Dinul Islami: Thesis Chapter III

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD

A. The Research Design

This research was conducted by applying classroom action research. Classroom action research was applied because it focuses on individual or small group professional practice and was undertaken in a school setting.

Ferrance (2000) in http://www.lab.brown.edu defines action research is a reflective process that allows for inquiry and discussion as components of the “research.” Often, action research is a collaborative activity among colleagues searching for solutions to everyday real problems experienced in schools, or looking for ways to improve instruction and increase student achievement. According to Kemmis & Mc. Taggart (2002:125), action research is a form of collective, self-reflective inquiry that participants in social situations undertake to improve the rationality and justice of their own social or educational practices and to improve the participants understanding of the practices and the situations which they carry out these practices. It means that action research is a research designed in an educational field which is conducted collaboratively searching for solutions to real problems experienced in a classroom in order to improve teaching learning quality and increase student achievement.

Therefore, the researcher applied action research in this study to solve the students’ problem in writing recount text and to see the improvement of students’ achievement in writing recount text through peer review technique. The researcher conducted the action research in two cycles by implementing the four steps: planning, action, observation and reflection.

B. The Location and Time of Research

This research had been conducted at SMA Negeri 21 Medan. It is located on Jl. Kramat Indah Selambo, Medan. It was conducted at the first semester on October 4^th – 27^th 2012.

C. The Subject of Research

The subject of this research was the students class X-4 at SMA Negeri 21 Medan. This class consisted of 40 students.

D. The Instrument of Collecting Data

In this study, the data were collected by using quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data were taken from students’ writing scores in order to measure the students’ ability in writing.

The qualitative data were gathered through observation sheet, diary notes, questionnaire sheet, and interview, which are:

1. Observation sheet was used to record the situation and discover problems found during teaching learning process ran.

2. Questionnaire sheet was conducted to know the students’ opinion in learning recount text through peer review technique.

3. Diary notes contained personal evaluation about the situation of the class while teaching learning process and the progress of the project.

4. Interview was done to know the students’ difficulties in writing, especially in writing recount text and about peer review technique.

E. The Procedure of Data Collection

The procedures of data collection were performed by administrating for seven meetings and for two cycles. The first cycle was conducted in four meetings and the second cycle was conducted in three meetings. There was an orientation test before conducting the cycle I in order to get the background situation of the teaching learning in the classroom and the information of students’ knowledge in writing recount text. In conducting this research, there were four steps, namely planning, action, observation, and reflection. Before the last meeting in each cycle, the writer gave writing task to the students to be reviewed for the next meeting (the last meeting of each cycle). The result of doing peer review on students’ writing task in the last meeting of each cycle was used by the writer as the students’ writing scores in order to see the improvement of the students’ achievement in writing recount text. Cycle II was done if there is a need to do it. The writer decided to do it based on the reflection in cycle I.

The procedure of research could be seen on the following figure:

Figure 3.1: Action Research Model of Kemmis & Mc. Taggart

1. Cycle I

In this cycle, there were four meetings were carried out. The first cycle was conducted based on the problems that were found in orientation test. The study began in this phase by interviewing the English teacher as the writer’s collaborator related to students’ writing achievement and their problems in writing a text.

a. Planning

Planning refers to the arrangement for doing something to solve problems. In this phase, everything needed was prepared related to the action that should be done in teaching learning process. Some preparations in planning phase were:

1) Preparing lesson plan. Each meeting was carried out for eighty minutes.

2) Preparing all teaching materials used in this cycle

3) Preparing writing task

4) Designing peer review feedback sheet

5) Preparing observation sheet which was used to know the overall condition of the class during teaching learning process

6) Determining the collaborator to analyze the weakness in teaching learning process and reflecting the result.

b. Action

Action was the implementation of planning. This cycle would be conducted in four meetings. The action was conducted flexibly to see the possible changes happened because of situation and condition found on the field. The activities in the cycle I could be seen as follows:

Table 3.1 Teacher’s and Students’ Activities in Cycle I

Teacher’s Activity	Students’ Activity
Pre Activity
· Apperception: students are asked their understanding about recount text such as what they have known or heard about recount text · Giving motivation to the students; making them sure writing is not difficult by means of peer review technique · Telling the students the objective of the study	· Answering the teacher’s questions · Listening and paying attention to the teacher · Listening and paying attention to the teacher
Main Activity
· Explanning about recount text (the definition, social function, generic structures, and language features) · Giving recount texts to the students and asking them to identify the generic structures and language features · Discussing the result of pair discussion in identifying generic structures and language features of recount texts with the students · Explaining about peer review technique · Giving instructions what should do in peer review session, such as: 1. Dividing students in pairs 2. Exchanging paper (student’s writing) with pair and read it silently 3. Responding the paper in writing (giving comments and revision on their pair’s writing by filling up peer review feedback sheet each other during peer review session) 4. Discussing the result of peer review (student delves further by asking questions of their pair reviewer) 5. Re-writing the final draft based on the revisions and comments given by their pair as needed	· Listening and paying attention to teacher’s explanation about recount text · Asking questions about teacher’s explanation that have not been understood · Identifying generic structures and language features of the texts given in pairs · Presenting the result of discussion · Listening and paying attention to teacher’s explanation about peer review technique · Asking questions about teacher’s explanation that have not been understood · Listening and paying attention to teacher’s instructions and doing them, such as: 1. Sitting with pair 2. Exchanging paper with pair and read it silently 3. Responding the paper in writing (giving comments and revision on pair’s writing by filling up peer review feedback sheet during peer review session) 4. Delving further by asking questions of their pair reviewer 5. Re-writing the final draft based on the revisions and comments given by pair as needed
Post Activity
· Asking students to conclude the lesson that they have learnt · Giving the students a task (writing a recout text individually to be reviewed for the next meeting)	· Stating the result of the lesson they have learnt · Making a note about the task given by the teacher

c. Observation

The observation was done while teaching learning process was running. The teacher and the collaborator observed whether the activities of teaching and learning had been applied due to the lesson plan or not. The collaborator also observed the actions happened during teaching learning process, such as the students’ attitudes and responses. It was about the overall condition occured during teaching learning process.

d. Reflection

Reflection is the feedback process from the action that had been done. It was very necessary to help the writer to make decision what to do or to revise. Based on the data, it focused to construct the second cycle.

2. Cycle II

Action research is cyclical. After doing the cycle I, the researcher could decide to continue the next cycle or not. Cycle II would be done based on the reflection of the cycle I, there would be some aspects that had to be improved.

a. Planning

After analyzing observation sheet and students’ writing score in cycle I, it was needed to conduct cycle II in order to improve students’ achievement. Some revised planed according to students’ need had to be arranged such as:

1) Preparing teaching materials that would be used during the cycle

2) Designing peer review feedback sheet

3) Giving more motivation to the students in order to increase their enthusiasm in writing during the writing process

4) Having seen in first cycle that many students were not too serious during peer review session, the writer would control and monitor every pair by asking them everything they do not understand.

5) Preparing research instrument, such as observation sheet and questionnaire sheet

6) Preparing writing task to measure the result of the study

7) Determining the collaborator to observe all the condition in teaching learning process and reflecting the result

b. Action

Action was the implementation of revise plan of cycle I. This cycle would be conducted in three meetings. The activities in cycle II could be seen as follows:

Table 3.2 Teacher’s and Students’ Activities in Cycle II

Teacher’s Activity	Students’ Activity
Pre Activity
· Apperception: asking some students to share what they know about recount text · Giving motivation to the students; making them sure that peer review is an interesting technique and also an esssential part of writing process · Telling the students the objective of the study	· Answering the teacher’s questions · Listening and paying attention to the teacher · Listening to the teacher
Main Activity
· Explanning about recount text (generic structures, and language features: simple past tense) · Giving a recount text and identifying the generic structures and language features of the text together with the students by asking one of students to read it first · Giving a task: an incomplete recount text and asking the students to fill the blanks with the correct simple Past Tense · Giving instructions what should do in peer review session, such as: 1. Dividing students in pairs 2. Exchanging paper (student’s writing) with pair and read it silently 3. Responding the paper in writing (giving comments and revision on their pair’s writing by filling up peer review feedback sheet each other during peer review session) 4. Discussing the result of peer review (student delves further by asking questions of their pair reviewer) 5. Re-writing the final draft based on the revisions and comments given by their pair as needed	· Listening and paying attention to teacher’s explanation · Asking questions about teacher’s explanation that have not been understood · Reading the text and Identifying the text given together with the teacher · Filling up the incomplete recount text individually · Listening and paying attention to teacher’s instructions and doing them, such as: 1. Sitting with pair 2. Exchanging paper with pair and read it silently 3. Responding the paper in writing (giving comments and revision on pair’s writing by filling up peer review feedback sheet during peer review session) 4. Delving further by asking questions of their pair reviewer 5. Re-writing the final draft based on the revisions and comments given by pair as needed
Post Activity
· Giving questionnaire sheet to the students · Asking the students to conclude the lesson that they have found · Evaluating the whole activity	· Filling up the questionnaire sheet · Stating the result of the lesson they have found · Listening and paying attention to the teacher

c. Observation

The observation in this cycle is just same like in cycle I. The observation was done while teaching learning process was running. The teacher and the collaborator observed the improvement in this cycle whether teaching learning process was better or not in this cycle. The collaborator observed the overall condition using observation sheet.

d. Reflection

Reflection was the last step done by the teacher and the collaborator after all the actions planned and the observation had done in this cycle. The teacher and her collaborator would evaluate and analyze the result of gathering data in order to know the surplus and the lacks of the application of the revised plan that had been done.

F. The Scoring of Writing

To know students’ ability in writing, there are some criteria that had been considered. According to Hughey et al. (1983:141-145), there are five component scales in scoring students’ writing, namely content, organization, vocabulary, language use and mechanics (see Table 3.3)

Table 3.3 Scoring of Writing Test

COMPONENTS	CRITERIA	SCORE
1. Content The score of content depends on the students’ ability to write ideas, information in the form of logical sentence.	Excellent to Very Good: Knowledgeable; substantive; relevant to assigned topic	30 – 27
	Good to Average: some knowledge of subject; adequate range; limited development of topic; mostly relevant to topic, but lacks detail	26 – 22
	Fair to Poor: limited knowledge of subject; little substance; inadequate development of topic	21 – 17
	Very Poor: does not show knowledge of subject; not substantive; not pertinent or not enough to evaluate	16 - 13
2. Organization The score of organization depends on the students’ ability to write correct and appropriate manner for a particular purpose with a particular audience in mind, together with ability to select, to organize and other relevant information.	Excellent to Very Good: fluent expression, ideas clearly stated/supported; succinct; well organized; logical sequencing; cohesive	20 -18
	Good to Average: Somewhat choppy; loosely organized, but main ideas stand out; limited support; logical but incomplete sequencing	17 – 14
	Fair to Poor: Not fluent; ideas confused or disconnected; lacks logical sequencing and development	13 – 10
	Very Poor: does not communicate; no organization or not enough to evaluate	9 - 7
3. Vocabulary The score of vocabulary depends on the students’ ability to write the word effectively and to appropriate register.	Excellent to Very Good: sophisticated range; effective word/idiom choice and usage; word form mastery; appropriate register	20 – 18
	Good to Average: adequate range; occasional errors of word/idiom form, choice, usage but meaning not obscured	17 – 14
	Fair to Poor: limited range; frequent errors of word/idiom form, choice, usage; meaning confused or obscure	13 – 10
	Very Poor: essentially translation; little knowledge of English vocabulary, idioms, word or not enough to evaluate	9 – 7
4. Language Use The score of language use depends on the students’ ability to write correct and appropriate sentences.	Excellent to Very Good: effective complex construction; few errors of agreement, tense, number, word order/function, articles, pronouns, prepositions	25 – 22
	Good to Average: effective but simple constructions; minor problems in complex constructions; several errors of agreement, tense, number, word order/function, articles, pronouns, prepositions but meaning seldom obscured	21 – 18
	Fair to Poor: major problems in simple/complex constructions; frequent errors of negation, agreement, tense, number, word order/function, articles, pronouns, prepositions; meaning confused or obscured	17 – 11
	Very Poor: virtually no mastery of sentence construction rules; dominated by errors; does not communicate or not enough to evaluate	10 – 5
5. Mechanics The score of mechanics depends on the students’ ability to use correctly those conventions peculiar to written language, e.g. punctuation, spelling.	Excellent to Very Good: demonstrates mastery of conventions; few errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing	5
	Good to Average: occasional errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraph-ing, but meaning not obscured	4
	Fair to Poor: frequent errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing; poor handwriting; meaning confused or obscured	3
	Very Poor: no master of conventions; dominated by errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing; handwriting illegibleor not enough to evaluate	2

G. The Technique of Data Analysis

This study used qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were used to describe the situation during the teaching and learning process. The qualitative data in this study were analyzed from observation sheet, diary notes, questionnaire sheet and interview. Meanwhile, the quantitative data was collected and analyzed by computing the scores of writing task.

To know the mean of the students’ score in each cycle, the following formula was applied: