Improving Students’ Speaking Skills through the Genre-Based Approach in Grade X of Chemistry Analysis-A of SMK SMTI Yogyakarta

Abstract

This research was aimed to improve the students’ writing skills through the genre-based approach in grade X KA-A of SMK SMTI Yogyakarta in academic year of 2016/2017. The study was action research that consisted of two cycles and was done collaboratively with an English teacher and the students. The research was carried out in February 2017. The subjects of this research were the students of class X KA-A in SMK SMTI Yogyakarta. The data were collected by conducting the observation, interviews, and administrating tests on the students’ writing performance using observation guideline, interview guideline, and writing scoring rubric. The data from the observation and interviews were analyzed qualitatively and the students’ test scores were analyzed using quantitative analysis. The validity criteria used were democratic validity, outcome validity, process validity, catalytic validity, and dialogic validity. The reliability criteria used were time triangulation, space triangulation, and investigator triangulation. The steps of the research were reconnaissance, planning, actions and observations, and reflection. The results of this study establish that the implementation of the genre-based approach was able to improve students’ writing skills. Students’ problems in writing could be lessened by implementing the stages in the genre-based approach. The building knowledge of the field, the modeling and deconstructing of the text stages improved the students’ vocabulary and knowledge on the topic and context of the text, as well as their mastery on the text type including the text structure and language features. The joint construction and the independent construction of the text stages improved the students’ aptitude in discovering the ideas and developing them into a good text. Scores of the students’ performance also showed an improvement in the students’ writing skill. The students’ mean scores gradually increased from 57,55 in the pre-test, then 72, 17 in the Cycle I, 79,56 in the Cycle II, and 81,28 in the post-test. In other words, the implementation of genre-based approach successfully improved the students’ writing skills.

Keywords: genre-based approach, students’ writing skills