1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The learning program had changed globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic that affects all educational attainments. Face-to-face learning was transformed into distance learning. According to the data on WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard, the confirmed cases in Indonesia on December 20th, 2021, were 1.215 cases, which had been decreased 13.28% than the previous week. The situation was in the recovery phase, which improved each day, had brought another learning program alternative. Yet, on the Ministry of Communication and Informatics website, the government predicted that the peak of COVID-19 new variant, Omicron, would occur from February until March 2022. Education needed to be adjusted with a suitable learning program.
Blended learning could be an alternative learning program in the pandemic situation. Blended learning combines offline and online learning and lessens in- class seat time for students (Dziuban et al., 2018). Another term used in blended learning is hybrid learning (Sukardjo et al., 2020). It may also be applied due to the changes in learning programs that require students’ various skills (Firdaus et al., 2020). Blended learning covers the disadvantages of offline and online learning by providing their advantages.
Moreover, blended learning is convenient for any educational attainments, especially in high school. Although vaccine doses had been administered, clusters
still should be avoided. This is in line with Pembelajaran Tatap Muka (PTM) Pada Masa Pandemi COVID-19 di SMA (Face-to-face Learning in COVID-19 Pandemic in High School) (2021) by the Ministry of Education and Culture, it is stated in this pandemic, there were only 50% of students are allowed to have face-to-face learning in school while the rest of the students had distance learning. This shows that blended learning was a very suitable learning program that could be actualized in high school.
The high school students are obligated to learn English, as it is one of the courses. As foreign learners, the students have to make more efforts in learning it since English is neither their mother language nor second language. They are required to learn four skills in English, listening, reading, speaking, and writing.
Aside from skills, they should acquire English vocabulary and grammar. However, Novariana et al. (2018) concluded that grammar problems and lack of wording are the most internal obstacles senior high school students face in acquiring writing skills. The students’ obstacles in learning English are complex, thus, there are no any less important aspects to be disregarded.
Grammar, one of the aspects that should be learned, is the essential rule in a language that students should also acquire (Handayani & Johan, 2018). In fact, grammar often does not become the primary focus in English class. Being capable of acquiring the four language skills is the focus of teaching English instead (Wirawan, 2020). Nonetheless, Stardy (2011) claimed that students struggled more in learning grammar than learning the four major skills. The views whether grammar is essential or not have affected EFL teachers in both the learning and
teaching process (Male, 2011). This may lead to a new problem if the teachers’
view about grammar is not important.
Furthermore, the media used in grammar class are monotonous. The media that is often founded are media for the four major skills. Martriwati (2017) suggested using technology-based instructional media in English class. Much less distance learning and blended or hybrid learning require students to adapt to technology. It will be more effective to use technology-based media in online classes. Internet-based and web-based media are starting to appear since conventional media can no longer be used in online or blended learning. For example, applications or websites can be utilized as varieties of instructional media.
Unlike applications, websites are easier to be designed or developed. A website refers to a famous tool broadly used by people in general (government and private organizations) on the internet, which is accessible everywhere and every time (Yuangngoen et al., 2019). As mentioned by Suanah (2019), the advantages of web-based instructional media in the learning process are (1) facilitates students in learning independently without the teacher’s lecture, (2) students can decide to learn whenever and wherever they want to, as long as they are connected to the internet, (3) improves students to actively engage in the learning process, and (4) increases their creativity to comprehend the material. Sekarningsih et al. (2021) also added that the design is effective since students can access websites easily through their smartphones. Many free website-building platforms that can be utilized as instructional media, such as Wix, Google Sites, WordPress, Squarespace, and Carrd.
The previous research conducted by Malaikhatun et al. (2019) and Sekarningsih et al. (2021) used Wix and WordPress as web-building platforms to design instructional media focused on reading skills. Suanah (2019) developed the instructional media through Wix that focused on mathematics course. Nurjanah and Pratama (2019) designed grammar cards named Smart Card as conventional instructional media. Ramadannisa and Hartina (2021) designed instructional media using Google Sites that concentrate on physics course. The researches designed the instructional media were intended to be used in e-learning. The present study focus on instructional media that can be used in blended learning. It also focus on utilizing Carrd web-building platform to design the instructional media in learning grammar.
Based on the preliminary study, the researcher asked the English teacher of the grade 10 students at SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang through a questionnaire. The school had applied blended learning for a year. The implemented type of blended learning was restricted face-to-face learning with 2 shifts per class and LMS Schoology. However, the teacher viewed it as ineffective since face-to-face learning is only 30 minutes. While online learning was carried out on LMS and WhatsApp for sharing material. The students were allowed to use their smartphones in class to facilitate them in face-to-face learning and to make it more effective and efficient.
Moreover, the 10th grade students were difficult to understand grammar material. In English class, grammar was taught implicitly by only introducing the features of grammar tenses or word classes. The materials that had difficult grammar to be learned by the students were Talking About Past and Recount Text.
The instructional media used in class were textbooks, students’ worksheets (LKS), and Google for searching for information related to the material. However, there were no instructional media that were specifically used for learning grammar material. This necessitated the students to learn English grammar independently because of the short offline sessions. The students should learn it in online learning to understand the material better.
Also, the researcher distributed a questionnaire for the grade 10 students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang through Google Forms. It can be concluded that 55% of the students stated that blended learning was not effective since they preferred face- to-face learning entirely. Half of the respondents (50%) did not master the grammar taught in the class. The obstacles faced by the respondents (72.7%) were mostly saying that grammar was difficult to be comprehended and memorized (86.4%).
Also, the respondents (46%) were not satisfied with the instructional media used in class.
Based on the current problems that had been described, the researcher aimed to design an interactive media, which was Grammar Cards, for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning. The media was designed using a website building platform called Carrd and a graphic design platform named Canva that could be accessed easily, wherever, and whenever by the students. The media could be used independently by the students. The researcher expected the media would help the students master English grammar enthusiastically and eased the teacher in teaching it. The designing of the media was conducted as research titled
“Designing Grammar Cards through Carrd.co for 10th Grade Students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in Blended Learning”.
1.2 Identification of the Problems
The identification of the problems, which was elaborated from the background, could be identified as follows:
1. The students had to adapt to a new learning environment, namely blended learning.
2. Grammar was not the main focus compared to four major skills in the learning process.
3. The students’ mastery of grammar was low.
4. The students had difficulties in comprehending and memorizing grammar.
5. There was no instructional media that used specifically in learning grammar.
1.3 Research Questions
The research questions were devised as follows:
1. How was Grammar Cards Website as instructional media for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning designed?
2. How was the validity of Grammar Cards Website as instructional media for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning?
3. How was the feasibility of Grammar Cards Website as instructional media for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning?
1.4 Research Objectives
The objectives of the research, based on the research questions, were:
1. The research designed Grammar Cards Website as instructional media for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning.
2. The research determined the validation of Grammar Cards Website as instructional media for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning.
4. The research determined the feasibility of Grammar Cards Website as instructional media for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning.
1.5 Specifications of Product
In this research, the specifications of Grammar Cards Website as instructional media were as follows:
1. The instructional media, Grammar Cards Website, was designed for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang.
2. The media was used for learning English grammar in blended learning.
3. The product highlighted grammar (i.e., tenses and parts of speech) that was learned related to Recount Text about a historical event (3.7) and Narrative Text about folklore (3.8).
4. The media was designed on Carrd.co and Canva and displayed in the form of online cards.
5. The product was accessed through Carrd.co link with an internet connection.
1.6 Research Significances
The study about designing Grammar Cards Website through Carrd.co for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in blended learning, hopefully, would provide contributions as follows:
1.6.1 Theoretical Significance
Theoretically, the study would provide a broader insight into designing instructional media that were appropriate for secondary schools.
1.6.2 Practical Significance 1. Students
The 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang would be more enthusiastic and interested in learning grammar using digital media in the new learning environment, blended learning. They would get to access the media outside the class, which could be accessed by their devices and it would help them in memorizing and comprehending grammar.
2. Teacher
The media would ease the English teacher of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang in teaching grammar to the students in blended learning because the students could learn independently using the media. The teacher could make the learning process more effective, efficient, and varied by using the media.
3. Another researcher
It would be used as innovations in developing or designing advanced instructional media in the same field.
1.7 Assumption and Limitation
The assumption of the grammar media design through Carrd.co in blended learning was that the 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang would not undergo obstacles, such as difficulties understanding and comprehending grammar, especially tenses. The teacher, expectantly, would create a fun environment using the media, so both the teacher and the students would adapt conveniently to blended learning. Grammar Cards Website as instructional media were limited for 10th grade students of SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang based on the selected Basic Competencies 3.7 and 3.8. The material for Grammar Cards Website were Recount Text and Narrative Text. The final product was in the form of online cards on a website, then the students could access it through the link.
1.8 Definition of Key Terms
There were interpretations of the several key terms to avoid misconceptions of this research. They were as follows:
1. Grammar
Grammar is a crucial part of a language that consists of regulation in word forms, such as tenses and word classes, to construct a sentence.
2. Grammar Cards
Grammar Cards are pieces of rectangular shapes as digital instructional media that contains information (i.e., definition, formulas, features, examples) about grammar and is designed on Canva and displayed on Carrd website.
3. Carrd.co
Carrd.co is a platform to create web pages for personal profiles or anything where the output is in the form of a link.
4. Blended learning
Blended learning is an alternative and innovative learning program that integrates online and offline learning practice.
5. Local heritage
Local heritage is a historical identity or social characteristics about an area, such as cultures, arts, natural conditions, and buildings.
6. Recount text
Recount text is a text that retells the events happened in the past, that can be a writer’s experience, historical events, and factual report, to amuse the readers.
7. Narrative text
Narrative text is a text that tells about a fictional story (i.e., fables, folklore, legend, fairy tale) written in past tense that contains orientation, complication, resolution, and re-orientation to entertain the readers.
