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Indonesian Journal of Education Research (IJoER)
Vol. 4, No. 1, February 2023, pp. 1~4
ISSN: 2722-1326, DOI: 10.37251/ijoer.v4i1.567 1
Journal homepage: http://cahaya-ic.com/index.php/IJoER
The Effect of Clustering Technique on Students Achievement in Writing
Recount Text
Hidayatullah1, Minarni1
1English Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia
2Senior High School 10 Muaro Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia
Article Info
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received Jan 3, 2023
Revised Jan 27, 2023
Accepted Feb 19, 2023
Purpose of the study: The purpose of the study to find out whether or not
clustering technique was effective on students’ achievement in writing recount
text.
Methodology: This research used quasi-experimental research. The sample was
selected from the population that consisted of five classes at the tenth grade. The
researcher selected X5 as experimental class and X4 as control class. Purposive
sampling was used by the the researcher to select a sample. Purposive sampling
was used by the the researcher to select a sample. The researcher used a test as
research instrument.The data were analyzed by using descriptive statitics and t-
test (independent sample test) in order to calculate the pretest and posttest
results.
Main Findings: It can be concluded that the students got better achievement by
using clustering technique in writing recount text.
Novelty/Originality of this study: The result of this research could inform to
teachers that using of clustering technique was able to increase the student’s
writing skill. It also could be used to help the teachers in developing student’s
writing skill before they started to write.
Keywords:
Archievment
Rrecount Text
Writing
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license
Corresponding Author:
Hidayatullah,
English Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia,
Lintas Jambi-Ma.Bulian, KM. 15 Jambi, 36361 Indonesia
Email: hidayat_ullah@gmail.com
1. INTRODUCTION
Writing is an activity that includes skills in planning and preparation, as well as knowledge of the
language, contexts and audiences [1]. Writing will discuss about the writing process to create text that people are
interested. In addition, writing is vital component of comprehensive synergy of literacy. Writing dealt with three
skills were reading, listening, and speaking. It meant that writing was the way to express the ideas in the written
form. Moreover, writing was one of the most difficult skill that second-language (L2) students were expected
acquire, requiring the mastery of a variety of linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural competencies. The
assumption that writing was frightening still existed. It was because writing in non-native language was not easy
by the students, it needed skillful language that they had to be able to produce word sentences, paragraph at the
same time.
Motivation can be a factor to boost students’ interest in writing [2]. Motivational factors included
students’ belief about the nature and importance of writing, the differences between L1 and L2, their attitude to
the L2, and about their writing competence, which in turn influence students’ engagement, effort, and learning in
the L2 writing classroom. The teachers needed to be aware of these affective factors and to help their students
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become more motivated [3]. The teacher should be able to encourage the students to express their ideas into
good writing. It could be done by introducing topics and a good writing process.
The writing process had steps or procedures which must be carried out by the students [4]. The steps
were prewriting, planning, writing and revising draft, and writing the final copy to hand in. In prewriting, the
students did brainstorming. There were three techniques in brainstorming, they were listing, freewriting, and
clustering [5]. The researcher only focused on clustering that it helped the students to produce word sentences,
paragraph at the same time. In writing, the students faced some problems that made them get difficulties.
Based on preliminary observation was conducted in Senior High School namely SMAN 6 Muaro Jambi
the researcher found common problems were faced by the students. They did not know what they wanted to
write in a paragraph, they had less ideas, they often confused to start writing the sentences, they had less
vocabularies, and they did some mistakes when wrote a paragraph with the lack of knowledge in grammatical
rules. To solve the problems were mentioned above, the researcher used an alternative technique was
clustering technique. Clustering technique is another brainstorming activity that the students can use to generate
ideas [6]. This technique was hoped to solve the problems were faced by the students that usually they got
difficulties to develop their ideas in writing activity because they were poor in vocabulary and grammar [7]. The
form of clustering technique was easy to understand especially by the students and it gave a new style in writing
activity. It also had an aim to make students’ confidence in writing and to decide the best dictions that were
going to be used in writing recount paragraph according to him/her. The researcher was very interesting to use
clustering technique as a source in his research because it helped the students to organize their ideas before they
started to write.
2. RESEARCH METHOD
This research used quasi-experimental research design which was to find the cause-and-effect
relationships between independent and dependent variable [8]. The researcher divided into two variables, they
were independent and dependent variables. The manipulated variable was called independent variable while the
observed and measured variable was called dependent variabale. In this research, clustering technique was
independent variable while dependent variable was writing.
Moreover, the researcher used quasi-experimental design for this research. Quasi-experimental design
was chosen because it evaluated the effect of a treatment when the treatment had been implemented by the
researchers prior. One of the types of quasi-experimental used in this research. It was non-equivalent control
group design with pretest and posttest. The non-equivalent group specifically meant that characteristics of
participant may not be balanced equally among the experimental and control group. Also, participants’
experiences were different during the study.
The population and sample of this research were the tenth grade students of SMA N 6 Muaro Jambi
because this place was in rural area that lack of sources to get the material that appropriate and interest to
students. So, the researcher helped the students to study the material with effective tool. The researcher used a
test as research instrument. The test was divided into two steps were pretest and posttest. They were a
measurement of the learning received during the class as a result of comparing what the students knew before in
a pretest and after the class experience in a posttest.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The use of clustering technique in writing recount text gave the students good way how they explored
their writing ability well [9]-[12]. The students were given a cluster and asked to write for specific information.
Furthermore, it gave the students’ opportunity to begin to write as they wanted freely. By presenting variety of
different main words, then, it was easier to find something that will attract the students and may even encourage
further writing for.
Moreover, students who were taught using clustering technique felt that they were learning a real
language which was alive. They learned how to generate, develop, and arrange the ideas that had to be used in
their everyday lives as a valuable and satisfying writing. Clustering technique is a technique for quickly making
explicit the idea and associations we have about the topic. Based on the implementation of clustering technique
in this research, it helped the students to develop their ideas with getting the vocabularies as many as possible
from one topic was given. So, the students got two advantages were they could develop many ideas and they
could get many vocabularies then developed paragraph of recount text. It could be stated that the students were
helped by clustering technique [13]-[15].
Furthermore, clustering involves writing down a word or phrase and engaging in free association. Each
association was written down and connected to the original stimulus by an arrow or line. If association
generateed further associations, chains of associated words are produced. Clustering technique helped the
Ind. Jou. Edu. Rsc ISSN: 2722-1326
The Effect of Clustering Technique on Students Achievement in Writing Recount Text (Hidayatullah)
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students to start the writing activity from the new expectation words and develop them in bubbles or circle form.
Also, clustering was related to words or phrases [16]-[18]. The students started to write down the ideas and then
the ideas were connected by using an arrow or line. It was used to overcome the difficulty in developing ideas. It
was effective in developing students’ writing skill. It was also effective if the students were rich in vocabulary.
In this research, by comparing the result of pretest and posttest, it showed that there was improvement
from the students’ score for pretest and posttest in experimental class. It also showed that score of the students’
writing in posttest was better than pretest. Moreover, based on the analysis of students’ writing in control class, it
showed that there was also improvement from the students’ score for pretest and posttest. But improvement of
mean score between pretest and posttest in control class was lower than in experimental class. In control class,
the students wrote recount text unorganized.
In addition, based on the students’ writing in pretest, the students still face the problems in expressing
their thoughts into the generic structure of recount text. Furthermore, the students also deal with formulating
supporting to describe specifically in details. Eventhough, the students developed their thoughts which
supporting details that were not sufficient and suitable with the topic. Another problem was the students’
grammar, organization, vocabulary, content, and mechanic in writing recount text.
In conclusion, the implementation of using clustering technique in writing recount text was successful.
Based on the students’ writing score, the researcher assumed that they were able to make tehir own recount text
by using clustering technique. When clustering technique was used in the experimental class, most of students
felt happy and enjoyed in writing recount text while some of them felt lazy in making the cluster diagram. The
clever students are even more challenged to make a good cluster diagram from ideas in their mind and write their
ideas in writing [19]-[22]. They were so busy at expressing, transferring, and associating their thoughts by using
clustering technique. They wrote recount text easily by looking at the cluster diagram that they made.
Meanwhile, in the control class that was taught without clustering technique, they are not too interested in
writing because the researcher only explained the material and gave the students the exercise. When the
researcher asked about the ideas about what students were going to write, the students felt dizzy and confused to
express their ideas. So, it meant that students had difficulty in writing and associating their thoughts. Also, It
affected to their score in writing recount text. And their scores were lower than the students’ scores in
experimental class.
4. CONCLUSION
Clustering technique was proven to be effective on students’ achievement in wr iting recount text. Based
on the result of the research, there was significant difference in writing achievement between the students who
were taught by using clustering technique and those who were not. These experimental students could increase
their writing achievement significantly better. Their better achievement toward writing achievement can be seen
based on the scores of posttest which were higher than the scores of pretest.
Moreover, the result of pretest and posttest in each criteria of scoring was increasing either experimental
class or control class. Also, posttest score in experimental and control class showed that the result of Sig.(2-
tailed) was 0.00 < 0.05. The conclusion that null hypothesis (H0) was rejected and alternative hypothesis (Ha)
was accepted. In other words, there was significant difference in posttest average score before treatment done
(using clustering technique) in experimental class with the students’ average score in control class (without using
clustering technique). In short, it can be concluded that the students got better achievement by using clustering
technique in writing recount text.
In addition, clustering technique could help the students to explore and develop their thoughts and
develop the students’ organization, content, grammar, mechanic, and vocabulary. Based on the analysis of
students’ writing in control class, it showed that there
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The researcher would like to thank all those who have helped in this research.
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