Improving Students’ Writing Skill of a Procedure Text by Using Pictures at the Grade X6 of SMA 1 Tanjung Mutiara of Agam Regency

This research was done based on the fact that there were so many problems
and difficulties faced by researcher’s students to write in English in teaching learning
process in X6 SMA 1 Tanjung Mutiara of Agam Regency. Some of the problems
were many students did not know how to develop their ideas. They did not know how
to arrange words into a good sentence. They felt writing was difficult and
uncomfortable skill. They were not given interesting strategy for writing activity to
stimulate their thinking in the process of writing.
The purpose of this research was to find out whether using pictures could
improve the students writing skill of a procedure text and to find out the factors
contributes to change the students’ writing skill by using pictures at the grade X6 of
SMA 1 Tanjung Mutiara Agam Regency.
The methodology of this research was Classroom Action Research (CAR) which
consisted of two cycles. Every cycle consisted of four meetings which the sequence
of activities namely: plan, action, observation and reflection. The participants of the
research were the tenth grade students’ class X6 of SMA 1 Tanjung Mutiara of Agam
regency in 2009/2010 academic year and one of English teacher who help the
researcher as collaborator. The data were collected by using writing test, observation
checklist, interviews and field notes. The data were analyzed qualitatively and
quantitatively.
The finding of this research showed that picture could improve students’
writing skill of a procedure text at the grade X6 of SMA 1 Tanjung Mutiara Agam
Regency and the factors that improved their writing skill were: (1) The students are
encouraged to develop ideas, (2) The students are helped to broaden their vocabulary
in looking the pictures, (3) Pictures have changed the writing class atmosphere
become interesting and enjoyable, (4) Pictures make students and teacher satisfy in
the term of adding variety to the classroom activities and improving teaching and
learning writing in the classroom.