ENHANCING THE EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS’ RECOUNT PARAGRAPH WRITING ACHIEVEMENT BY USING PHOTOGRAPHS AT SMP NEGERI 9 JEMBER

Abstract

This classroom action research was intended to enhance the eighth grade students’ recount paragraph writing achievement by using photographs at SMP Negeri 9 Jember in the 2014/2015 academic year. The research subject was the students of class 8-C who experienced difficulties in writing. Based on the preliminary study, it was known that class 8-C had the lowest average score in writing compare to the other classes. It was proven by their previous mean score in writing that was 70.6. From the previous writing test, there were 16 students (38%) of 42 students in that class who got score 74 or more. It occurred because the students experienced difficulties in finding ideas related to the topic, how and where to start writing, and organizing their sentences. Accordingly, they had poor writing products which were shown in the lack of grammar, mechanics, and context. Besides, the students became less active in the teaching learning process. Thus, the researcher and the English teacher collaboratively attempted to solve the problem by using photographs as the teaching media in the teaching writing of recount. Classroom Action Research (CAR) with cyclical model was used as the research design. There were 2 cycles done in this research in which every cycle covered four stages activities namely: planning of the action, the implementation of the action, observation and evaluation of the action, reflection of the action. Each cycle was conducted in two meetings and was followed by a test in the third meeting. The data in this research were gained by having observation in the class in every meeting and by administering a writing test. The research was considered to reach the criteria of success when at least 75% of the students achieved score ≥ 74 as the minimum standard score and at least 75% of the students actively participated during the teaching learning process by fulfilling at least three indicators of students' participation. The results of classroom observation in Cycle 1, the data showed that there was an improvement of students’ participation from Meeting 1 to Meeting 2. As many as 57% in Meeting 1 and 71.4% in Meeting 2 of the students actively participated in the teaching learning process. Unfortunately, the average of the percentage of students’ participation in Cycle 1 had not achieved the research success criteria. Moreover, the result of writing test showed the same thing in which only 66.7% of the students passed the standard score. Therefore, Cycle 2 was conducted with some revisions to solve the problems found in Cycle 1. The results of observation and writing test in Cycle 2 showed an improvement and satisfying result. The result of observation showed that the students’ participation during the teaching learning writing process increased from 64.2% in Cycle 1 to 77.4% in Cycle 2. It proved that the use of photographs could motivate the students and made them enthusiastic in joining the lesson. Furthermore, the improvement of the students’ writing score can be seen from the percentage of the students who got score 74 or more increased from 66.7% in Cycle 1 became 81% in Cycle 2. Thus, in Cycle 2 the research success criteria had been achieved. Considering the results of the action research, it was concluded that photographs were effective to overcome the students’ problems in writing. The use of photographs in teaching writing could enhance the eighth grade students’ recount paragraph writing achievement at SMP Negeri 9 Jember in 2014/2015 academic year.