IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING NARRATIVE

TEXT THROUGH PROBLEM BASED LEARNING

NURHANNA SARI SIREGAR

English Department - State University of Medan

ABSTRACT

This study attempted to improve students’ achievement in writing narrative text

by applying Problem Based Learning technique. This study was conducted by
using clasroom action research. The subject of this research was the students of
VIII science SMP I BARUMUN TENGAH PADANG LAWAS with the total 40
students. The esearches conducted in two cycles consisted of six meetings. The
instruments for collecting the date were tests, diary notes, observation sheets, and
interview. Based on the date analysis, the mean of the students’ score for the
orientation test was 51. 52 for test I (cycle 1) was 39. 61 and for test II (cycle 2)
was 58. 76. The conclution is Problem Based Learning technique can improve the
students’ achievement in writing narrative text.

Keywords: Problem Based Learning, Writing, Narrative Text.

1. Introduction

There are four kinds of language skills supposed to to be acquired by the

students: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. These skills are the objectives

of teaching and learning English as a foreign language and they are related to one

another. The skills themselves cannot be separated because they give contribution

to one another. Writing is one of the most infortant skills in language learning.

Being able to write is vital skill for speakers of a foreign language as much as for

every one using their own first language (Harner, 2004: 3).

Teaching this skill needs a good preparation of the teacher. To reach the

nature of teaching such as mentioned above, it is infortant to be aware the

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approach of teaching, method of teaching, technique of teaching, and even the

material of teaching. It is espected that oll of these things are appropriate,

interesting, and meaningful for the students.

Writing is part of language skills that imfortant to be taught. In writing the

writers inform an idea and message in the written form. The reader can understand

experience, event, and histories idea easly. So, need a knowledge and experience.

Without having good knowledge in writing. The writer will not be able to convey

his/her ideas to the reader.

As Byrne (1979:5) stated that writing is the process of

communucation that introduces graphic symbols such as
word, phrase,and sentence later formed become good
paragraph that convey a message to the readers.

In writing activity, the writer has no only to think of the way to say

something and selecting words but the writer has consider how to develov idea.

To combine sentence and to organize paragraph by paragraph. It means that in a

process of writing, the writer need good preparation, prior knowledge, and

experiences accurate before writing. It can be say writing in English is

considered as the most important part to be learned, especially for the student

have to competence in writing.

Writing is actually helful for the students to learn a language because

writing provides many advantages, namely: writing reiforces the grammatical

structure, idioms, and vocabulary; writing also enhances the students to venture

the language; by writing the students become very involved it the language effort

to express their ideas.

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 Before starting writing, it is necessary to express one experince, when

one writes something, for example, when one writes letter espesially love letters,

who many pieces of letter will be torn when writes it. Many people will tear

more than three or four papers just for one single letter and will spend much time

to produce a single letter.

According to the Education Unit Orientation Curriculum of junior

High School (Kurrikulum Tingkat Satuan Pengajaran), for English
subject, students are expected to be able to write a simple
paragraph of description, recount, narrative, spoof, anecdote,
procedure, and etc. One of the writing focuses which must be
mastered by students in writing narrative text.

But in reality, most of the students always face problem in writing

process. Its’ proven when the students can’t be able to write a simple text. As

Marta (2003) points out in her research findings that among the 40 students, here

are only 11 students that can get good score and the other 29 students are unable

to write well. As the result the students get bad score in their writing. So they

assumed that writing is very difficult to study. It is caused by low prior

knowledge in develoving idea, using sentence pattern, appopriate word or

confusion in expressing their idea.

Based on the writers’ experience ovservation on teaching training, she

fonnd that writing narrative text was a serious problem for students. They had

difficulty in develoving idea. Using sentence pattern and appropriate words and

confuse to find out topic. Students’ difficulty in writing good ccomposition can

be seen from their poor writing. Most of them fall in adressing the assigned

topics, repeating idea, writing text without topic sentence, lack of sufficient

evidence, no transition between sentence and could not develop and organize

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their idea and express it well. Those happen because of less practice or boring

method on learning activity. It is true that teaching learning method can influence

students’ success failure in learning subject.

Therefore, the teacher should be able to present the lesson interesting and

create a relevant topic based on the knowledge of the students. So it can motivate

the students and increase their curiosity particulary in writing skill. It means that

the teacher must emphasize the uses of Problem Based Learning to keep

students’ interest in writing skill. By using this method, it is expected that the

students are able to learn eister and for teachers’ it can ease to monitor and

observe the process of writing.

Problem based learning is a group of teaching learning process that is

focused to the process of problem solving which is fased secientifically. It can

help students in solving the problem that they often faced in writing. They will

solve the problem together in their group and discusss each other so that their

ideas and information can develop. Through problem based learning, it is

expected that students are able to write especially narrative text.

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 2. Problem Based Learning

Problem Based Learning is designed in the late 1970s. It is kind of

approach that challages students to learn through engagement in a real problem.

Problem Based Learning is students-centered that refers to give relevant

opportunities to the students. It will make a fundamental shift from a focus on

teaching to a focus on learning. The process in Problem Based Learning is aimed

at using the power of authentic problem solving to engage students and enhance

their learning and motivation.

Barrow and Tamblyn (1980) in http://www.c-sap.bhan.ac.uk/

resources/project reports/sow overview.asp?id=4 stetes that Problem Based

Learning is the larning that result from the procss of working toward the

understanding or resolution of the problem which is encountered in the first to the

students.

.Furthermore,Kaufan in http://www.c-sap.bhan.ac.uk/ resources/project

reports/sow overview.asp?id=4 says that Problem Based Learning is a teaching

method that can be used in small group. From the explanation above, it can be

concluded that Problem Based Learning is Process of learning taht is atrted with

the problem in order to motivete and engage students to study collaborativelly.

In Poblem Based Learning, the teacher present to students as a problem

solver to work and decide their goal. This does not means that the teacher gie the

authority for making judgments regarding what might be important for students to

learn but it will practice students responsibility and motivate them in learning.

The teacher acts as a faciliator and mentor rather than a source of solution.
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 To do the implementation of the Problem Based Learning, the teacher

needs to choose the topicts or the materials of the subject which they have a

problem and it can be solve. The problem can be taken from the text book orfrom

the other aspect, such as the incident around the environment, the incident in a

family or in the social life.

The starategy of Problem Based Learning can be done in the following

situation:

1) If the teacher wasnt students not only memorize their lesson, but also to

master and understand it well

2) If the teacher intends in increase the skill of the students’ rational

thinking, such as the ability in analyzing a situation, to apply their

knowledgein a new situation, to know the difference between the fact and

idea, and also increase the ability in making judgment objectjectively.

3) If the teacher wants the students to be able to solve a problem and make a

challenge of the students inteligence

4) If the teacher wants to motivate the students to understand the relationship

between that they have studied and the reality in their life.(the

realationship between theory and reality)

The Characteristic of Problem Based Learning

There are three primary Characteristic of Problem Based Learning based on

Tan in (M. Taufiq Amir 2008: 22)

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1. Problem Based Learning is a set of learning activity

In Problem Based Learning there are some activities that should be done by

students. The students are not expected to do tradisional habits such as: taking

note, listening to the teacher’ explanation, remembering the material. The students

are expected to think actively, communicate and find the conclution.

2. All the activitiesin Problem Based Learning are tended to solve the problem

Problem Based Learning pleaces a problem as a key of learning process. It

implies that the learning process is nothing without a problem.

3) Problem Based Learning uses scientific thinking in solving the problem

In solving the poblem, the students should think scientifically. Sientific

means a process of thinking deductively and inductively. It should be passed

by several steps and baesd on several facts.

2.1.5.2 The Procedure of Problem Based Learning

According to (M. Amir 2008: 24), there are sevent steps in Problem Based

Learning

1) Cclarifying and agreeing on terms and concepts that are unclear

Make sure all of the students understood some concept on the problem.

For example: the teacher give the text to the students and then make the students

understand about the concept of the problem.

2) Formulating the Problem

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 It means that the step which the students determine the problem will be

solved. The teacher can start a discussion of general topic that relates to daily

activities after introduces the general topic, the teacher gives the problem to

students. For example: the teacher gives a problem after explain about the

characteristics, types, tense and generic structure of narrative text. The teacher

gives ficture story whih contain 15 random fictures to each group. They are asked

into good order.

3) Analyzing the Problem

It is step which students look at the problem critically. In this step, the

students can use their knowledge to analyze or learn the problem specifically. The

students should determine the basic problem. They work and discuss in group in

group to get clearly about analyzing problem.

For Example: in the second step, the students look and analyze the picture story.

They have to find the first picture in the paper and arrange it into good order.

4) Formulating Hypotesis

It is a step which the students formulate same solutions on their knowledge. It

is important in Problem Based Learning. The ability of studnts expected in this

step is decision about the causes and effect to solve the problem. For example: the

students will formulate the hypotesis about right picture story and the sentence of

each picture. They try to combine the sentence into good text.

5) Collecting Date

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 It is step which the stude nts look for and draw information that they need to

solve the pro blem. The students have to collect and choose the relevant date

about the topic. Those processes are not just imagianation but based on

experience. The date will support in solving the problem.

For example: the students have to find the date or information from other sources

to get the clear concep of their text. The sources are books, note or teacher

expalnation. Then, the students should determine the ganeric structure, tense and

types orf text.

6) Evaluating the Hypotesis

It means that a step which the students take or formulate a conclution based

on the sentencesbor the fail of the hypotesis. The students should evaluate the

result or conclution of their project correctly in order to get the best result.

For example: after the students get the conclution of their project such as : giving

athe good order of picture story and narrative text, the generic structure, types

and the tense, they evaluate in to get the best result.

7) Formulating the Recomendation of Problem Solving

Here, the students draw the recomendation which can be done based on the

formulation of the evaluating of the hypotesis result.

For example: the students will apply the activities in the vrevious step. So, after

they evaluate and ger the new idea or recomendation, they willl apply to their

project result.
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The advantages of Problem Based Learning

The advantages of Problem Based Learning

 Student center. Problem Based Learning foster active learning, improved

understanding and retention and development of life long learning skills.

 Integration, Poblem Based Learning facilitates and integrate core

curriculum

 Motivation, Problem Based Learning is fun for students and tutors and the

process requires all students to be engaged in the learning process

 Generic Competencies, Problem Based Learning allows students to

develop generic skills and attitudes in their future practice.

 Deep Learning, Problem Based Learning foster deep learning (students

interac with the learning, relate concept to everyday activities, and

improve their understanding)

 Constructivist approach. Students activate prior knowledge and builds on

existing conceptual knowledge prameworks.

2. Writing

According to Brown (2001: 337) said that writing is a way to end up

thinking something you could not have started our thingking. Bell and Burnady

as quoted by Nunan (1989:36) states that writing is an extremely complex

cognitive in which the writer is required to demonstrate control of a number of

variables simultaneously at the sentences level those in clued control of context,

format sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and letter formation.

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Beyond the sentence, the writer must be able to structure and integrate

information into cohesive and coherent paragraph.

Writing is one of the language skills. In modern life, writing is very

important because if is known that all knowledge is build on writing Keith

(1980:269) states that writing is related to human consciousness and it is the

ability to use the structure, lexical items and conventional representation in

ordinary matter of facts of writing. In addition D’angelo (1977) explains that

writing is a thinking process in which setting ideas and arranging the ideas in an

orderly fashion are closely connected.

Based on the quotations above, it can be assumed that writing is a process

of putting thoughts and ideas in words into a sequence of words, combining

sentences in the form of a paragraph in which every sentence is related to another

semantically. In addition, writing should be organized effectively and include

aspects such as words choice, grammar, mechanics, and contents or evidences.

3. Narrative Text

The means of reading is written text. There are so many kainds of text, and

one of them is narrative. Narative text is defined as literature written primarily to

tell a story. Good narrative literature, which establishe or develops a conflik,

addresses common aspect of human existence.

Narative is not simply about entertaining the reader even thought it

generally does so. Narrative is also a powerful medium fo changing social

opinions attitudes and some soap operas and television drama as narrative to raise

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topic issue and presesnt their complexities and different perspectives in ways that

are not possible in news reports and current affair program. Formally, narrative

sequences people/caracters in time and place.

Generic Structure of Narrative Text

According to Pardiyono there are four elements of structure of Narrative, they

are :

1. Orientation is consists of the topic of an activity or event which is told.

2. Sequence of events consists of some conflicts, which happen.

3. Resolution is the text element consists of the problem solving.

4. Coda is a simple conclusion which consists of moral lesson for the reader.

Language Features of Narrative Text

According to McKeugh, Palmer, Jervey, and Bird (2007) that narrative features

are:

1) Sequentiality. Story events occur in a squence, linked by connecting words

such as and, then, because, and but).

2) Particulary. Stories are about something in particular; extraneous events that

do not relate to this particular something should not be included in the story.

3) International states. Story characters’ actions are motivated by their intentions

(i.e., goals, desires, wants, and needs). Canonicity and breach. In stories, the

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expected order of things (i.e., the canon) is breached, thus situating the story

character in dilemma.

4. Findings

The result indicated the there was an improvement on the students’ writing

narrative text achievement through problem based learning technique. It was

supported by the fact that the mean of the score in every test increased. The mean

in the orientation test was 51.52, the mean of the test I(cycle I) was 39.61 and the

mean of the test II(cycle 2) was 58.76.

The qualitative date were taken from interview sheets, diary notes,

questionnaire and observation sheets which showed that students’ participation in

this study increased from meeting to meeting. Based on the interview, the students

admitted that their English teacher had never used problem based learning

technique in teaching writing skill especially in writing narrative text. These date

described the students’ attention, enthusiastic, responses and the participation was

good during the research process.

Conclusion

After analysis the date, it was found out that the students’ score increased

from the first cycle to the second cycle. The mean of the students’ score in test I

was 39. 61 then it was improved in test II become 58. 76. It means than the mean

of the students’ score from the test improved 15. 19. From the date it can be

concluded that problem based learning technique can help students’ achievement

in writing narrative text.

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 It was also found that the students no longer have difficulties in writing

narrative text since problem based learning technique can help them in narrative

writing. The technique help them to elaborate the ideas to write about the topic

they want to write. By using problem based learning technique, the students

finally found that writing narrative text is not so difficult as they taught and even

it can be fun because the technique help them to share and elaborate ideas.

Therefore, it can be concluded that problem based learning technique can improve

students ‘achievement in writing narrative text.

Suggestions

The result of this study shows that the use problem based learning

technique in writing skill can improve the students’ achievement in writing

narrative. These following suggestion are offered:

a. To English teacher, it is better to use the problem based learning

technique in teaching writing skill to the students because it will be eiser

for the students to write a text, especillly a narrative text. This technique

makes the students share ideas in a group and elaborate the ideas into

writing individually.

b. To the students, it is suggested to practice writing more often by using

problem based learning technique since it can improve the students’

achievement in narrative writing.

c. To all the readers, this research will bring them to good understanding of

writing the narrative text because by using this technique people will

not get stuck in writing narrative text. They will always know what to

write since the technique allow them to share ideas.

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 5. References

Amir Taufik. 2009. Inovasi Pendidikan Melalui Problem Based Learning.

Jakarta: Kencana

Brown, H. Douglas. 2001. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to

Language Pedagogy. Second edition. San Fransisco: Longman

Byrne, Donn. 1998. Teaching Writing Skill. England: Longman Group

Harmer, Jeremy. 1998. How to Teach English. Pearson Education limited:

Longman

Harmer, Jeremy. 2004. How to teach Writing. Pearson Education limited:

Longman

Graham, S. & Machtur, C. 2004. Writing Instructions. United State: University

of Maryland

Nunan, David. 1999. Second language Teaching and Learning. U.S.A.:

University of Hongkong

Pardiyono. 2007. Pasti Bisa: Teaching Genre-Based Writing. Yogyakarta: Andi

Setiyadi, Ag. Bambang. 2006. Teaching English as A Foreign Language.

Yogyakarta: Graha Ilmu

White & Arndt. http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/srs/chalcycle.htm. Writing

Methodology. accessed 08 Maret 2012

http://www.c-sap.bhan.ac.uk/ resources/project reports/sow overview.asp/

accessed Maret 12th 2012

http://edukasi.kompasiana.com/2010/06/24/guru-berkarakter/ accessed on April

23th,
2012

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