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ANALYSIS STUDENTS’ PROBLEMS IN WRITING GENERIC STRUCTURE OF DISCUSSION TEXT
Rizka Rahmadona Mukhtar1), Suharni, M.Pd2), Yendra, S.S., M.Hum3)
1)English Department, STKIP PGRI Padang , Jalan Gajah Mada Gunung Pangilun [email protected]
2)English Department, STKIP PGRI Padang, Jalan Gajah Mada Gunung Pangilun [email protected]
3)English Department, STKIP PGRI Padang, Jalan Gajah Mada Gunung Pangilun [email protected]
ABSTRACT
This research had background knowledge that there were students who had low ability in writing discussion text in SMA N 2 Pariaman. Purpuse of the research was to know the students’ problem in writing generic structures of discussion text. In this research, the researcher analyzed students’ problem in writing generic structures of discussion text. There are three generic structures of discussion text, such as: general issue, arguments for, arguments againts, and recommendation. This was qualitative research. Source of data in this research was students’ written about discussion text in second grade students at SMA N 2 Pariaman. Document of the research is students’ written. In collecting the data, the number of the documents that had collected were 27. Based on the data that had analyzed, it was known that there were 21 students’ had problem in writing general statement. The students did not explain about the issue clearly and did not persuade the readers.
Furthermore, there were 20 students had problem in writing argument for. The students did not use reference in giving responses toward the issue. Then, there were 22 students also did the same thing in argument againts.
Finally, there were 20 students had problem in writing recommendation. The students did not give statement or next step that has explained in argument for and argument againts. Based on the data that have gotten, most of students had problem in writing generic structures of discussion text.
Penelitian ini dilatar belakangi oleh lemahnya kemampuan siswa dalam menulis teks diskusi di SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui masalah siswa dalam menulis generic structure teks diskusi. Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti manganalisa masalah siswa dalam menulis generic structure teks diskusi. Ada tiga generic structure teks diskusi yaitu:general statement, argument for, argument againt and recommendation. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif. Sumber data penelitian adalah hasil tulisan siswa mengenai teks diskusi yang ditulis oleh siswa kelas dua belas di SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman. Hasil tulisan siswa berupa latihan. Dalam pengambilan data, jumlah dokumen yang dikumpulkan sebanyak 27 siswa. Dari data yang diperoleh pada saat setelah peneliti melakukan analisa, diketahui bahwa masalah siswa dalam menulis generic structure teks diskusi pada siswa kelas dua belas di SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman adalah pada generic structure general statement 21 siswa dari 27 siswa memiliki masalah, siswa tidak menjelaskan dengan jelas tentang masalah yang akan dibahas, teks nya juga kurang menarik tidak bisa memprovokasi pembaca untuk membaca, dan siswa tidak memberikan sudut pandang yang seimbang tentang teks yang akan dibahas. Pada argument for 20 siswa dari 27 siswa memiliki masalah, tanggapan yang dibuat tidak berdasarkan sumber acuan atau rujukan.
Pada argument for 22 siswa dari 27 siswa memiliki masalah, tanggapan yang dibuat tidak berdasarkan sumber acuan atau rujukan. Dari segi recommendation 20 siswa dari 27 siswa memiliki masalah, siswa tidak memberikan paparan atau tindak lanjut sebagaiman telah dijelaskan pada argument for dan argument againts.
Bardasarkan data yang didapat oleh peneliti selama penelitian, peneliti menyimpulkan bahwa lebih dari setengah dari siswa kelas tiga di SMAN 2 pariaman mempunyai masalah di generic structure teks diskusi.
Key Words: Component of writing, Discussion Text, Generic structure of discussion text, Writing,
INTRODUCTION
The communication can be done by using writing. The communication by writing will be
implied in the daily activity and also in the school. In the daily activities, the writing skill will be implied as indirect communication to transfer imformation so that the reader is interested and is excited about
2 paying attention to read. In the college, the writing skill is a goal of learning english on non-orally developing language where they know how to deliver and organize ideas orderly. Then, the students will imply this skill to convey their idea, opinion and felling into a paper in a sentence or paragraph form.
Furthermore, writing process is a challenge for the students in teaching-learning process because the students should know the parts of writing process itself. The parts of writing process are sharing ideas, organizing ideas, and constructing the ideas into written text. It is supported by Nation (2009, p.114),
“there are several writing processes are considering the goals of the writer, having a model of the reader, gathering ideas, organizing ideas, turning ideas into written text, reviewing what has been written, and editing.” If the students do not understand about the part of writing processes, so their text will not be structured. In this case, the students have to understand about the parts of writing process and how to organize their ideas to make their writing to be unity and coherence.
Moreover, in teaching Senior High School students, writing has the goals which are going to be reached. These goals are conducted by the Department of Education and Culture in School Based Curriculum KTSP 2006. Referring to the curriculum KTSP 2006, the goals of writing skill are the students are able to analyze the social function, text structure and language feature of the text and write the text by the genre and the topic given in text narrative, report, analytical exposition text and discussion text.
Specially in discussion text, this a kind of texts provide two contrastive arguments about the topic and allows reader to have two contrastive viewpoints. Reader will not be persuaded to be at one side before informed about another side. According to Hyland (2009, p.4), “discussion text examines more than one stance of an issue.” Different view points are investigated before a decision or concluding statement is presented. The writer should pay attention with generic structure of discussion text, like general statement introducing the issue to be discussed (orientation), points supporting and opposing the general statement and judgment or decision.
Based on researcher’s pre observation at SMAN 2 Pariaman the genre learned by third grade students, the researcher found that the students able writing discussion text but the students can not classify whichever general statement of discussion text, it was observed from the teaching learning process. There is cause of the problem, such as the students are less understand about generic structure of discussion text. For example, the teacher asks the
students to write a discussion text. During the process writing of the text, the students get some difficulties in determining the generic structure. There are parts of generic structure; general statement, argument for and argument againts and recommendation. The students write the generic structure incorrectly.
Based on students task, the students less understand in generic structure, in generic structure of discussion text there are general statement, argument for, argument againts, and recommendation, In the students task about discussion text the students does not write general statetment with a statement or question and not serves the purpose of introducing the reader to the author’s points of view, and in the text does not giving equal weight to both sides to be discussed.
The text should has statement or question and serves the purpose of introducing the reader to the author’s points of view, and in the text giving equal weight to both sides to be discussed. Like: you know comic?
Did you ever read comic before? Comic is an art form that uses no moving pictures are arranged in such a way so as to form the fabric of the story.
Reading comic is intertaiment for children because children at a young age is still effected by their imaginary world, comic can make reader creative because with reading the comic can develop of reader imagine, story in the comic can be imaginary for the children, imagine about their future will be like character in the comic which he/she read. But read comic has some positive and negative impact, such as: And in argument for and argument againts the student does not write details contains of the response not based on several sources. The students should write details contains of the response not based on several sources, like: But based on some quote in internet comic has so many negative impact for the reader such as comic can make the children be lazy to study, because children’s time spend to read the comic, the children has not time to study and help their parents. comic like a neccesity life that must be met. So that the children willing if not to buy snack just for a comic.
In this research, before the researcher talks about discussion text, the researcher should talk about writing first. Sokolik in Linse and Nunan ( 2005 : 98) states that writing is a combination of the process and product. The process refers to the act of gathering idea and working with them until they are presented in a manner that is polished and comprehensible to reader. It means that writing consist of two sequences: process and product.
Process is a step to become a writing form that will be present to the reader. Then, product signs a result from writing process that can be read. Then, Leo (2007, p.1) defines, “writing as a process of
3 expressing ideas or thoughts in words should be done at the writer’s leisure.” The good idea will be elaborated in good sentences if the writer feels enjoy.
It means that the process of expressing ideas or thoughts to be a good writing should be done when he/she feels enjoyable and comfortable. Finally, the researcher concludes that writing is combining of process and product, a process to express the idea of a topic in paragraphs.
Moreover, writing involves the encoding of a message, the writer translates that their thoughts into language. This is a reason for the writer to be focused in writing by some components. Furhermore, Baker (2011, p.5) states three components of writing that consist of:
a. Grammatical skill is the ability to construct meaningful sentences. It is the ability to arrange the sentence to be more meaningful.
b. Composional skill is the ability how the writer compose their ideas in writing.
c. Domain knowledge is a component of writing skill that allows the writer to appreciate the perfective of the user.
From some quotatios have been remark, the researcher assumes that there are some components consist of three points. First, Grammatical skill is ability to construct meaningful sentences. It is the ability to arrange the sentence to be more meaningful.
Second, compositional skill as ability to organize words to produce ideas in writing. Third, domain knowledge as to suggest that ignorance of the subject domain is an asset, that allows them to appreciate the perspective of the user.
Now, the researcher talks about discussion text. Discussion is a text which presents a problematic discourse. This problem will be discussed from different points of view. It presents pro and contra opinion on certain issue. In this text, the writer will give an argument about a issue, the issue of the text which will discuss should have pro and contra to be discussed.
As stated by Astuti (2006, p.81),
“discussion is a text which presents a problematic discourse.” The problem is discussed from different viewpoints. The discussion is commonly found in philosophical, historic, and social text. It means that discussion text is a text that talks about a problem that viewed from two different angles and usually found in philosophical, historic, and social text. In addition, discussion text has generic structures.
According to Barwick (1999, p.93),
“srtucture of discussion text consist of three parts, such as: an introductory statement of position supplying necessary background information, argument for and argument againts and supporting evidence, recommendation or conclusion.” First,
statement of posistion, a discussion begin with a brief introduction discribing the situation, this introduction has a statement or question and serves the purpose of introducing the reader of listener to the author’s point of view or thesis. Often it is recognised that there are points of view. Second, the next view paragraph elaborate the arguments for and againts the issue, this should be based on researching books, the internet, surveying and interviewing people, the evidence and opinion should support the statements, the number of arguments varies according to the writer’s desire and the content, the argument can be structured in different ways. Each paragraph should be clearly structured with a topic sentence supported by details.
Third, recomendation or conclusion, the discussion ends by presenting a personal points of view before concluding, the recommendation or conclusion sometimes sum up both side the argument if they are fairly balanced, or can recommend one argument over the other if the evidence is overwhelming. It means that, generic structure of discussion text there are three part like general statement, which the text introduce the issue will be discussed, in the general statement text serves to the reader authors’ point of view, either in the form of questions or statements which the purpose is introduce the issue. Second, argument for and argument againts, which the text serves two different point of view, this text based on several sources which the purpose convincing to the reader the truth of the statement of the text, the text support with supporting details so that it more clear to read, and two different ways in arrange. Third, recommendation which the conclution of the issue, the author give recommendation and judgment based on text which discussed before, the author give statement support to one side which overwhelming.
RESEARCH METHOD
In this research, researcher used qualitative research. In conducting research, the researcher needed a research design. The research design in this research was content or document analysis. Ary et all (2010, p. 457) mention, “content analysis is applied to written or visual materials for the purpose of identifying specified characteristics of the material.” The data of document was the students’
writing task that given by the teacher at third grade students of SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman. In third grade had six classes: three IPA and three IPS.The researcher took 20% from total of the students amount. Thus, the total of participants was 27 students. The researcher used simple random sampling to choose the participant.
4 Then to help the researcher in doing analyzed the document, the researcher used form or document checklist as an instrument. The form used to guide researcher in ordering to keep the data would be collected relevant to the topic investigated. In collecting the data, the researcher used analysis of document analysis with document checklist.
In getting the data in the field, the researcher done some steps. First, the researcher gone to SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman to give the letter of the research recommendation from STKIP and educational department Pariaman and then met with English teacher that taught in third grade SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman. Second, the researcher asked students’ writing document to the teacher. The last researcher analyzed the data.
After collecting the data, the researcher analyzed all the data. The data analysis in this research was conduct based on the technique of analyzing qualitative data by Gay and Airasian (2000, p.239) state “in analyzing the data of descriptive had to follow these phase reading/
memoing, describing, classifying and interpreting.”
RESEARCH FINDINGS
From the data analysis above, the researcher had interpretation about all of the data from the finding of Students’ Problems in Writing Generic Structure of Discussion Text. The researcher found many students did not write general statement as clearly and interested, has not a statement or purpose the introducing the reader to read the details and it was not gave equal weight to both sides to be discussed. It meant that the students had problems in writing general statement of discussion text. They did not know about general statement. In argument for and argument against of discussion text, the students did not write details contais of the response based on sources and public response support. The evidence and opinion were not supported the statement. Each paragraph was not be clearly structured with a topic sentence supported by details. It meant that the students had problems in writing argument for discussion text. And in recommendation the students did not write how to the conclude the text. The students could not recommend one argument over the other if the evidence was overwhelming. Concluding section of discussion was not be eithr a judgment. It was not supported to one sides of the discussion. It was not be based on the points raised in the discussion. It means that the students had problems in writing recommendation of discussion text.
Thus, more than a half students’ did not write the general statement, argument for, argument againts and recommendation correctly. It could be
said the students did not understand in writing the generic structure of discussion text. In this research the researcher got the data from document of students’ exercise about writing discussion text written by third grade students in SMAN 2 Pariaman.
The document which consists of 27 students’
exercises were taken to find out what were the students’ problems in writing generic structure of discussion text.
In general, the third year students’ SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman had problems in writing generic structure of discussion text. For more details, it would be shown in the table below:
Table.1. The Frequencies of Students’Problems
CONCLUSION
Based on students’ writing discussion text, the researcher finds that the students has problem in writing generic structure of discussion text. In general statement, the students’ writing did not write general statement as clearly and interested. It has not a statement or purpose the introducing the reader to read the details, and it do not give equal weight to both sides to be discussed. In argument for and argument againts, the student did not write details contais of the response based on sources and public response support. The evidence and opinion are not support the statement, and each paragraph is not be clearly structured with a topic sentence supported by details. In recommendation, the students can not recommend one argument over the other if the evidence is overwhelming. Conclude section of discussion not be either a judgment, not support to one sides of the discussion, and not be based on the points raise in the discussion.
Briefly, the student do not understand about generic structure of discussion text. Thus, the student shall be more noticed in writing generic structure of discussion text. The students learn more about general statement, argument for and argument againts, and recommendation. The researcher concludes that the students at third grade in SMA Negeri 2 Pariaman had problems in writing generic structure of discussion text.
Classificati on
Frequency
General Stateme
nt
Argum ent for
Argument againts
Recom menda tion Had
Problems
21 20 22 20
Had No Problems
6 7 5 7
5 SUGGESTION
Consider of the result of the research, first, the problem in writing generic structure , the researcher suggest that the teachers give more exercises to the student in writing generic structure of discussion text.
Second, for the students, they shall more learn about generic structure of discussion. All of the problems elaborate above can not be solve without the cooperation between teachers and students. The willingness from the students and the help and support from teachers will help to solve student’s problems in writing, especially writing discussion text.
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