Learning
through Multiple
Inteligence.Boston New York.
Pearson.
Harmer Jeremy. 2005. How to Teach Writing. England and Associated
Companies through the
world.Longman.com
Gay, L.R & Peter Airisian. 2000. Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Application. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Inc.
7 Nunan, D. 2003. Practical English language
Teaching. New York: McGraw- Hill Companies. Inc
Pardiyono. 2007. pastiBisa! Teaching genre- based writing. Yogyakarta: Andi offset
Subana, M danSudrajat. 2005. Dasar- dasarPenelitianIlmiah. Bandung:
CV. PustakaSetia.
8
