USING PICTURE SERIES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ WRITING IN RECOUNT TEXT

ABSTRACT
This paper dealt with the use of picture series to enhance students’ writing in recount text. In
addition, the writer also addressed the engagement of the students in the classroom. The data
were collected through pre-test, observation and interview. Based on the data, there were some
problems related to students’ ability in writing and students’ engagement. This research belonged
to classroom action research and the participant was 30 students in one of a junior high school in
Yogyakarta. The researcher wanted to know whether there was a change after the
implementation of the actions. In implementing the CAR, there were two cycles began with pre-
test and ended with post-test after each cycle. In each cycle, there are some plans such as
planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The data were analyzed qualitatively and
quantitatively. Based on the reflection of cycle I, the result showed that the students were
engaged and they understand the organization of recount text. Based on the cycle II, the students’
were confident in composing the recount text and more engaged in teaching and learning
process. The mean score of the students’ writing in the post-test was 73.8. It was higher than the
students’ mean score in the pre-test which scored 64.9. The data proved that the use of picture
series could improve the students’ writing skill and also their engagement in the lesson.

INTRODUCTION

In this modern era, English becomes one of the most language studied by people around
the world. There are many reasons why people study English. One of the reasons is because they
want to be able to communicate with others. In this case, there are more than 40 countries uses
English as their main language including the others as cited from www.telegraph.co.uk. Thus it
is necessary for them to master English. In the Indonesian context, although English is not the
official language, English is taught in schools from junior high school or for some others are
from pre-school. The main objective of English in junior high school is to make them be able to
communicate through the spoken or written form to address their daily life problems.

One of the English skills that should be mastered by Indonesian student especially junior
high school students, along with listening, reading, and speaking, is writing (Depdiknas, 2003).
By learning writing skill, the students can communicate effectively with others through written
form. However, teachers sometimes find it challenging to enhance the writing skills of their
students for some reasons. According to Harmer (2004), writing covers several stages to be
accomplished, such as planning, drafting, editing, and completing the final draft. In this case,

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learners should finish each step before going to the next stage. For instance, in the planning
stage, the writer looks for an idea of what he or she wants to write and figure out the pattern and
the substance of his or her writing.

Furthermore, it is also essential to consider the targeted readers which the writer wants to
address. After completing this step, the writer can continue to the next stage. Another reason why
writing is confusing, it needs much knowledge regarding writing techniques. Krashen (1993)
clearly stated that reading becomes the critical element in which a person gets information on
how to write. It is because people learn many things, for instance writing styles, from their
reading. The other reason is that the national examination of junior high school students does not
assess the writing skill of the students. Although Eko Prasetyoningsih (2016) as the head of
primary education in Surabaya as cited from Antaranews.com, stated that English national
examination for a junior high school covered reading and writing.

Meanwhile, based on the researcher's interview in one of junior high school in

Yogyakarta. He discovered the students were having difficulty in writing since they have a low
vocabulary, a problem in grammar, and how to organize their idea. The pre-test conducted aimed
to know the students writing skill in writing recount text. On the pre-test, the researcher
discovered that the student had difficulty to find the idea in writing. The researcher also noticed the
grammatical errors from students’ work. In this case, the student still could not figure about the
differences between recount text and daily activity text. They tend to use a simple present tense
in writing a recount text. They get used to writing "get" while the correct form in writing recount
text must use "got." Besides, their score in writing based on the pre-test was low since there were
many errors found in their work.

Observations were also done to observe the teaching and learning process. The researcher
discovered some problems in the teaching and learning process. In the context of learning
material, the media that were used by the teacher to support the teaching and learning of writing
were inappropriate and not interested for the student. For example, the use of video in the
classroom took long duration, used an Indian accent and the unavailable of speaker that might
affect the student understanding. Meanwhile, the students felt bored and less motivated because
the teacher rarely used attractive media. In the context teaching and learning process, the activity
occurred in an old fashioned way. It was teacher-centered that the teacher mostly used drilling

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technique, so the students had low motivation. They did not pay attention to the teacher instructions.
Concurrently, some of the students were not brave enough to ask questions while the teacher had a
low voice in explaining. Thus, the students were less active in the class.

Based on those evidences, it needed solution to address this matter. In this case, the
researcher proposed picture series to enhance the junior high school students’ writing skill in which
he chose the specific type of text since the topic taught at that time was a recount text. He focused
on the treatment to address the students’ engagement in the classroom. Therefore, the researcher
conducted a classroom action research. It dealt with finding out the problem occurred among the
participants in the schools, which was not only on the surface and followed a particular method
(Burns, 2010). Thus, it focused on giving intervention on the targeted problems that would carry an
alteration. In this case, the writer used a picture series as the media and concentrated on the students'
engagement.

In addition, there were some researches done by other researchers that focused on using
picture series to enhance students’ writing. Wening (2016) wrote in her article entitled The Role of
Picture Series in Improving Students’ Writing Ability. Although it was not a research-based, she
proposed how to use picture series for teaching and learning. Another research is ESL Learners’
Perspectives on the Use of Picture Series in Teaching Guided Writing by Singh et al. (2017). In this
article, they wanted to find out the learners' opinion toward the use of picture series. The result
showed that picture series could improve learners’ motivation and their interest while in the
classroom. Meanwhile, Ramadhani (2016) also conducted research entitled The Effectiveness of
Using Picture Series in Teaching Writing Recount Text to the Tenth Grade Students of SMA
Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta in 2015/2016 Academic Year. This research was an undergraduate
thesis, which aimed at finding out the effectiveness of picture series, and the result showed that
the effectiveness value was 36,25, which meant it was effective.

According to Nunan (2003), writing is as one of both physical in which people act
physically to create a meaningful written form and mental act where they use their mind in
making a meaningful text. Furthermore, s mentioned before, Harmer (2004) stated writing
involves four stages which are planning, drafting, editing, and final draft. In planning, the writer
searches for something that he or she wants to write and figure out the pattern and the substance
of his or her writing. Meanwhile, in drafting, he or she starts to write down his or her ideas into a

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written form, such as sentences and paragraphs. In editing, he or she tries to work on the errors in
his writing. Thus, the errors such as on punctuation, capitalization spelling, and format become
the priority in this on-going process. The last stage is the final draft. In this stage, the writer
makes sure that his work has complete all the requirements of the writing.

Media is beneficial to help teachers in delivering the material. Besides, it can be useful
for the students because they can respond to the lesson from the teacher and help them in writing.
Pictures as visual media have a benefit as teaching aid develops students writing skills in recount
text. It can stimulate the students in developing an idea when they create a story. Many teachers
tend to utilize pictures or graphics to facilitate students’ learning (Harmer, 2004). Then, kinds of
images apply to in a multiplicity of ways. Meanwhile, according to Wright (1989), pictures
contribute to improving the students' interest and motivation in the teaching and learning
process. He also explains that images have a sense of the context of the language, and it can be a
specific reference point or stimulus to the students.

Furthermore, Joklova (2009) states when using picture in teaching and learning process,
it becomes more contextual, and it also communicates to the students since the picture can tell
more than just merely a thing. Yunus (1981) stated that picture series referred to a collection of
pictures in which they related to each other. Thus, it will help the students to understand the
written work, especially in well-ordered pictures. Also, Kellner (2009) argued that many teachers
tend to utilize photographs as one type of pictures to develop the students' writing. He believed
that photograph could stimulate the students' ability in formulating ideas in writing whether they
have a low or high level of thinking.

This research also focused on the students' engagement. In this case, the picture series
was also one of the media that could help increase the students' participation. Weimer (2012)
stated that students’ engagement referred to the students’ involvement in the exercises designed
by the teacher in which its main objective to direct them to a high quality of learning.
Meanwhile, according to some expert for instance Ansley (2007), Latuheru (1988), Brown,
Lewis and Harcleroad (1983) in Sa’diyah (2017), they agreed that the media such as picture
series could increase the students' engagement, for instance, making the students contribute to
the teaching and learning process in the classroom. Thus it helps students learn more when they
are engaged. However, there is some consideration in using picture series for teaching, according

4
to Panigrahi (2009). The first is the teacher should consider the appropriateness of the picture
when applied to a particular topic. Second, the picture presented should be attractive so that the
students pay attention to the materials taught by the teacher. The last, the teacher should provide
a picture based on its turn, for instance, picture B will be shown after picture A, or it depends on
the material that they discussed. In this case, the picture series was used to help the students
generate their ideas in writing recount text. Smaldino et al. (2005), mentioned that in the pre-
writing, the picture could assist the students to stimulate their though since what they saw would
generate their imagination.

METHOD

a. Type of the research

The type of the research in this study is classroom action research. Watts (1985:118)
quoted from Eileen Ferrance said that action research is a process in which participant examine
their educational practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of the research.
Hopkins (1985:32) and Ebbut (1985:156) suggest that the combination of action and research
renders that action a form of disciplined inquiry, in which a personal attempt is made to
understand, improve and reform practice. Moreover Cohen and Manion (1994;186) define
action research as a small scale intervention in the functioning of the real world and a close
examination of the effects of such an intervention. Kemmis and McTaggart (1992:10) suggested
that doing the action research means planning, acting, observing and steering decision- making
and practice.
The preliminary study is conducted before starting the research. It includes identifying
the problem, selecting the problem and choosing the action to solve the problem. Problem
identification was held to find the problem and to collect the data. It was followed by selecting
feasible and urgent problems and then collecting several possible solutions to solve the problem.
The first step in action research is planning. The researcher made plans for the actions by the
help of the collaborator. Then, the researcher took the actions which were planned in the
previous phase by conducting the teaching-learning process. He observed the actions that were
done to find some weaknesses and some other alternative ways, if possible, to improve the
teaching-learning process. Lastly, the researcher reflected, evaluated, and described the effects of
the action with the assistance from the collaborator.

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b. Research Subjects
The subjects of this research are students from class 8B of SMPN 1 Mlati in the academic
year of 2013/2014. The class consists of 30 students with the distribution of 14 male students
and 16 female students. The other subject is the English teacher. During the cycles, the English
teacher acted as observer in the classroom while the researcher taught the students.
c. Data Collection
The researcher used several instruments in gathering the quantitative and qualitative data.
The data collection techniques used in the research was observation, interview, documentation,
and Test. The data collection instruments were observation checklist, interview guidelines and
writing tests. There were three ways that the researcher used to obtain the qualitative data:
Interviews, observation and documentation. The interview was held continuously in cycle I and
cycle II. It was implemented to compare the effectiveness of peer feedback in improving the
students’ writing skills. The documentation was done by media such as digital camera and phone
recorder in order to get the real evidence of the situation. Observation was held from the very
beginning of the research. To record every detailed event that happened in the research, the
researcher used field note as the tool to gather the data.
To get the quantitative data, tests were held before and after the actions. Pre-test was given
to find the existing student’s ability in writing recount text before the action was done. The
researcher asked the students to write a recount text based on the guidance which was given by
the researcher. The score of pre-test showed the basic ability of the students in writing.
Post-test was given at the end of the research. Post-test score indicated the student’s
improvement in writing skills and it was also used to find out whether the action was effective or
not.
d. Data Analysis
In analyzing the writing tests, the researcher used a writing rubric proposed by Harrison
in 1988 (see in appendix 1). The rubric provides some qualifications for writing aspects such as
content, vocabulary, grammar, spelling and mechanics. The weights of the scores are different
following the level of necessity of the topic that is being taught. In this research, the researcher
had an opportunity to teach recount text to the students. Thus, the aspects of recount text such
as generic structure and past tense were heavily scored more than other items.
In order to get the full scores of 100, the researcher used the calculation below to sum all of the

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aspects’ scores.
The items to be evaluated Score
a. Content
Orientation
Events 30
Reorientation
b. Vocabulary 25
c. Grammar 20
d. Spelling 15
e. Punctuation and 10
Capitalization

Total score : 100

After analyzing the individual students’ scores based on the scoring table, the next step we did
was to compute the students’ mean score based on the following formula.

M = ∑X
N

where:

X = the mean score of the entire participants (students)

∑X = the sum of the individual students’ score
N = the sample size (the number of participants)

In order to measure the students’ mean scores, the writer did it based on the qualification by
Heaton (1988:96 ). He stated that if the mean score is between 0-49 the qualification is poor with
category D. If the mean score is between 50-59 the qualification is poor to average with category C. If
the mean score is between 60-79 the qualification is average to good with category B. If the mean score
is between 80- 100 the qualification is good to excellent with category A.

RESULT

The research was divided into two cycles. The first cycle consists of two meetings and the
second cycle also consists of two meetings. Each cycle consists of planning, actions, observation
and reflection.

1. Pre-test

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 In the first preparation, the researcher conducted a classroom observation, interviewed the
English teacher and also the students in class VIII B SMPN Mlati 1 in order to identify the
problems of the teaching and learning process. Then, the researcher decided some treatments
related to the problem before applying it to them in the first cycle. The researcher displayed the
vignette based on the observation. The vignette below displays the teaching and learning process.
Figure 1
Date / Year/ Time : 08-02-2019 / 11.00------
Place : Classroom of VIII A
Activity : Pre-observation

The teacher started the class by greeting and checking the student attendance before
starting, the teacher asked the student to lead pray before start studying. Then the teacher asked
her student about what has been learned in the previous meeting. The student keeps silent even
though the teacher stimulated them. Then the teacher did the warming up.
In the teaching and learning process, the teacher used a video in explaining their
material about how to write a recount text. Unfortunately, the video took 45 minutes to finish
and also it used Indian accent that probably will have a bad impact in the future. The teacher
did not give some explanation while the video is running. The student just watched the video,
then did some assignment. The student got confused to finish their assignment because there
was no additional explanation from the teacher, and also the students was not brave to ask.
Moreover, they felt bored and less motivated because the activity was done in an old fashioned
way. It was teacher-centered that the teacher mostly used drilling technique.
After everything is done, the teacher asked the student to submit their assignment on the
desk in front of the class. The bell rang, then the teacher said goodbye to the student and leave the
class.

Based on the field note above, the researcher found some evidence that might lead to the
problem. It can be seen that the teacher taught the student with an old fashioned way. The
teacher used a video in delivering material is probably not appropriate because it consumed long
duration and used Indian accent without considering the native accent. The teacher just played

8
the video without some explanation so the student got confused in finishing their assignment and
not received the material very well.

Furthermore, the researcher interviewed the teacher and the student to support the finding
problem. Below is the sample of transcript interview with the teacher and the student.

Figure 2
R: Menurut ibu permasalahan yang biasanya ibu hadapi dalam proses pengajaran di kelas
apa saja bu?
T: Mereka sangat sulit dalam writing skill terutama yang saya temui Murid-murid masih
sering kesulitan dalam menulis cerita, mereka bingung mau menulis apa. Mereka juga
kurang dalam pembendaharaan kosakata, seperti pemilihan kata yang tidak sesuai. Serta
dalam penggunaan tenses mereka masih bingung. Terakhir seperti yang kalian lihat,
hanya beberapa murid yang memperhatikan.

Based on the interview above, it can be seen that the student’s problem is in writing and
they did not know how to develop their idea to start writing, they were lack of vocabulary and
also they still could not figure the use of tenses appropriately.

Figure 3
T: Menurutmu pembelajaran dikelas kemaren gimana?
S: Susah mas, saya tidak mengerti karena ibu tidak terlalu banyak menjelaskan terus juga
suara ibu tidak keras.
T: Okey, kemudian menurutmu hal yang paling sulit di bahasa inggris itu apa?
S: Writing
T: Kenapa jadi sulit?
S: Kalo menulis itu kadang bingung mau menulis apa, kosakata juga kurang banyak, terus
harus menggunakan tenses, jadi kadang nulis itu ngasal saja karena saya tidak paham
apapun.

What can be seen above, it is clear that the finding problem still the same as the previous
interview with the teacher and the observation. The students have difficulty in writing skill. They
don’t know how to develop their idea in writing, limited vocabulary, and tenses usage.

9
 However, those problems still need some supports finding in writing skill. The researcher
decided to conduct a pre-test to identify the students’ ability in writing recount texts on February
th
27 , 2019. The pre-test aims to identify the student’s problem related to the writing skill in
recount text. The pre-test was conducted for thirty minutes. The researcher gave a topic for the
students to write a story about their past experience. Below is the sample of the students’ work.

Figure 4

Based on the result of the pre-test, the researcher found some problems in their worksheet.
Many students might still have difficulties in writing a recount text. They seemed confused about
how to start writing. They did not know how to generate their idea into a worksheet. In fact that,
Recount text tells about someone experience that consists of orientation, events, and the last re-
orientation and it must apply past form on the verb. Unfortunately, in their worksheet, the student
still has difficulties in grammatical form. From the worksheet, the student might do not really
understand the language feature used in a recount text. The student tends to write their story with
daily activities form and used verb 1 form.

2. Cycle 1

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a. Planning
The researchers tried to design a lesson plan on March 13th,2019 that containing a material
that might resolve the identified problems and it expected to help them in understanding about the
language feature in the recount text and how to retelling experience. Indeed, the lesson plan is
under permission from the teacher of VIII A Mlati1
b. First meeting
This meeting is conducted on March 21st, 2019. It designed to give examples of a recount
text for the student. The aimed of this meeting was to give the students a clear explanation and
help them to understand about a recount text. The activity from this meeting was the researcher
explained to the student about generic structure and language feature contained in recount text
such as orientation, events, re-orientation, simple past form and so on by using a video. The
researcher also explained how to construct the recount text in the correct pattern. Indeed, the
researcher plays a pivotal role as facilitator, model, and mentor. According to Brown (2007)
“teachers can play many roles in the course of teaching and this might facilitate learning”. Yet,
because limited of time the researcher could not cover all material to the student and it might
applied in the second meeting.
c. Second meeting
The second meeting continued on March 23rd, 2019 and it focused on what had been
taught before. The aimed of this meeting was that the students are able to identify and
understand the generic structure and language feature in the recount text such as the used of past
form. The activity that applied in this meeting was the teacher asked the student to make some
groups and gave the students a worksheet containing pictures and jumbled word and arranged
into good sentence concerned to the recount text. Then, the student had to match the jumbled
word with the picture.
d. Post-test

The researcher conducted the post-test on March 25th, 2019. The students were given the
posttest that focused on assessing the student’s understanding of recount text. The sample post-
test below shows the result of cycle 1

Figure 5

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 It can be seen from the result above that the student had an improvement in their writing,
especially in developing ideas. Then, they understood the generic structure of a recount text that
consists of orientation, events, and reorientation. The student also could differentiate between
daily activity and recount text.

e. Reflection
Besides, the researcher taught and explained to the student. The researcher also worked as
an observer and wrote every aspect that successful and unsuccessful in teaching and learning
process.

Successful Unsuccessful
- The students attitude towards learning - Few students were not engaged in the
has changed. They are active in the learning process.
learning process. - Few students still did not pay attention
- The students understand the to the punctuation.
organization of recount text
3. Cycle 2
a. Planning

The researchers designed a lesson plan on March 27th, 2019. The lesson plan contained
materials that might cover some unsuccessful plan from the previous meeting and the lesson plan
also is under permission from the teacher of VIII B at SMP Mlati 1.

b. First meeting

The first meeting conducted on March 28 th, 2019. The aimed of this meeting is that the
student are able to understand the generic structure and language feature in the recount text such
as the used of past form. The activity that applied in this meeting was the researcher asked the
student to make some group and arranged the jumbled word related to the picture series in the
LCD. Then, asked the student to make their draft of recount text with the picture series. After
that, the researcher and the student discussed their work.

c. Second meeting

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 The first meeting conducted on March 30th, 2019. The aimed of this meeting is to help the
student generate their idea and write a recount text. The activity that applied in this meeting was
the researcher asked the student to divide into three groups. Each group had to write a recount
text related to a picture series given by the researcher. Then, the researcher and the student
discussed the results.

d. Post-test

The researcher conducted the post-test on April 4th, 2019. The students were given the
posttest that focused on assessing the student’s work of recount text.

Figure 6

Based on
the result
above, the
student knew how
to write a recount
text because
the ability in
generating
their idea is
improved
well. They

understood about the organization of recount text such as orientation, events, and reorientation.
The student paid attention to the punctuation in writing a recount text. In addition, the student

13
could minimize their mistake in choosing the appropriate word and the tenses used in recount
text.

e. Reflection

The researcher observed the teaching and learning process in the classroom and noted
some successful and unsuccessful that happen in the treatment.

Succsessful Unsuccessful
- The students were engaged in the - Three students were absent in the last
learning process. meeting.
- The students could differentiate - The score of few studentss were not
between daily activity and recount increase significantly.
text
- The students paid attention to the
punctuation in writing recount text
- The students could generate their
ideas in writing recount text

For the last section, the researcher conducted the interview to support the data that had
been found. The researcher conducted the interview with teacher and students after the actions
were done. Below is the sample transcript from the interview.
R: Bagaimana pendapat adek tentang pembelajaran yang sudah kita lalui?
S: Alhamdulillah, kak udah mulai mengerti
R: Terus dalam writing gimana?
S: tidak bingung lagi kak dalam menulis, kosakata juga udah lumayan dan udah
mengerti juga kalo recount text itu menulis nya seperti ini dan itu.
R: Terimakasih ibu atas segalanya karena telah diberikan waktu untuk melakukan
penelitian di kelas ibu, mohon maaf apabila kami melakukan kesalahan selama
kami berada disini.
T: Iya mas gak papa, justru saya yang berterima kasih karena sudah dibantu dalam
mengajar murid murid.
R: Oh iya ibu, bagaimana menurut ibu hasil nilai serta pembelajaran yang sudah
kami lakukan, menurut pengamatan ibu?

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 T: Alhamdulillah mas, semuanya berjalan dengan baik. Hasil nilai murid juga
bagus bagus, terdapat banyak peningkatan, saya juga merasa puas, terus anak
anak juga sudah bisa menulis recount text, sudah tau yang mana recount text
yang mana bukan, terus penggunaan tenses juga sudah mulai menguasai terlebih
bentuk lampau.
Below is the result of the student’s work from first cycle and second cycle.
Figure 7

No name Pre-test Cycle 1 Cycle 2

1 Abi*** 70 80 88
2 Ada*** 68 70 -
3 Ahm*** 58 60 67
4 Aly*** 67 75 78
5 An*** 55 60 67
6 Ana*** 69 75 78
7 Ann*** 78 80 86
8 Bun*** 70 73 85
9 Dav*** 75 79 80
10 Div*** 78 85 88
11 Els*** 71 78 76
12 Ev*** 73 80 76
13 Fai*** 53 70 84
14 Fath*** 60 70 67
15 Han*** 67 69 73
16 Has*** 62 72 79
17 Kar*** 59 68 71
18 Lut*** 75 76 80
19 Mad*** 79 86 88
20 M. Bi*** 68 70 76
21 M. Al*** 66 71 69
22 Nady*** 68 72 74
23 Naj*** 78 86 88
24 Nov*** 65 70 74
25 Rad*** 40 58 67
26 Rai*** 40 55 78
27 Su*** 60 69 73
28 Tar*** 60 65 70
29 Vio*** 65 66 70
30 Zha*** 52 58 66
Mean 64,96667 71,53333 73,86667

It can be seen from the mean scores that there are improvement on the students’ writings
from the pretest, posttest in cycle 1 and posttest in cycle 2.

DISCUSSION

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 In making the students’ mean score qualification the researcher conducted it based on
Heaton (1988:96). Heaton stated that if the mean score is between 0-49 the qualification is
poor with category D. If the mean score is between 50-59, the qualification is poor to average
with category C. If the mean score is between 60-79, the qualification is average to good with
category B. If the mean score is between 80- 100 the qualification is good to excellent with
category A.
The findings of students’ achievement
The score from 30 students in class 8B ranged from 40 to 78. The lowest score was 40,
which were categorized as poor and the highest score was 78 in the category of average to
good. Three students were in the category of ‘poor to average’ five students who were in the
category of ‘poor to average and twenty-one students who were in the category of ‘average to
good. The total score of the students’ pretest from 30 students was 1949. The computation of
the students’ mean score of pre-test can be seen as follows:

∑x
M=
N

1949
M=
30

= 64,9

Based on the computation above, the students’ mean score of pre-test was 64.9. According
to the criteria, the students’ mean score was poor to average. The result of the first cycle and the
purpose was to know the students’ achievements after the treatment can be seen as follow:

The students’ cycle 1 scores ranged from 55 to 86. The lowest score was 55 which were
categorized as poor to average, and the highest score was 86 in the category of good to very
good. Two students were in the category of ‘poor’, five students were in the category of ‘poor to
average, and twenty three students were in the category of ‘average to good’ five students were
in the category of ‘good to very good’ The total score of the students’ post-test was 2146. The
computation of the students’ mean score in the cycle1 was as follows:

∑ x1
M1=
N

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 2146
M1=
30

= 71.5

Based on the computation above, the students’ mean score of cycle 1 was 71.5. According
to the criteria, the students’ mean score was average to good.

The students’ cycle 2 score ranged from 66 to 88. The lowest score was 66 which were
categorized as average, and the highest score was 88 in the category of good to very good.
Twenty students were in the category of ‘average to good’, nine students were in the category of
‘good to very good’ The total score of the students’ post-test was 2216. The computation of the
students’ mean score in the cycle2 was as follows:

∑ x2
M2=
N

2216
M2=
30

=73.8

Based on the computation above, the students’ mean score of cycle 2 was 73.8. According
to the criteria, the students’ mean score was good to very good.

As a result, in the pretest, the students’ mark was 64.9. At the first cycle, the students’
mark was 71.5 and at the second cycle, the students’ mark was 73.8. Based on the students’
mark, there was a significant improvement in the students’ achievement. The students’
achievements are seen not only from the score, it also can be seen from the interview and also
from the reflection. It can be claimed that the use of picture series in teaching and learning
process may help the student improve writing recount text. According to Wright (1989:17) He
proposed that the use of pictures are very useful in the teaching process, he said that pictures may
contribute to improve the students’ interest and motivation in the teaching learning process.
Based on the theory the use of picture series in the classroom may have a good benefit for the
student in the future.

CONCLUSION

17
 In teaching writing, it is important to implement appropriate media. According to the
finding of the research, picture series as one of instructional media is proven to be beneficial to
improve student’s writing ability. Picture series are chosen since they are interesting and contain
chronological order in a sequence that eases the students to generate and organize their idea in
writing. Yet, this research still has some weaknesses that need to be perfected by another
researcher in the future.

REFERENCE

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Practitioners. New York: Routledge.
Depdiknas. (2004). Kerangka Dasar Kurikulum. Jakarta: Direktorat Pendidikan.
Harmer, J. (2004). How to teach writing. New York: Pearson Education Ltd.
Harmer, J. (2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Essex: Pearson Education
Limited
Heaton, J.B. 1988 Writing English language Test: New edition. New York: Longman Inc.
http://www.e-dukasi.net/scoring rubric/Harrison - Writing Rubrics.htm
Kane, S.Thomas. Essential Guide to Writing. 1988. Oxford University Press.Inc
Joklova. 2009. Using Pictures in Teaching Vocabulary. Brno: Masaryk University.
Kane, S. T. (1988). Essential Guide to Writing. Oxford University Press Inc.
Kellner, H. (2009). Using photography to inspire writing. Retrieved from http://www.creativity-
portal.com/prompts/using-photography-inspire-writing.html.
Krashen, S. D. (1993). The power of reading: Insights from the research. Englewood, Colo.:
Libraries Unlimited.
Panigrahi, S. S. (2009). Teaching of English. New Dehli: A P H Publishing Corporation.

18
Ramadhani, T. K. (2016). The Effectiveness of Using Picture Series in Teaching Writing
Recount Text to the Tenth Grade Students Of SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta In
2015/2016 Academic Year. Surakarta: Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta
Saputri, I.W. (2014). The Writing Skills Of Recount Texts By Using Picture Series For The
Eighth Grade Students Of Smp Muhammadiyah 2 Kalasan In The Academic Year.
Yogyakarta: Universitas Negri Yogyakarta.
Sa’diyah, H. (2017). Improving students’ ability in writing descriptive texts through a picture
series-aided learning strategy. The English Teacher, Vol. XL: 164:182. Retrieved from
http://journals.melta.org.my/index.php/tet/article/view/269
Setiawan, I., & Widya, L. (2014). Disdik Surabaya: UNBK Bahasa Inggris tanpa "listening".
Retrieved from https://www.antaranews.com/berita/560075/disdik-surabaya-unbk-bahasa-
inggris-tanpa-listening
Singh, C. K. S., Mei, T. P., Abdullah, M. S., Othman, W. M., & Mostafa N. A. (2017). Esl
learners’ perspectives on the use of picture series in teaching guided writing. International
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Retrieved from http://www.hrmars.com/hrmars_papers/ESL_Learners
%E2%80%99_Perspectives_on_the_Use_of_Picture_Series_in_Teaching_Guided_Writing
.pdf
Smaldino, S. E., Russell, J. D., Heinich, R. & Molenda, M. (2005). Instructional Technology and
Media for Learning: Eighth Edition. Ohio. Pearson.
Smith, O. (2014). Mapped: Where to go if you can't be bothered to learn the language. Retrieved
from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/mapped-english-speaking-
countries/
Weimer, M. (2012). 10 ways to promote student engagement. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/10-ways-to-promote-
student-engagement/
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Oxford University Press.

19
 APPENDIX

1) The writing rubric by Harrison to score the students’ writing. Adapted from: (http://www.e-
dukasi.net/scoring rubric/Harrison - Writing Rubrics.htm

The items to be Score Description

evaluated
1. Content
A. Orientation 10-9 - Show the complete parts of orientation that are;
the people involved, the time, the places and the
situation which make the readers understand and
interest to read the story.
- Well focused idea based on the topic of an
activity.
8-7 - Does not show one part of the orientation, e.g.
there is no place, therefore the reader has not
received the complete information from the
story.
- The writer focuses idea based on the topic of an
activity
6-5 - Does not show two parts of the orientation,
therefore the readers get confused the story
given.
- The writer focuses idea based on the topic of an
activity.
4-3 - Does not show three parts of the orientation,
therefore the story is hard to understand for the
readers.
- The writer not focuses idea based on the topic of
an activity.
2-0 - Directly explains the events without orientation.

20
 - The writer not focuses idea based on the topic of
an activity.

B. Events 10-9 - States more than two events in a logical order

and has unity in each event that makes the story
flow in coherence.
-
8-7 - States two events in a logical order and has unity
in each event that makes the story flow in
coherence.
-
6-5 - Stated two events but has no unity in each events
that disturb the coherence of story
-
4-3 - Stated only one event and the story has unity so
the story is easy to understand
-
2-0 - Stated only one event and the story has no unity
so the story is not easy to understand
-
C. Reorientation 10-9 - Show the complete parts of reorientation that
are; signals the end, summarizes the story and
leaves his/her comment. Therefore, readers get
the idea of story.
- The idea of personal opinions about the topic or
event is clear

8-7 - Does not show one part of reorientation, but the

reader still get the idea of story
- The idea of personal opinions about the topic or
event is unclear

6-5 - Does not show two parts of reorientation but the

reader still get the idea of story
- The idea of personal opinions about the topic or
event is unclear

4-3 - End the story with short comment but the reader
still get the idea of story
- The idea of personal opinions about the topic or
event is unclear
2-0 - End the story without any comments, signals or
summary, so the reader do not realize that story
finish
- The idea of personal opinions about the topic or
event is unclear

21
2. Vocabulary 25-24 - The paragraph shows that the usage of words
such as noun, action verbs, conjunction and
adjectives is used appropriately.
23-22 - 1-3 errors of words form such as noun, action
verbs, conjunction and adjective show in the
paragraph but the meaning is not obscured.
21-20 - 4-6 errors of words form such as noun, action
verb, conjunction and adjectives show in the
paragraph and the meaning is not obscured.
19-18 - 7-9 errors of words form such as noun, action
verb, conjunction and adjectives shows in the
paragraph and the meaning is not obscured.
17-0 - More than 9 errors of word form, so the
paragraph does not show that the writer
understands the usage of words such as noun
action verb, conjunction
3. Grammar 20-19 - The paragraph contains complete sentences and
correct in form of past tense.
18-17 - Mostly complete sentences. There are 1-3
errors in form of past tense
16-15 - There are 4-6 errors in form of past tense.
14-13 - There are 7-9 errors in form of past tense.

12-0 - More than 9 errors in form of past tense, so the

paragraph shows that the writer does not master
the grammar or not enough to be evaluated in
form of past tense.
4. Spelling 15-14 - The words are correct in writing, so the writer
is good in spelling.
13-12 - Makes 1-3 errors in spelling in the story
11-10 - Makes 4-6 errors in spelling in the story
9-8 - Makes 7-9 errors in spelling in the story
7-0 - Makes more than 9 errors in spelling in the story

5. Punctuation 10-9 - The paragraph shows that there are no mistakes in using
period and comma and capitalization, so the paragraph is
exceptionally easy to read
8-7 - The paragraph shows that 1or 2 mistake in using period
and comma and capitalization, but the paragraph is still
easy to read.

6-5 - The paragraph shows that 3 to 5 mistake in using period

and comma and capitalization
4-3 - The paragraph shows that 5 to 7 mistake in using period
and comma and capitalization.
2-0 - The paragraph shows more than 7 mistakes in using period
and comma and capitalization, the writer does not master
the usage of punctuation and capitalization

22