FACILITATING STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING ON DESCRIPTIVE WRITING USING MUSIC VIDEO (An Experimental Research with the Eighth Grade Students of MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal in the Academic Year of 2010/2011) A Final Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement For Gaining the Degree of Bachelor of Education In English Language Education By: ARINA FARDANI Student Number: 073411036 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING DEPARTMENT EDUCATION FACULTY WALISONGO STATE INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES SEMARANG 2011
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FACILITATING STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING ON
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING USING MUSIC VIDEO
(An Experimental Research with the Eighth Grade Students of MTs NU 01
Cepiring Kendal in the Academic Year of 2010/2011)
A Final Project
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement
For Gaining the Degree of Bachelor of Education
In English Language Education
By:
ARINA FARDANI
Student Number: 073411036
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING DEPARTMENT
EDUCATION FACULTY
WALISONGO STATE INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES
SEMARANG
2011
ABSTRACT
Title : Facilitating Students’ Understanding on Descriptive
Writing Using Music Video (An Experimental
Research with the Eight Grade Students of MTs NU 01
Cepiring Kendal in the Academic Year of 2010-2011)
Writer : Arina Fardani
Student Number : 073411036
The thesis discusses the use of music video in teaching descriptive text.
The background of the study is that in the teaching learning, teacher uses
conventional method in teaching descriptive text. In this case, students feel
saturated with this monotonous situation. They need a new method or medium in
learning English, especially Descriptive text. The study is aimed at responding the
following questions: (1) how is the comparison of the students’ score between
students who were taught by music video and those who were not in MTs NU 01
Cepiring Kendal?, (2) what are the results of experimental class and control class
in MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal?, (3) what are the advantages of music video in
descriptive writing learning which taught in MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal?. The
topic is discussed through experimental research in MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal.
The data are gathered through documentation, test and observation. All data then
are analyzed using the quantitative approach which used some formula to find the
normality, homogeneity, test of average and hypothesis test.
The study shows that: (1) there is a comparison of the students’ score
between students who were taught with music video and those who were not in
MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal. It can be showed with the significant difference of
the average score of the experimental and control class in pre-test and post-test.
The average score for the experimental class was 72.97 for the pre test and 79.0
for the post test. While the average score for the control class was 70.66 for the
pre test and 75.09 for the post test, (2) the result of the calculation using the t-test
showed that t count = 2.24 and ttable for α = 5% was 1,67. It means that t count was
higher than t table {2.24>1,67}. It can be conclude that there is a significant
difference in the student writing score of the eight year students of MTs NU 01
Cepiring Kendal in academic year of 2010/2011 between students who taught
writing a descriptive text by using music video and those who taught by using a
conventional learning, (3) based on the result, the researcher finds the advantages
of using music video in the teaching descriptive text, those are: through music
video, students can describe clearer, because music video facilitating students
with the real descriptions of people, place, environment and situations. It made
students’ writing more complete because they can describe all of the things in the
video. Using music video as teaching medium also made students interested.
Music video, for them, was so new that they were so excited in the teaching
learning process.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
بسم هلل الرحمن الرحيم
First and foremost, I would like to express gratitude to Allah SWT, the
Almighty God for the blessing, kindness, and inspiration in lending me to
accomplish the final project. Without Him, I couldn’t stay patient and in control in
writing this final project from the first page to the last page.
Second, Shalawat and Salam always dedicated to our beloved prophet
Muhammad SAW, the last prophet and the prophet who had brought us from the
darkness to the brightness.
I realize that I cannot complete this final project without the help of others. Many
people have helped me during the writing this final project and it would be
impossible to mention of all them. I wish, however, to give my sincerest gratitude
and appreciation to all persons until this thesis can be completely finished.
Facilitating Students’ Understanding on Descriptive Writing Using Music Video
(An Experimental Research with Eight Grade Students of MTs NU 01 Cepiring
Kendal in the Academic Year of 2010/2011) is a thesis for readers who want to
know the use of Music Video in facilitating students’ understanding in writing
descriptive text. Therefore, I would like to extend my appreciation to all of them,
especially to:
1. Dr. Suja’i, M.A. as the Dean of Tarbiyah Faculty
2. Siti Tarwiyah, M.Hum. as the Head of English Department
3. Daviq Rizal, M.Pd. as the first thesis advisor and Drs. H. Abdul Wahib,
M.Ag. as the second thesis advisor who both had the responsibility for
their patience in providing careful guidance, helpful corrections, very good
advice as well as suggestion and encouragement during the consultation.
There is no single word that I can say except, ―Thank you very much for
guiding me as good as my parent. You are a nice lecturer.‖
4. All lectures in English Department of Tarbiyah Faculty for valuable
knowledge, and advice during the years of my study.
5. Afif Abdullah, S.Pd., as the Headmaster of MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal,
thanks for the permission to do the research in the school which he lead.
And Irwan Rudiyono, S.Pd., as the Englsih Teacher who has given the
good guidance to do the research.
6. My lovely parent, Romadhon Soffan, BA and Hanik Wiqoyati. Dad, I
hope you rest in peace in the heaven. You are one of the reasons I still
stand strongly in this world. Mom, thanks for all your pray, support, your
deepest love to me and all that you did for me and my life. Everyone
knows that you are the best mom in the world. My brothers, M. Azka
Maulida and M. Aqil Luthfan, thanks for your pray.
7. My lovely and unforgettable friends, Ana Rosyidatullaiiliyah, Atin
Mawaddah Ilmiyati, Lina Hasnawati, Lulu Ekadini, Eva Risliana Dewi,
Kholisatul Umami, Ema Ulfiah and Muhammad Mufti Haris. Thanks for
your existence when I need you, for your immeasurable support, pray and
help, and thanks for this memorable and unforgettable friendship. I will
always keep in my mind.
8. My friends at English Department of Tarbiyah Faculty State Institute for
Islamic Studies Walisongo Semarang, especially TBI B ’07, who can not
mention one by one, thanks for giving me a lot of assistance and
motivation. Thanks a lot for cooperation.
Semarang, Nopember 2011
The writer,
Arina Fardani
Student Number 073411036
TABLE OF CONTENT
Page
Title..................................................................................................................... i
Thesis Statement................................................................................................. ii
Ratification Note................................................................................................. iii
Abstract............................................................................................................... vi
Acknowledgement.............................................................................................. vii
Table of Content................................................................................................. ix
The List of Tables................................................................................................ xi
The List of Appendices....................................................................................... xii
Chapter I : Introduction......................................................................... 1
A. Research Background..................................................... 1
B. Questions of the Research............................................... 4
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Research......................... 4
Chapter II : Review of Related Literatures.............................................. 6
A. Previous Research........................................................... 6
B. Theoretical Framework................................................... 7
1. Concepts of Writing................................................. 7
2. Concepts of Genre................................................... 14
3. Concepts of Descriptive Text.................................. 19
4. Media in Teaching and Learning…………………. 22
5. Teaching Descriptive Writing Using Music Video 23
C. Hypothesis..................................................................... 29
Chapter III : Method of Investigation...................................................... 30
A. Research Design............................................................. 30
B. Research Setting............................................................ 34
C. Population and Sample................................................... 34
D. Variables and Indicators................................................. 35
E. Data Collection Technique............................................. 37
F. Data Analysis Technique................................................ 39
Chapter IV : Research Findings and Disscussion..................................... 45
A. Description of the Result of the Research...................... 45
B. Data Analysis and Hypothesis Test................................ 49
C. Disscussion of the Research Findings............................ 55
D. Observation Result Demonstrated by Students in the
Class…………………………………………………... 56
E. Limitation of the Research.............................................. 58
Chapter V : Conclusions and Suggestions............................................... 59
A. Conclusions..................................................................... 59
B. Suggestions..................................................................... 60
Bibliography
Appendices
Curriculum Vitae
THE LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Variables and Indicators of the Research, 34
Table 2 Check List of Observation, 36
Table 3 The Explanation of the Writing Criteria, 38
Table 4 The Lowest and the Highest Score of the Element of Writing, 44
Table 5 Frequency Distribution of the Pre-Test Score of the Experimental
Class, 44
Table 6 Frequency Distribution of the Pre-Test Score of the Control Class,
45
Table 7 Frequency Distribution of the Post-Test Score of the Experimental
Class, 46
Table 8 Frequency Distribution of the Post-Test Score of the Control Class,
46
Table 9 The Average Score of Pre-Test and Post-Test of the Experimental
and Control Class, 47
Table 10 Score of Pre-Test of the Experimental Class and Control Class, 48
Table 11 The Normality Test of Pre-Test of Experimental and Control Class,
48
Table 12 The Homogeneity Test of Pre-Test of Experimental and Control
Class, 50
Table 13 The Average Similarity Test of Pre-Test of Experimental and
Control Class, 50
Table 14 The Normality Test of Post-Test of Experimental and Control Class,
51
Table 15 The Homogeneity Test of Post-Test of Experimental and Control
Class, 51
Table 16 The Score of Post-Test of Experimental and Control Class, 52
Table 17 Computation of t-Test, 53
Table 18 Observation Result
THE LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1 The List of VIII C Students (Experimental Class), 1
Appendix 2 The List of VIII D Students (Control Class), 2
Appendix 3 The Score of Pre-Test of the Experimental Class, 3
Appendix 4 The Score of Pre-Test of the Control Class, 4
Appendix 5 The Score of Post-Test of the Experimental Class, 5
Appendix 6 The Score of Post-Test of the Control Class, 6
Appendix 7 Scores of Pre-Test, 7
Appendix 8 Scores of Post-Test, 8
Appendix 9 The Normality Test of Pre-Test of Experimental Class, 9
Appendix 10 The Normality Test of Pre-Test of Control Class, 10
Appendix 11 The Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances Data of Pre-Test
between Experimental and Control Class, 11
Appendix 12 The Test Average of Similarity of Pre-Test Score of the
Experimental and Control Class, 12
Appendix 13 The Normality Test of Post-Test of Experimental Class, 13
Appendix 14 The Normality Test of Post-Test of Control Class, 14
Appendix 15 The Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances Data of Post-Test
between Experimental and Control Class, 15
Appendix 16 The Test Average of Difference of Post-Test Score of the
Experimental and Control Class, 16
Appendix 17 Lesson Plan for Experimental Class (1st
meeting), 17
Appendix 18 Lesson Plan for Experimental Class (2nd
meeting), 21
Appendix 19 Lesson Plan for Control Class (1st
meeting), 25
Appendix 20 Lesson Plan for Control Class (2nd
meeting), 29
Appendix 21 Worksheet for Test of Free-Writing Descriptive Text, 33
Appendix 22 Example of Students’ Writing, 34 - 41
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Research Background
Every human beings in this world need language to communicate with
others. Through language people can express their willing and feelings of
something. Language is primary a means of communicating thoughts from one
person to another. People can communicate and share their thought and ideas
with others through language too. Actually, not only human beings that can
communicate between ones and others. But animals also can communicate with
their species and even with human beings. But, their languages differ with the
human beings’. Animals use signs to communicate with others. Human’s
language is more complex than that signs.1
Nowadays, English is widely spoken in all over the world. Long time
ago, English was only used in the business. But now, English is taught at all
levels of education in Indonesia. It means that English is very important thing
that must be mastered well by all people. Mastering English, in peoples’ opinion,
is not an easy thing. In English, there are 4 skills that must be mastered. That are
listening, speaking, reading and writing. In the peoples’ opinion, the most
difficult skill in English is writing skill.
As the first language in Indonesia, English has been given a special
attention. We can see that English is not only taught at University, Senior high
school and Junior high school, but now it is also taught at Elementary school.
Teachers play an important role in making students better in mastering English.
In this case, teacher should create or establish situation to enable learning to
occur in a fun and interesting environment. To achieve the expected situation,
they should give the students more activities using a new media that can attract
their attention to participate in the lesson actively.
1 Claude W.Faulkner, Writing Good Sentences, (New York:Charles Scribner’s Sons,
1950),p.1
Learning to write is not same as learning to speak. Some students
thought that writing is more difficult than speaking. Of course, in writing
students should transfer their ideas and thought in a piece of paper. In the process
of writing, students need to feel safe from attacks, emotionally and physically.
According to Dorret, writing involves self-expansion and creativity, and since
writing is a way for students to reveal their inner writing can be taken very
personally. It means that every students have their own creativity in making their
paper full of inks. This creativity can raise up if the writing class situation is
supporting, and the way teachers ask and teach them also same, so it can make
students easier to transfer their ideas in a piece of paper.2 One of the most
difficult aspects of teaching a writing class is getting students motivated and
excited about writing. One reason students maybe hesitant to write is that they
don’t have a valid reason to write. Students who really care about their grades
will complete the writing assignment. For those students’ who are not motivated
by assignments, there has to be another payoff. Students need an additional
motivation to want to write.
In this case, in order to make students motivated to write, teachers
have a big role in choosing the correct and appropriate media in teaching writing.
Media can be the key for learners to arouse their motivation when following the
writing class. One of the simple but important media in writing is pen and paper.
As Allah states in the Qur’an, surah Al-Qalam: 1-5 :
2 Teryne Dorret, Breaking the Writing Barrier : Activities for Adolescent, (Vermont, USA
: Pro Lingua Associates Publisher, 2001)
1.“Nun. By the pen and what they write”,2. “By the grace of your Lord, you are
not made”, 3.”An unfailing recompense awaits you”, 4. “surely you have a
Sublime Character”, 5. “you shall (before long) see-as they will see-which of
you is mad.” 3
According to the verse above, Allah states that ―pen‖ is one of the
tools to write. From that simple tool we can start to share our ideas and thought
in a piece of paper.
Beside the tools that we used, the media in teaching writing are also
support their wants or motivation in writing. Especially in writing descriptive
text, teachers not only use a conventional method or media, but also should use a
new and interesting media to teach their students. One of the media that can be
used is music video. This research is based on the phenomena that students have
difficulties in writing descriptive text. Teachers only explain what the generic
structures and the method of how to write descriptive text, not directly practice to
make it. So, students just know the theory of descriptive text, but in the other
hand, they disable to make it.
Actually, sometimes there are teachers who asked their students to
practice writing descriptive text, but they do not use interesting media, so
students get bored in the teaching learning process. Even, teachers do not use
media that can be a tool for students to describe. Students only depend on their
imagination in describing the object, of course, it is not enough to get the idea of
descriptions.
Through using interesting media, such as music video, it can be
wonderful media in facilitating students’ understanding in descriptive writing
learning. Through this too, students can get a clear description of the object.
Because music video is 3D (three dimension) media. It has movements,
environments, objects and also clear descriptions. It is expected that descriptive
writing learning using music video can make students easy to describe the object
and attract their motivation in writing.
3 Mahmud Y. Zayid, The Meaning of the Quran: an English Translation, (Lebanon: Dar
Alchoura, 1980), p.425.
To facilitate students’ understanding on descriptive writing, the
researcher conducted an experimental research under the title ―Facilitating
Students’ Understanding on Descriptive Writing Using Music Video (An
Experimental Research with the Eighth Grade Students of MTs NU 01 Cepiring
Kendal in the Academic Year of 2010/2011)‖.
B. Questions of the Research
This study is aimed to answer the following questions :
1. How is the comparison of the students’ score between students who were
taught with music video and those who were not in MTs NU 01 Cepiring
Kendal?
2. What are the results of experimental class and control class in MTs NU 01
Cepiring Kendal?
3. What are the advantages of music video in descriptive writing learning which
taught in MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal?
C. Objectives and Benefits of The Research
Considering the problems above, the study is oriented toward the following aims:
1. To identify the comparison of the students’ score between students who were
taught with music video and those who were not in MTs NU 01 Cepiring
Kendal.
2. To identify the results of experimental class and control class in MTs NU 01
Cepiring Kendal.
3. To identify the advantages of music video in descriptive writing learning
which taught in MTs NU 01 Cepiring Kendal.
The benefits of the study can be stated as follows;
1. For the writer.
By conducting this research, hopefully the writer will get some
experiences and knowledge directly how to implement teaching
descriptive writing using music video. This research can be an evaluation
for the writer who frequently used monotonous media and technique in
teaching writing in the classroom.
2. For the teacher
By doing this research, it is as motivation to improve skills in choosing
appropriate and variation learning strategy and the writer hopes the teacher
can use music video as an alternative medium in teaching descriptive. So,
the students will get better achievement.
3. For the student
The use of music video as an alternative medium in teaching descriptive
text, the writer hopes the students will improve their writing skill in
describing someone or something. Music video can make student
interested and more enthusiastic in learning especially learning writing.
4. For the school
This study can be starting point to develop the teaching media which
applies in the school.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES
A. Previous Research
Many researchers have conducted the research about writing skills.
Related to this study, the writer chooses some literatures about previous
researches which are relevant to the teaching of descriptive writing.
1. Thesis under the title The Use of PC Game “Polly Pride Pet Detective” as
Media of Teaching English Vocabulary Items of Descriptive Text by
Tristanto. In his research, he was using PC Game to teach vocabulary items of
Descriptive text because this game was very educative and interactive. The
researcher was using a Classroom Action Research to run his research. He
took 30 seventh year students of SMPN 1 Pegandon as sample. He was using
quantitative measurement. The result was that PC Game was effective to
improve the students’ vocabulary.
The differences between his research and the writer’s are on the media and the
language skill. He used the PC Game ―Polly Pride Pet Detective‖ as a media
in teaching descriptive text, while the writer uses the music videos as media.
But, in his research, he only concerns in teaching English vocabulary, while
the writer concerns on the writing descriptive text. And the similarity is, both
of he and the writer concern on researching descriptive text.4
2. The title is The Effectiveness of Using Pictures in Writing Descriptive Text by
Nur Fitriani SW. Objective of this study is to examine to what extent pictures
as teaching aids can be implied effectively. She was using pictures as media to
teach writing descriptive text. She was taking 2 classes of 8th
grade students of
4 Tristanto, 2201407113, The Use of PC Game “Polly Pride Pet Detective” as Media of
Teaching English Vocabulary Items of Descriptive Text, (Semarang: English Department, Faculty
of Arts and Languages, UNNES, 2009), Unpublished thesis
SMPN 26 Semarang as experimental and control class. The result is that
picture can be an effective media to teach writing descriptive text.5
The difference between her research and the writer’s is on the use of
media. Nur Fitriani used picture to teach descriptive writing, while the writer
uses music video in conducting her research. And for the similarity is on
choosing descriptive text as the material to be researched.
B. Theoretical Framework
1. Concepts of Writing
Writing is a way to produce language and express idea, feeling and
opinion. Then, in the process of writing, what people write is often heavily
influenced by the constraints of genre. Teaching sometimes means instructing,
explaining, or telling; however, very little can be ―taught‖ in this way.
Teaching is waiting, yet there is also time for action. Every teacher has their
own way and style in teaching their students. Every each of language skill
(listening, speaking, reading and writing) also has its own characteristics in
way of teaching.6 When a teacher taught a different skill of language he/she
also must use the appropriate method in order to his/her explanation accepted
by their students. This appropriate media can also support the rise of new
learning atmosphere in the class.
Fundamentally, writing is learned, rather than taught, and the teacher’s
best methods are flexibility and support. This means responding to the specific
instructional context, particularly the age, first language and experience of the
students, their writing purposes, and their target language writing
communities, and providing extensive encouragement in the form of
meaningful context, peer involvement, prior texts, useful feedback and
5 Nur Fitiriani SW, 2201407217, The Effectiveness of Using Pictures in Writing
Descriptive Text, (Semarang : English Department, Faculty of Arts and Languages, UNNES,
2008), Unpublished Thesis 6 Earl V. Pullias and James D. Young, A Teacher is Many Things, (America: Faucet,
2000), p.14
guidance in the writing process.7 This means that teachers have a strong
responsibility to make students engage in the writing learning process.
Teacher involvement is needed in making their students understanding about
the material given.
Becoming a good writer is not easy for some people. There are some
steps that must be done in order to be a good writer. We can not deny that
sometimes people write a note about something, shopping list as example, but
they do not realize that they are writing. This process of writing seems to be
the stages a writer goes through in order to produce something in its final
written form. When writing something, writers also should think about the
content of what they will write and thinking their writing is classified into
what type. The media of writing are diverse, people commonly used pen and
paper or sometimes using computer, etc. Things that differ the good writers
and poor writers are on its process.8 We can ensure that good writers always
think carefully every steps that they will pass. So, their writing will look so
different than the poor one.
Good writers always think and plan what they are going to write. This
is their first step of writing. Sometimes it called with pre-writing process. In
this step, the writers have to think about three man issues. First, they have to
consider about the purpose of writing. This purpose, of course, will influence
the text type, the language they use and also the information contained in the
writing. Secondly, good writers tend to consider the audience. Because those
are the people who want to read their writing. They do not want that the
readers will be confused of their writing, if they do not notice of what they
have written. And the last, writers should consider the content structure of the
writing, that is how best to sequence the facts, ideas, or arguments which they
have decided to include. This step called planning. Next step is drafting. This
is the step where the writers start to write after planning what they are going to
7 Ken Hyland, Teaching and Researching Writing, (Britain: Pearson Education Limited,
2002), p.78
8 Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach Writing, (England: Longman, 2007), p. 3
write.9 The amounts of planning they are thinking about will influence how
many paragraphs or writings will they produce. In this step also, the writers
required to describe all of their thought in a pieces of papers. After finishing
their writings, good writers reread what they have already written before
continuing to compose. Perhaps the order of information is not clear, the way
it is written is ambiguous or confusing, and overall structures of the writing,
such as individual words and grammatical accuracy.
In this step, the writer can add the needed information or even delete
unimportant words or sentences they have written. In reflecting and revising
their writing, the writers sometimes helped by editors who will give them
comments and suggestions. Having the writing is neatly arranged, the writers
produce the final version. This may look considerably different from both of
the original plan and the first draft, because things have changed in the editing
process. We might decide to represent these stages in the following way :
planning, drafting, editing, final draft. But, to be a good writer, if they just run
the process only in one way, they feel that their writing is not a sophisticated
writing. So, in this case, writers should re-plan, re-draft, and re-edit in order to
be better writing.10
Sometimes writers will find a bored situation in this step.
They should look their own writing start from the beginning until the end. If
the writers worry about this condition, just take a break for an hour or even
one day before continuing looking their own writing.
According to Meyers, another acts or process of writing includes six
steps. The first actions when we are going to write is exploring ideas. This
action lets your mind explore freely about the topic you will write. But, in
exploring ideas, the writers should focus on the explorations, including
something to write (subject), reason why you write (purpose), and also the
person who will read the writing (audience). Just try to find the subject those
are most interesting for the audiences. In choosing the subject, the writers
must know and care about this subject. This can make the writing more clearly
9 Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach Writing, p. 4
10Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach Writing, p. 5
and the writer can explore the writing confidently in the paper. After
determining the subject, the writers should know the purpose of writing.
Usually, the writer’s purpose is to give information about the subject. When
exploring ideas, the writers think about the audiences too. The subject and the
purpose also depends on the audiences. The writers might need to explain a lot
to readers who is never heard of your subject, but just explain much less to
readers who knows the subject well.11
This process of writing maybe the
easier one before entering the next step. Writers just let their idea flows down
and write what is in their mind.
And the second action is pre-writing. After exploring the idea, it is
time to write the thought on paper. In this step don’t worry about grammar,
exact word choice, spelling or punctuation, because maybe there will be a
changing of mind and wording later. This process includes 3 ways,
brainstorming, clustering, and free-writing. You may use one way or more.
One way to capture the thought is by brainstorming, or listing thought as they
come to you. This brainstorming might happen for second or third time to
generate more ideas. Beside brainstorming, the writers also can use clustering
to generate ideas. This may looks like branches. Writing the subject in the
middle of the paper and then circle it. Then, just write related ideas and
connect then to the subject circled. To make the thought more complex,
writers can enlarge the branches wider. And the last way of pre-writing is free-
writing. In this way, the form of writing is like the spoken style. Ignoring the
sentences structure , spelling, logic and grammar is allowed. Let the words
and sentences flow naturally. This can make the ideas down fast from your
mind. If the writing in free-writing disorganized, it is understandable because
later, like brainstorming and clustering, writers can look at, expand on, change
or omit the words or sentences.12
The writers should not use all of the three
ways given above if they think it is unnecessary. They can choose one of the
11
Alan Meyers, Gateways to Academic Writing Effective Sentence, Paragraphs, and
Essays, (NY:Longman,2005), p. 3. 12
Alan Meyers, Gateways to Academic Writing Effective Sentence, Paragraphs, and
Essays, p. 6.
ways on pre-writing to expand the ideas. But if writers want to make larger
and more complete writing, they can use all these three ways in order to have
larger expanding idea.
After the writers do the three ways of pre-writing, now it is time to
start organizing the writing. Before organizing the writing, the writers should
think again about the purpose and the audience, then return to the pre-writing
step. Start to select and subtract the best ideas in brainstorming, clustering or
free-writing which have made before by underlining, highlighting or giving
circle on it. Then, rewrite the list and putting the related idea together. Add
those best ideas more complex with expanding the related ideas and focus
more specifically on the subject and add more details. After deciding the best
ideas, then make an outline about the ideas include some supporting details
under each choices. Ignore the parts or ideas which not have correlation with
the ideas chosen.13
In organizing the writing, they should pay attention on
each sentences or ideas that have written in the previous step. Losing one idea
can make their writing confusing because their writing is incomplete.
After the writers do some pre-writing, selecting the best ideas,
expanded them and arranged in some reasonable orders, now the writers can
begin the first draft. Just write fast to record the thoughts. Write just like speak
to the readers. The writers could say something aloud before write in order to
remember the point. New ideas will come up later, and the writer may
discover a better arrangement of new ideas. If an idea occurs that belongs
earlier in the draft, make a note about it in the margin, write it in the second
sheet of paper or if you use computer just click the mouse at the spot where
you want to insert it. If using the paper, try to use only one side of paper and
for other side used for space for new ideas. Or leave wide margins and double
space to make room for changes.14
In this step writer will find a lot of new
thoughts. This can make their writing more comprehensive. But the writers
13
Alan Meyers, Gateways to Academic Writing Effective Sentence, Paragraphs, and
Essays, p. 8 14
Alan Meyers, Gateways to Academic Writing Effective Sentence, Paragraphs, and
Essays, p. 9
also should notice every ideas that come up. Avoid the overlapping idea which
will make their writing does not relate each other.
Every writer has to revise his/her writing after finished writing the
first draft. Revising is among the most important steps of writing. After
completing the first draft, just put it away for a while. Because it is hard to
think about changing and correcting the work immediately after finished the
first draft. Better ideas may come to you the day after you have done the first
draft. You also will probably notice more things to change. Read the
paragraph carefully and study its organization, word choice, and details. In
this action the writers probably will find things to omit and think of some
things to add. The writers are expected to add ideas, remove ideas that do not
fit, rearrange sections, say sentences differently and substitute words. It is
automatically that the writing is messy, so the writers should make a clean
copy before going any further. The writers have to be sure about their writing.
They must revise in many times until they are satisfied or even proud what
they have produced. After the writers finished revising the paragraph, they can
begin the final copy. First of all, the writers should edit their work. Check it
carefully on the grammar, word choice, verb forms, punctuation and spelling.
Writers can edit their paragraph by the help of dictionary and other related
references. Read the paper more than once. This draft should be neat and
should represent your best effort. Secondly, writers should proofread their
writing. Proofreading means carefully examining the final copy again. Check
the corrections which have done. The writers can use tools to focus in reading,
in example using ruler under each line to focus the eyes.15
This is the last step
in making a good writing. After completing this step, writer should be sure
about their writing that this is the best writing. After all the steps are done,
writers may distribute their writing in order other people can read. For the
students who asked to write, it is the time where they can show their work to
their teacher.
15
Alan Meyers, Gateway to Academic Writing Effective Sentence, Paragraphs, and
Essays, p. 11
There are two types of natural writing system (alphabet and picture)
which exist in the native language, that is an important factor in determining
to easy of speech which students learn to write. Writing commonly consist of
two types. The type of writings which deals with fact called practical or
factual writing. They present information or ideas and aim to show, tell or
persuade the audience. We can find it in writing letter, advertisement or
summaries. And the second type is literary writing, which is the writing type
usually exists in literature, for example in novel, romance, science fiction, etc.
They are constructed to appeal to our emotions and imagination. They also
can make us laugh or cry, think about our own life or consider our beliefs.16
Every kinds of writing has their characteristic according to their purpose of
writing. It depends on the writer what writing they will make. And it also
depends on the reader what book they will read.
To make the writing well-organized, every writing must have the
characteristic of coherence, cohesion and unity. The paragraph has coherence
when the sentences are put in together so that the reader can understand the
ideas easily. Then, cohesion is when all the supporting sentences in the
paragraph connect to each other and support their topic sentence. In
connecting one sentence with others, writer can use cohesive devices.
Cohesive devices mean the method of connecting sentences to each other.
They are connectors, definite articles, personal pronouns and demonstrative
pronouns. The last is unity. Unity here means that all supporting sentences
should relate to topic sentence. If readers find one or more sentences which do
not belong to the paragraph, it can be called as irrelevant sentence.17
This
characteristic also shows the comparison between the poor writing and the
good one. The good writing must be including these three characteristics,
whether the poor one sometimes does not relate each other and even unable to
understand what the meaning is.
16
Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson, Text Type in English 1-2, (Australia: Macmillan
Education, 1997), p. 1 17
Cynthia A. Boardman and Jia Frydenberg, Writing to Communicate 2: Paragraphs and
Essays, (United States of America: Pearson Education, 2008), p. 18
2. Concepts of Genre
Genre is a term for grouping texts together, representing how writers
typically use language to respond to recurring situations. For many people, it
is an intuitively attractive concepts that helps to organize the common-sense
labels we use to categorize text and situations in which they occur. The
concept of genre is based on the idea that members of a community usually
have little difficulty in recognizing similarities in the text they use frequently
and are able to draw on their repeated experiences with such texts to read,
understand, and perhaps write them relatively easily.18
Genre is a type of writing which members of discourse community
would instantly recognize for what it was. Genre has an important role in
teaching-learning process because it can produce the goal of communication
based on the function of language in social interaction. Genre-based teaching
is useful in the writing class. It is concerned with what learners do when they
write. Every teacher should understand the concept of each kinds of text. It
will make teachers can identify what text should students write and can make
the well-organized writing class. In this case, curriculum and activities will
take a part. It will determine what genre that appropriate with students’ need
and also determine the tasks appropriate with that skill. The concept of genre
enables teachers to look beyond content, composing processes, and textual
forms to see writing as an attempt to communicate with readers, to better
understand the ways that language patterns are used to accomplish coherent ad
purposeful prose. In writing something, people don’t just write, they write
something to achieve some purpose, that is ―writing is a way to get things
done‖. To get things done, to tell a story, request an overdraft, draft an essay,
describe a technical process, describe a particular person or thing, and so on,
teachers should direct students to use the appropriate genre for organizing the
text.19
18
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, (United States of America:
University of Michigan Press, 2004), p.4 19
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 5
A number of advantages are often given for the use of genre-based
writing instruction. The main advantages are as follows. First, genre-based
teaching is explicit. It means that genre teaching makes clear what is to be
learned to facilitate the acquisition of writing skill. Perhaps the most important
advantages is that genre-based writing instruction seeks to offer writers an
explicit understanding of how target texts are structured and why they are
written in ways they are. Teachers in this case understand that every student
has different skill and knowledge. Clear and explicit genre descriptions are
required to bridge this gap. We know that learning to write involves an
acquiring an ability to exercise appropriate linguistic choices, both within and
beyond the sentence, and teachers can assist this by providing students with
examples of the language they need to create effective texts. This explicitness
gives teachers and learners something to shoot for, a ―visible pedagogy‖ that
makes clear what is to be learned rather than relying on hit or miss inductive
methods whereby learners are expected to acquire the genres they need from
the growing experience of repetition or the teacher’s note in margins of their
essays.20
Second key advantage is that genre-based teaching systematically
addresses texts and contexts. It means that genre teaching provides a coherent
framework for focusing on both language and context. To create a well-
formed and effective text, students need to know how such text are organized
and the lexico grammatical patterns that are typically used to express
meanings in the genre. In addition, however, they also need to know the social
purposes of the text type, the kinds of situation in which its use is appropriate,
who the probable the audience is, what readers are likely to know, and the
roles and the relationship of text users, the type of textual variation that are
typical and possible, how the genre is related to others in the target context,
and so on.21
20
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 11 21 Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 12
Third, genre based teaching is based on the writer needs. It means that
genre teaching ensures that course objectives and content are derived from
student needs. Genre also offer a principled way of determining the content
and organization of a writing course by basing instruction on the typical
patterns and choices available to students in the texts they will need to write.
As well as knowing how to use genre, writers also know when to use it, and in
many contexts, one genre will set up the successful conditions for the use of
another.22
Fourth advantage of genre-based writing teaching is that is provides
support for writers as they gradually develop control of a genre. It also gives
teachers a central role in scaffolding students learning and creativity. This
teaching emphasises on the interactive collaboration between teacher and
student, with the teacher taking an authoritative role to scaffold or support
learners as they move toward their potential level of performance and the
confidence to independently create the texts. This scaffolding is most evidence
at the early stages of learning a genre where the teacher intervenes to model
and discuss the text, deconstructing and analyzing their language and
structure. Language activities are selected to relate closely to the ways they are
used in specific kinds of text and help students to create meanings for
particular readers and contexts. This support is gradually reduced until the
learners have the knowledge and skill to perform independently.23
Fifth, genre-based teaching is empowering. This means that genre
teaching provides access to the patterns and possibilities of variation in valued
texts. The study of such target texts assists learners to manage the appropriate
linguistic and rhetorical tools to gain access to the powerful genres of
mainstream culture, revealing why writers make certain linguistic and
rhetorical choices and how to use these genre effectively. It provides the
22
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 12 23
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 13
means to reveal writing as relative to particular groups and contexts and help
students unpack the requirements of their target communities.24
Sixth, genre-based teaching facilitates critical understanding. It
provides the resources for students to understand and challenge valued
discourses. Genre teaching also has potential for aiding students to reflect on
and critique the ways that knowledge and information are organized and
constructed in written English texts. Genre perspectives stress the view that a
text is constructed in response to context and therefore only comprehensible
because of its relationship to a context, the ways it builds its meaning through
a specific set of linguistic choices. Understanding how texts are socially
constructed and ideologically shaped by dominant social groups reveals the
way that they work to represent some interests and perspectives and suppers
others.25
Seventh, genre-based teaching assists teacher development. It increases
teacher awareness of texts to confidently advise students on their writing.
Knowledge of genres has an important consciousness-raising potential for
teachers, with significant implications for both their understanding of writing
and their professional development. Teachers are not only looking at their
students writing but also they are in a better position to reflect on their own
writing. In a genre-based writing course, teachers are confronted with the need
to understand how language is used as a communicative resource. They have
to categorize the texts they asks their students to write, consider how this texts
are similar and different, identify the purposes, analyze the form of writing
and understand the context they are used in. Reflective teacher is therefore
also a more effective teacher. This person is who understands how text are
typically structured, understood, and used in better position, to provide more
informed feedback on writing and to make reasoned decisions about the
teaching practices and material to use.26
24
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 14 25
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 15 26 Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 15
There are many kinds of genre which are taught to the students. This is
story genres, called as literary texts, which are constructed to appeal our
emotions and imagination. It involves narrative, news story, exemplum,
anecdote and recount. The other one is factual genres. The texts present
information or ideas and aim to show and tell or persuade the audience. It
involves procedure, explanation, report, discussion and exposition. Exposition
has two kinds, analytic exposition which its aim to persuade the reader or
listener that something is the case and hortatory exposition, which is to
persuade the reader or listener that something should or shouldn’t be the
case.27
Different genres deploy the resources for meaning, making through the
grammar in different ways. For example, recounts that retells an event, tends
to use simple past tense. Whereas, descriptive that tells about the descriptions
of place, person or something, tends to use simple present tense.
It should be noted that systematic linguists did not invent genres, their
stages and characteristic lexico-grammatical features. The genre were
described already out there in school and non-school environments. These
genres arouse in social interaction to fulfil humans’ social. All genres are
equally valuable. However, they are not all equally, valued, especially in
schools. When genre theory suggests that all students are taught the genres in
school, they are not suggesting that genre the only genres around, nor more
valuable than others genre used in the community.28
Every genre has characteristics such as objective, structure of the text
and linguistic characteristic. By the study kinds of genre the students are
expected to be able to communicate whether their spoken or written after they
graduate from the school.
27 Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p. 29 28
Ken Hyland, Genre and Second Language Writing, p.6
3. Concepts of Descriptive Text
Descriptive text is a text which say what a person or a thing is like. Its
purpose is to describe and reveal a particular person, place, or thing.
Description is used in all forms of writing to create a vivid impression of a
person, place, object or event. Its purpose are to describe a special place and
explain why it is special, to describe the most important person in your life, to
describe the animal's habitat in your report. Descriptive writing is usually used
to help a writer develop an aspect of their work, in example, to create a
particular mood, atmosphere or describe a place so that the reader can create
vivid pictures of characters, places, objects etc.29
Writing a description is like creating a picture using words. When the
writers write a description, they should use words that relate to the sense of
sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. These are called sensory words. Sensory
words help the readers imagine what writers are describing. When writers
describe what a person looks like, writers write about the physical
characteristics such as height, weight, and hair colour.30
There are two keys to writing good description. The first key is to use
space order. Just as writers put the sentences in a time-order paragraph in a
certain order, they must also put the sentences in a description in a certain
order. Instead of using time order, however, writers will use space order. In
space order, writers might describe something from left to right. From
example, when describing a person, writers could start with the person’s head
and end with the person’s feet. Or when describing a room starting from right
to left or from left to right. The second key to writing a good description is to
use specific details. When describing something, writers will paint a picture
with words. The goal is to make the readers ―see‖ what the writers have
described. The way to do this is to use a lot of specific details. Specific means
exact, precise. The more specific writers can be, the better their readers can
29
W. Rotter / H. Bendl, Your Companion to English Texts: Comprehension - Analysis -
Appreciation - Production (Kollegstufe/Abitur/Universität), München: Manz 1978, p. 91 – 102.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_types). 30
Karen Blanchard and Christine Root, Ready to Write, (USA: Longman, 2003), p. 69
see what they are describing. In example, writers better to write ―a lexus‖ than
write ―a nice car‖, because it is more specific.31
When writing a description, writers have to follow some steps. This
process of writing is expected in order to make a good description text. The
first thing that writers have to do is gathering materials. The best way to
gather material is to look, watch and pay attention on the subject described.
Writers should take a note about what they see and hear and even smell. They
have to record as much information as possible. This step is needed to write
the first draft. And the second step is arranging the materials. In arranging the
materials, the writers can start in two ways. First is write a topic sentence and
then select the materials to develop and support it, or in the opposite, the
writers can select and arrange the materials through additional brainstorming,
clustering, free-writing or perhaps an informal outline. Then, write the topic
sentence. The paragraph that will be written would probably contains of a
general description of the setting, including its location, and the time of the
scene, details that support the topic sentence, more specific details about the
scene that arranged in logical order, transitional sentences or phrases that
introduces the activities in the scene and the description of those activities.
After arranging the materials, the writers can start to write the first draft. Do
not think that this step is the final arrangement of the writing. In the process of
writing the draft, the writers maybe will find the new or additional details
about the subject. After the writers think that the first draft is finished written,
they can start to read again and revise the draft. In revising the draft, the
writers may need to wait until a few hours or even days. This can make writers
view it with a clear mind and probably with better judgement. In making
changes in the draft, the writers can make notes above the line or write it in
the margin. Then rewrite the paragraph. In writing description, the writers can
not just one time revising. Do it twice. This step expects the writers to return
to the paragraph and revise it again. This time is paying special attention to
31
Ann Hogue, First Step in Academic Writing, (USA: Longman, 1996), p. 72
specific details and strong word choice. Then edit and proofread your
description, checking for misspelled words.32
Like other texts, descriptive also has its own characteristics. This
structure of text consists of identification and description. Identification,
means identifying the phenomenon to be described. This part contains the
statements which describe the object to be described. These statements have to
be interesting to read and able to provoke the readers to be interested to read
the full descriptions. Second part is description, means describing the
phenomenon in parts, qualities, or/and characteristics. In describing the object,
the writer should use adjective to illustrate the object’s condition. Some
dominant features that usually used when writing a descriptive text such
follows : using simple present tense, using action verbs, using passive voice,
using noun phrase, using adverbial phrase, using technical terms, using
general and abstract noun, and using conjunction of time and cause-effect. As
mentioned above, in describing object, writers should use present tense. One
of the purposes of using present tense in any types of communicating activities
is to give descriptions. Whenever we mean to describe a particular object,
which about general facts of the object, then the use of present tense is
considered the most appropriate one. The use of present tense is very
dominant in describing facts, although in some cases, the uses of past tense is
also possible, such as to describe the conditions of the objects in past time.33
Here is the example of the descriptive text :
The Muse Live Concert
It is the Muse concert, live from Senayan.
Thousands of young people are now gathering to see the concert.
They are ready to listen to the music. Now, their eyes are on the empty
stage. A very big and bright lamp on the stage is on. It’s beautiful.
One by one the group members are walking to the stage. Matt
Bellamy is wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. He has an oval face.
Christ is behind him. He is wearing a red polo shirt and blue jeans. And
Dominic is walking side by side with Christ. They are waving their hands
32
Alan Meyers, Gateways to Academic Writing Effective Sentence, Paragraphs, and
and smiling. Everybody is shouting and calling their names. This is
amazing.34
From example above, we can see that the first paragraph is the
identification of the text which identify the phenomenon will be described,
that is the Muse concert. The description of the text is on the second and the
last paragraph. Those paragraph gives the clearer information and describe the
parts, qualities and characteristics of the objects. As example in the sentence
―Matt Bellamy is wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans‖.
4. Media in Teaching and Learning
According to Gagne’ and Briggs in Azhar Arsyad, medium are device
used to deliver content of material which includes some of books, recorders,
videos, films, photos, graphs, pictures, televisions, and computers. In other
word, media is a component of sources of learning or vehicle that consists of
instructional material, which can motivate students to learn.35
Media is considered as instructional device since it is used to convey
messages in teaching-learning process. In teaching-learning foreign language,
media is classified into three types. The first is visual media. Visual media is
all media that is used in seeing. It is an image that conveys messages to the
students through photo, picture, chart, graph, which illustrate the real object
or situation.36
Then, audio media. It is a device that relates to our hearing. The
message delivered is expressed by using audible symbols. For example: radio,
tape recorder, or electronic transcription.37
The last, the combination from
both of the media above, that is audio-visual media. It is a media that can be
seen and listened, like a film, video, or television.
34
Mukarto, English on Sky 2 : for Junior High School Year VIII, (Jakarta: Penerbit
Erlangga, 2007), p. 19. 35
Azhar Arsyad, Media Pembelajaran,(Jakarta: Raja Grafindo Persada, 2008), p.4-5. 36
Azhar Arsyad, Media Pembelajaran, p.106. 37
Asnawir and M. Basyiruddin Usman, Media Pembelajaran, (Jakarta: Ciputat Pers,
2002), p.81.
5. Teaching Descriptive Writing Using Music Video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and
imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos
are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the
sale of music recordings.38
Music videos use a wide range of styles of film
making techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries,
and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. Some music videos blend
different styles, such as animation and live action. Many music videos do not
interpret images from the song's lyrics, making it less literal than expected.
Music videos represent a crucial part of the music industry. Artists owe
their careers to music videos as they are being given the chance of impressing
the public not just with their vocal talent, but also with their looks or moves.
Music video isn’t that new, in fact they’ve been around since before
films could have sound. Some performers would project images onto a screen
as they played live, these images would then reflect the themes and emotions
of the music played.39
Music video that we know nowadays has been
developed from its origin and history. Thirty years ago, music video used to
be less important then it is nowadays. MTV (Music Television) was the
phenomenon that gave so much power and importance to the music video.
MTV started broadcasting in 1981 in the USA and it marked the beginning of
the music video's ruling over the music industry. The first video ever played
on MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles. As MTV was
broadcasting 24-hour-a-day music, music videos were needed to be produced.
38Frith, Simon, Andrew Goodwin & Lawrence Grossberg, Sound & Vision. The music video reader, (London: Routledge, 1993), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video, retrieved on October 2010.
39
Hugh W Howe, Beauchamp College,
http://beauchampcollegemedia.com/2010/09/07/music-video-history-and-development/, posted on
Pullias, Earl V. and James D. Young, A Teacher is Many Things, (America:
Faucet, 2000)
Sudjana, Metode Statistika, (Bandung: Tarsito, 2001)
Sugiyono, Metode Penelitian Pendidikan : Pendekatan Kuantitatif, Kualitatif dan
R&D, (Bandung : Alfabeta, 2008)
Sugiyono, Statistika untuk Penelitian, (Bandung: CV.Alfabeta, 2007)
Zayid, Mahmud Y, The Meaning of the Quran: an English Translation,
(Lebanon: Dar Alchoura, 1980)
Frith, Simon, Andrew Goodwin & Lawrence Grossberg, Sound & Vision. The music video reader, (London: Routledge, 1993), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video, retrieved on October 2010.
G. Dirk Mateer, Penn State University,
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/media/index.html, last modified on