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AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ PROBLEM WITH GENERIC STRUCTURE OF WRITING EXPLANATION TEXT
Fitri Maiyanti 1), Suharni 2), Hervina Asty 3)
English Department, STKIP PGRI West Sumatera, Jl. Gunung Pangilun Padang [email protected]
[email protected] [email protected]
ABSTRACT
This research is qualitative that has a purpose to analyze students’ problem with generic structure of writing explanation text. Correspondence of this research is 21 students that learn writing III course in STKIP PGRI West Sumatera on 2013/2014 academic year with chooses random sampling technique. Collecting of data is gotten with thought document of students’ final project about argumentative essay. In the generic structure of explanation text there are three part namely; general statement, explanation, and conclusion. Based on the data that was gotten during conducted the research, it could be concluded that the most problems was found in generic structure namely in the part of explanation. The total of problems found in the part of explanation was 18 problems of 21 students’ writing. Besides, the problem was found in general statement namely 7 problems of 21 students’ writing, and the conclusion was found 9 problems. So, it can be concluded that the explanation was dominant problems because students’ writing did not appropriate indicator from part of explanation such as; include a series of step to explain how and why something happen, explain issue or phenomenon step by step until the final position, the sentence that is continuous each other, use time connectives, and use clausal connectives.
Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif yang bermaksud menganalisa permasalahan mahasiswa dengan generic structure dari explanation text.. Responden dari penelitian ini adalah 21 orang mahasiswa yang mengikuti mata kuliah writing III di STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat tahun pelajaran 2013/2014 yang dipilih dengan menggunakan random sampling teknik. Di dalam generic structure explanation text ada tiga bagian yaitu; general statement, explanation, dan conclusion. Berdasarkan data yang didapatkan selama penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa permasalahan yang paling banyak ditemukan didalam generic structure adalah di dalam bagian explanation. Total dari permasalahan yang ditemukan didalam bagian explanation adalah 18 kesalahan dari 21 tulisan siswa. Disamping itu, permasalahan yang ditemukan didalam bagian general statement adalah 7 permasalahan dari 21 tulisan siswa, dan dalam bagian conclusion ditemukan 9 permasalahan. Maka, ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa, dari semuan permasalahan didalam generic structure, permasalahan pada bagian explanation yang dominan karena tulisan siswa tidak memenuhi indikator dari bagian explanation seperti; menyebutkan langkah-langkah untuk menjelaskan bagaimana sesuatu terjadi, menjelaskan isu atau fenomena langkah demi langkahsampai posisi terakhir, kalimat saling berkesinambungan antara satu dengan yang lainnya, menggunakan konektor atau penghubung dan menggunakan penghubung sebab akibat.
Keywords: Explanation Text; Generic Structure; Problem
INTRODUCTION
Writing is an important part of communication in learning language. People can interact and express their ideas in written form. On the other hand, writing is productive skill in teaching English. By writing, the student can deliver the message, express idea, felling, and experience to other people.
Therefore, before writing the students should know what they write, why should write and how to write something to be good writing.
Furthermore, theoretically in writing the writer should well the components of writing such as vocabulary, grammar, coherence, cohesion, and the mechanics of writing. In writing III, one of
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students is explanation text. According to Hyland, 2003, p.4, an explanation is text that outlines how and why things occur, or how things operate. As a result, explanation text has purpose to explain to the reader about how and why something or phenomenon happens.
Explanation text has generic structure. It is important to explain the processes involved in the formation and working of natural or socio cultural phenomena. Generic structure of explanation text has three elements includes general statement, explanation statement, and concluding statement. According to Warmer, 2009, p. 16, there are several elements to organize an explanation text: general statement, explanation statement, and concluding statement
.
In fact, Based on the researcher’s interview with lecturer’s who teach writing III in English Department of STKIP PGRI West Sumatera, in writing III the students learn about explanation text. The students have to be able to write a good explanation text.
Therefore, an explanation text that students’
write should have generic structure of general statement, explanation statement and concluding statement. However, the lecturer still found several mistakes on students’
writing. Students are difficult to organize of generic structure in explanation text. For example, students are difficult to introduce opening statement and main idea. The supporting details did not connect each other.
Not only that, but also the students are difficult to tell steps about how and why something occur and did not make conclusion clearly.
However, the students still have difficulty in organizing the generic structure of explanation text itself. Actually, generic structures of explanation text are general statement, explanation statement and concluding statement. The general statement refers to introduce of topic. Next, explanation statement refers to process or cause something happen. The last, conclusion refers to continue the result of explanation statement.
Based on the limitation of the problem, the researcher formulates the study as follow:
“What are the students’ problems with generic structure that found in explanation text written by the fourth semester students of English Department of STKIP PGRI West Sumatera in 2013/2014 Academic year?”.
The purposes of this research is to know about the students’ problems with generic structure in explanation text by fourth semester of English Department of STKIP PGRI West Sumatera in 2013/2014 Academic year
.
RESEARCH METHOD
In this research, the researcher used descriptive research. It was aimed at knowing the students’ problem with generic structure of explanation text. According to Gay and Airasian, 2000, p. 275, descriptive research determines and describe the things are. It meant that descriptive research only focused on describing the phenomenon without giving treatment to the students.
Moreover, The source of data was anything that can provide information data for researcher in this research. In order to make the analysis easier, the researcher needs to use source of data. The data of this research had been taken in document form. Actually, the document was students’ task that given by lecturers at STKIP PGRI West Sumatera.
According to Gay and Airasian, 2000, p. 134, descriptive research common use sample 10%
– 20% from the participants. There were six classes at fourth semester students of English Department with total of students 210 students.
It meant that the total of students was impossible as sample to analyze. Thus, the researcher had taken 10% from total of the students’ amount. So, the total of sample was 21 students. The researcher had used the random sampling as a technique to determine the sources of data.
Besides, Instrumentation was a device that had been used to help researcher to do research. The instrument of this research is document analysis. Document analysis helped the researcher to get the information from the document. Then, the result of document analysis as data was analyzed by the researcher to answer the research question. The researcher used form document analysis based on generic structure of explanation text.
Then, in collecting the data, the researcher had used analysis of document technique.
Analysis document was a technique of collecting the data in descriptive research project. According to Yusuf, 2007, p. 252), Analysis document is one of the techniques to collect the data or information in research. It meant that the purpose was also to know what
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explanation text.
The data that was collected by the researcher includes public document. Creswell, 2009, p. 223, divides two types of qualitative documents such as; public document and private document. The public document consists of newspaper, minutes of meeting and official reports. Then, private document consists of personal journals and diaries, letters and e-mail. Therefore, the researcher had done several steps to collect the data. First, the researcher collected the document that was needed in the research from the lecturers of English Department. The document was students’ task about explanation text. Second, after the researcher found students’ task about explanation text, the researcher had read students’ task about explanation text, to make sure the data was needed in this research.
Third, the researcher collected the data by using document analysis to get the data.
Furthermore, the researcher had analyzed the data to make conclusion in order to answer the research questions whether it was answer or not. According to Creswell, 2009, p. 185-189, there are several steps in analyzing qualitative data. The first is organizing and prepare the data for analysis. The second step to analyze the data was to read them. The third was the data had been analyzed the detail. The researcher had used the code in analyzing the data more depth. Coding the data could be done by giving such sign that researcher known.
Next, the step was to generate the description.
The researcher started to make description after analyze the data through some steps.
Description in a qualitative research covered detailed in information. After that, the researcher needed to choose an approach to present the data.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
In this research, the researcher collected the data from students’ task of explanation text in writing III subject in English Department of STKIP PGRI SUMBAR in 2013/2014 academic year. The document analysis was used by the researcher to classify the data from students’ writing explanation text. The data was included in document analysis that determined based on the item checklist each indicator from generic structure of explanation text.
a. General Statement
General statement refers to state the phenomenon issues which are to be explained and introduce the topic. Moreover, the researcher used item checklist for indicator general statement that included the first paragraph introduce the topic, and state why the phenomenon is important or interesting. the researcher was found 7 students that got problems in general statement of 21 students’
writing explanation text. The first, the students got problem in introduce the topic in the first paragraph. The second, the students got problem in give statement why the phenomenon was important or interesting.
Therefore, half of students got problem from item checklist of general statement.
b. Explanation
Explanation refers to series of sequent paragraph that explained how and why something happen. Moreover, the researcher used item checklist for indicator explanation such as; include a series of step to explain how and why something happen, explain issue or phenomenon step by step until the final position, the sentence that is continuous each other, use time connectives, and use clausal connectives. the researcher was found 17 students that got problem in explanation from 21 students’ writing explanation text. The problem refer to include a series of step to explain how and why something happen, explain issue or phenomenon step by step until the final position, the sentence that is continuous each other, use time connectives, and use clausal connectives. Therefore, half of students got problem from item checklist of explanation.
c. Conclusion
Conclusion refers to general comment or summary about how something work and why something happen. Moreover, the researcher gave the item checklist for indicator conclusion such as; students explain summaries the process or phenomenon, and ensure sentence constructions are appropriate to audience. the researcher was found 9 students that got problem in conclusion of 21 students’ writing explanation text. The students got problem in include a summaries the process or phenomenon, and ensure sentence constructions are appropriate to audience.
Therefore, half of students got problem from item checklist of explanation.
Based on explanation above, it could be concluded that the dominant of problems with
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by the fourth semester students of English Department of STKIP PGRI West Sumatera in 2013/2014 Academic year was in explanation indicator. Actually, there were 17 students that got problem in the explanation.
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. In this research, the researcher analyzed the students’ problems with generic structure of explanation text at fourth semester students of English Department of STKIP PGRI West Sumatera in 2013/2014 academic year. As mentioned in the chapter I, the purpose of the research is to find out the students’ problems of explanation text that related to generic structure. The source of data in this research will be gotten from the documents. The document was the students’
task about explanation text. In addition, general statement, explanation, and conclusion are as indicator to find the result. The sample in this research was gotten by using random sampling.
Referring to the finding, students’ problem with generic structure of explanation text included general statement, explanation, and conclusion. The researcher just found 7 problems in general statement. The problems included in the first paragraph introduce the topic and state why the phenomenon is important or interesting. The seconds is explanation. The researcher found 18 problems in explanation. The students’ problems included a series of step to explain how and why something happen, explain issue or phenomenon step by step until the final position, the sentence that is continuous each other, use time connectives, and use clausal connectives. The last is conclusion. The
researcher found 9 problems in conclusion. The students’ problems included explain summaries the process or phenomenon and the problem in ensure sentence constructions are appropriate to audience. So, the most problems were found in explanation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Firstly, the researcher would like to express his gratitude to Allah S.W.T who has given the researcher mercy, chance and health to finish this research. In addition, thanks to our Prophet Muhammad SAW as inspiration to keep fighting to finish this research that entitles
“An analysis of Students’ problems with Generic Structure of Writing Explanation Text (a case study at STKIP PGRI West Sumatera 2013/2014 Academic year )”. This research is aimed to fulfill one of requirements to get S1 at English Department of STKIP PGRI West Sumatra.
Then, the researcher also delivers a great thank and appreciation to the advisors; Suharni, M.Pd as the first advisor and Hervina Asty, M.Pd as the second advisor, who have given much advice, guidance, and suggestion in accomplishing.
REFERENCES
Creswell, Jhon W. 2009. Research Design:
Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Method Approaches. California:
SAGE Publications inc.
Gay. I. R, and Airisian. 2000. Education Research: competencies for Analysis and Aplication. 10th ed. New York:
Prentince Hall.
Hyland, Maureen. 2003. Exploring Text Types.
New York: R.I.C Publication.
Warmer , Margareth.2009. Easy English Series.
Sydney: Ed Publications.
Yusuf, A Muri. 2007. Metodologi Penelitian.
Padang: UNP Press.
