Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Key words: Segment-chain Activities, Paragraph, Action Research.



This study was undertaken in order to improve the skill of the second year student at SMA Negeri 3 Bireuen in writing paragraphs through segment-chain activities. It was intended to improve their skills in writing a topic sentence, writing supporting sentences, organizing ideas into coherent paragraph, and writing a conclusion sentence. This was done because they were observed to have poor skills in organizing ideas and sentences into coherent paragraphs. The results of this study were expected to provide descriptions of the procedure of segment-chain activities.
To achieve the purpose, a collaborative classroom action research, which was adopted from Kemmis and Mc Taggart (1998), was implemented. It was implemented in three cycles. Each cycle contained some stages such as planning, implementing and monitoring the action, and reflecting. After the problem of study had been identified, several activities were carried out such as preparing instructional materials and media, preparing the procedures of carrying out of practice, and preparing research instruments. After all those preparations had been made, the process of implementation and monitoring the action was conducted. Then, a reflection was carried out in order to evaluate the process and the result of study.
Forty students were involved in the study. They were the second year students of SMA Negeri 3 Bireuen. The instruments to collect the data were interview guide, field notes, observation sheets, and portfolio. Interview guides were used to get information about students' problem in writing paragraphs and to know their responses toward segment-chain activities. Field notes were used as a means to note all facts dealing with the implementation of the action.
The result of the study shows that the students' skill in writing a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence could be improved through brainstorming and chaining segments. Specially, the model of segment-chain activities consist of three stages, namely pre-writing that includes brainstorming and writing a topic sentence, writing that include completing segment starters and rearranging the order of sentences, and post-writing that includes revising and editing. In doing their tasks, the students were given segment-cards that contained writing frame. This frame could lead the students to develop their ideas.
The result of the study also shows that the students' skilJ in writing paragraphs could be improved to the already developed criteria of success. In this sense, 31 students (76 %) could write unified and coherent paragraphs that fulfilled the criteria of completeness, good formulation of topic sentence, and good coherence. Their scores were also better than theirs in previous cycle. Besides, the students' responses to the implementation of segment-chain activities were positive as verified by the results of the observation on the learning-teaching activities and the interview.
On the basis of the result of the study, it is suggested to the other English teachers to consider the activities in the teaching of writing. This suggestion is made since the activities developed are applicable. Secondly, it is also suggested to the other researchers who might be interested in the result of this study to develop the activities and to cover other components of writing such as vocabulary and language use.

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