Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reni Septiani Fitk
Reni Septiani Fitk
WRITING ABILITY
(A Correlational Study at the 6th Semester of English Education Department Students of UIN
Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta)
“Skripsi”
Presented to the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers’ Training In Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree of Strata I (S1)
BY:
RENI SEPTIANI
NIM: 109014000199
JAKARTA
2014
ABSTRACT
v
ABSTRAK
RENI SEPTIANI, 2014, The Correlation between Grammar Mastery and
Writing Ability (Penelitian korelasi di Universitas Islam
Negeri (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Skripsi,
Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Ilmu Tarbiyah dan
Keguruan, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah
Jakarta, 2014.
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Secondly, the writer also would like to express her thanks and gratitude to
her beloved parents, Udin Saadi and Royani and also her brother Yovan Hadi who
have given the greatest love, prayer, moral, and financial support to her. It also
will be expressed to the whole members of her family for their biggest love and
kindness to support her in finishing this „skripsi‟.
Thirdly, the writer also realized that she never finish this paper without the
help of some people around her. Therefore, the writer would like to give her
gratitude and appreciations to:
1. Nurlena Rifa‟i, MA.Ph.D, as the Dean of Faculty of Tarbiyah and
Teachers Training Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University
Jakarta.
2. Drs. Syauki, M.Pd, as the Head of English Education Department.
3. Zaharil Anasy, M.Hum, as the Secretary of English Education
Department.
vii
4. All lecturers in English Education Department who always give
motivation and valuable knowledge during her study.
5. Mr. Dr. Atiq Susilo, M.A, as the lecturer of Gammar V of English
Education Department.
6. Mrs. Maya Defianty, M.Pd, as the lecturer of Writing III of English
Education Department.
7. All Classes of the sixth semester of English Education Department
Academic Year 2013/2014.
8. All of her friends in English Education Department 2009 academic
year, especially E class and her best friends (Sari, Bayyini, Hayyin,
Trianti, Erna, Agung Sdayu, Zaki, Arif, Hari, and Zen).
The words are not enough to say any appreciation for their help and
contribution in this paper. May Allah, the Almighty bless them all. Moreover, the
writer also realized that this paper is far from perfect. It is a pleasure for her to get
critiques and suggestions to make this paper better.
The writer
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE ................................................................................................................i
APPROVAL ......................................................................................................ii
ENDORSEMENT SHEET ...............................................................................iii
SURAT PERNYATAAN KARYA SENDIRI .....................................................iv
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................v
ABSTRAK ...........................................................................................................vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................ix
LIST OF TABLE ..............................................................................................xi
LIST OF APPENDICES ..................................................................................xii
CHAPTER I:
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1
A. Background of the Study ...............................................................1
B. Problem Identification ...................................................................3
C. Limitation of the Problem ..............................................................4
D. Formulation of Problem .................................................................4
E. Purpose of the Study ......................................................................4
F. Significance of the Study ...............................................................4
ix
E. Theoretical Thinking .......................................................................25
F. Hypothesis .......................................................................................26
x
LIST OF TABLES
xi
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 Students‟ Grammar Scores ............................................................ 50
APPENDIX 2 Students‟ Writing Scores ............................................................... 52
APPENDIX 3 Research Instrument ...................................................................... 54
APPENDIX 4 Grammar Test ................................................................................ 56
APPENDIX 5 Output Anatest4 of the Result of Try Out ..................................... 61
APPENDIX 6 Output SPSS of Students‟ Grammar Scores ................................. 63
APPENDIX 7 Output SPSS of Students‟ Writing Scores .................................... 64
APPENDIX 8 Output SPSS of Correlation between X variable and Y variable .. 65
APPENDIX 9 Grammar Syllabus ......................................................................... 66
APPENDIX 10 Writing Syllabus .......................................................................... 69
xii
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1
J.B. Heaton, Writing English Language Test, (New York: Longman: 1988), p. 135.
1
2
order to get the point directly, and to practice good basic grammar to add
credibility in writing.
Realizing that grammar is inescapable in writing process, people,
especially teachers, could encourage the students to examine grammatical errors
in their own writing. Although the students are good in grammatical concept, they
still get guidance to become effective writers. Effective grammar instruction
begins with what students have already known about grammar, and it helps them
to use this knowledge as they write. By connecting the mastery of grammatical
concept to writing strategy, the students can know that grammatical concept give
effect in their ability to write effectively.
In English Education Department (EED), the college students as pre-
service teachers are taught many subjects and two of them are grammar and
writing. Grammar subject is taught from grammar 1 up to grammar 5. In learning
grammar 1 up to grammar 4, students learn more about basic grammar rules. But
in learning grammar 5, the lecturer more focuses on TOEFL (Test of English as
Foreign Language) preparation because TOEFL is one of graduation requirements
of English Education Department. In TOEFL, students get all the aspects of
grammatical rules in structure test. That is why, before taking grammar 5, they
have to pass the grammar 1 up to grammar 4. The other skill that is taught is
writing. In writing subject, it starts from writing 1 up to Academic writing.
Students are taught about the first steps to write; such as learn about sentences,
punctuations, write a paragraph, make an essay outline, until make an essay and
research paper.
B. Problem Identification
Based on the background of the study above, the writer found some
problems which are developed into the following statements:
1. When learning English, grammar is one of the English components that
give effect in writing competence because that is the rules of making
meaning.
2. Students who have good competence in grammatical concept still need a
guidance to become effective writers.
3. Students feel difficult in learning grammar because it is a necessary
function of language and taught by way of rules and structures.
4. The students cannot write well if they do not have a good grammar
competence because they have lack of confidence to make a good text
even a sentence.
5. Students feel hard to write because they do not know how to develop the
topic and they get stuck in the middle of writing.
4
1. For writer, this research can find whether there is a significant correlation
between grammar mastery and writing ability. Some people assume that
without a working knowledge of good grammar, good writing is
impossible. So, the extent to which grammar mastery affects the students'
ability in writing.
5
2. For the English teachers and learners, the finding of the research can
inform them about the relations between grammar and writing. The
researcher also hopes that the result of this study will become input to
English teachers and also English learners for their teaching and learning.
The students will know whether the grammar mastery will help them
much or not in making a good writing.
3. For Further researchers who are interested in correlation research, they can
get basic information from this research. So, they can do their research
deeper and better than this research.
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Grammar
1. Definition of Grammar
In the context of education especially in the learning and teaching of a
foreign language, grammar is usually considered one of the language components
beside the vocabulary and sound system which students should acquire. Knowing
grammar means understanding what the text means correctly. The experts Stewart
and Vailette point out that "The word grammar means the sort of thing they
learned in English class or in other language classes, when they were taught about
subjects and predicates and part of speech, …".1 The statement indicates that the
students were taught about the rules of target language in their school. They learn
about it because the teacher aware that as foreign language learners, students
should know about the language rules that native speaker use as a communication
tool. Students commonly do not realize that when they express themselves
through writing or speaking, what they write or speak have its patterns and they
keep subconsciously applying the patterns in their communication.
Grammar gives language users the control of expression and
communication in everyday life. . "Grammar deals with the form of sentences and
smaller units such as clauses, phrases and words".2 Mastery over words helps
speakers to communicate their emotions and purpose more effectively. Otherwise,
communication can sound like a toddler getting frustrated because he or she does
not have many words to express his or her thoughts well. Moreover, grammar also
gives effect in written communication. Written communication skills with
grammatical precision evince professionalism. Employing inappropriate grammar
in a written communication in a letter or email - such as using "LOL" or flawed
1
Thomas W. Stewart and Jr. Nathan Vailette, Language Files; Materials for an
Introduction to Language and Linguistics, (Department of Linguistics The Ohio State University),
p. 8.
2
Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Student's Introduction to English
Grammar, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 1
6
7
subject-verb agreement like "we was" - makes the message less effective because
the errors will distract from the intent. Understanding basic principle of word,
sentence and paragraph structures bestows writers with the flexibility to plan how
they communicate a message, from a simple text to a presentation. If people
cannot successfully speak or write to one another, they cannot share their thoughts
to other people.
In "Scientific Writing; Easy When You Know How", Peat states that
"Grammar is about knowing why something reads badly and knowing how to fix
it. It is impossible to write well without using words correctly". 3 It means that,
when people want to write something, they should know about grammar because
it shows the meaning and relation with every single word that becomes a sentence.
On the other hand, Harmer on his book says that
"Real language use is often very untidy and cannot be automatically reduced to simple
grammar patterns. Students need to be aware of this, just as they need to be aware of all
language possibilities. Such awareness does not mean that they have to be taught each
variation and linguistic twist, however. It just means they have to be aware of language
and how it is used".4
From Harmer's statement means that the students should aware about these
rules that they learn as a target language, however, these enable them to
communicate each other without creating misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
They should not learn it deeply because when they communicate to other people
especially in spoken, they just need to know how people understand about what
they say.
According to Radford, "grammar is traditionally subdivided into two
different but interrelated areas of study morphology and syntax. Morphology is
the study of how words are formed out of smaller units (called morphemes). And
syntax is the study of the way in which phrases and sentences are structured out of
3
Jennifer Peat, Scientific Writing; Easy When You Know How, (London: BMJ Books,
2002) p. 214.
4
Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (New York: Longman
Group, 1991), p. 23.
8
2. Importance of Grammar
When teaching a language, teachers actually have two purposes; insure
fluency and accuracy in all language skills. Fluency is the ability to speak fluently
whereas accuracy is ability to speak with correct grammar structures, such as the
using of verb forms correctly, phrasal verbs, prepositions, etc. To communicate
5
Andrew Radford, An Introduction to English Sentence Structure, (New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2009), p. 1.
6
Martha Kolln and Robert Funk, Understanding English Grammar: Eight Edition,(New
York: Pearson, 2010), p. 3.
9
intelligibly, to make sense with each sentence, a learner should know the grammar
of the target language. According to Penny Ur "Grammar does not only affect how
units of language are combined in order to ‘look right'; it also affects their
meaning".7 Supporting his opinion, Knapp and Watkins state that "Grammar is a
name for the resources available to users of a language system for producing texts.
A knowledge of grammar by a speaker or writer shifts language use from the
implicit and unconscious to a conscious manipulation of language and choice of
appropriate text".8 From that statement, it is clear that grammar is one of the
important things in English because it is not just to make the sentence good but
also it will refers to its meaning. "A knowledge of grammar in this sense is not
just concerned with rules for what can and can't be done with the organization and
use of words in English sentences, but also with the way written English
function".9 Therefore, to write or speak in a clearer and more effective manner,
people have to study grammar. For the people who have unconscious knowledge
of grammar, it may be sufficient for simple language use. But the people who
wish to communicate in the artistic manner with well-defined structures must go
for the greater depth of understanding and proficiency what the study of grammar
offers.
3. Types of Grammar
Some linguists have their own perspective about different varieties of
grammar - that is, different ways of describing and analyzing the structures and
functions of language.
According to George Yule, there are three types of grammar.10 Those are:
1. Mental Grammar
7
Penny Ur, A Course in Language Teaching; practice and Theory, (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1991), p. 76.
8
Peter Knapp and Megan Watkins, Genre, TEXT, grammar; Technologies for teaching
and assessing writing, p. 32
9
Ibid., 33
10
George Yule, The Study of Language, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985),
p. 69.
10
11
Martha Kolln and Robert Funk, op. cit., p .6-7.
11
4. Grammar Test
The testing of grammar is one of the mainstays of language testing. A
basic knowledge of grammar underlies the ability to use language to express
meaning, and so grammar tests have an important part in language program. This
is in line with Madsen's opinion that "Grammar tests are designed to measure
student proficiency in matters ranging from inflections in syntax. Syntax involves
the relationship of words in a sentence, including matters such a word order, use
of the negative, question forms and connectives".12
Madsen presents two basic ways to measure the grammar skills of the
beginning-level students:
a. Individual Testing
Individual testing is a test that designed for testing students individually by
using oral test. These requests can ask for easy spoken replies or simply for
nonverbal actions. This tests should use the familiar vocabulary in the test
question as well as structures those students have been taught.
b. Group Testing
In group testing, the teacher gives the students test by using directed physical
responses. First, the teacher explains and illustrates any new vocabulary
words. Then, he or she asks the students to make a drawing according to
teacher's spoken instruction.
Moreover, in testing grammar, there are also some types that could be used
by the teacher to measure students' achievement in grammar subject. And
12
Harold S. Madsen, Techniques in Testing, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1983),
p. 34.
12
according to Heaton, there are some of the most common types that used to test of
the grammatical features of the language. The types of the test such as:13
a. Multiple- choice
Probably the most common way of testing grammatical knowledge is the
multiple choice test. These tests have the advantage of being easy to grade and
being able to cover a lot of grammatical points quickly.
b. Error correction
Error correction items are also useful for testing grammar. An error correction
item is one in which the student is given a sentence with an error. Four words
or phrase in the sentence marked by letters, and the students need to decide
which of the words or phrases has the error.
c. Completion items
Completion items are items in which the testees are asked to fill in blanks in
sentences. The advantage of completion items is that they test production, not
just recognition. The disadvantage is that they need to be marked by hand and
there will be some cases where the marker needs to make judgments about
whether a response is correct.
d. Transformation items
The transformation type of item is extremely useful for testing ability to
produce structures in the target language and helps to provide a balance when
included in tests containing multiple-choice items.
e. Items involving the changing of words
Another type of item is one in which testees are given a sentence and a word
which they need to fit into the sentence by changing the form of the word.
This type of grammar test item tests students' knowledge of different word
forms and how they are used in sentences.
f. ‘Broken sentence item'
This type of item tests the student's ability to write full sentence from series
of words and phrases, and thus does not allow the test writer to concentrate
13
J. B. Heaton, Writing English Language Test, (New York: Longman Group, 1988), p.
34.
13
B. Writing
reading, correcting and revising. Those are not the simple steps in writing because
people have to realize that what they write is what they want to say or express. 14
Writing is not only a symbol on a piece of paper but it should be arranged into
good sentences or paragraph by using some grammatical rules.
"Writing as a skill: by far the most important reason for teaching writing,
of course, is that it is a basic language skill, just as important as speaking,
listening, and reading".15 And according to Ramsey, "Writing is a process of
synthesis. As you write, you used words and information to express your
viewpoint in a coherent whole, an essay. But writing draws on intuition as well as
reasoning, on sensation and emotion as well as fast and memory.16
According to Heaton, there are five skills necessary for writing. They are: 17
14
Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue, Introduction to Academic Writing, (New York: Pearson
Longman, 2007), p.15.
15
Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English, (England: Pearson Education Limited, 2000),
p.79.
16
H. Ramsley Fowler, The Little Hand Book. (Boston: Little, Brown and Company,
2001), p. 3.
17
Heaton, op. cit., p. 135.
15
3. Process of Writing
Teaching writing focuses not only on a product of writing itself but also on
the process of writing. Writing process is a process which writer begins to write
down their ideas on the paper which is valuable aid to the whole learning process.
Oshima and Hogue state that the process of writing consists of four steps, those
are: prewriting, organizing, writing a draft, and the last step are polishing the draft
by editing and revising.19 The various processes of writing need various skills to
meet the aims in a writing activity. The prewriting stage encourages the writers to
generate ideas, which can happen in various ways, such as, reading a passage,
conducting some research, brainstorming, listing, clustering, discussing a topic
and free writing. Meanwhile, organizing and drafting stages are the core process
of writing in which the actual writing activity happens. And the last step is
polishing. Polishing is most successful if the writer do it in two steps are by
editing and revising. Revision is needed to improve writing work, especially for
improving books.
On the other side, editing is needed to check on the smaller issues of
grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. Frodesen wrote some techniques for
editing.
1. Read-Aloud Technique: many students find that slowly reading their drafts
aloud to listen for errors can help them in making corrections. For shorter
18
Harmer, How to Teach Writing, (London: Longman, 2004), p. 3.
19
Oshima and Hogue. Op.cit. p. 15.
17
papers, some students who are of their error patterns read through the paper
several times, listening for different kinds of errors each time.
2. Pointing to Words: some writers use a pencil, pen, or finger to point to words
one by one.
3. "Slow-Down" Techniques: This involves reading a draft in some way that is
in contrast to the normal linear process, such as starting with the last sentence
in each paragraph and reading in reverse. Such a technique may help writers
detect certain kinds of morphological errors such as missing plural endings,
but would not work well for others, such as reference words or subject-verb
agreement.
4. Word Processing Grammar Checkers: Grammar checkers in word
processors can flag certain kind of errors. As long as writers do not blindly
follow the suggestions (since grammar checkers can often create errors rather
than correct them if suggestion are taken indiscriminately), checkers can be
helpful in getting writers to pay attention to potential errors. If students do not
understand the suggested corrections, they should make the change.
In addition, Kane states that writing which is an activity that put
something on a paper has three steps. First is "thinking" that involves choosing a
subject, second is "doing" as known as drafting and the last is "doing again" that
means revising.20
From the explanation above, the writer concludes that writing is a process
that involves at least four distinct steps: prewriting, drafting, revising and editing.
Prewriting is anything the writers do before write a draft of their document.
Drafting occurs when the writers put their ideas into sentences and paragraph.
Revising is the key to effective writing because here the writers think more deeply
about their readers' need and expectation. And the last is editing which means the
process of checking for such things as grammar, mechanics and spelling. The last
thing the writers should do before printing their work.
20
Thomas S. Kane, The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing, (New York: Barekley Books,
1988), p. 17.
18
4. Writing Assessment
Evaluating students' performance is a crucial aspect of teaching. A
formative process related to the planning, design, and teaching strategies.
Assessment is not simply a matter of setting exams and giving grades. Scores and
evaluative feedback contribute enormously to the learning of individual students
and to the development of an effective and responsive writing course. As a result,
an understanding of assessment procedure is necessary to ensure that teaching is
having the desired impact and that students are being judged fairly.
There are many kinds of writing tests. The reason for this is fairly simple:
A wide variety of writing tests is needed to test the many kinds of writing task that
we engage in. For one thing, there are usually distinct stages of instruction of
writing, such as pre-writing, guided writing, and free writing. Another reason for
the variety of writing tests in use is the great number of factors that can be
evaluated; mechanics (including spelling and punctuation), vocabulary, grammar
appropriate content, diction (or word selection), rhetorical matters of various
kinds (organization, cohesion, unity; appropriateness to the audience, topic and
occasion); as well as sophisticated concerns such as logic and style.21
According to Hyland there are some methods that used in scoring writing
test and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Scoring guides,
called "rubrics", are used to aid raters by providing bands of descriptions
corresponding to particular proficiency or rhetorical criteria. Rubrics are designed
to suit different contexts and seek to reflect the goals of the course and what its
teachers value as "good writing". Rubrics need to be carefully written to avoid
over reliance on ambiguously subjective terms, but tend to fall back on such
description as "fairly", "quite", and "reasonably' to describe writing features in
intermediate bands.22 The most familiar rubrics that used by teacher to assess
students writing are holistic scoring and analytic scoring methods.
21
Harold S. Madsen, op.cit., p. 101.
22
Ken Hyland, Second Language Writing, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2003), p. 227-230.
19
Table 2.1
Advantages and disadvantages of holistic scoring23
Advantages Disadvantages
Global impression not a single Provides no diagnostic
ability information
Emphasis on achievement not Difficult to interpret composite
deficiencies score
Weight can be assigned to certain Smooths out different abilities
criteria in subskills
Encourages rater discussion and Raters may overlook subskills
agreement Penalizes attempts to use
challenging forms
Longer essays may get higher
scores
One score reduces reliability
May confuse writing ability
with language proficiency
23
Ibid., p. 227.
20
Table 2.2
Advantages and disadvantages of analytic scoring24
Advantages Disadvantages
Encourages raters to address the May divert attention from overall
same features essay effect
Allows more diagnostic reporting Rating one scale may influence
Assists reliability as candidate others
gets several scores Very time consuming compared
Detailed criteria allow easier rater with holistic method
training Writing is more than simply the
Prevents conflation of categories sum of its parts
into one Favors essays where scalable info
Allows teachers to prioritize easily extracted
specific aspects Descriptors may overlap or
Ambiguous
In the area of English as a foreign language learning, writing has been the
most difficult and complex skill to acquire. It is normal if the process of teaching
and learning in the classroom reflects that written cycle should be given after the
spoken cycle has been done. The assumption that the students are ready to write is
after they have prepared with a certain amount of vocabulary or words so that they
can arrange the words into sentences that represent the purpose of communication.
Besides, it is in line with the reason that they have had it in mind and they have
practiced it when they are doing the spoken cycle. Thus, when they have to write,
they can communicate and develop their ideas through their writing.
Moreover, this also implies that in order to master the four language skills
i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing, mastering language components is a
must. That is why the teaching of language components, namely grammar,
vocabulary, and sound system (pronunciation, intonation, etc) should be targeted
as much as possible to enhance the mastery of language skills.
Again, the writer here would like to point out that in order to be able to
write well, meaning that we can convey our ideas and opinions to the readers well
without leaving misunderstanding and misinterpretation. In some way, this
24
Ibid., p. 230.
21
indicates the relation between grammar and writing does exist. As Frodesen said
that in the second language writing classroom, grammar is a source to make
effective communication. But, it does not mean all kinds of grammar instruction
are useful in the EFL/ESL class, the students will automatically be able to
transform input received through explicit grammar instruction into productive
output.25
Meanwhile, concerning the nature of written communication, Harmer
(2004:6-7) explains:
"When we are engaged in spoken communication, we often decide what to say as the
conversation continuous on the basis of what our co-participant are saying.......instead of
being able to get our points across unhindered, we may be constantly interrupted and so
have to proceed in a less structured way than we had anticipated.........writing, however, is
as we have seen, significantly different".26
25
Marianne Celce Murcia (ed), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language,
(Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 2001), p. 234.
26
Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach Writing, op. cit., p. 6-7.
22
D. Previous Studies
failure in their writing and that the majority of grammatical errors which were
rooted in their L1 led to communicative failure.27
Another study was conducted by Ulul Azmi entitled "A Correlation
between Students' Mastery of Past Tense and Their Ability in Writing Recount" at
Eleventh Grade Students of MA Hassamussholihat in the academic year of
2010/2011. The objectives of the study are to find out the correlation between the
students' mastery of past tense and their ability in writing recount text. The
method of this research is correlational study and applied a purposive sampling
technique, with the total number of the sample is 40 students. The data were
gained through tests, namely grammar test and writing test that were analyzed by
using product moment pearson. The findings of the research showed that there is a
significant correlation between students' mastery of past tense and their ability in
writing recount. From the result of his research, the researcher showed that the
better the students' mastery in past tense, the better they ability in writing recount.
It also means describe that there is a significant correlation between students'
grammar knowledge and their ability in writing.
And then, the study entitled "Does EFL Students' Grammatical Ability
Account for Writing Ability?" was conducted by Yun Hsuan Huang from
Department of Apllied Foreign Languages, Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and
Science, Tainan, Taiwan. The objective of this study is to examine whether
grammar instruction could promote the students' grammatical ability, thereby
further helping their writing. In this study, the tests are divided into grammar
subset and writing subset. The research was administered to ten senior high school
students in a lower-intermediate English class at a cram school in Southern
Taiwan. The research findings implied that there was no strong relationship
between the knowledge of grammar and usage that means the ability in writing
among lower-intermediate learners.28 From her research, it was found that
27
Mohammad Ali Fatemi, "The Relationship between Writing Competence, Language
Proficiency and Grammatical Errors in the Writing of Iranian TEFL Sophomores", A Thesis
Presented to the University Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, 2008, pp 1-24, not published.
28
Ulul Azmi, "A Correlation between Students' Mastery of Past Tense and Their Ability
in Writing Recount at Eleventh Grade Students of MA Hassamussholihat", a Skripsi Presented to
the Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers Training in UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Jakarta, 2011,
pp. 24-36, not published.
24
statistically, grammar mastery has no strong effect for making a good writing.
This is because there are some other factors such as about the quality and quantity
of test takers and test items, the instruction in writing test that should more
informative, and then about the rubric for the writing test itself.29
Those previous studies above used as references for the researcher in
comparing between those relevant studies with the study conducted by the
researcher this time. This study was the correlation between grammar knowledge
and writing ability. Some differences appeared between this study and previous
study were obviously the method of the study. The first previous study used two
phases and it was conducted more complex than this study because it used two
methods that were quantitative for the first phase and qualitative for the second
phase. For this study used just one phase so the writer used quantitative method
namely correlational study. Besides, the first previous study is connecting about
writing competence, language proficiency and also language sub skills such as
listening, reading and grammatical competence. In the second previous study, the
researcher connecting only past tense as a part of grammar and the ability of
students in writing recount. It is clearly different with this research; in this
research the researcher connecting between writing ability and the grammar
knowledge generally. The researcher took some areas of grammar that usually
appeared in TOEFL test and did the test to the participants. Moreover, the
differences also found for the data collection and sample of research. In the
second and third previous researches, the data got from two tests namely grammar
test and writing test. And sample that used in the second previous study was 40
and in the third previous study were 10 students. It is different with this research;
in this research the data got from doing the test but only one test. The researcher
did grammar test and asked for writing score from the subject's lecturer. The
sample was 30 students that took from one class.
Although there are a lot of differences, those previous studies has a similar
in the objectives with this research. The objective from the previous researches
and this research is to know the relationship between grammar and writing ability.
29
Yun Hsuan Huang, "Does EFL Students' Grammatical Ability Account for Writing
Ability?", CHIA-NAN ANNUAL BULLETIN, 2011, pp. 505-5011.
25
E. Theoretical Thinking
F. Hypothesis
30
Etta Mamang Sangadji, Metodologi Penelitian, (Yogyakarta: Andi Yogyakarta, 2010),
p.92.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
B. Research Design
1
L. R. Gay, Educational Research; Competencies for Analysis and Aplication Third
Edition, (Ohio: Merril Publishing Company, 1987), p. 230.
27
28
1. Population
Arikunto states that "Population is all subjects of the research". 2 It means
that the population of this research was the whole students of 6th semester in EED.
Whereas, the total numbers of them are 120 students. They were divided into three
classes 6A, 6B and 6C.
2. Sample
According to Arikunto "Sample is the representative the population to be
research. If the total population is less than 100, it is better to take all of them as
the sample but if the total population is more than 100 students, the sample can be
taken between 10-15% or 20-25% or more".3 Besides, Gay states that "The sample
for a correlational study is selected using an acceptable sampling method, and 30
subjects are generally considered to be a minimally acceptable sample size".4
Based on the quotation above, in this research, the sample of the
population is taken through purposive sampling. The B class of the 6th semester
was chosen for the sample of this research. The writer took 30 students as sample
from the population.
2
Suharsimi Arikunto, Prosedur Penelitian Suatu Pendekatan Praktek (Jakarta: Rineka
Cipta, 1996), p. 173.
3
Ibid., p. 174.
4
Gay, op. cit., p. 231.
29
Because there were two variables that the writer observed namely
grammar mastery and writing ability, the instrument that used in this research was
test and documentation score of sixth semester students in the subject of Writing.
The score of this subject was taken from available document from the subject
lecturer.
E. Try Out
1. Validity
The validity was tested using ANATES 4. The test contained 50 numbers of
multiple choices. After the calculation by using ANATES 4, it was found that
19 number items of tests were very significant, 3 items were significant, 25
items were adequate, and 3 items were insignificant.
2. Reliability
Reliability of test was measured using ANATES 4, the result was:
Mean = 25, 65
Standard deviation = 5, 32
Correlation = 0.72
Reliability of tests = 0.83
30
The test which has reliability coefficient among 0,81 - 1,00 has been very
reliable.
Table 3.1
Category of Reliability5
Value Remark
1. Grammar Test
The researcher conducted the grammar test to 6th semester students. The
writer chose the material of Grammar 5 for the test because she knew that the
subject of Grammar 5 at EED of UIN Jakarta was more focus on TOEFL
preparation. Therefore, the researcher chose this subject because the 6th semester
students had already learned about this material at previous semester. The writer
gave the students the multiple choice and error identification test. It consisted of
15 items for multiple choice and 15 items number for error identification. The
total number of the test is 30.
2. Documentation of Score
The researcher collected the data from the lecturer at English Education
Department. The researcher chose Writing 3 because it was taught in line with
Grammar 5.
5
Zainal Arifin, Evaluasi Pembelajaran, (Bandung: PT REMAJA ROSDAKARYA, 2009), p. 257
31
rxy =
N = Number of Participants
X = Students' Grammar Scores
Y = Students' Writing Scores
∑X = The Sum Scores of Grammar
∑Y = The Sum Scores of Writing
∑X2 = The Sum of the Squared Scores of Grammar
∑Y2 = The Sum of the Squared Scores of Writing
∑XY = The Sum of Multiplied Score between X and Y
This formula is used in finding index correlation "r" product moment
between X variable and Y variable (rxy)
b. To know the significance between two variables, the formula of the
significance test is:8
tcount =
6
http://eprints.undip.ac.id/6608/1/Korelasi_Product_Moment.pdf
7
Drs. Anas Sudijono, Pengantar Statistik Pendidikan, (Jakarta: Rajawali, 2006), p.27.
8
Ridwan and H. Sunarto, Pengantar Statistika Pendidikan, Sosial, Ekonomi, Komunikasi,
dan Bisnis, (Bandung: Alfabeta, 2011), p.81.
32
tcount = t value
r = value of correlation coefficient
n = number of participants
Table 3.2
The Interpretation of Correlation "r" Product Moment
9
Sugiyono, Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif Kualitatif dan R&D, (Bandung: Alfabeta,
2011), p.184.
33
H. Statistical Hypotheses
1. If ro as same as or higher than rt, the Ha is accepted. It means that there is a
significant correlation between grammar mastery and writing ability.
2. If ro is lower than rt, the Ha is rejected. It means that there is no significant
correlation between grammar mastery and writing ability.
CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH FINDING
A. Data Description
The researcher conducted the research at State Islamic University
Jakarta (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah in which the 6th semester students of
EED were chosen to be the participants of this research. There was one
test that was given to the participants. It was grammar test. The test of
grammar was conducted by the researcher using multiple choice and error
identification tests. However, the researcher did not conduct the test of
writing itself. She collected the writing scores from the lecturer of the
writing of EED of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah. The data that were gotten are:
Table 4.1
Grammar Scores
Participants Grammar Scores (X)
Student 1 63
Student 2 57
Student 3 60
Student 4 73
Student 5 60
Student 6 73
Student 7 57
Student 8 60
Student 9 63
Student 10 53
34
35
Student 11 50
Student 12 80
Student 13 47
Student 14 67
Student 15 60
Student 16 70
Student 17 73
Student 18 70
Student 19 50
Student 20 53
Student 21 60
Student 22 63
Student 23 53
Student 24 60
Student 25 63
Student 26 67
Student 27 60
Student 28 70
Student 29 77
Student 30 57
From the scores that were collected above, the researcher needed to
know the statistical score of the data including the mean, median, mode,
maximum score, minimum score, and standards deviation of the scores. To
36
find out those mean, etc… the researcher used SPSS. The finding can be
described such as bellow:
Table 4.2
Statistical Scores of Grammar
Statistics
Grammar Score
Valid 30
N
Missing 0
Mean 62.3000
Median 60.0000
Mode 60.00
Std. Deviation 8.33418
Variance 69.459
Minimum 47.00
Maximum 80.00
Table 4.3
Writing Scores
Participants Writing Scores (Y)
Student 1 77
Student 2 80
Student 3 77
37
Student 4 81
Student 5 80
Student 6 71
Student 7 74
Student 8 76
Student 9 80
Student 10 79
Student 11 75
Student 12 75
Student 13 64
Student 14 73
Student 15 74
Student 16 78
Student 17 77
Student 18 79
Student 19 79
Student 20 69
Student 21 76
Student 22 78
Student 23 76
Student 24 75
Student 25 73
Student 26 80
Student 27 72
38
Student 28 70
Student 29 72
Student 30 69
From the scores that were collected above, the researcher counted the
statistical scores using SPSS, such as bellow:
Table 4.4
Statistical Scores of Writing
Statistics
Writing Scores
Valid 30
N
Missing 0
Mean 75.3000
Median 76.0000
Mode 80.00
Variance 16.424
Minimum 64.00
Maximum 81.00
From the statistic table, the mean of writing score is 75.3. Median
76, and mode 80. The highest score of writing is 81.00 and the lowest one
is 64.00. The standard deviation is 4.05 with variance 16.424.
39
B. Data Analysis
Table 4.5
Data Analysis Table
Participants X Y XY X2 Y2
Student 1 63 77 4851 3969 5929
N = 30
X = 1869
Y = 2259
XY = 140897
X2 = 118453
Y2 = 170579
rxy =
=
41
= 0.165
To make sure the result of the calculation above, the researcher used
SPSS program. The using of SPSS is to know whether the calculation that
the researcher did manually was correct and to make sure that there is no
mismatching calculation between scores that the researcher counted. The
calculation of SPSS was described such as follow:
Table 4.6
SPSS Correlation Table
Correlations
tcount =
42
tcount = =
= = 0.89
C. Data Interpretation
Based on the calculation above, it shows that the correlation value
is rxy 0.165 and the degree of freedom (Df) is 28. In the table of
significance shows if Df value is 28, the table of significance 5% and 1%
are 0.374 and 0.478.
The statistical hypotheses state:
1. If ro as same as or higher than rt, the Ha is accepted.
2. If ro is lower than rt, the Ha is rejected.
Based on the score of rxy 0.165, it indicates the score of ro < rt, in
which 0.165 < 0.374 and 0.165 < 0.478. It means that Ha is rejected; or in
other word there is no significant correlation between Grammar mastery
and Writing ability.
To interpret the gravity of rxy 0.165, the table of “r” product
moment shows that the correlation value is on the very low size, in which
between 0.00-0.20. The table of “r” interpretation is such as follow:
Table 4.7
Pearson Correlation1
The score of “r”
Interpretation
product moment (rxy)
0.00 – 0.199 Very low
0.20 – 0.399 Low
0.40 – 0.599 Medium
1
Sugiyono, Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif Kualitatif dan R&D, (Bandung: Alfabeta,
2011), p.184.
44
A. Conclusions
According to the statistical calculation which was analyzed in the previous
chapter, a conclusion can be sum up that there is no significant correlation
between grammar mastery and writing ability. The data showed that most of
students got the minimum score of grammar but they got good score in writing.
Therefore, the writer summarizes that grammar mastery gives less contribution
and has very low correlation to the ability of writing. Students who have
minimum level of grammar mastery, does not mean that they also get poor
achievement in writing. It was affected by some relevant factors such as students’
motivation in learning grammar and writing, their frequency of practice, and the
writing assessment that was not only focus on grammatical area but also some
other factors such as content, organization, vocabulary and mechanics.
B. Suggestions
1. For Teachers or lecturers
Knowing the result, the English teacher as a motivator and stimulator can
explain that some students are still weak in their mastery of grammar. The
teacher should explain about grammar rules and increase the students’
comprehension by using a good method. Besides, the teacher should explain
to the students that there is some criteria to assess writing subject in order to
the students are not only focus on grammatical aspects in writing but also
learn more about how to organize the text well by considering the content,
vocabulary, spelling and also punctuation.
2. For Students
For language learners, even though students’ mastery of grammar has
less contribution to their writing, the students should pay attention to the
45
46
Azmi, Ulul. A Correlation between Students' Mastery of Past Tense and Their
Ability in Writing Recount at Eleventh Grade Students of MA
Hassamussholihat. Jakarta: UIN Jakarta, 2011.
Fowler, H. Ramsley. The Little Hand Book. Boston: Little, Brown and
Company, 2001.
Heaton, J.B. Writing English Language Tests. New York: Longman, 1988.
Huang, Yun Hsuan. Does EFL Students' Grammatical Ability Account for
Writing Ability?. Tainan: Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Science,
2011.
http://eprints.undip.ac.id/6608/1/Korelasi_Product_Moment.pdf
47
48
Kane, Thomas S. The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing. New York: Barekley
Books, 1988.
Knapp, Peter and Megan Watkins. Genre, TEXT, grammar; Technologies for
teaching and assessing writing.
Oshima, Alice and Ann Hogue. Introduction to Academic Writing. New York:
Pearson Longman, 2007.
Peat, Jennifer. Scientific Writing; Easy When You Know How. London: BMJ
Books, 2002.
Stewart, Thomas W and Jr. Nathan Vailette. Language Files; Materials for an
Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Department of Linguistics The
Ohio State University.
APPENDIX 1
Grammar Scores
2 Afni Amalia 90 80 57
7 Ayatika Adawiah 90 80 57
10 Nadia Karimah 90 70 53
13 Rachmanita Oktaviani 70 70 47
19 Farhan 70 80 50
23 Yulianti Sari 80 80 53
30 Farzona Jurakhon 90 80 57
Score = MC + EI/3
52
APPENDIX 2
Writing Scores
APPENDIX 3
KISI-KISI INSTRUMENT
APPENDIX 4
GRAMMAR TEST
Name :
Nim :
1. You should postpone ______ the manager until we hear the outcome of
tomorrow’s meeting.
(A) to see
(B) seeing
(C) see
(D) will see
2. ___________ started as a modern sport in India at the same time that it did in
Europe.
(A) To ski
(B) That skiing
(C) Ski
(D) Skiing
3. Hollywood film producers have been regularly _________ millions of dollars
for a film.
(E) budgeted
(F) budgeting
(G) budgets
(H) budget
57
(B) sweet
(C) sweetness
(D) more sweet
10. Courses in ___________ linguistics are frequently offered at the university.
(A) comparison
(B) compare
(C) comparative
(D) comparable
11. Noise pollution generally receives less attention than ________air pollution.
(A) does
(B) it does
(C) over
(D) it does over
12. ________ oats and rye can endure severe winter weather
(A) Either
(B) They are
(C) Both
(D) Both of
13. Proponents of solar energy wonder ________ funded so few research projects.
(A) why the government has
(B) has the government
(C) why has the government
(D) the government has why
14. Painters of the expressionist school concentrated on themes of horror, fear,
and ______.
(A) violent
(B) violently
(C) more violence
(D) violence
59
16. The jury took long times to reach an agreement among themselves.
A B C D
17. The excited movie drew large crowds of excited children every Saturday.
A B C D
18. I’ve finally assembled enough information for beginning writing my thesis.
A B C D
19. The Italian dramatist and poet Ugo Betti was a judge who gained literary
A B C
recognition late in their life.
D
20. Stop tell me what to do! Let me to make up my own mind.
A B C D
21. The various types of bacteria are classified according to its shapes.
A B C D
22. The secretary put the letter back in her envelope and filled it.
A B C D
23. Not until a baby kangaroo is four months old it begins to live outside its
A B C D
mother’s pouch.
25. Neither the students nor their teacher was happy with his test grades.
A B C D
60
26. The team really looks good tonight because that coach had them practiced
A B C D
every night this week.
27. Therefore pandas eat bamboo almost exclusively, they are also carnivorous.
A B C D
28. Famous for his new innovation in punctuation, typography, and language,
A B
Edward Estlin Cummings published his collected poems in 1954.
C D
30. The thief knew precisely what the collection of priceless jewels was hidden.
A B C D
ANSWER KEY
1. B 16. B (Time)
2. D 17. B (Exciting)
3. B 18. C (To begin)
4. C 19. D (His)
l
5. C 20. A (Telling)
6. D 21. D (Their)
7. D 22. C (Its)
8. D 23. C (Does it begin)
9. B 24. D (Forward)
10. C 25. D (Their)
11. A 26. D (Practice)
12. C 27. A (Although)
13. A 28. B (Innovation in)
14. D 29. C (Secure)
15. B 30. C (Where)
61
APPENDIX 5
Rata2= 25.65
Simpang Baku= 5.32
KorelasiXY= 0.72
Reliabilitas Tes= 0.83
Butir Soal= 50
Jumlah Subyek= 20
Nama berkas: C:\USERS\ACER\DESKTOP\NILAI TRY OUT.ANA
APPENDIX 6
Statistics
Grammar Scores
Valid 30
N
Missing 0
Mean 62.3000
Median 60.0000
Mode 60.00
Std. Deviation 8.33418
Variance 69.459
Minimum 47.00
Maximum 80.00
Grammar Scores
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
47.00 1 3.3 3.3 3.3
50.00 2 6.7 6.7 10.0
53.00 3 10.0 10.0 20.0
57.00 3 10.0 10.0 30.0
60.00 7 23.3 23.3 53.3
63.00 4 13.3 13.3 66.7
Valid
67.00 2 6.7 6.7 73.3
70.00 3 10.0 10.0 83.3
73.00 3 10.0 10.0 93.3
77.00 1 3.3 3.3 96.7
80.00 1 3.3 3.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0
64
APPENDIX 7
Statistics
Writing Scores
Valid 30
N
Missing 0
Mean 75.3000
Median 76.0000
Mode 80.00
Std. Deviation 4.05267
Variance 16.424
Minimum 64.00
Maximum 81.00
Writing Scores
Frequenc Percent Valid Cumulative
y Percent Percent
64.00 1 3.3 3.3 3.3
69.00 2 6.7 6.7 10.0
70.00 1 3.3 3.3 13.3
71.00 1 3.3 3.3 16.7
72.00 2 6.7 6.7 23.3
73.00 2 6.7 6.7 30.0
74.00 2 6.7 6.7 36.7
Valid 75.00 3 10.0 10.0 46.7
76.00 3 10.0 10.0 56.7
77.00 3 10.0 10.0 66.7
78.00 2 6.7 6.7 73.3
79.00 3 10.0 10.0 83.3
80.00 4 13.3 13.3 96.7
81.00 1 3.3 3.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0
65
APPENDIX 8
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. N
Deviation
Grammar
62.3000 8.33418 30
Scores
Writing Scores 75.3000 4.05267 30
Correlations
Grammar Writing
Scores Scores
Pearson Correlation 1 .165
Sig. (2-tailed) .385
Grammar Sum of Squares and
2014.300 161.300
Scores Cross-products
Covariance 69.459 5.562
N 30 30
Pearson Correlation .165 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .385
Writing Sum of Squares and
161.300 476.300
Scores Cross-products
Covariance 5.562 16.424
N 30 30
66
APPENDIX 9
SILABI
sangat diperlukan.
3. Frank Marcella,
APPENDIX 10
SYLLABUS
WRITING III
Course Description
There are two main important elementsof writing, communication and message. To
get the message accross writers need to have the skill on how to communicate in
written form. Consequently, writers should have the knowledge on how to express
their ideas on paper. This course is designed to enable students to write effectively by
exposing the students through the writing process commonly taken by writers.
Specifically,topics to be discussed are as follow
SESSION TOPICS
1 Introductory Remarks
5 Overview
14 Final Examination
Attendance
Students are required to be present in the classroom at least 80%. Those who
cannot meet the requirement will not be able to join the final exam.
Assignment
Sharing Session
Assessment
Students are assessed based on the following criteria
Formative score 20%
70
Lecturer
Maya Defianty, M.Pd
Contact
Mobile 081321657868 (sms only)
Email mayadefianty@gmail.com