This research is a collaborative classroom action research, and the subject
is VIIIA students of SMPN 3 Metro–Lampung in the academic year 2011/2012
and English teacher who teaches the eight grade of SMPN 3 Metro Lampung. The
method of Kemmis & McTaggart was used in this research, consisting four steps:
(1) planning, which prepared components of the cycle in genre-based approach
including building knowledge of the field, modeling of text, joint construction of
text, and independent construction of text; (2) action, which was the
implementation of each cycle in the genre-based approach; (3) observation,
observing which implemented the genre-based approach; and (4) reflection,
which was a discussion between the researcher and collaborator about the findings
in the observation and action phases. The research instruments were students
observation guide, field note guide, and writing assessment guide. The data were
qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative data were obtained from the results of
classroom observation and field notes, and the quantitative data were the students’
pretest scores, scores in the independent construction of text in each cycle, and
posttest scores. The reliability of the data was obtained by using the triangulation
technique which combined the result of the observation, field note, and the result
of the students’ writing.
The result of the research shows that the improvement was achieved in
every cycle. At the building knowledge of the field phase, the students
competence in expressing vocabulary improved, at modeling of text phase, the
students were able to understand the teachers’ explanation about genre, at the joint
construction of text phase, the students were able to interact with their peers, and
at the independent construction of text phase, the students were able to compose a
text without the teacher’s guide and friends’ help. The result of the improvement
can be seen from the comparation of the pretest result, each cycle result, and
posttest result. The mean score of the students pretest result is 55.05, the result of
the first cycle is 70.08, and the second cycle is 74.63, while the posttest result is
76.1. From those results, it can be concluded that the genre-based approach can
improve the students’ writing competence.
Keywords: genre-based approach, writing, cycl
