USING BLOG AS SUPPLEMENTARY MEDIA TO IMPROVE THE EIGHTH GRADERS’ WRITING SKILL

ABSTRACT
Suryani, Endang. 2019. Using Blog as Supplementary Media to Improve the Eighth Graders’ Writing Skill. Thesis. Undergraduate Program. Universitas Mercu Buana Yogyakarta. Advisor: Elysa Hartati, S.Pd., M.Pd.
Keyword: Blog, Writing Skill, Eight Graders, Classroom Action Research
Students have to master writing skill, since it is one of the important skills in English. Based on the result of observation and questionnaire during the preliminary study in one of the middle school in Gunungkidul regency, there was a classroom which conducted in monotonous and lack of interesting activity. There were 100% of the respondent said that no media used during teaching and learning process. As a consequence, there 62.5% or 20 of 32 respondent stated that they had low ability in writing. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the implementation and to find out the impacts of using blog as supplementary media in improving the eighth graders’ writing skill.
This research applied Classroom Action Research (CAR). The English teacher was participated as a collaborator in the class. The CAR was done in two cycles that consisted of Planning, Action, Observation, and Reflection. The data were gathered to qualitative and quantitative data. Data collecting techniques were observation, interview, questionnaire, and writing test.
The result of this research showed that there was improvement of students’ writing skill, which could be seen from their mean score of pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2. Students’ average score on pre-test was 49.1, the mean score of post-test 1 was 74.6, while the average score of post-test 2 was 79.2. The students have passed the minimum mastery criterion on the post test. The data from the questionnaire showed that blog could help students in improving their writing skill. In addition the result of interview and observation indicated that the students were motivated and performed positive behavior in the class. In conclusion, students’ writing skill was improved by implementing blog as supplementary media during the teaching and learning process.
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ABSTRAK
Suryani, Endang. 2019. Using Blog as Supplementary Media to Improve the Eighth Graders’ Writing Skill. Program Strata-1. Universitas Mercu Buana Yogyakarta. Pembimbing: Elysa Hartati, S.Pd., M.Pd
Kata Kunci: Blog, Keterampilan Menulis, Siswa Kelas VIII, PTK
Siswa harus menguasai keterampilan menulis, karena merupakan salah satu keterampilan yang penting. Berdasarkan kuesioner dan observasi dari kegiatan pendahuluan dalam penelitian ini, di salah satu sekolah menengah di Kabupaten Gunungkidul, masih ada kelas yang menyelenggaran kegiatan belajar mengajar dengan aktifitas yang monoton dan kurang menarik. Seratus persen responden kuesioner menyampaikan bahwa tidak ada media yang digunakan dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar. Konsekwensinya adalah 62,5% atau 20 dari total responden menyatakan bahwa mereka memiliki keterampilan menulis yang rendah. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meneliti penerapan dan untuk menemukan pengaruh penerapan blog sebagai media pendukung dalam meningkatkan keterampilan menulis siswa kelas VIII.
Penelitian ini menerapkan Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (PTK). Guru Bahasa Inggris berperan sebagai kolaborator di kelas. PTK dilakukan dalam dua siklus yang terdiri atas Perencanaan, Tindakan, Pengamatan, dan Refleksi. Data dikumpulkan melalui data kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan antara lain: wawancara, observasi, kuesioner, dan tes menulis.
Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan adanya peningkatan keterampilan menulis siswa yang dapat dilihat dari nilai rata-rata pada pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2. Nilai rata-rata siswa pada saat pre-test 49.1, sedangkan pada post-test 1 nilai rata-ratanya meningkat menjadi 74.6, dan pada post-test 2 nilai rata-rata siswa 79.2. Dengan demikian Kriteria Ketuntasan Minimal (KKM) telah tercapai. Data dari kuesioner menunjukkan bahwa blog dapat membantu meningkatkan keterampilan menulis siswa. Selain itu, dari hasil wawancara dan observasi dapat dilihat bahwa siswa menjadi lebih termotivasi dan menunjukan sikap yang lebih baik di dalam kelas. Kesimpulannya, keterampilan menulis siswa dapat meningkat dengan menggunakan blog sebagai media pendukung selama proses belajar mengajar.