e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha

Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (Volume 1 Tahun 2013)

THE EFFECT OF CONTEXTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING

APPROACH AND ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION UPON STUDENTS'
WRITING COMPETENCY FOR THE TENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF
SMAN 1 KERUAK IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013

Lalu Suparman, A.A.I.N Marhaeni, N. Dantes

Language Education Departement, Postgraduate Program

Ganesha University of Education
Singaraja, Indonesia

e-mail: {lalu.suparman; ngurah.marhaeni; nyoman.dantes}@pasca.undiksha.ac.id

Abstract

This research aims at investigating the effect of contextual teaching and learning
approach and achievement motivation upon students’ English writing competency. The
population of this study was the students of grade ten in SMA Negeri 1 Keruak. The
numbers of the population were 227 students, where 88 students were selected to be the
sample. It was an experimental study of posttest-only control group with 2x2 factorial
design in which the treatement lasted from October 2012 until December 2012.The data
of students' writing competency in this study were analyzed using Two-way ANOVA and
Tukey test, meanwhile the data collection were collected through achievement motivation
questionnaire and writing competency test.The findings of the research are (1) students
taught using contextual teaching and learning approach can significantly achieve better in
writing than those taught by using conventional approach, (2) there is a significant
interaction between contextual teaching and learning approach and achievement
motivation upon students’ writing competency, (3) for students with high achievement
motivation, students’ taught using contextual teaching and learning approach achieved
significantly better than those who were taught using conventional approach, (4) for
students’ with low achievement motivation, there is a significant difference between the
students who taught using contextual teaching and learning approach and those who
taught using conventional approach.

Keywords: contextual teaching and learning approach, achievement motivation, and

writing competency

INTRODUCTION Schools. The teaching of writing is aimed

Based on the standard of content of at enabling students to master the
the School Based Curriculum (KTSP) , functional texts and monologue texts,
English teaching covers four skills. They paragraphs or essay in the form of
are listening, speaking , reading and procedure, descriptive, recount, narrative,
writing. The four skills become basic report, news item, analytical exposition,
competences which belong to the action hortatory exposition, spoof, explanation,
competence that supported by the discussion, review, and public speaking
discourse, linguistic, socio-cultural, and (Depdiknas, 2006). The work of writing is
strategic competence which should be presented in the form of text types, usually
acquired by the students. known as genres, which are closely
Writing is one of the language skills related to the purpose of each type.
that must be taught at Senior High English teaching for the tenth grade of
e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (Volume 1 Tahun 2013)

Senior High School, is limited on the writing also contained various cognitive
monolog text of recount, narrative, and creativity process. In cognitive
procedure, descriptive, and news item process of writing, it is viewed as a
which expected the students are able to process of transaction between writer
write the monolog text correctly. The schemes which consisted of variety of
stated standard competency asked the information.
students that they should be able to Furthermore, there are many
express the meaning of short functional reasons why writing is regarded difficult.
essay in the genre of recount, narrative, According to Simpson (1998: 34), the
procedure, descriptive, and news item in difficulty is due to the fact that a writer
daily life . needs to have enough language and
In Indonesia as development general intellectual skills to generate and
country, the ability to write is increasingly organize ideas and put those ideas into
important as the increasing role in both coherent, logically ordered, intelligible
second and foreign language in education sentences, paragraphs and essays.
(Weigle, 2002). Interactions among people Besides, Richard and Renandya (2002:
all over the world across languages were 303) state that the difficulty lies on how to
getting more essentials and need specific generate and organize ideas using an
abilities to deal with. Hence, the ability to appropriate choice of vocabulary,
write second or even foreign language in sentence and paragraph organization, and
educational field is reasoned to support translate these ideas into a readable text.
the learner to achieve the global needs of In the recent, it is assumed that the
those essentials abilities. Writing as a students’ of Senior High School to be
productive skill is an essential skill in seen faced a lot of difficulties in
language learning. Writing as a medium of developing writing skills, which covers the
communication helped people to convey five dimension of good English writing
meaning and enabled people to text. The difficulties are first, the students
understand the content of the were difficult to comprehend the relevance
communicating messages successfully. of the topic with the substance of the task.
By considering the importance of writing in Second, the students found the difficulties
language learning and the fact that in organizing the arrangements and the
English had great importance in daily expression of ideas of paragraph. Third,
interpersonal communication, teaching the students found the obstacle in using
writing takes an important place to provide the effectiveness of sentences and
the students to be able to write well in grammar accuracy. Fourth, they found its
English. difficult in involving the appropriateness of
Writing is a thinking process. The vocabulary, words and idioms, or the
process of thinking needs to get words out word’s forms, and fifth they seem difficult
of our heads onto the paper. When we in implementing the adherence of writing
look at the printed text on paper, we “see” rules, the use of punctuation marks, and
how it looks on the paper and how it the appropriateness of spelling. The fact
begins clarifying ideas. The concept that the students were faced by a large
working out ideas on the paper shows amount of the difficulties, may lead them
how well-experienced writer, (Creswell become poorly motivated and
1994: 194), meanwhile Marhaeni ( 2010 ) uninterested in English. As a result, there
stated that process of writing is creative, were a lot of students who were under the
the process of writing is characterized by mastery learning of writing competency,
the insight of unique new ideas which is involves the tenth grade students of SMA
logically and uniquely arranged in writing. Negeri 1 Keruak.
Since writing needs a thinking process, The front line of teaching learning
writing is often considered as the most process is how teacher decide to
difficult language skill to be learnt since its accommodate the teaching approach in
complexity makes it became difficult. Not motivating students to learn. This is very
only in the matter of linguistic ability, important because the class would run
e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (Volume 1 Tahun 2013)

well or not and the students would process to be able to seek out the material
understand or not depend on this process. learned and relate the real life situation in
In Indonesia the contextual teaching and order to motivate students to apply the
learning approach to improve students knowledge or skill acquired in their life.
writing competency is rarely used. It is Beside, it helps the teachers relate the
assumed that learning process today still subject matter content to real world
uses the conventional and or teacher- situations and motivate students to make
oriented approach where teachers only connections between knowledge and its
explaining the material and transfer their applications to their lives as family
knowledge to their students actively members, citizens, and workers and
meanwhile their students, continually get engage in the hard work that learning
filled with various kinds of knowledge, requires.
which sometimes they do not understand. Regarded the contextual teaching
To overcome this problem, teachers and learning approach, Nydam (2000,
should find out available approach to cited by Johnson, 2002 : 279) and Tribble
enhance students' motivation to practice (1996 : 67) stated that writing with context
writing. All students are influenced by a can make students able to develop
need to achieve. So that why, motivation analysis when they write a reasonable
relates the students is very important. paragraph and make the readers give
Students who have high motivation to their expectation easier. In other words, if
achieve generally do well academically. the students know what to write, what the
Students with low motivation do not do reader expects from the text, and which
well academically ( Keefe and Jenkins, parts of the language system that were
1993 ). relevant to the particular task in a given
Meanwhile according to Cognitive context, then they would be able to
Theory of Weiner, believes that the theory develop their analysis in writing a
can explain how a person understands to reasonable paragraph and have a good
succeed and failures experienced. Those chance to write something.
with high achievement motivation is Moreover, one of the teachers' roles
usually attributed its performance to in Contextual Teaching and Learning
internal factors. Success is attributed to classroom is to motivate students to learn.
high ability and effort, while failures were The motivation given can be in the form of
attributed to low effort. Conversely, those appraisal or reward. Teachers also create
with low achievement motivation tend to or facilitate students by designing “ a
attribute success to external factors, such supporting learning atmosphere “ in the
as luck, while failure attributable to internal classroom. Learning , then, can be
factors such as low ability. defined as a more or less permanent
Differences way of looking at mental change that makes it possible for
success and failure may explain the individuals to exhibit observable changes
differences in behavior. Those with high in their behavior. But psychologists have
achievement motivation would choose the found it necessary to further quality this
activities related to the achievement and definition, because learning is not the only
more likely to withstand the failure source of changes in mental states and in
compared with those with low behavior. Such changes can also result
achievement motivation, because they from physical growth, or maturation.
think the failure was a result of lack of Maturation promotes persisting mental
effort. So they would increase efforts to changes that can , for example, expand a
achieve success. person’s range or attention. Thus, learning
Therefore, contextual teaching and consists of changes that result not from
learning approach can be considered as physical growth, but from interaction
useful to be used in teaching English, between the person and the environment.
especially in teaching writing. Contextual (Jr. Wouldiam. D. Rohwer,1980).
teaching and learning (CTL) emphasizes According to Elaine B. Johnson (
the students’ involvement in whole 1997 : 16 ) Contextual teaching and
e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (Volume 1 Tahun 2013)

Learning, an instructional system, is students to summarize and reflect the

based on the premise that meaning lesson.
emerges from the relationship between Another result of the research on
content and its context. Context give contextual teaching and learning approach
meaning to content. The broader the was done by Cahyani ( 2011 ) concluded
context within which students are able to that contextual teaching and learning
make connections, the more meaning approach can improve writing skills
content will hold for them. A great part of because the learning process is focused
the teachers' job, then, is to provide on students' need and meaningful learning
context. The more students are able to experiences.
connect their academic lessons to this Meanwhile Ahmad Kholiqul Amin (
context, the more meaning they will derive 2012 ) also conducted a research on A
from the lessons. To discover meaning in Learning Experimentation of Contextual
knowledge and skills leads to mastery of Teaching and Learning Approach (CTL)
knowledge and skills. by Incorporating the Elements of Quantum
Furthermore she claimed that the Learning (QL) Viewed from Students'
heart of contextual teaching and learning Motivation. He exhibited that the research
is the connection that leads to meaning. result can be concluded that the students
When a young people connect the content with learning QL + CTL have better
of an academic subject with their own learning achievement than the students
experiences, they discover meaning, and with CTL and or conventional, and the
meaning gives them a reason for learning. students with CTL have better
Connecting learning to one's life makes achievement than those with conventional
studies come alive, and this connection is learning. Meanwhile, the students who
what Contextual teaching and learning is have high motivation have better
primarily about. In other words Contextual achievement than those who have
teaching and learning a system of medium and or low motivation, in the other
instruction based on the philosophy that sides , CTL + QL learning approach
students learn when they see meaning in produces better performance than
academic material, and they see meaning conventional learning, and CTL learning
in schoolwork when they can connect new approach produces better performance
information with prior knowledge and their than conventional learning. Taken from
own experience. Contextual Teaching and http://www.google.co.id/search?q=CTL
Learning Approach is a system that versus conventional approach&ie=utf.
stimulates the brain to weave patterns that In conclusion, the positive relation
express meaning. CTL is a brain- among student’s motivation, contextual
compatible system of instruction that teaching and learning approach, and
generates meaning by linking academic writing is that students’ capability would
content with the context of a students’ carry on confidently and effectively if they
daily life. posses a motive of achievement that they
Research in the field of contextual were able to do it so.
teaching and learning approach was done That’s why, treating the students in
by Intan Satriani et al., ( 2011 ) contextual teaching and learning approach
expounded that the use of contextual with the consideration of achievement
teaching and learning approach in writing motivation is predicted to signal a positive
provided six benefits. The benefits were price to the development of students’
engaging the students in writing activity, writing ability. Thus, it is very interesting to
increasing students' motivation to investigate the effect of contextual
participate actively in writing class, helping teaching and learning approach, and
the students to construct their writing, students’ achievement motivation on
helping students to solve their problems, students’ English writing competency.
providing ways for students to discuss or The purposes of this study were
interact with their friends, and helping first, to investigate the difference in
students’ English writing competency
e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (Volume 1 Tahun 2013)

between students who were taught by research depends on an applied method.

contextual teaching and learning approach The design of this research was
and students who were taught by using Experimental Design of post-test only
conventional approach. Second, to control group ( Gall, Gall, and Borg, 2003 )
investigate the interactional effect which was designed to find out the
between the use of contextual teaching significant difference of the students’
and learning approach with in writing competency for the students
achievement motivation in affecting writing treated using contextual teaching and
competency. Third, for the students with learning approach. Besides, it was
high achievement motivation, to designed to find out the interaction
investigate the difference in writing between the implementation of contextual
competency between the students who teaching and learning approach and
taught by using contextual teaching and achievement motivation in learning
learning approach and the students who English. So that, the research was not
taught by using conventional approach. designed for the benefit of finding the
Fourth, for the students with low students’ writing competency
achievement motivation, to investigate the improvement between the experimental
difference in writing competency between and the control group.
the students who taught by using Moreover, Franklen and Wallen
contextual teaching and learning approach (1993) states that this design involves two
and the students who taught by using groups, both of which were formed by
conventional approach. random assignment. One group receives
the experimental treatment while other
does not, or receives a different treatment.
METHOD The arrangement of this research was 2 x
The function of the method takes a 2 factorial arrangement which can be seen
significant role in research activity, as follows.
because the success or failure of a

Table :1 Research Design with 2 x 2 Factorial

Teaching and Contextual
Learning Teaching and
Conventional
Approach Learning
Approach
(A) Approach
(A2)
Achievement ( A1)
ControlGroup
Motivation Experimental
(B) Group
High ( B1 ) A1 B1 A2 B1
Low ( B2 ) A1 B2 A2 B2
Total A1B1+A1B2 A2B1+A2B2

Remarks :
A1 : The group of the students treated using contextual teaching and learning
approach.
A2 : The group of the students treated using conventional approach.
B1 : The group of the students with high achievement motivation.
B2 : The group of the students with low achievement motivation.
A1B1 : The group of the students with high achievement motivation in learning
English treated using contextual teaching and learning approach.
A2B1 : The group of the students with high achievement motivation in learning
English treated using conventional approach.
e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (Volume 1 Tahun 2013)

A1B2 : The group of the students with low achievement motivation in learning English
treated using contextual teaching and learning approach.
A2B2 : The group of the students with low achievement motivation in learning English
who were treated using conventional approach.
The population of this study was all questionnaire and they had answered the
of the tenth graders of SMAN 1 Keruak in questionnaire in order to classify the
the academic year of 2012 - 2013, which students into the students having high and
consist of 227 students. First, four low achievement motivation in learning
homogeneity classes were taken as the English. Two groups were treated
class sample. Using a lottery, two differently. The experimental group were
experimental classes and two control taught by using contextual teaching and
classes were chosen randomly. 65 learning approach and the control group
students of X-B and X-D were chosen as were taught by using conventional
the sample of experimental group and, 64 approach. Fourth, the posttests was
students of X-A and X-C were chosen as administered for each group and the score
the sample of control group. Second, a was obtained from the posttest had been
questionnaire of achievement motivation subjected for further analysis. The
was administered to both experimental analyses were conducted descriptively
and control group. The students’ score and inferentially by using two-way of
was calculated and organized in a series ANOVA and Tukey test.
from the lowest to the highest for both To collect the intended data, the
experimental and control group. Then, researcher used several instruments that
33% top range and 33% low range is classified into two kind of instruments,
students of experimental and control namely: data collection instruments and
groups were taken as the sample of the treatment instruments. The instrument of
research. The result of this grouping data collection were writing competency
revealed that there were 22 students were test ( post test ) and analytical scoring
chosen for each category. The rubric, and achievement motivation
experimental groups were treated using questionnaires in studying English, while
contextual teaching and learning the treatment instruments were contextual
approach, while the control groups were teaching and learning checklist, teaching
treated using conventional approach. scenario, and teaching handout.
There were 44 students in the
experiment group which consist of 22
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e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (Volume 1 Tahun 2013)

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