Descriptive Writing Skills: A Workbook in Teaching Adjectives with Emphasis on Suprasentential Level

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Among the macroskills of language, writing is the most complicated one and has different types. Descriptive writing is one of the types of writing and it is a useful tool in many types of writing (Pertiwi, 2013). Most students get difficulties in writing descriptive paragraph due to limited knowledge about the use and choice of adjectives. The problem in learning descriptive writing is partial because the students get little practice. In the three levels of grammar; subsentential, sentential, and suprasentential levels, the last one was the most neglected due to the complexity of its metalanguage features. Taking into consideration the challenges in descriptive writing, a workbook with emphasis on the suprasentential level is a necessity to meet the learners' needs and equip them with skills required for their level.

METHODS

This research made use of pretest and post-test to 50 grade six pupils who were purposively selected for the study. After conducting the pretest to the pupils, the development, and validation of the workbook and acceptability questionnaire were done. The researcher administered the questionnaire on the level of acceptability of the workbook to the identified 20 teachers. It utilized the mixed qualitative and quantitative method of research that made use of the checklist, rubrics, and worksheet and quantitative analysis of data and variables. Using t-test, percentage and mean, the result was analyzed.

RESULTS

Based on the qualitative analysis made on the linguistic feature of descriptive paragraphs, the results revealed that the grade six pupils used adjectives in a very minimal manner indicating a lack of adjective vocabulary. The adjective happy is the most commonly used adjectives in their paragraph. Similarly, they also manifest problems in proficiency writing particularly in the construction of phrase, run-on, and clause. The suprasentential workbook in teaching adjectives is highly acceptable in terms of content, functionality, adaptability, usefulness, and authenticity. There is an evident increase in the posttest compared to the pretest.

DISCUSSIONS

The results demonstrate that there is an improvement gain in the use of the suprasentential workbook in teaching adjectives. Thus, the more writing strategy or activity can engage the learner as a person the more it will capture his/her imagination and spark his/her motivation. This involves lesson scaffolding of adjectives that starts from words to paragraphs. The researcher recommends parallel studies concerning the use of verbs in a paragraph.