The Effectiveness of Using Recount Genre to Improve Writing Skill for VIII Grade Students in SMP Negeri 40 Purworejo

ABSTRACT

This final project was written based on the writer’s job training as an English teacher in SMP Negeri 40 Purworejo which was done for one and a half month. The writer took two classes in VIII A and VIII B as the subject to be observed. This final project discusses the effectiveness of using recount genre to improve writing skill for VIII grade students in junior high school. During the job training, the writer took some activities to collect the data by doing observation in the school and the class, interviewing the English teacher to get more information about the school and the English teaching and learning process.

The genre used by the writer to teach writing skill to the students was recount genre. While the type of writing performance used by the writer was guided writing. The writer used four steps in teaching recount genre. First, the writer only asked the students to make a simple recount text based on a topic. Second, the writer gave some pictures and asked the students to make the recount text based on the pictures. Third, the writer give also some pictures and certain vocabulary and asked the students to make the text recount based on the pictures and the vocabulary. The last, the writer gave some pictures, including a certain paragraph in Indonesian language and jumbled sentences in English and asked the students to compose them into a good paragraph. The best steps should be just in opposite order. Most of the students got some difficulties such as grammatical use, vocabulary use, punctuation use, and the influence of Indonesian language. During the process, the writing skill of the student especially in writing the recount genre improved. It was proven by looking at the students’ writing in the end of the meeting.

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Man is a social creature who needs and does social interaction. We have interaction with peers using languages. Formerly, sign language was often used when we had not known present languages (Indonesian, English, etc). Nowadays, a language is more needed as a means of communication, a message conveyor. Indonesia, with its variety of tribes, has also many various kinds of languages. There are hundreds of regional languages or vernaculars besides Indonesian as the national language. Indonesian people use Indonesian as a mother tongue or a second language. But in the globalization era, we are demanded to master international languages. English is one of the international languages. It has pivotal role as a communication means for both oral and written. Therefore, English is taught to the young learners (children) in the early age in Indonesia and in almost all over the world. In Indonesia, English has been taught to young learners at pre-school until university. Many non-degree English courses are also offered outside the formal programs.

Unfortunately, teaching English which has been done in either formal or non-formal education are specialized in speaking skill and grammatical structure. Writing skill has not got serious attention. It caused students’ writing skill worse than the other skills. However the problem is the 2006 Curriculum which is now used in the system of Indonesian education which demands the students in Junior High grade to reach functional step, being able to communicate orally and written to solve their daily problems. In fact, writing skill is rarely taught in the early age. It makes students afraid of writing. It becomes a burden for them. Ideas and vocabulary often became their major obstacles.

Based on the observation during the teaching and learning process to the VIII grade students of SMP Negeri 40 Purworejo, the writer found some difficulties in teaching writing. It is because the students still often made errors in their sentences when they answered essay questions. It is true that every English teacher always finds the errors made by the students in both written and oral forms. However, the important thing is that the English teachers of SMP N 40 Purworejo afford to solve these problems through teaching writing comprehension in appropriate ways.

The writer was interested in teaching writing to students of SMP Negeri 40 because there were still many difficulties encountered in teaching writing during the job training. Finally, in this final project, the writer presents discussion and reports entitled “The Effectiveness of Using Recount Genre to Improve Writing Skill for VIII Grade Students in SMP Negeri 40 Purworejo.”