The Students’ Perception on Teaching Narrative Writing Skills through Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) Approach

This study aims to investigate the students’ perception on teaching narrative writing skills through contextual teaching and learning (CTL) approach. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with fifty-two eleventh-grade students as participants. The participants were divided into two groups; An experimental group received the CTL approach, and a control group received the conventional way. This study utilized a pre-posttest and perceptional questionnaire. Nonparametric tests (i.e., Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon test) were run to analyze the data in this study. Implementation of the CTL approach through its components positively contributes to teaching narrative writing skills. Meanwhile, the perceptional questionnaires showed that the students' experiment group perceived the implementation of the CTL Approach positively. This study results


INTRODUCTION
With the development of science and technology (Nurhikmah, et al, 2021), it is inevitable that mastery of English is a need (Sukmawati, et al.,2022).This is due to the position of English as a language used to communicate internationally among people from different countries (Abd.Rajab, Pratomo Widodo, & Wahyuddin Rauf, 2022;Sujarwo, et al.,2022).On the other words, when people with unequal languages come together, they mostly use English to communicate (Ria Rezeki, Sujarwo, & Muliaty Ibrahim, 2022;Sasabone, et al., 2021;2022).In Indonesia, English is the major foreign language regarded more essential than other foreign languages.It is proved that nowadays this language is taught on all levels of education commencing from primary school, high school, to university and even some cities have started teaching English at the kindergarten level.It is expected that the mastery of the English language in our country can be better so that people are able to use the language well both spoken and written.In context of EFL learning, writing tends to be one of the most difficult skills to acquire compared with the other skills.Ahmed (2010:211) contends that even though numerous approaches to teach writing have developed from different teaching methods, overcoming EFL writing is still one of the most challenging areas for teachers and students.Similarly, McClure (2014) in her paper defines that personal narratives are a kind of writing in which the author links one event, incident, or experience from his/her life.In the writing, the writer enables to share his/her life with others (Hamzah, S. N., & Andi Nurika Faisal, 2021;Imran, 2022), vicariously experiencing the things s/he describes.McClure (2014) further narrates that a good personal narrative, like a good story, makes a thrilling impact, makes us laugh, gives us a pleasurable fright, and/or gets us on the edge of our seats.An article (Anonymous, 2014), Writing an Impactful Personal Narrative Essay, explains that a personal narrative essay is about a personal experience, so it is usually written in the first person.Writing a good narrative essay requires you to include interesting information in an engaging way.In line with learning writing, Rahmat (2014:1) claims one of the students' problems faced in writing class is that they do not have any content to write, and even if they were helped with the brainstorming.In doing the activity, the researcher asked students to make a small group and handed them out a sample of the personal narrative text as modeling.Students are asked to read the text and discussed the feature of the text with their group.Those activities are a part of components of CTL, learning community covering modeling, inquiry and questioning.In the High Senior School, writing is a skill less developed in most students.The case occurs at SMAN 3 Pinrang.Many students still get some difficulties in implementation.Most students had a problem to find idea to begin writing.The others had idea in their mind, but they were difficult to express in writing form due to lack of vocabularies and understanding of grammar.In line with those above problems, a teacher should make efforts by presenting various approaches or methods instead of utilizing a conventional approach in order to stimulate the students in learning the skill effectively.Adas and Bakir (2013:254) believe that the teaching-learning process in classroom becomes passive and monotonous if a teacher keeps applying traditional teaching method.Contextual teaching and learning approach to enhance students' writing skill is infrequent to be utilized in Indonesia (Satriani, et al., 2012:11).It is likely assumed that in the teaching-learning process in the class, the teachers still apply a traditional approach or teacher-oriented approach.Regarding to Implementation of the CTL approach in classrooms based on the previous research, it indicates that it has given a positive impact on both teaching of science and of language.In teaching language, the approach enables to develop students' ability to speak, to read and to write.Satriani, et. al., (2012) conducting a research on the implementation of this approach focusing on writing skill reports that it improves students' ability to write recount text in junior high school such as improvement on schematic structure, grammar role, and graphic features.Furthermore, Diah and Aswandi (2014) in their research show that this approach helped students of junior high school in understanding the materials, especially procedure text.It also can create an environment conducive to learning writing in the class.Students not only can practice it in the class, but also they can use it in their daily activities.
Similarly, Lutfiyah (2011) conducted a research on utilization of CTL.However, the research was done in the field of language focusing on speaking skill in one of the junior high schools in Tanggeram by employing a Classroom Action Research as the methodology.The students involved in the research were the eighth grade consisted of 38 students.The result of the research was that teaching speaking through Contextual Teaching and Learning was reasonable enough to be believed in improving students' motivation in learning speaking.
Contextual Learning or so-called Contextual Teaching and Learning is based on John Dewey's research (1916) that young people will learn effectively if what they learn has relation to what they have known or what they experience in their environment (Satriani et. al, 2012:11).Furthermore, Liu (2015:44) reveals the theory emphasizes the great influence of context on meanings, and believes the close relationship between learning and certain social and cultural background.Similarly, Halik (2014:31) in Wehrh (2003:4) states that the benefits of implementing learning community in learning processes are that students are engaged actively and encourage peer group or small group, and it assists them to explore the pre-existing knowledge and builds on what they know Halik (2014) investigated a research of using CTL method in teaching reading.The research employed quasi-experimental design, non equivalent control group involving students in one of the junior high schools in Gowa.The use of contextual teaching and learning method was effective to increase the reading achievement in the school.This was due to the fact that the method increased the students' motivation, especially in attending and joining the reading class.A research conducting on the utilization of the CTL on students' writing skill was Satriani (2012) by employing a qualitative case study research design.Respondents who participated in this research were the second graders of a Junior High Shool in Bandung.The research aimed to investigate the strategies of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach (as adapted from Crawford, 2001) in teaching writing, especially recount text and the way CTL approach improves the second-grade students of junior high school.The upshot of the research revealed that the teaching writing was successful in enhancing students' recount writing skill.More specifically, it showed some improvement on schematic structure, grammar roles, and graphic features.Therefore, the researcher is interested to investigate further a research on the use of the contextual teaching and learning approach to enhance students' writing skill in senior high school using experimental research design to find out to what extend the use of this teaching approach enhance students' ability to write and to know students' perception of the application of the teaching approach.
In this research, it more focuses on narrative writing.The reason is that writing a narrative essay based on experience or real life can make learning process effective or meaningful due to the fact that students are more comfortable and confident to write in a familiar environment.In other words, they feel enjoyable to study in their context or based on experience in their environment.Another reason is that narrative writing can give several important benefits in learning process of writing.As Nazario, et. al. (2010:25) reveal benefits of this type of writing are that first, it can help students write naturally; second, students can use narrative writing as a brainstorming technique to generate idea for the future essay, regardless of type of essay students are writing; third, students can employ narrative writing, even in the expository and argumentative context to introduce their essay and to provide supporting idea for body paragraph.It can be summed up that, with writing narrative text students can develop more their writing skill.
This study aims to find out the students' perceptions toward the implementation of the Contextual Teaching and Learning Approach in teaching writing.The results of this research are generally expected to render contribution theoretically and practically in developing English teaching quality.Theoretically, the result of this research is expected to introduce, familiarize, or even to broaden the knowledge of the students, teachers, educational practitioners, parents, and other stakeholders in educational field about the approach or method that can help the students enhance their writing.In other side, practically, the results of this research will be expected for teachers in developing their approach in teaching writing.

METHOD
The research design applied in this research was a quasi-experimental design consisted of two groups, experimental and control group.The population of this research was in one of high senior schools in Pinrang regency, SMAN 3 Pinrang, located in Patobong village.The population was to focus on 11 th grade students of the school consisted of two departments namely natural-science class (IPA) and social-science class (IPS).The IPA department consisted of four classes, IPA 1 (27), IPA 2 (26), IPA 3 (27), IPA 4 (28) and the IPS department comprised of four classes, IPS 1 (26), IPS 2 (24), IPS 3 (25), IPS 4 (23).Hence, total of population was 206 students Sample of this research was the eleventh grade students of natural-science class.Method of taking the sample of this research applied purposive sampling.The reason for selecting the students of natural-science class as sample was that first, it was based on information got through the students of natural-science class and their teacher about their problem of writing.The second was that the eleventh-year class had divided into two majoring, natural-science and social science-class with a different English teacher.Therefore, to avoid the nonhomogeneity of the sample of this research, the researcher only took the natural-science class.As Sugiono (as cited in Husain 2012) states, homogeneity of sample is determined by the same grade, taught by the same teacher and having the same of majoring.Questionnaire This instrument was handed out to students' experimental group.This was intended to find out students' perception toward utilization of CTL approach in teaching-learning process of writing class.Variable of the Research This research comprises of two variables, namely independent and dependent variables.Application of the CTL approach in teaching writing is as the independent variable while students' writing skill is regarded as the dependent variable.

Procedures of Data Collection
In the process of conducting this research, the data were collected through some steps as follows: Questionnaire To find out the students' perception of application of CTL approach in learning writing, the researcher handed the questionnaire out to the experimental group.The questionnaire was given after they had completed the posttest.In the questionnaire, the researcher used in both English and Indonesian.As Mackey and Gass (2005: 96) states that questionnaires or interviews given to the students are the best if using their first language.Furthermore, to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed by employing Likert scale measurement.Gay (2006:152) states that Likert Scales is one of the five basic types of scales are used to measure attitude and responded by indicating strongly agree = 5, agree = 4, undecided = 3, disagree = 2, and strongly disagree = 1.To calculate questionnaire into percentage, the researcher used the percentage technique.the formula is as follows:

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
To analyze the students' perception towards the use of CTL in writing classroom, the researcher applied questionnaire.For this research, the questionnaire was distributed after treatment for the students of the experimental group.The questionnaire covered 10 positive statements about the use of the CTL approach to teach writing and the classifications are (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) undecided,(2) disagree,(1) strongly disagree with the statements.
The questionnaire was analyzed based on the percentage of each answer.To calculate the questionnaire data into percentage, the researcher used the formula introduced by Sudjana.The number of frequency multiplied by 100% then divided to 26 (the number of the total respondents).
The result of questionnaire is illustrated as follows: Statement number 1: learning to write through CTL approach is more pleasurable and meaningful than strategy that teacher utilizes beforehand The above chart displays that 8 students (30.8%) strongly agree that it is more pleasurable and meaningful to learn writing through the CTL approach than strategy that teacher utilizes beforehand while 17 students (65.4%) agree with the statement, and the other 1 students (3.8%) hesitate.It signifies that most of the students regards that the CTL is a teaching approach that enables them to learn writing more pleasurable and meaningful instead of strategy used by the teacher beforehand.Statement number 2: learning to write through CTL approach enhances my ability to write From the above chart, it is shown that 11 students (42.3%) strongly agree that learning to write through CTL approach enhances my ability to write, and the rest of the 15 students (57.7%) agree with the statement.It indicates that the implementation of the teaching approach can improve their writing skill.Statement number 3: Learning to write through CTL approach motivates me to write well Statement number 3: learning to write through CTL approach improves my confidence more in writing From the above chart, it is shown that 7 students (26.9%) strongly agree and 16 students (61.5 agree that that learning to write through CTL approach improves their confidence more in writing.The other 3 students (11.5%) hesitate about the statement.Statement number 4: the CTL approach is good to be used in learning process of writing.The above chart shows that there are 15 students (57.7%) that strongly agree that the CTL approach is good to be used in learning process of writing.The other 10 students (38.5%) agree with the statement and 1 student (3.8%) hesitates that the CTL approach is good to be used in learning process of writing.
From the result of statements number 1, 2, and 3, the researcher concluded that more than a half of the participants (those were 17 or participants 65.4%) gave their positive perception that learning to write through the CTL approach is more pleasurable and meaningful and more than a half of participants (those were 15 participants or 57.7%) also gave their positive perception that learning to write through CTL approach enhances my ability to write.
Implementation of the CTL through the components improves the students' writing skills.They can engage them actively, interact and cooperate with others, and use their real life in the learning process.The researchers concluded that the students positively perceived the implementation of CTL in writing class.
The result from the questionnaire indicates that students primarily respond positively to the application of the CTL approach.One of their responses shows that learning to write through the CTL is more pleasurable and meaningful.Furthermore, they also argue that their ability to write has improved.It is proved through the upshot of their mean post-test score improving after implementing the CTL approach.
As stated previously, implementation of the components of the CTL through its components in the writing process enables the improvement of the students' narrative writing skills.They can engage them actively, interact and cooperate with others, and use their real life in the writing process.This case is also argued by K & Aswandi (2014), Satriani et al. (2012), andRafida (2016).Students enthusiastically participated and were active in the learning process, and It also could create an environment conducive to learning writing in the CTL class.Similarly, Baker et al. 2009 contend that CTL is an effective strategy to involve students actively and promote improved learning and skill development.Similarly, Pintrich and Schunk (as quoted Satriani et. al., 2012:13) contend that students cooperating in a group with a little help outside can overcome a complex problem.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
The data obtained from the perceptional questionnaire suggested that the students of the experimental group had a positive perception of the use of the CTL approach to teach writing.The result of the data revealed that the experiment approach (the CTL one) applied has enabled the students to develop their positive perception.57.7 % of the students agreed and 42.3 % of them strongly agreed that the application of the CTL approach improved their writing ability.As stated previously, the findings of this research show that Contextual Teaching and Learning approach gives a significant contribution in improving the students' writing skill.The English teacher intending to improve students' writing skill can adopt this approach.However, this research has some limitations, so the findings are far from conclusive.Therefore, further research is needed

Figure 1
Figure 1 Diagram Frequency of Statement 1

Figure 2
Figure 2 Diagram Frequency of Statement 2

Figure 3
Figure 3 Diagram Frequency of Statement 3

Figure 4
Figure 4 Diagram Frequency of Statement 4