THE USE COOPERATIVE LEARNING METHOD IN IMPROVING STUDENTS'

WRITING ABILITY
(A Classroom Action Research at One of Senior High School in Cinajur)

Abstract This research investigated the use of cooperative learning method in

students’ writing ability. The research was conducted to find out whether cooperative
learning method improved students’ writing ability or not, and to find out students’ response
toward cooperative learning method. The research design employed in this research was
Classroom Action Research which consisted of four main steps: planning, acting, observing,
and reflecting, conducted in three cycles. The study was conducted at XI Grade of science
programs which comprised thirty students. Observation checklist, students’ journal,
evaluation sheet and students’ writing score were used as instruments to collect the data. The
students' writing tests were scored on the basis of analytical scoring format for analytical
exposition writing adapted from Cohen, et al. (1994). The study was considered successful if
the degree of the students' writing score throughout the implementation of the method
achieved MMC; it was 75. The findings of the study showed that cooperative learning
method improved students’ writing ability in analytical exposition text. In the first cycle,
there were 20% of students who passed the test, while in cycle 2, the students still did not
reach Minimum Mastering Criteria (MMC) or Kriteria Ketuntasan Minimal (KKM). In the
third cycle, all of the students were be able to get MMC. It can be inferred, therefore, that
cooperative learning method can improve the students’ writing ability, especially in analytical
exposition text. It can be seen from students’ score improvement in their writing composition.
It is finally suggested that the teachers use cooperative learning method in teaching writing,
especially in analytical exposition texts. The other researchers are invited to conduct further
research based on the findings of this study to develop better method in the teaching of
writing.
 THE USE OF VIDEO IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL:
Classroom Action Research at One of Junior High Schools in Bandung

The study entitled “The Use of Video in Teaching Speaking Skill: Classroom Action
Research in One of Junior High Schools in Bandung” aims at revealing the implementation of
the use of video in teaching speaking skill.
The study involves twenty nine junior high school students, one English teacher, and
two college students. The research method of this study is classroom action research
(Kemmis and McTaggart 1988, cited in Burns, 2010) using observation and interview as data
collection techniques. The gained data are then analyzed qualitatively. Findings present that
the use of video can be beneficial for the teacher in teaching speaking skill, especially for the
aspect of pronunciation (Stempleski 1990, cited in Richards and Renandya, 2002). The
teacher teaches the pronunciation by providing the examples in pronouncing the words and
also asking the students to listen to the speaker on the video pronouncing English words then
ask them to repeat pronouncing the words. The results are the students have some
improvements in their pronunciation after learning by using the video. In addition, the
students are very enthusiastic in learning speaking by using video. The students focus on
watching the video and most of them raise their hands to answer teacher’s questions related
to the video. As the video provides the motion pictures which is more interesting for the
students, the students focus on watching and trying to understand the content of the video
(Dobson, 2005).
Based on these findings, it is recommended for the teachers to use video in teaching
speaking skill at any school levels in order to make the students understand the lesson easily.
 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUGGESTOPEDIA METHOD TO IMPROVE
KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARIES :
A Classroom Action Research at a Kindergarten in Bandung

English language especially for kindergarten students. The purpose of this research
was to find out the extent to which Suggestopedia can improve kindergarten students’
English vocabularies and investigate the students’ responses towards the use of
Suggestopedia to kindergarten students. A classroom action research was employed at
Kindergarten A in Bandung involving 22 students. For the analysis, it used quantitative and
qualitative approach to answer the research questions. The data were obtained from several
sources, including students’ vocabulary assessments, which were developed by Cameron
(2000) and Thornbury (2004), classroom observations by the researcher and the class
teachers; and interview with the teachers to clarify some bias observation. The findings
revealed that there were some improvements of students’ English vocabularies and some
good responses by producing some language utterance and behavior indicating the students
wanted to learn. The data from students’ English vocabulary assessments showed that the
students’ scores significantly improved from the first cycle to the second cycle in recognizing
and mentioning English vocabularies. Moreover, data from classroom observations and
interviews showed that the students’ responses are active, responsive, and enthusiastic toward
the use of Suggestopedia method. Based on the findings, it is recommended that teachers who
are interested in using Suggestopedia method choose or make a simple story with creative
media and acting, especially in the concert stage. Besides that, the activities in practice stage
should be more interesting, challenging, and attractive supported by the clear instruction from
the teacher.