The Use of Picture Series in Improving Students’ Descriptive Writing Skills in the Eight Grade Of SMP Swasta Pengharapan Medan

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate whether the use of Picture Series can improve students’ ability in writing descriptive texts in the eighth grade of SMP Swasta Pengharapan Medan. Although writing descriptive text is one of the essential English skills, many students experience difficulties in generating ideas, organizing paragraphs, using appropriate vocabulary, and applying correct grammar. To address these problems, Picture Series is used as visual media to stimulate students’ imagination. This study employed a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design conducted in two cycles, consisting of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The participants consisted of one class of 30 eighth-grade students at SMP Swasta Pengharapan Medan. Data were collected through writing tests (pre-test and post-test), observation, interviews, questionnaires, and documentation. Students’ writing was assessed based on five aspects namely content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. The data were analysed using mean scores and percentage techniques to determine the improvement in students’ writing achievement. Quantitative data were analysed using mean scores and percentages, while qualitative data were analysed descriptively to support the interpretation of the findings. The findings indicate that the Picture Series can significantly enhance students’ descriptive writing ability, increase learning motivation, encourage active classroom participation, and provide a more engaging and meaningful learning experience. Therefore, picture series is one of the solution particularly in teaching descriptive texts. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that picture series are an effective instructional medium for improving students' descriptive writing skills.