AN ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE FEATURES IN DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS WRITTEN BY DIFFERENT ACHIEVERS OF THE TENTH GRADE STUDENTS

Abstract

This research was intended to describe the difficulties that different achivers of the tenth grade students in PK A class generally had and the way of the tenth grade students in each group apply language features by analyzing their descriptive texts. Based on the interview with the English teacher of MA Unggulan Nuris Jember, it was found that the tenth grade students of PK A class had some problems in learning writing. Besides, the time allocation of teaching writing was also limited. It was why the students could not get more writing practice effectively and the teacher only could give less feedback to the students‟ writing texts. There were fifteen students chosen in this research in which five students representing high, average, and low achievers. Their levels were determined based on their latest score from English subject examination. The data collection methods used document from students‟ writing assignment and interview to the English teacher and the students. The researcher analyzed the aspects of language features which consisted of a specific participant, simple present tense, linking verbs, and adjectives in descriptive text written by the students. Meanwhile, some questions were provided to interview the teacher and the students to prove that they had taught and learnt about descriptive texts and also the language features of descriptive text as the main part of this research. The result of data analysis was interpreted in the form of table and description. It was found that simple present tense as one aspect of language features in descriptive text analyzed had become the main problem for the students in any group, high, average, and low achievers, in PK A class. They were not able to apply simple present tense appropriately as they still put many inappropriate simple present verbs and subject agreement in their descriptive texts. It was strengthened by the interview to the students in which only three of fifteen students represented high achievers (IN, MKR, and NH) considered grammar and the language features of the text as the most important part to learn. Most low achievers‟ problems were in the use of simple present tense and adjectives, while average achievers‟ problem was mostly in the use of simple present tense. The other language features such as a specific participant and linking verbs were applied much better by the students from high, average, and low achievers. It can be seen from their writing result that they did not have many difficulties like in simple present tense and adjectives. In fact, high achievers put the fewest inappropriate language features compared with the other achievers and it showed that they had better control in applying them in their descriptive texts. In conclusion, the writing result showed that high achievers could follow the theory requirements to apply the language features in their texts much better than average and low achievers in this research. Moreover, the use of simple present tense become main problem for the students that they needed to learn more in writing desriptive text.