THE EFFECT OF USING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUES TOWARDS THE STUDENTS’ WRITING ABILITY IN DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AT SMK N 2 PADANG PANJANG
Abstract
Writing descriptive text has been recognized as one of the most challenging skills for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners because many students experience difficulties in generating, organizing, and developing ideas into coherent written texts. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of the Mind Mapping Technique on students' writing ability in descriptive text at SMK N 2 Padang Panjang. This study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental research design. The population consisted of all eleventh-grade students at SMK N 2 Padang Panjang, and a sample of 60 students was selected through purposive sampling. The data were collected through a descriptive writing test administered before and after the instructional process. Students' writing was evaluated using an analytical scoring rubric covering content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, Levene's homogeneity test, paired-sample t-test, and independent-sample t-test with IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings showed that the data were normally distributed and homogeneous. The statistical analysis revealed a significant improvement in students' writing ability, with a significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05). The analysis also indicated a significant difference in writing achievement between the two groups, with a mean difference of approximately 8.03 points. These findings demonstrated that the Mind Mapping Technique effectively improved students' ability to organize ideas, develop descriptive paragraphs, and produce more coherent written texts. It was concluded that the Mind Mapping Technique was an effective instructional strategy for improving descriptive writing ability among eleventh-grade vocational high school students
References
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Pearson Education.
Buzan, T. (2006). The Ultimate Book of Mind Maps. HarperCollins Publishers.
Byrne, D. (1997). Teaching Writing Skills. Longman.
Gerot, L., & Wignell, P. (1994). Making Sense of Functional Grammar. Gerd Stabler.
Harmer, J. (2004). How to Teach Writing. Pearson Education.
Hyerle, D. (2016). Visual Tools for Transforming Information into Knowledge. Corwin Press.
Hyland, K. (2002). Teaching and Researching Writing. Pearson Education.
Hyland, K. (2004). Second Language Writing. Cambridge University Press.
Jacobs, H. L., Zinkgraf, S. A., Wormuth, D. R., Hartfiel, V. F., & Hughey, J. B. (1981). Testing ESL Composition: A Practical Approach. Newbury House Publishers.
Knapp, P., & Watkins, M. (2005). Genre, Text, Grammar: Technologies for Teaching and Assessing Writing. UNSW Press.
Langan, J. (2019). College Writing Skills with Readings (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Margulies, N. (1991). Mapping Inner Space: Learning and Teaching Mind Mapping. Zephyr Press.
Novak, J. D., & Gowin, D. B. (1984). Learning How to Learn. Cambridge University Press.
Nunan, D. (2003). Practical English Language Teaching. McGraw-Hill.
Raimes, A. (1983). Techniques in Teaching Writing. Oxford University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge University Press.
Spuck, D. W., Hubert, L. J., & Lufler, H. S. (1975). An Introduction to Educational Policy Research. Peacock Publishers.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive Load Theory. Academic Press.
Tricia, H. (2005). Writing (Resource Books for Teachers). Oxford University Press.
Wycoff, J. (1991). Mindmapping: Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity. Berkley Books.
Journal Articles
Hyland, K. (2004). On second language writing. TESOL Quarterly, 36(4). https://doi.org/10.2307/3588251
Raimes, A. (2013). Ann Raimes: Techniques in teaching writing. Per Linguam, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.5785/1-2-508
Other References
Douglas Brown-Teaching by Principles-Pearson (2000) (PDF).
How to Teach Writing (PDF) – Jeremy Harmer.
Learning How to Learn (PDF) – Novak & Gowin.
Writing (Resource Books for Teachers) (PDF).
