Improving The Students’ Writing Skill Using Modified Word Wall (A Classroom Action Research At The Eighth Grade Of Smp N 1 Purwantoro In The Academic Year Of 2012/2013)

Oleh :
Tri Murwanto - S890809213 - Sekolah Pascasarjana

The objectives of this research are: (1) to find out whether modified word walls can improve writing skill of eighth grade (VIIIF) students of SMPN I Purwantoro in 2012/2013 academic year; and (2) to find out the strength and weaknesses of using modified word walls to teach writing. The classroom action research was employed in this research. The subject of the research was 33 eighth grade (VIIIF) students of SMP N 1 Purwantoro in the academic year of 2012/2013. This action research was conducted in two cycles. Each consisted of planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting the action. In collecting data, the researcher used quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data were taken from the writing test scored by two scorers. The writing test was to write recount and narrative texts scored based on organization, idea/content, grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics. The qualitative data were taken from the result of questionnaire, interview, and observation given to the students. The quantitative data were collected from a pre-test in pre-research, a post-test in Cycle 1, and a post-test in Cycle 2. The qualitative data were analyzed by Constant Comparative Method and the quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The finding of the research shows that using modified word wall in teaching and learning process can improve: (1) students’ writing skill from cycle to cycle, they write better in organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. They also write better in content. Then, students’ writing achievement also improved from pre-test to post-test. Modified word wall also can improve class situation: (a) the students were active during teaching learning process; (b) the students were less noisy; and (c) the students were motivated; (2) There are some strengths and weaknesses of using modified word wall in writing class. Based on the result of the research, it can be concluded that the use of modified word wall improves students’ writing skill. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers use modified word wall in teaching writing.