Chpater II An Analysis on Student's Abitlity In Writing Descriptive Text At Fifth Semester Student's of English Department IAIN Padangsidimpuan

 Chapter II Chpater II An Analysis on Student's Abitlity In Writing Descriptive Text At Fifth Semester Student's of English Department IAIN Padangsidimpuan 

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A.    Students’ Ability

1.      The Nature of Students’ Ability

Students is someone that learn something from the teacher, even though in school, or out of school field.  Someone who's figuring out something new and floating around in a way that needs to be improved called students. Students  will get new information from someone which is called teacher.

Ability is skill or power to do something.[1] Ability is competence or natural aptitude.[2] Ability is the quality or state of being able, physical, mental, or power to do something competence in doing skill natural talent or acquired proficiency aptitude.[3] So, ability is the skill or power of an individual to master a skill and use it to do something. Robbins stated that the ability consists of two factors, namely:

1)        Intellectual Ability

Intellectual ability is the ability needed to perform various mental activities, think, reason and solve problem.

 

2)        Physical Ability

Physical ability is the ability to perform tasks that require stamina, skills, strengths and similar characteristics.

So, in this research the researchers examined the intellectual ability of students’ because the ability in write descriptive text includes the intellectual ability not physically. Here, the researcher takes the students’ ability in writing descriptive text at fifth semester students of English department IAIN Padangsidimpuan.

2.         Writing  Descriptive Text

a.      The Nature of Writing

Writing is one of the activities in express idea by using their consideration. The writer have to develop their idea word by word, sentences, paragraph and become a good text. The writer can express the idea base on the writer mood, sad, happy, angry, etc. Manchon states “writing is central to our personal experiences, professional careers and social identities, yet while we are often evaluated by our control of it; its multifaceted nature constantly evades adequate description.”[4]

Writing an ability in representation of spoken language by using symbols. Klein states that “writing is the ability to put pen and paper to express ideas through symbols.[5]Peter Elbow cited in Brown states that writing is figuring out meaning and put it into language.[6] Furthermore, developing an idea in a things such as paper is an unique activities, because someone can express their feeling without say something by using spoken language. Someone able to say whatever that they want to say. A writer thinks only and write it on the paper.

Kellogg, Olive, & Pilot define the productive writing skill is considered a cognitive challenge, because it helps to assess language competency, recalling capability and thinking ability. It demands to recall information from long-term memory. Moreover, Nickerson, Perkins, & Smiths stated that the ability of productive writing requires sound ability of thinking on comprehensible matters.[7]

One of the important skill besides English skill is writing. While students can write as well with good order that means they master English. Writing the most difficult because have to follow the ways, such as build a good sentences, use the punctuation, and another ways.  Florian Coulmas defines a writing system as a set of visible or tactile signs used to represent units of language in a systematic way, with the purpose of recording messages which can be retrieved by everyone who knows the language in question and the rules by virtue of which its units are encoded in the writing system.[8] It means that not writing only, but we need to pay attention to several aspects of the writing, so the readers are able to getting point of ideas or messages.

In conclusion, writing is an activities in represent and develop ideas using set of symbols on a piece of paper by follow some ways. Writing is a skill which requires students to express their ideas in written form.     

b.   The Elements of Writing

     Element is part of writing that should be found in writing product. According to Zulaikah, Eka and Muklas[9] there are five elements of writing by following bellow:

1.       Developing ideas

Thinking about the ideas and then write down on the paper without think the ideas is good or bad weather the writing steps is correct.[10] The topics that were given to the students were considered familiar to the students to make a good paragraph. To have a paragraph unity a students have to support the ideas into the sentences.

2.      Organizing ideas

Before do writing activities, the writer have to breaking a topic becomes a simple subsection to make it easier for the writer to explain the topic.[11] Framework make the writer easy to develop ideas and the topic more relate each other.

3.      Grammar

In such a view, the grammar provides a finite and fixed set of sentence templates and a set of “rules” that words should abide by. grammar is the knowledge speakers have about the units and rules of their language—rules for combining sounds into words (called phonology), rules of word formation (called morphology), rules for combining words into phrases and phrases into sentences (called syntax), as well as the rules for assigning meaning (called semantics). The grammar, together with a mental dictionary (called a lexicon) that lists the words of the language, represents our linguistic competence.[12]

4.      Vocabulary

Writing vocabulary is all the words that can be employed in writing. Many written words did not commonly appear in speech, the writers generally use a limited set of words when communicating.

5.      Mechanics

Mechanics is the use of the graphic conventions of the language. It refers to the appearance of words, to how they are spelled or arranged on paper. The example of mechanic is when writing the first word of a paragraph, it must be intended. The rules of mechanic try to make the writing seem consistent and clear. The convention may seem arbitrary. In fact, it was developed from thousand of experiences. The mechanic represents the economic and efficient way of writing. There is a discussion about punctuation in the mechanic. This subject is a little bit complicated. Some punctuation is cut-and dried, while the others fall into the area of usage or style.

c.    Minimum Writing Requirement

According to Christina Kristiyani[13] Responsible writers should express their written ideas semantically and grammatically correct to avoid ambiguous meaning. Beginning writers need a great deal of practice. Writing requirement good writing b following:

1.      Concord/Agreement

a.       You should make sure that you use the masculine and feminine pronouns correctly.

b.      You should make sure that you use correct singular and plural forms of the verbs and pronouns.

c.       You should make sure that you use the correct forms of the nouns after the articles such as one, a, an, each, another, every, two, three, both, many, this, that, much.

2.       Finite Verbs

You should make sure that every simple sentence and the principle (main) clause in every complex sentence each contains a finite verb.

3.       Tenses

a.       You should make sure that you do not change the tense from present to past or from past to present unless you have a good reason.

b.      The changes of tenses are acceptable for a certain reason

4.      Verb Groups

You should make sure that the verbs in questions and negative constructions have the correct form.

5.      Articles

a.       If you use a singular countable noun, you should make sure that you put a or the or a similar word before the noun.

b.       If you use an uncountable noun or a plural countable noun, you should make sure that you do not put a before the noun.

c.        If you use the name of a person, town or country, you should make sure that you do not use a or the in front of it.

 

6.       Punctuation

a.       You should use a capital letter at the beginning of every sentence, a full stop at the end of every statement and a question mark at the end of every question.

b.       You should use a capital letter to begin the name of a person, town or country.

c.       You should make sure that you use the possessive apostrophe correctly.

7.      Spelling

a.        You should make sure that you use the words there and their, and then and than correctly.

b.      When a word ends in p, t, d, m, n, and l and has a short vowel in its final syllable, the consonant should be doubled when the suffixes –able, ed, and -ing are added.

c.        When the final syllable contains a long vowel, the consonant should not be doubled.

d.      If you use a word which spells the sound

d.   Writing process 

writing is the process of creating , organizing, writing, and polishing. In the first step of the process, you create ideas. In the second step, you organize the ideas, in the third step, you write a rough draft. In the final step, you polish your rough draft by editing it and making revision.

According to Ann Hogue and Alice Oshima[14] there are three the process of writing. They are: pre-writing, organizing, writing, polishing: revising and editing.

1.      Pre-Writing

Prewriting is a way to get ideas. In this step, you choose a topic and collect ideas to explain the topic. Listing are several techniques you can use to get ideas.[15]

2.       Organizing

The next step in the writing process is to organize the ideas into a simple outline. The writer organize the idea start from the topic and follow by main idea and supporting sentences.

3.      Writing

The next step is to write a rough draft, using your outline as a guide. Write your rough draft as quickly as you can without stopping to think about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Just get your ideas down on paper. You will probably see many errors in your rough draft.

4.      Polishing: Revising and Editing

In this step, you polish what you have written. This step is also called revising and editing. Polishing is most successful if you do it in two steps. First, attack the big issues of content and organization (revising). Then work on the smaller issues of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics (editing).

e.    The purpose of writing

writing skill is the ability in applying the rules of the language to transfer the information. It is consist of the correct grammatical aspect of the language. Nurhadi[16] stated that there are some of the purpose of writing, the are:

 By the function of the language, the writing's aim can be distinguished to five, that is:

1.      Write to relay information, such as writing articles, to write the language of the scrapbook, and to make reports;

2.      Writing to create and maintain social relations, unfinished writing a letter, writing an invitation, writing a memo, writing a text

3.       Writing to control the behavior of others, such as petition.

4.      Writing is an exhortation, such as writing an open daily, writing a letter from a reader, or an editorial in a newspaper,

5.      Writing is to express the creativity of one's imagination, such as writing a story, writing a poem, or writing a play.

 

Based on the writer's interest in the reader, the goal of writing is distinguished to six, that is:

1.      Infusing understanding into the reader,

2.      Changing the confidence of the reader,

3.      Fun or entertaining readers.

4.       motivates and affects the reader.

5.      shows something new to the reader,

6.      Stimulates the reader's thinking process.

In this way, it may be concluded that there is, in a general way, a general purpose to write, that is:

1.      To inform the reader.

2.      reassuring.

3.       Expressing myself 4 comforting.

4.       make something.

5.      Solving problems.

f.     Text

Describing something through written language become the best activities in learn how to master foreign language. In writing text, the author able to learn the whole part of language such make a sentences,  idioms, use the punctuation and so forth .  Write a text can develop idea relate to the topic. Text refers to any written record of a communicative event. The nature of the text is that made by words and sentences  and it is really made meaning. [17] Text build by words then phrase, sentences and the last paragraph that have related meaning each other. One text has one topic that will describe on the text.

Text is an organization some of paragraph, it consist of three sentences or more. A text is a group of entities, used as sign which are selected, arranged and intended by an author in a certain context to convey some specific meaning to audience.  Furthermore, text is a written expression that mean the author what they think or base on the truth depend to the topic. According to Halliday the nation of the text is both the product and generator of social context are related by reakization.[18] Text is the product of writing consist of three or more paragraph.

Text is a product of thinking too. The author have to think before write, but some of the author find the truth of something before doing writing. It is depend to the types of the text. In descriptive text the author have to saw by them self to make the reader visualize in real life.

In conclusion, text is a written language that express and develop spoken language. Text consist of three sentence or more in a certain context to extend the related meaning. Texts can be classified and organized in a multitude of ways every day, formal, entertaining and informational.

g.    Types of  Text

are thirteen types of text including Procedure, Recount, Narrative, Description, News Item, Report, Analytical Exposition, Spoof, Hortatory Exposition, Explanation, Discussion, Review text.

This research focus on the descriptive text. The researcher attract in analyze the students problems in writing descriptive text because some of students’ have not master about descriptive text yet. There are another students problems in writing descriptive text and will analyze by researcher.

h.   Descriptive Text

1.      The nature  of  descriptive text

Descriptive text is one of genre of texts. This text is one of the texts that have to be taught to Junior High school. Students will communicate each other in oral and written form of communication. Descriptive text is difficult enough to learn by the students. Descriptive text state for describing something, how the colour, characteristic, image, or feeling. All about the things that relate to the topic, the writer can write it on the descriptive text.Descriptive text is to describe and reveal a particular person, place, or thing in details or specific to make the reader be able to visualize the description.[19] Descriptive text can illustrate things specifically with clear explanation.

It can be a concrete object such as a person, or an animal, or a plan, or a car and so forth. It can also be an abstract object such as an opinion, or idea, or love, or hate, or belief. The text function to reflect what is being describe to readers.[20]Descriptive writing appeals to the senses, so it tells how something looks, feels, smells, tastes, and/or sounds. A good description is a word picture; the reader can imagine the object, place, or person in his or her mind.[21]

Base on the explanation above the researcher conclude that descriptive text is describing something how the things looks like. All of the characteristic will told on the story. The description aims at describing the specific participant in text. Furthermore, descriptive text is a short story, consist of characteristic of the things.

2.      Social function

Social function descriptive text to describe a particular person, place or thing. Ken Hyland stated that the function of descriptive text is to give an account of imagined or factual events and phenomena.[22]

3.      Generic structure

Every single genre of text has rules, which is how to write a good text. There are some generic structures of descriptive texts bellow:

a.       Identification is identifies phenomenon to be describe.

b.      Description is describes parts, qualities characteristics of the topic. 

4.      Grammatical features

a.       The present tense is predominantly used

b.      Past tense that tends to dominate

c.       Relational verbs are used when classifying and describing appearance/qualities and parts/functions of phenomena (is, are, has, have).

d.      Action verbs are used when describing behaviors/uses, for instance:

e.       Adjectives are used to add extra information to nouns and may be technical, every day or literary, depending on the text.

f.        In literary and commonsense descriptions, action verbs are used metaphorically to create effect;

g.        Mental verbs are used when describing feelings in literary descriptions.

h.       Adjectives are used to add extra information to nouns and may be technical, every day or literary, depending on the text.

i.        Adverbs are used to add extra information to verbs to provide more detailed description.

j.        Adverbial phrases are used in descriptions to add more information

i.      Writing Descriptive Text

Writing descriptive text is one of the activities that contain of write a variety of stories but using descriptive text style. Students try to write how to describe the main topic well and make the reader visualize situation of the stories. Writing descriptive text is a process to gather our ideas, information or thoughts become a text that describes a particular person, place or thing. It explains about a person, place or thing which can make the readers imagine what is described vividly. It gives sense - impression such as the feel, sound, taste, smell and look of things.[23] Writing descriptive text increases vocabularies cause it consist of characteristic of the main topic or object. The object can be concrete such as human, animal, flower, house, city, tourist destination and so on.  

Example:

(Identification)

There is a tourist destination near to my home town. The name of destination is Ramaju Garden.  It is located in Sibio – bio Angkola Timur, Tapanuli Selatan in North Sumatra.

(Description)

The area is not quite wide but the view is gorgeous. It looks like a usual garden when someone seen it from the far away or when they pass the location, but when they come in the garden they will surprise with pretty views. The first they will welcome with many kinds of plants from all of over Indonesia even the world. The owner of garden made small gardens in every corner of the garden which is decorated with pretty flowers. Additionally, there is a greenhouse for varieties of orchid.

 The very special of this garden is strawberry fruits. The owner plant strawberry fruits on the right and the left of garden.   It makes the guest more attractive while they visit it. Furthermore, this garden also fix the guest up with mini cafeteria on the middle of strawberry garden.

 Ramaju garden is the only one garden in Tapanuli Selatan contain of flowers and unique fruits and plants with the cheapest, an attractive views, and also the greatest air.

 

j.     Assessing Writing

In learning, the students try to develop their ability in the class. Teacher as a facilitator have to know the students’ progress in case developing a piece of their written work. Teacher can be a judge to know students progress. Teacher will give the task to the students while the topic was finished explain to know the students comprehending.

Brown stated that one way to view writing assessment is through various rating checklist or grids that can indicate to students their areas of strength and weakness, and in case such taxonomies are scoring rubrics.[24] Hyland also stated that assessment refers to the variety of ways used to collect information on a learner’s language ability or achievement. It is therefore an umbrella term which includes such diverse practices as once-only class tests, short essays, long project reports, writing portfolios, or large-scale standardized examinations.[25] The key getting the successful assessment or evaluation of the students is to get the students comprehend, grades, score and other comment are varied forms feedback from which they can benefit.

 

 

According to brown there are categories of writing evaluation in general basic.

Table I

Rubric Score for Assessment writing Descriptive Text

 

Aspect	Score	Performance Description	Weighting
Content (C) Topic idea	20	The topic is complete and clear and the ideas are relating to the topic	20%
	15	The topic is complete and clear but the ideas are almost relating to the topic
	10	The topic is complete and clear but the ideas are not relating to the topic
	5	The topic are not relating to the topic and ideas are not relating to the topic
Organization (O) Introduction Sequence Idea Descriptions	20	Introduction is complete, has correct sequence idea, and description is clear	20%
	15	Introduction is almost complete, has almost correct sequence idea, and description is almost clear
	10	Introduction is complete, but has no sequence idea and description is not clear
	5	Introduction is not complete, has no sequence idea, and description is not clear
Grammar (G)	20	Very few grammatical or agreement Inaccuracies	20%
	15	Few grammatical or agreement inaccuracies but not affected on meaning
	10	Numerous grammatical or agreement Inaccuracies
	5	Frequent grammatical or agreement Inaccuracies
Generic Structure (G)	20	Relevant to generic structure of descriptive text, good in identify thing, describe with sequence form and very related to the topic, and using present tense.	20%
	15	Relevant to generic structure but using uncoordinated descriptions
	10	Misusing generic structure and  less in uncoordinated descriptions
	5	Very poor in using generic structure and  in uncoordinated descriptions
Mechanics (M) Spelling capitalization Punctuation	20	It uses correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization	20%
	15	It has occasional errors of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization
	10	It has frequent errors of spelling, punctuation and capitalization
	5	It is dominate by errors of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.     Review of Related Findings

Beside the theory study above the writer found some researcher that related to this research. The first thesis from Liliana Harahap,[26] she found that the researcher found that the students were not able to use grammar correctly, it was based on the persentage of students’ ability in writing descriptive text. From five components of writing, the researcher found that the students strong in the content and weak in grammar. The result of the data analysis was that their ability in writing descriptive text at senior high school 1 Tambang was categorized into very good level.

The second thesis from Isna Wahyuni,[27] she found  that the ability of the students very poor and have some difficulties in writing descriptive text. It mean that the students have many problem in writing descriptive text, so that’s why their writing not plenty good.

The third thesis from Dayang Melja Halda Putri,[28] she has found that the students ability and problem in a fair category. Some of them good and some of them also not plenty good in writing. The most common mistake that students have done are in organization, grammar and vocabulary. It mean that even though students learn descriptive text since junior high school, they commonly do the same mistake.

The fourth thesis by Yuni Fitriana,[29] this research showed that student make much problems in punctuation aspect. The most commonly mistake that students have done are in using capital letter and full stop.

Based on the previous explanation about the study that had been done, this proves that this research has differences and similarities. The thing that make difference from related finding above is the focus, theory, and also methodology of the research. As for the similarities of this study that the researcher both focus on the students’ writing, especially in descriptive text.

C.    Hypothesis

The hypothesis at fifth semester students of English department IAIN Padangsidimpuan, the students can not master english well. The hypothesis is “The students’ ability in writing descriptive text at fifth semester students of English department IAIN Padangsidimpuan is low.”

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[1]Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary.

[2] Merriam-Webster, Webster’s Dictionary & Thesaurus: A Complete Language Resource For Students, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 6(11), 951–952. (United States Of American: Federal Street Press Is A Trademark Of Federal Street Press, A Division Of Merriam-Webster, Incorporated., 2019), P.7.

[3] Merriam-Webster, Webster’s New Explorer College Dictionary : Created In Cooperation With The Editors Of Webster ’ S New Explorer, (United States Ofamerica: Federal Street Press, 2003), P.2.

[4]Rosa M. Manchon, Learning-to-Write and Writing-to-Learn in an Additional Language, (Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2011), p. 17

[5]Klein, Writing Definition Descriptive Text, Online, http:// en.writing-definition-descriptive-text, accessed on May 18, 2013.

[6] H. Douglas Brown, Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy Second Edition, (New York: Addison Wesley Longman, 2001), p. 336.

[7]Muhammad Javed, Wu Xiao Juan, SaimaNazli “A Study of Students’ Assessment in Writing Skills of the English Language” 2013, 3, http://www.e-iji.net/dosyalar/iji_2013_2_9.pdf.

[8] W. and Fasold, Dialect Variation, 403.

[9] M. Muklas Zulaikah, Eka Agustina, “An Analysis Student’s Ability In Writing Descriptive Text Of Second Semester Of English Educational Program At STKIP Nurul Huda Oku Timur.,” no. 1 (2018): 17, https://doi.org/2549-4171.

[10] Elena Vestri Salomon. Keith S.Folse, April Muchmore-Vokoun, Great Writing, Great Paragraph, Ed. Yeny Kim, Third Edit (USA: Sherrise Roehr, 2009), 30, Https://Id1lib.Org/Book/1110371/C0b447.

[11] Nurhadi, Handbook of Writing, ed. Rita Dwi Aningtyas dan Restu Damayanti, 1st ed. (Jakarta: PT Bumi Aksara, 2017), 53.

[12] Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams, An Introduction to Langauge 10th Edition, ed. Joan M. frlaherty and the Team, Cengage Learning, Tenth Edit (New York: Micheal Rosenberg, 2013), 9, https://book4you.org/book/2322684/ee3765?dsource=recommend.

[13] Christina Kristiyani, “DEVELOPING Developing Basic Writing Skills,” 2013, 3, http//book.org.edu.jdfnkdkj645.

[14] Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue, Introduction to Academic Writing, Third Edit (United States of America: Pearson Education, 2007), 15, https://book4you.org/book/2293769/93998d.

[15] Oshima and Hogue, 15.

[16] Nurhadi, Handbook of Writing, 12.

[17] M. A. K. Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan, “Language, Context, and Text_ Aspects of Language in a Social-Semiotic Perspective .Pdf,” 1989, 10.

[18] Annabelle Lukin, “What Do Texts Do ? The Context-Construing Work of News Introduction : Context and Text in Halliday ’ s Systemic Functional Linguistics” 33, no. 1935 (2013): 2, https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2013-0024.

[19] Reszy Yuli Harmenita & Yuli Tiarina, “Teaching Writing a Descriptive Text By Using By Using Environmental Observation Strategy Environmental Observation Strategy,” Journal of English Language Teaching Vol. 1 No., no. March (2013): 3, http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/jelt/article/view/1167/988.

[20] Sanggam Siahaan, The English Paragraph, First Edit (Pematang Siantar: Graha Ilmu, 2017), 119.

[21] Oshima and Hogue, Introduction to Academic Writing, 61.

[22] Ken Hyland, Second Language Writing, ed. Jack C.Richards (New York: Cambridge University Press., 2003), 20, https://doi.org/10.2307/3588251.

[23] Wulan Sari Panggabean et al., “Mind Mapping on Students ’ Writing Descriptive Text,” Iain Padang Sidimpuan 07, no. 02 (2019): 3, http://jurnal.iain-padangsidimpuan.ac.id/index.php/EEJ/article/view/2233.

[24] H.Douglas Brown, Teaching By Principle, Third Edit (United States Of America: Pearson Education, 2007), 413.

[25] Hyland, Second Language Writing, 213.

[26] Liliana Harahap, “The Researcher Found That the Students Were Not Able to Use Grammar Correctly, It Was Based on the Persentage of Students’ Ability in Writing Descriptive Text. The Percentage of Students’ Ability in Grammar Was 18,66%, Mechanics Was 19,54%, Vocabulary Was” (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau., 2018).

[27] isna wahyunmi, “An Analysis of Students’ Ability and Difficulties in Writing Descriptive Text” (Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, n.d.).

[28] Dayang Meljah Halda Putri, “An Analysis Of Students’ Ability And Problem In Writing About The School Environment” (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, 2016), https://ripodtoryp.unismuhpur.ac.id.

[29] Yuni Fitriani, “Analysis Of Students’ Problems In Writing Text Spoof Of The Eleventh Grade SMK PGRI 4 Bandar Lampung In Academic Year Of 2020/2021.” (Universitas Lampung, 2021), http://repository.radenintan.ac.id/id/eprint/13613.