Improving Students' Writing Ability Using Gallery Walk Strategy in

Class XII IPA5 of SMAN 2 Selong

In Academic Year 2018-2019

Abstrak : This research is a classroom action research conducted to overcome the weakness
of students' written communication skills due to their low vocabulary mastery. The action
taken is to apply the gallery walk strategy in learning writing skills. The subjects of this study
were students of class XII IPA5 in the first semester of Academic year 2018-2019, totaling
39 students. This research was conducted at SMAN 2 Selong, East Lombok. The data
collection tools in this study were the observation instruction sheet and the cover letter
writing test. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Based on the
results of data analysis from Cycle I and Cycle II, it was concluded that there was a
significant increase. Before the action, only 44% of students scored ≥ 70, and after passing
Cycle I, almost all students of class XII IPA5 scored 70 and above. Even though they have
not reached the criteria for success, the results in Cycle I are considered good because 59% of
students have scored ≥ 78. Furthermore, there is a 20% increase from Cycle I to Cycle II,
which means that 79% of students have scored ≥ 78. In terms of student involvement In the
learning process, student activity increased by 18% from 82% actively involved in Cycle I to
100 actively involved in learning activities in Cycle II. Thus, it can be concluded that the
activities in the gallery walk can help increase student involvement in learning and help
improve vocabulary mastery to support the increasing writing ability of class XII IPA
students. The acquisition in Cycle I is considered good because 59% of students have scored
≥ 78. Furthermore, there is a 20% increase from Cycle I to Cycle II, which means that 79% of
students have scored ≥ 78. In terms of student involvement in the learning process, student
activity increased by 18% from 82% actively involved in Cycle I to 100 actively involved in
learning activities in Cycle II. Thus, it can be concluded that the activities in the gallery walk
can help increase student involvement in learning and help improve vocabulary mastery to
support the increasing writing ability of class XII IPA students. The acquisition in Cycle I is
considered good because 59% of students have scored ≥ 78. Furthermore, there is a 20%
increase from Cycle I to Cycle II, which means that 79% of students have scored ≥ 78. In
terms of student involvement in the learning process, student activity increased by 18% from
82% actively involved in Cycle I to 100 actively involved in learning activities in Cycle II.
Thus, it can be concluded that the activities in the gallery walk can help increase student
involvement in learning and help improve vocabulary mastery to support the increasing
writing ability of class XII IPA in academic year 2018-2019.

Keywords: gallery walk, writing skills

As one of the main subjects in schools, learning English is expected to be communicative so

that its function as a means of communicating in order to access information can be realized.
Broadly speaking, the goal of learning English at school is to make students able to
communicate in English, either in spoken or written form which includes listening, speaking,
reading, and writing skills.
 In the learning process, especially learning foreign languages such as English,
problems often arise. The results of a discussion with an English teacher at SMA 2 Selong on
August, 14th 2018 showed that most students were active in learning process but were unable
to respond quickly and accurately to questions that required them to explain something
completely in both written and oral.

Based on the results of observations made in class XII IPA 5 on August, 21 st and 28th
2018, it was found that indeed students were mostly active in learning, supported by the very
clear and strong voice of the English subject teacher. It is clear that students always try to
respond to the teacher's questions and try to convey their ideas, but once they arrive at
sentences that are more complex than basic English, they start stammering and even stop and
continue their answers in Indonesian. Sometime at the end of the lesson, several questions
were asked to students regarding their learning difficulties. They admit that their main
obstacle is vocabulary in English. This is clearly seen in the learning process. They look so
enthusiastic about answering the teacher, but haltingly even stopped prematurely, not
knowing how to convey what was on their minds in English. From observations and
discussions with teachers and students, it was concluded that, an important and urgent
problem that really needs to be addressed is the students' low vocabulary mastery.

Vocabulary (vocabulary) is one of the important components in teaching English in

addition to other components such as structure, spelling, and intonation. Vocabulary plays a
very important role in learning English. If students' vocabulary mastery is weak, they will
have difficulty communicating their thoughts and ideas as clearly as they want both orally
and in writing. They will find it difficult to perfectly describe what he wants to convey when
he speaks or writes, as happened to students of class XII IPA 5. In general, mastering
adequate vocabulary is the key to smooth communication (Al Kufashi, 1988). Harmer (1991)
even compared language to a body, language structures are bones that make up the
framework, and vocabulary is the flesh that makes the body take shape. Thus, communication
in the target language is difficult to run smoothly if the vocabulary mastery is inadequate.

Seeing the importance of vocabulary mastery, it is very important to overcome the

low vocabulary mastery of class XII Science students 5 the. For this reason, a surefire way to
help make it easier for students to improve their vocabulary mastery is learning techniques
gallery walk. In gallery walk, students work in groups, work together, share information and
ideas then the results of their work are displayed and each group corrects and provides input
to other groups. Of activities exercise and peer feedback It is hoped that more vocabulary can
be mastered and used by students. Taylor (2001) states " Gallery walk encourages alternative
and multiple approaches to problems because students are exposed to a variety of
perspectives, and it provides opportunity to gauge students' prior knowledge, skills, and
misconception. "This means that in the gallery walk, students have the opportunity to write
and verbalize their ideas in groups, receive input and additional information (new
vocabulary) from other groups and teachers, and have the opportunity to correct any
misconceptions.

In addition, in the gallery walk, students struggle with various sources of reading and
even pictures (Hawkin, 1991, p.31), so that the ideas or information they convey both orally
and in writing can be more accurate with a more varied vocabulary. This of course can help
them solve their problems in English, especially when writing in English.
 Writing skills are one of the English language skills that must be mastered by
students. This skill is very interesting, but generally difficult to teach. According to Foster
(2008), teaching writing skills is the most difficult learning activity for teachers because
writing is not just about arranging and arranging words ( Allan, 2009) . What makes writing
activities more difficult is the low interest and interest of students in writing. If you are not
given a little time for these skills, these skills may be forgotten and only focus on other skills
such as reading as is generally the case in schools. For this reason, there must be activities
that bring students to write, namely the gallery walk.

Method
Research Subjects

The subjects of this study were 39 students of class XII IPA 5 in the first Semester of
the academic year 2018-2019. This research was conducted at SMAN 02 Selong. The school
is located in Gelang, Pancor sub-district, Selong district, East Lombok district.

Data collection

In accordance with the required data, the data collection instruments in this study
were observation sheets, field notes, and writing tests. In the observation sheet, there are eight
(8) indicators that indicate student activity. These indicators are : 1) asking friends in the
group, 2) responding / answering questions from friends / teachers, 3) recording information
that is received / obtained, 4) helping / asking for help from friends in the group, 5)
displaying group work results, 6) observing the results of group work other, 7) responding /
answering questions from other groups / teachers, and 8) submitting comments / opinions on
the work of other groups. Ready-to-use papers are also prepared to make field notes about
important information during the learning process. Worksheets for writing are prepared to
determine the increase in vocabulary mastery in writing.

In this classroom action research, data were collected by making classroom

observations in the learning process. The main data collected in this observation is the
activeness of students during the learning process. Good things, things that need to be
considered during the learning process, and information that is not available in the
observation sheet are recorded and collected in field notes. Data about the students'
vocabulary mastery and writing skills were collected by giving individual writing
assignments. The writing material in this research is writing an application letter.

Data Analysis

The data that has been collected in this study are analyzed qualitatively and
quantitatively depending on the type of data collected. Data on student involvement in
learning activities obtained from the observation sheet were calculated using a frequency-
based formula. This calculation involves the number of students who fall into certain
categories. There are five (5) categories in the results of this observation, namely 1) very
active (if it fulfills 7 or all activity indicators in the observation sheet), 2) active (if it fulfills
5-6 indicators), 3) is quite active (if it fulfills 3-4 indicators), and 4) is not active (if it only
fulfills a maximum of 2 of the 8 activity indicators listed in the observation sheet).
 The formula is to divide the number of students who fall into a particular category by
the total number of students multiplied by one hundred. The results of this calculation are
then referenced to the first
success criteria.

Number Of Students in a particular

……….% = category X 100
The total number of students

Meanwhile, students' scores in writing were assessed using a scoring rubric adapted
from Cohen's (1994) analytic scoring. There are 4 aspects that are assessed in students'
writing, namely vocabulary, content, organization, and grammar (grammar). Each aspect has
1-5 points with their respective criteria. The student's total score is obtained by dividing the
student's score by the maximum score (20) multiplied by one hundred. The results of this
calculation become the individual student scores.

Acquisition Score
Students Score = X 100
Total Score

In order to find out the percentage of students who scored higher than and / or equal
to 70, there is a need to make calculations on this data. The calculation is done using a
frequency-based formula. This involves the number of students who score higher than and /
or equal to 70. The formula is to divide the number of students who score higher than and / or
equal to 70 by the total number of students multiplied by one hundred. The results of this
calculation are then compared with the second success criterion.

Results and Discussion

Implementation of Cycle I Actions

Cycle I was held on September 18 2018. The gallery walk learning strategy was
implemented. The learning material at this meeting is an application letter with basic
competencies to capture contextual meanings related to social functions, text structure, and
special text language elements in the form of a job application letter, which provides
information, including identity, educational background or work experience. Learning
activities in this cycle focus on strengthening student vocabulary related to work and the
elements contained in job application letters, and the structure of job application letters.
Learning activities carried out in this cycle are:

a. Students are divided into 8 groups

b. Each group is given 1 sheet of HVS paper which contains one type of work as a
document theme
c. Together with their group members, students discuss any words or things related to
the topics
d. they get on the paper that each group has obtained, they write the key words in the
form of arrow diagrams or the like
e. Students may decorate or create their group worksheets. The earlier group finishes
and collect
 f. more words immediately post the results of their group work on the classroom wall
using tape
g. After all groups display their work, each group goes around observing the work of
other groups
h. Each group comments and or provides input to other groups
i. Each group is given the opportunity to respond to comments from other groups
j. After finishing with group activities, the teacher provides feedback on the current
learning material
All learning activities in this cycle were observed by the teacher using observation
sheets that had been previously prepared with the PDS lecturer. Overall, learning looks active
and fun.

Implementation of Cycle II Action

Cycle II was held on September 25, 2018. The gallery walk learning strategy was also
implemented in this cycle. The learning material at this meeting is an application letter that
continues the previous material with basic competencies in compiling a special text for a job
application letter, which provides information including identity, educational background /
work experience, with due regard to social functions, text structure, and language elements,
correctly. and in context. Learning activities in this cycle focus on strengthening the ability to
write cover letters using vocabulary they have mastered in accordance with social functions,
text structure, and language elements of written job application letters. Learning activities
carried out in this cycle are:

a. Students are divided into 8 groups

b. Each group is given 1 blank HVS paper and an envelope containing one application
letter, the arrangement has been randomized
c. Together with their group members, students discuss the arrangement of application
letters that have been randomly cut off the sentences contained in the envelope
d. On the paper that has been obtained by each group, they stick the pieces of the
application letter according to the agreement in their respective groups
e. The observer goes around to each group to more clearly observe the activity of the
students
f. Students then report the results of their group work
g. This time, the group work was not displayed on the wall but only on the table so that
it was easier for the teachers, observers and representatives of other visiting groups to
see.
h. The teacher goes around to each group delivering feedback on the work of each group
This core activity only lasts for 1 lesson hour and then it is continued with other core
activities, namely:
i. The teacher prepares two containers containing the lottery: 1 container containing the
type of work and 1 container containing the name of the institution where they work
j. Each group takes one lottery from each container so that each group has two lotteries:
1 type of job and 1 name of the agency for which the other group is writing.
k. Each group writes an application letter according to the type of job they get in the
lottery
l. After 20 minutes, the letters written by each group are submitted to the other groups
according to the name of the institution where they are applying for the job
m. Thus, 1 group corrects 1 cover letter written by another group
n. Each group comments on application letters written by other groups
 o. Each group is given the opportunity to respond to comments from other groups
p. After finishing with group activities, the teacher provides feedback on the current
learning material.

At the end of the lesson in this cycle, the teacher asks students to write job application
letters individually according to the work they are interested in. In this case, they are free to
concretize the name of the agency of destination, and others as deemed necessary.

Discussion

Based on the results of observations in Cycle I, student involvement as a whole has

reached predetermined success criteria. In this cycle, 26% (10 people) of students were
classified as very active and 56% (22 people) were active, so that it was accumulated to be
82% of students who were active in the learning process. Although there are still some
students who are only classified as quite active, the criteria for 80% of student activeness has
been achieved in this cycle.

In relation to the writing score of the student, there is a significant increase from before
the action and after the action. Before the action, only 44% of students scored ≥ 70 (70 and
above). After the action in Cycle I, almost all students obtained a minimum score of 70, but
the agreed success criteria had not been achieved because only 59% (23 people) of students
scored 78 and above. Meanwhile, the predetermined criteria is that 70% of students get a
score of writing cover letters ≥ 78. Thus, an additional cycle must be carried out.

Before moving on to the next cycle, several improvements were planned and made by
researchers and collaborators. These improvements include setting the discussion time and
time to observe the results of other group work as well as additional activities that make them
practice writing a lot. In Cycle I, too much time was spent discussing and observing the work
of other groups, so that time for the activities of analyzing and writing application letters was
very limited.

After making improvements in Cycle II, the results of the observations showed that 18
students or 46% were very active in the learning process, 21 other students (54%) were
active, and none of the students were not active. All students in this cycle are actively
involved in learning activities. Thus, as in Cycle I, the criteria for success in this cycle were
perfectly achieved.

Likewise with the results of students' writing work. The results of the analysis showed
that there was an increase in the students' ability to write cover letters. In Cycle II, almost all
students achieved the KKM score set by the school. Referring to the action success criteria
which states that 70% of students achieved a score of ≥ 78, 79% (31 people) of students have
achieved a score greater than and equal to 78. This means that the second set of success
criteria has been achieved. Thus, the action may not be continued and can be reported
because it has met the two predetermined criteria.

Conclusion

Based on the results of data analysis from Cycle I and Cycle II, it was concluded that
there was a significant increase. Before the action, only 44% of students scored ≥ 70, and
after passing Cycle I, almost all students of class XII IPA5 scored 70 and above. Even though
they have not reached the criteria for success, the results in Cycle I are considered good
because 59% of students have scored ≥ 78. Furthermore, there is a 20% increase from Cycle I
to Cycle II, which means that 79% of students have scored ≥ 78. In terms of student
involvement in learning process, student activity increased 18% from 82% actively involved
in Cycle I to 100 actively involved in learning activities in Cycle II. Therefore, 5 SMAN 2
Selong for the academic year 2018-2019 .

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