1.1 Background of The Research

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of The Research
Writing is one of four skills that should be mastered by students, besides
speaking, listening, and reading skills in order to communicate in English well.
Writing is usually regarded as the most difficult skill to learn. It is difficult not only
the needs to master other skills, but also because of the difference between the
learners’ native language rules.
Based on Junior High School KTSP curriculum (BSNP, 2006:120), the students
are expected to be able communicate in English both in oral and written form. In
junior high school in Indonesia, the skill of writing is taught by genre based approach.
Students are introduced by teachers to some genres and taught about the social
function, the generic structures, and the language features of the genres. They should
to know and understand the difference between one genre to another in English, so
that they are able to write the genres by themselves with the right order of generic
structures and the correct of use the language features of genres.
The researcher focused on descriptive text which is taught by teachers in the
second year of junior high school. Descriptive text is taught by introducing the
students to the model text with a hope they will be able to write genre well. However,
the students often found some difficulties although they have been guided by their
teachers to write it. It cause they prefer other skills to be mastered since writing is the
most difficult skill. As Rass (2001:30) states, writing is a difficult skill for native
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speakers and non-native speakers; because writers must be able to write it in some
elements in writing such as content, organization, purpose, audience, vocabularies
and mechanics such as punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. Since there are some
elements that should be mastered, it makes students acknowledge writing as a
complex skill.
Based on the observation in SMP N 5 Jambi city, the researcher found that some
problems as stated above in this school, especially when they learnt about descriptive
text. According to Oshima and Hogue (2007:61), “descriptive writing draws the
sense, so it tells about how something looks, feels, smell, tastes, and sounds.”
Students taught that it was the difficult to do writing when they should evolve those
elements to be written form.
Besides that, there were some problems that they faced during writing the
descriptive text. First, the problem in developing in the ideas. Some students wrote
many main ideas in one paragraph. The idea of the paragraph was still ambiguous and
not clear. Second, the problem in organizing the ideas to write a descriptive text. The
students have to organize their ideas into good paragraphs.
The third, the students found difficulties in grammar. Grammar difficulties will
influence certain patterns of how words are put together to form the correct sentences.
Fourth, some students are lack of vocabularies and they also have difficulties in
developing their ideas related to their topic. The fifth difficulty is related with
spelling, punctuation, and mechanic. So, teachers tried to use media in teaching and
learning process in order to solve those problems.
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Media can be as a tool for teacher to motivate and attract students in teaching and
learning process. According to Sudjana and Rivai (2007:2) there are some advantages
of using media in teaching and learning process such as attracting the students’
attention which in turn raise students’ motivation in learning, making the material
more clearly and meaningful so that students will understand it clearly. In SMPN 5
Jambi City, teachers had already used pictures and textbook as their media in teaching
and learning process. However, it was still not good enough to be media in that
process. The reason for this situation is the number of textbook which provided by
school is not enough for students. Student must share the textbook with two or three
students. Then, although teachers sometimes add some pictures to prevent
monotonous learning activity, students feel enthusiastic just at the beginning of
lesson. So, teachers need an alternative media to make learning and teaching process
run smoothly.
As technology enters the classroom, there are always new innovations in making
of altenative media which can help teachers to get their points better and help
students more efficiently. One of the tools that has been utilized in the classroom is
Microsoft office PowerPoint program. It is a program that allows teachers to present
their lessons in a more dynamic way rather than simple lecturing and writing on the
whiteboard. According to Hammer (2007:187), PowerPoint can present all of visual
materials such as pictures, videos, words, and graphics in interesting way. This
software has been an alternative way in teaching and learning process in the
3
classroom. PowerPoint can integrate multisensory in one place. It means that teachers
can give better stimulation and lesson that can be understood by students.
In this study, the researcher uses PowerPoint presentation as the media in the
learning and teaching process which will be contain contextual and situational
material, like picture, video, or animation that related with topic, so that can give a
real impression of a real object, person, place and situation outside the classroom and
bring it up into the class to give students an interesting and meaning full experience.
In turn, the use of PowerPoint as media is expected to provide students with more
attractive multimedia, so that in producing descriptive text, students will write in a
clearer and more detailed text.
Based on the discussion above, the researcher is interested to conduct an
experimental research entitled “The Effect of Using PowerPoint in Teaching
Descriptive Text on Students’ Achievement at Eight Grade of SMPN 5 Jambi City” to
know whether PowerPoint is effective in teaching writing descriptive text or not.
1.2 The Question of Research
Based on the background of research, the research question is formulated as
follows:
“Is there any significant effect in students’ writing achievement in descriptive text
by using PowerPoint at the eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi City?”
1.3 The Objective of Research
The Objective of research is to find out whether PowerPoint has significant effect
on students’ achievement in descriptive text of the eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi
City.
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1.4 The Limitation of Research
This study focuses on students’ achievement in learning descriptive text by using
PowerPoint. The sample is class VIII H and I of SMPN 5 Jambi City. The researcher
will do experiment there to get the result.
1.5 Significance of Research
By conducting this research, the researcher hopes that the result of the study will
give some beneficial contribution in English teaching, especially for teachers and
students in Junior High School:
1. The researcher hopes that this study provides an alternative media in
teaching writing descriptive text. It can be a new strategy for teachers to
teach students about descriptive text.
2. The researcher hopes that this research can be useful for students to solve
their problems in writing descriptive text such as grammar, vocabulary,
mechanics, and so on, when teachers apply this media in the classroom. It
can also make students more motivated and enthusiastic learn writing. It
will give a good effect to their achievement too.
1.6 Hypothesis
In this study, there are two hypotheses to be tested. They are null hypothesis (H 0)
and alternative hypothesis (H1).
H0 = There is no significant effect in students’ writing achievement in teaching
descriptive text taught by PowerPoint at eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi city
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H1 = There is a significant effect in students’ writing achievement in teaching
descriptive text taught by PowerPoint at eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi city
1.7 The Definition of Terms
1. Media: A medium, the singular form of media is any person, material or event
that establishes condition, which enables learners to acquire knowledge, skills,
and attitudes. (Gerlach and Elly in Asmiyatun.2014:9)
2. Multimedia: Multimedia is about combining sights, sounds, and interactive
elements to create an experience unlike that which comes from simply reading
text or idly viewing video. (Robinnete in Marcovitz,2012:2)
3. PowerPoint: presentation graphic package (Moria, 2006:2)
4. Descriptive Text: Descriptive writing appeals to the senses, so it tells how
something looks, feels, smells, tastes, and/or sounds (Oshima and
Hogue.2007:61)

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CHAPTER 1

1.1 Background of The Research

Writing is one of four skills that should be mastered by students, besides

speaking, listening, and reading skills in order to communicate in English well.

learners’ native language rules.

structures and the correct of use the language features of genres.

The researcher focused on descriptive text which is taught by teachers in the

elements in writing such as content, organization, purpose, audience, vocabularies

elements that should be mastered, it makes students acknowledge writing as a

elements to be written form.

students have to organize their ideas into good paragraphs.

learning process in order to solve those problems.

students. Then, although teachers sometimes add some pictures to prevent

monotonous learning activity, students feel enthusiastic just at the beginning of

Microsoft office PowerPoint program. It is a program that allows teachers to present

whiteboard. According to Hammer (2007:187), PowerPoint can present all of visual

attractive multimedia, so that in producing descriptive text, students will write in a

clearer and more detailed text.

Based on the discussion above, the researcher is interested to conduct an

experimental research entitled “The Effect of Using PowerPoint in Teaching

Descriptive Text on Students’ Achievement at Eight Grade of SMPN 5 Jambi City” to

know whether PowerPoint is effective in teaching writing descriptive text or not.

1.2 The Question of Research

Based on the background of research, the research question is formulated as

by using PowerPoint at the eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi City?”

1.3 The Objective of Research

on students’ achievement in descriptive text of the eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi

This study focuses on students’ achievement in learning descriptive text by using

will do experiment there to get the result.

1.5 Significance of Research

students in Junior High School:

1. The researcher hopes that this study provides an alternative media in

teaching writing descriptive text. It can be a new strategy for teachers to

teach students about descriptive text.

their problems in writing descriptive text such as grammar, vocabulary,

will give a good effect to their achievement too.

and alternative hypothesis (H1).

H0 = There is no significant effect in students’ writing achievement in teaching

descriptive text taught by PowerPoint at eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi city

descriptive text taught by PowerPoint at eighth grades of SMPN 5 Jambi city

1.7 The Definition of Terms

that establishes condition, which enables learners to acquire knowledge, skills,

and attitudes. (Gerlach and Elly in Asmiyatun.2014:9)

2. Multimedia: Multimedia is about combining sights, sounds, and interactive

text or idly viewing video. (Robinnete in Marcovitz,2012:2)

3. PowerPoint: presentation graphic package (Moria, 2006:2)

4. Descriptive Text: Descriptive writing appeals to the senses, so it tells how

something looks, feels, smells, tastes, and/or sounds (Oshima and

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