IMPROVING THE STUDENTSCHIEVEMENT IN WRITING

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT BY USING REALIA STRATEGY

*Finny Ameliana Br Surbakti
**Amrin Saragih
Abstract
This study attempted to improve students writing descriptive textby using Realia
Strateg. This study was conducted by using classroom action research. The subject
of the research was class VIII SMP NEGERI 1 SALAPIAN which consisted of
30 students. The research was conducted in two cycles and every cycle consisted
of three meetings. The instruments for collecting the data were quantitative data
(Writing Test) and qualitative data (diary notes, observation sheet and
questionnaire sheet). Based on Writing scores, students score kept improving in
every evaluation. In the test I the mean was 70,36, in the test II the mean was 86.13 .
Based on observation sheet and questionnaire, it was found that teaching-learning
process ran well. Students were active, enthusiastic, and interested in writing
descriptive text. The result of the research showed that applying possible sentence
strategy significantly improved students writing achievement.
Keyword: Writing achievement, using realia strategy, classroom action research.

*Graduate Status
** Lecturer Status

Introduction
English is an international language that is mostly used in all countries
around the world. It is used in almost every aspect of life, such as in science,
technology, business, politic, education, tourism, entertainment and international
relationship. In Indonesia, English itself has been taught from the elementary
school level up to the university level. And even now, it has been taught in
kindergarten school level as well.
In teaching and learning process of English subject, students are taught the
four skills, namely; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Writing is one of the
important skills in English because it takes a part as an important communication
tools. Through writing, everyone is not only able to express feeling and ideas but
also to communicate with others and have remembering fact and ideas into
writing form.
According to Ariyanti (2010:91), writing is an important skill in taking,
retaining, and expressing information. In addition, writing is an important part of
language teaching as it also functions as an essential tool for learning in which
students improve their knowledge of the language elements in real use (Taselin,
2010:104). From the explanation, writing is an important skill to be learned by the
students because it has important roles in the learning activities.
Based on the syllabus of curriculum in Junior High School, student are required
to be able to write various types of genres. They are narrative, recount,

descriptive,

report,

explanation,

hortatory

exposition,

procedure,discussion,review,

anecdote,spoof, news item.

Descriptive text is a type writing which has the meaningful linguistics unit to describe
person, thing and places by using vivid details. Descriptive text is concerned with creating a
verbal of what we experience.
Although, most students have learned Writing English from primary school up to
Senior High school, most of them cannotwrite well. Based on the data during to Teaching
Practice program (PPL) and based on the data from interviewing the English teacher of SMP
Negeri 1 Salapian, it is found that the students have problem in writing. The students cannot
write descriptive text. In order to solve this problem, we needed some creative strategy to
make the teaching writing more effective and interesting.
There are many ways to make teaching writing to more effective and interesting and
help student in write descriptive text well. One of ways that can be used the media. Media is a
tool of teaching in learning process. It can support teaching learning process because it is an
instrument that can effect condition of teaching learning process. In a writing activity, the
students must be able to write some text. It is descriptive text.

Using media in learning activities is very important for teachers. The benefit of using
media is media helps to enhance the quality in learning. Using media can support the
teachers materials. Well-designed material takes the wisdom of different accepted learning
theorist into account which results in active and effective learning (Kumar, 1998:7). As a
result, media is an integral part of the learning activities in order to achieve educational goals.
In teaching and learning process, realia has meaningful because realia brings authentic
piece of the target culture into the language classroom. By presenting material through
diverse media , realia helps to make English language input comprehensible as possible and

to build an assosiative bridge between the classroom and the world. Realia is not only series
of artifacts that discribe the costumes traditions of a culture, but they are also a set of teaching
aids facilitate the simulation of experience in target culture. It is mean that, realia can be used
to meet the students interest and their level of capability. The word realia means using real
items found in the world around us as an aid to teaching English. Using realia, helps to make
English lessons memorable, it creates a link between the objects, and the word or phrase they
show.
Thus Realia in EFL terms refers to any real objects we use in the classroom to bring
the class to life. In this tip the researcher would like to offer a few suggestions for activities
using realia and to consider why we may want to bring things into the class. Students
understand and retain the meaning of a word better when they have seen or have touched
some object associated with an activity using real objects.
The writers observation and interview at SMP 1 SALAPIAN, there were some
problems that caused the low students achievement. The researcher found the skill of
students of writing still low. According to their teacher, it is happened because students have
poor motivation in learning English. Although, the teacher has strategy of learning process in
the classroom, but it is could not make the students interest for this reason.

Research Method
The location of this research was in SMP NEGERI 1 SALAPIAN. It was located at
jalan Kuala-.TanJungThe subject of this study was the eight grade students. The number of
the students in that class consists 30 students.
In this study, the data were collected by using both quantitative and qualitative data.
Quantitative Data was collected to find out the impovement of students vocabulary
achievement by giving them some vocabulary tests. Qualitative Data were gathered, they are

observation sheet, diary notes and questioner sheet as to write activities during teaching and
learning process.
This procedure for this study was conducted within two cycles that each cycle had
four steps, namely, planning, action, observation, and reflection. Each cycle consisted of three
meeting. Before the first meeting was conducted, there was an orientation test. The
orientation test was conducted to get the studentss achievement on vocabulary. So the total
of the meetings in this study were seven.
Cycle I
The cycle was done in three meetings. A vocabulary test was administered in the end
of the teaching and learning process. But, the score was taken only when the students applied
Realia Strategy. The detail procedure of the cycle as follows :
1. Planning
a. Interviewing students to obtain their problem in improving writing descriptive
text.
b. Preparing the pretest as instrument to collect the data about the students
achievement in writing descriptive text before action is given.
c. Identifying the studentsproblem in learning writing descriptive.
d. Preparing the suitable material.
e. Making lesson plan.
f. Designing the scenario of teaching and learning through possible sentences
strategy.
g. Preparing equipment needed in the scenario of teaching and learning.
h. Developing an observation sheet.

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2. Action

a) Beginning writing
Students answer the techer about writing descriptive text
Students identified generic structure desciptive text.
Teacher gave real obect(fruit) to the students for media to they describe
b) Using Realia Strategy
Teacher showed watermelon to the students and making writing descriptive text.
Teacher identified the generict structure writing descriptive text
Teacher asked the student choosed one of two kinds fruit that their like strar fruit or
longan to described.
c) Teacher gave a test (write simple descriptive text).
All of the activities based on the steps in implementing using realia strategy in writing
descriptive text.
3. Observation :
a. Checking the observing sheet.
b. Taking the diary notes, analyzed the classroom, wrote all of the action while
giving the action, and take the picture.
The observation was conducted in the classroom while the teaching and learning
process ran. It done to know the studentsinterest in learning writing descriptive text by using
realia strategy and to know the influence of possible realia strategy in improving the
studentsachievement writing descriptive text. The result of observation showed the teachinglearning process ran well. The students were serious when the teacher gave the explanation
and when they write descriptive text, and identified generic structure of descriptive text.
Event most of students were serious in learning, there were some students who made noise,
imitated their friends work and disturbed their friends.

4. Reflection
The teacher used the evaluation of teaching and learning process by using collected
and analyzed the result of writing test, and observation sheet. The result of the reflection
as follows :
a. Some of the students were not active in the classroom because it was hard for them to
vocabulary and grammar in sentences
b. Some of students still used a dictionary in doing their tasks.
c. Some of the students actived while the teaching-learning process ran.
d. The way of presenting the material was not good enough. The teacher would explain
the material slowly and clearly.
e. In cycle two, the teacher would be more active in responding studentsquestion and
giving explanation.
Based on the studentswriting score in the last meeting, it was found that
studentswriting descriptive text was better than before. There were on writing scored
thatad been taken. The scored showed the improvement of studentsachievement on
writing descriptive text. But the percentage who achieves the standard score was not
satisfied yet. Only thirteen students got score up to 75 point. So it was needed to do
second cycle.
Cycle II was conducted if the mean score at the first cycle is not satisfying. This cycle
will be need if the previous mean score do not fulfill the minimum completeness criteria
(KKM (Kriteria Ketuntasasan Minimal)). This cycle consists of the same three phases like
cycle I; planning, action, observation, and reflection in cycle I, but there will be a little
different step in doing the action base on the weakness in the cycle I. The weakness or
problem will found in cycle I solved in this cycle in order to get the improvement.

To determine the extent of students vocabulary achievement, the certain criterion

referring to Criterion Reference Evaluation (PAP(Penilaian Acuan Patokan)) was used as
follows.
Table 3.1PenilaianAcuan Patokan to determine the extent of students writing
achievement
Number

Range of Score

Category

The Quality

85-100

Very High

70-84

High

60-69

Fail

50-59

Low

0-49

Very Low

Data Analysis and Research Findings

In this study, sixth meetings were conducted and one of them was for orientation test.
Vocabulary test was administered each meeting. But the students vocabulary scores were
only taken from the fourth meeting and the seventh meeting. It was decided because the
students' writing test in the second, third, fifth, and sixth meeting were just for their exercise.
In orientation test, the students got low scores. But, from the beginning of the first cycle until
the end of the second cycle of this study, students vocabulary scores improved.
The writer organized all the quantitative and qualitative data from all the meetings. In
the first meeting, the students were given orientation test. From the orientation test, it was
found that students' vocabulary was still low. They were confused in matching a word with
the meaning, felt hard to understand an English text, and did not brave to say something.
After the first meeting, the students were taught by Using Realia Strategy in learning writing
descriptive text. Although they still had problems in writing , the result of the first cycle was

better than the result of the orientation test. After the writer did the second cycle, the result of
the second cycle was better than the first cycle.
The mean of students score in cycle 1 was 70.36. It was very low because the
students were lack of stock of English words. And the mean score of writing test in cycle two
was 86.13. These scores showed that there was an improvement in students' achievement on
writing descriptive. It also can be seen from the percentage of students who got point > 75. In
the first cycle, there were 46.66 % of students who got point > 75, and in the second cycle,
there were 93.33 % of students who got point > 75. This result indicated that Possible
Sentences Strategy was effective in improving the students' achievement on writing
descriptive text.
The qualitative data were analysed by the observation sheet, diary notes, and
questioner sheet. Observation sheet and diary notes showed that the students were more
active during the teaching and learning process. In the beginning, not all the students were
interested in studying. There were some students chatted during the teaching and learning
process ran. Besides that, they were still shy when they were given a chance to say something
about the topic. But in the next meetings, the students showed their enthusiasm either in
asking and answering question. The questionnaire also informed that most students strongly
agree if the teacher apply this strategy for teaching writing descriptive text.
All those data indicated that the students gave good attitude and response during the
teaching and learning process ran. Finally, from the quantitative and qualitative data, it found
that the application Realia Strategy had successfully improved students achievement in
writing descriptive text.

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Conclusion and Suggestion

After analyzing the data, it is found that students achievement in writing descriptive
improved from writing test in cycle 1 to writing test in cycle 2. It means that there is a
significantimprovement in students' achievement in writing by Using Realia Strategy. It can
be seen from the improvement of the students mean score for writing test in cycle one
(70.36), and writing descriptive text test in cycle two (86.13). The students' score
continuously improved in each test. Therefore, it is concluded that Realia Strategy
significantly improves students achievement in writing descriptive text.
Related to the conclusion, suggestions, are staged the following
a) It is suggested for the students to use Realia in learning writing descriptive text
because this Media provide a simple way in learning writing descriptive text, so the
teaching and learning process will not boring and hard.
b) It is also suggested that teacher should better teach writing descriptive text by using
Realia strategy that has a pleasure learning atmosphere so that the students feel more
motivated and interested in learning descriptive text.

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