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STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AT THE EIGHT GRADE OF MTsN LUBUK BUAYA PADANG
Winda Elvio Nica*),Lili Perpisa, S.S, M.Pd**), Hevriani Sevrika, M.Pd***)
*)Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat [email protected]
**)Staf Pengajar Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat [email protected]
***)Staf Pengajar Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat [email protected]
ABSTRACT
This research aimed to identify the students writing difficulties in composing paragraph in descriptive text at the eight grade of MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang. This research was qualitative with content analysis design. The population of this research was all students at the eight grade of MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang academic year 2014/2015. Meanwhile, the sample were 25 students.
The reseacher used random purposive sampling tehcnique. To collect the data, the research collected students’ assignment as the sample. The result of this reseach revealed that almost of students’ difficuties in descriptive text based on two indicators of descriptive text, that were in generic structures and languagefeatures. Most of students’ difficulties in composing descriptive text in genric structures. From the data, most of students’difficulties in identification paragraph than description paragraph. Then, in language feature indicator of descriptif text. The students were difficult in simple present tense. The students did not understand the pattern of simple present tense.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menidentifikasi kesulitan siswa dalam membuat paragraf deskriptif teks di dalam kelas VIII di MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dengan desain content analysis. Populasi dari penelitian ini adalah semua murid kelas VIII di MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang tahun ajaran 2014/2015. Sedangkan,yang menjadi sampel dari penelitian ini sebanyak 25 siswa. Peneliti menggunakan teknik random purposive sampling. Data dari penelitian ini diambil dari 25 hasil tulisan siswa kelas VIII di MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang.
Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa hampir semua siswa mengalami kesulitan dalam menulis paragraf descriptif berdasarkan dua indikator dalam text deskriptif, yaitu dalam susunan paragraf dan tata bahasa. Kebanyakan siswa mengalami masalah ketika membuat paragraph deskriptif dalam indicator susunan paragraf, yaitu kesulitan dalam identifikasi paragraph daripada deskripsi paragraf. Kemudian, dalam indikator tata bahasa siswa mengalami kesulitan dalam penggunaan tata bahasa waktu berlangsung sekarang.
Key Word: Students Difficulties, Students Difficulties in Descriptive Text.
INTRODUCTION
The students in junior high school still think about writing, writing is difficult to learn by them. Because of that, writing
included the all skill of the English. When the writer starts to write their must know about what their write. The students have to learn writing to enable them to compose texts that can improve their competence to
2 communicate with other people in written form. However, students still get some problem in composing paragraph. The students always get the problems when they compose paragraph, especially in descriptive text. They got some problem in choosing appropriate words to present their ideas.
Based on pre observation at MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang at the eight grade. The researcher found that some problems of the students. The students’ problems in used Have and Has. In descriptive text Have is a to be for the plural, and subject she is a singular. The structure of to be Has/Have are : for Has (He, She, and It) and Have (I, We, You, and They). In composing descriptive text, the students should able in choosing of the grammar and pay attention on the grammar structure. The next problem of the sentence is vocabulary. The students just repeat the same vocabulary with the other paragraph. It means that the students do not have a lot of vocabulary. When the students compose paragraph they should have some vocabularies to they explore in paragraph.
Vocabulary is important in composing a paragraph. Without vocabulary the students can not develop their ideas into paragraph.
Not also in vocabulary but also the students too get problems in capital letter. Thus, from the problems above the researcher interests to take this problems and do this research at the ei ght grade of MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang for academic years 2014/2015.
Based on the background above it can be concluded that the problem in this research the students’ writing difficulties in composing descriptive text. According to Quintero’s (2008:60) he states that study pointed out that problem with grammar, punctuation, lexical choice and the like have a negative impact on the content and the general understanding of a text.
Mardyah et all (2013:283) difine that students writing difficulties in descriptive text are three points. First, students problem in using generic structure of descriptive text, when the teacher asked them to write descriptive text based on the topic given. Second, students difficult in using the lexicogrammatical features of descriptive text. Last, difficult in descriptive text by students was related lexicogrammatical in using grammar.
Clearly, writing difficulties in descriptive
text have some common problems, for example in generic structure and lexicogrammatical feature especially in grammar.
In supporting this research, the researcher reviews the related finding which discussed the some problems with this research. There was reviewed from a research who written by Resa Estiani Edi Putri. The title of this research is“Teaching Seventh Grade Students of SMP N 20 Surakarta to Write Description: Problems and Solutions (2010)”. The result of this research most the students have difficulties in writing descriptive text that are included (1) Students are willing to come in front of the class only when there is a prize or plus point given; (2) Student’s vocabulary and grammar are limited; (3) Students are getting confused when they wanted to describe something; (4) Students are getting bored easily when they are in the classroom.
Consered from related finding above, this research was different. The researcher focuss in students diffciulties in composing paragraph in descriptive text based on indicator of descriptive text. There were generic structures and language feature. There are some problems of the eight grade MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang in composing paragraph in descriptive text.
Purpose of this research is to know student’s difficulties in composing paragraph in descriptive text at the eight grade of MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang in academic years 2014/2015.
RESEARCH METHOD
This research was qualitative content analysis research. According to Ary et al (2010:471) state that content analysis is a research method applied to written or visual materials for the purpose of identifying specified characteristics of the material. It can be said that, the content analysis used to analyze the students difficulties of descriptive text.
The population of this research was all the eight grade of MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang in academic years 2014/2015. There were five classes at the eight grade. The researcher took the 25 students from five classes used the random purposive sampling as a sample of this research. Gay, Mills and Airasian (2012:143) explain that random
3 purposive sampling is selected the subject based on needed of study that is done in small sample.
In collecting the data the researcher used document analysis as a instrument. The document used in this research was students’
assignment test in writing which included personal document. The researcher constructed document analysis in generic structure of descriptive text and language features of descriptive text. After get the data, the researcher analyzed the data used procedure of analysis based on Gay, Mills and Airisian (2012:467), the following procedures are: Reading/memoing, describing, classifying, and interpretation.
RESEARCH FINDING
The reseacher continued to analyzed after conducted the documents.
The documents obtained from students writing in descriptive text, which consist of 25 students. The researcher found findings after conducting the research and analyzing the data. The findings of this research are relevant to research question “What are thestudents’ difficulties in composing paragraph in descriptive text at the eight grade of MTsN Lubuk Buaya Padang”. The researcher analyzed the data based on indicators of descriptive text. There were generic structure (identification and description) and language feature (simple present tense).
1. Generic Structure
The researcher found the students difficulties in composing paragraph in descriptive text. In identification and description of generic structure of descriptive text. In identification, the researcher found all of the students got difficulties in composing paragraph in descriptive text. The students did not understand what should they write in identification paragraph. The students did not explain the general information their know in identification paragraph based on the topic. In description of descriptive text, the researcher found just a few of students got difficulties in composing paragraph in dscriptive text. In description, the students had made a good description paragraph. The
students wrote the specific information based on the topic.
a. Identification
In identification of descriptive text, the students have many difficulties in identification paragraph. The students have limited knowledge to develop the topic. The students made identification of descriptive text in first paragraph and did not make the general describe of the topic or object that their describes. Some students made the identification and description in one paragraph. The students did not separate between identification paragraph with description paragraph in composing paragraph descriptive text.
b. Description
In description paragraph some the students still made the description paragraph in identification paragraph. And then, the students just made the identification and description in one paragraph. They were consolidated they description in one paragraph. However, almost of students in the data, they were more than understand when their made description paragraph. The students can develop their knowledge in composing description paragraph.
2. Language Feature
In language feature of descriptive text,the researcher focussed on simple present tense. The students got difficulties in simple present tense. From the data, the students did not understand about the patterns of simple present tense. The students did not understand what kind of to be that they have to used. Then, the students did not understand how to made the complex sentences clearly. Meanwhile, in composing paragraph, the sentence should have subject, to be and verb. It was a good sentence. The students have some difficulties differentiating between subject and to be that used in descriptive text. Most of the students put to be (is, am and are) with wrong subject, and others. The structure of to be Has/Have are : for Has (He, She, and It) and Have (I, We, You, and They).
4 Moreover, the students were difficult in using verb. In simple present tense the verb used by students was verb one (infinitive). The verb of simple present tense would be changed dependent of subject. From the data, the students did not add s or es in the last of the verb, when the verb (infinitive) is a plural. For example,
“My school has two floors”. These the example of wrong sentences of simple present tense:The students should know all about simple present tense, that all included of subject, to be, and verb. Based on the data, the students often did not make to be when they made a sentences. The students always confused in using have and has. In descriptive text, have was used for the plural and has used for singular.Then, the students got difficult in wrote the verb of simple present. In simple present tense used verb one or present tense. If the verb of the simple present was plural, the verb should add s or es.
CONCLUSION
The researcher concluded that most of students’ difficulties in composing paragraph in descriptive text at generic structure in identification than description of descriptive text and the language feature of descriptive text. In language feature of descriptive text was simple present tense.
Some of students were difficult in using to be for the singular and plural.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researcher would like to exprees my sincere gratitude to my first advisor Lili Perpisa, S.S, M.Pd for her patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowladge, her guidance helped him in all the time of research and writing of this thesis. The researcher’s sincere thanks also goes to the second advisor Hevriani Sevrika M.Pd for the continuos supposrt of this research, for her guidance, advice, suggestion and support in finishing this thesis.
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