TEACHING RECOUNT TEXT USING STORY MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ WRITING ABILITY
Keywords:
writing ability; recount text; story mapping technique; classroom action research; EFL studentsAbstract
Writing is widely acknowledged as one of the most complex skills for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), particularly in producing recount texts that require clear organization and grammatical accuracy. Preliminary observations at SMP Negeri 3 Pematangsiantar showed that many ninth-grade students experienced difficulties in organizing ideas, applying appropriate grammatical features, and understanding the generic structure of recount texts. This study aimed to improve students’ recount text writing ability through the Story Mapping Technique (SMT), grounded in genre-based pedagogy and instructional scaffolding theory. A Classroom Action Research design based on Kemmis and McTaggart’s model was conducted in two cycles involving 32 ninth-grade students. Data were collected through writing tests and classroom observations and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The findings revealed a significant improvement in students’ writing performance, with the mean score increasing from 65.10 in the pre-test to 81.45 in Cycle II, and the percentage of students achieving the minimum competency standard rising from 37.5% to 84.3%. The study concludes that the Story Mapping Technique is effective in enhancing students’ recount text writing ability in junior high school English classrooms.
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