ENHANCING THE EIGHTH YEAR STUDENTS’ DESCRIPTIVE WRITING ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH COMPOSITE PICTURES AT SMPN 02 KENCONG IN THE 2010/2011 ACADEMIC YEAR

Abstract

In learning language, those four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as the three components: vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation must be mastered. Besides, the teaching learning process should indicate integration skill since the skills cannot be separated one another. However, among those four skills, writing is a skill that is considered the most difficult one. Meanwhile, the target of teaching writing in Indonesia as stated in the Institutional Level Curriculum (Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan/ KTSP) is that students are exposed to explain all sorts of meanings (interpersonal, ideational, textual) into various written texts and monologue, especially in the form of descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, and anecdote (Depdiknas, 2006: 106). In line with the target of teaching writing above, the researcher did a preliminary study of the eighth-year students of SMPN 2 Kencong and found some problems. Some students have difficulty to express their ideas in written form. The indicator is the remained low capability of making sentences, and the main reason why it happens is that the teacher still has less of media to stimulate the students’ interest to expand their ideas. In addition, they have problem in organizing their paragraph writing. The objectives of this research are to improve the students’ descriptive writing achievement, and to promote the students’ participation in the teaching and learning process by using composite picture. The term writing achievement in this research is the students’ performance in writing descriptive paragraph, demonstrated by scores of writing test with the indicators; content, vocabulary, mechanics, grammar and organization. Meanwhile, descriptive paragraph is a paragraph that describes a certain person, place, or an object so precisely, so the readers see the item clearly in his or her imagination. Furthermore, this research is classroom action research. It is carried out to improve the eighth grade students’ descriptive writing achievement through composite pictures at SMPN 02 Kencong in the 2010/2011 academic year. The respondents are the eighth year students at SMPN 02 Kencong. In this classroom action research, there are three kinds of instruments used to collect the data about students’ writing achievement as well as students’ participation. Writing test is instrument used to collect the data about students’ writing achievement, while observation checklist is the instrument used to collect the data about students’ participation. In addition, field notes used to record problematic aspects in the implementations of the research. The data analyzed using formula. The achievement indicator are more than 75% of the students have achieved the minimum requirement or score that is 65 and if more than 75% of the students are also actively involved in the teaching and learning process of descriptive paragraph writing by using composite pictures. The result of writing test were the percentage of students who get score ≥65 in the second cycle had improved from 57.1% students in the first cycle (24 students) to 79.4% students in the second cycle (31 students). Meanwhile from the observation checklist, the students’ activeness in cycle 2 was also higher than in cycle 1. It improved from 52.2% of the students in the first cycle to 78.5% of the students in the second cycle who were active during the teaching learning process. Overall, the students’ had achieved the research indicators achievement. Finally, based on the results of data analysis and discussion, it was known that teaching writing through composite pictures can improve the eighth grade students’ descriptive writing achievement and their participation in teaching learning process at SMPN 02 Kencong. Considering that result, the researcher suggest to the English teacher to use composite pictures in teaching writing to improve and to develop both the students’ writing achievement and teaching learning process. It would be more interesting and the students would be more motivated to join the writing activity.