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Volume 4 , Number 2, November 2019 
ISSN : 2579-8383 (Print) ISSN : 2579-8405 (Online) 

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The Effectiveness of the Direct Learning Model in Improving 
Vocational Skills in Making Flowers from Onion Skins for 

Children with light mental retardation 
 

Indri Ansih, Zulmiyetri 

Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia 

indriansih@gmail.com 

 

 

Accepted: 

10 August 2019 

reviewed:  

September 5, 2019 

Published:  

20 November 2019 

 

Abstract : The background of the problem in this study is to see the vocational ability to make 
flowers from onion skins for light mental retardation children in SLB Perwari Padang. The 
problem found was that the child had not been able to make flowers from onion skins that had 
never before been taught to children. The purpose of this study is to prove whether the direct 
learning model can improve the vocational ability to make flowers from onion skins for light 
grade VIII C children in Perwari Padang SLB. This type of research is an experimental research 
that is by using quasi-experimental or also called quasi-experiment with a single group design that 
is Onegrup pretest-posttest Design, with research subjects of five light mental 
retardationchildren. The abilities assessed by pretest and posttest were processed and compared 
using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test. So it can be concluded that the direct learning model is 
effective in improving the vocational skills of making flowers from onion skins for light 
retardation in Perwari Padang SLB. The results of this study could be taken into consideration 
for teachers to be able to use direct learning models in improving children's vocational skills, 
especially in teaching how to make flowers from onion skins. 
 

 Keywords: Flowers from onion skin, Direct learning, mental retardation 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Special Education is an education that caters to children with special needs such as 

children with visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual impairment, mental retardation, 

and autism. One part of children with special needs who need to get skills programs is mental 

retardationchildren. Children with intellectual disabilities, according to Somantri1, children who 

have low or average intelligence and have specific characteristics so they cannot have abstract 

thinking, convoluted, and adjust to their environment. Based on the grouping of mental 

retardation is divided into three parts, namely: light, moderate and severe mental 

retardation. Those who are classified as soft mental retardationchildren, still have below-average 

abilities, they need educational services both in academics and non-academic fields because 

mental retardationchildren can even be educated, trained, and mentored so that children can be 

directed more in non-academic areas. As a result of these limitations, light retardation children 

                                                     
1 Sutjihati Somantri, “Psikologi Anak Luar Biasa” (Bandung: Refika Aditama, 2006). 

mailto:indriansih@gmail.com


  
 
 
 

  

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need to be given special education and guidance so that children can develop the abilities they 

have. 

Children with intellectual disabilities need services to develop their interests and 

potentials optimally and demand fulfillment to maintain their lives. It requires effort that must be 

done by the teacher so that children can meet their needs so that children have specific skills that 

can be used as a source of their income and are not too dependent on others, in other words, the 

children can be more independent. One of the abilities that can be given to lightly retarded 

children is vocational skills. 

Vocational skills are skills that are given as part of the process of acquiring life skills 

given by teachers in class or at school to introduce students to the world of work and provide 

learning to have an attitude of respect for the results of work that has been done. It is also useful 

for practicing independence, socializing, and emotional self-learners. Learning skills in schools 

are designed by adjusting the abilities, needs, and potential of students so that later, students can 

follow the learning skills provided. 

It is hoped that by teaching vocational skills, children with special needs will be able to 

produce a product that can one day be a source of income to meet the living needs of children 

with intellectual disabilities and children can open a home-based business that can make 

money. It is also useful for practicing independence, socializing, and emotional self-

learners. Learning skills in schools are designed by adjusting the abilities, needs, and potential of 

students so that later, students can follow the learning of the capabilities provided. Learning 

skills provided at school are taught by teachers using a variety of models, strategies and learning 

methods that are tailored to learning objectives given skills. 

The direct learning model according to Suprijono2,  is a teaching approach model that 

can help students learn and master the necessary skills and obtain information step by step. In 

direct learning, the teacher explains the knowledge and skills in conducting guided training and 

provides opportunities for children to do independent practice so that children can find real 

experiences about a particular material by following the steps given and getting information that 

can be taught step by step. Through direct learning models, teachers can measure the ability of 

children's understanding of learning and provide opportunities for all children to do further 

exercises, through particular attention to the application of more complicated situations or doing 

it in everyday life. Direct learning models are usually used to teach skills, including crafts making 

skills. 

Goods crafts that used products that can still be used for works such as newspapers, 

plastic bottles, cardboard and much more. Not only used items that can be used even to the 

trash that is no longer suitable for use, especially kitchen spice waste which is often 

underestimated but with a little skill the kitchen spice waste that is already unfit for use such as 

onion skins, peanut skins, corn husks and many more more that can be used and can be turned 

into an exciting work for example such as a craft in the form of a brooch and flower 

arrangements that are so elegant, beautiful and beautiful. This craft can produce high selling 

points.skill ) in the field of skills. One of the skills that can be taught to children is to make 

flowers that are made from kitchen waste namely garlic skin. Usually the onion skin is discarded 

or burned, at this time the onion skin is used as a material for making crafts because the content 

is easy to obtain and the making is not too difficult so that mentally retarded children can do it 

                                                     
2 Agus Suprijono, “Cooperative Learning (Edisi Revisi),” Yogyakarta: Pustaka Belajar (2015). 



  
 
 
 

  

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and the child can understand that used goods or kitchen waste can still be used again. 

Based on the Preliminary Study, the researchers conducted at SLB Perwari Padang on 

Monday, March 4, 2019, in class VIII C, five children consisted of four boys and one 

girl. Researchers make observations in the teaching and learning process of art and culture 

lessons, at that time the child is making flowers from aqua glass and making clocks from plastic 

spoons, in general during the process of learning skills, the teacher only gives that skill, and the 

teacher occasionally teaches making skills from used goods, but these skills are very rarely done, 

and that is often done at the time of learning children's abilities are told to exercise outside, and 

the child is left alone doing what the child wants to do. 

Based on the results of interviews with teachers that for the time being only taught the 

skills to make bags from used goods to make flowers from glass aqua bottles only. The school 

organizes activities for self-development or the development of children's interests and talents, 

which are carried out every Saturday. In this activity children are seen only playing that there 

should be a lot of activities to do, some children also do this activity such as children making 

skills of making bags from used goods and making flowers from equal glass bottles, even that 

activity is not done routinely every week but only done once a month. In this activity, many 

children do not participate and most children play, sit and do the activities they want. 

Based on interviews conducted by researchers with homeroom teachers that children 

have never been taught the skills to make flowers from the necessary ingredients of garlic 

skin. Previously, the Children only made skills from the basic components of aqua glass flannel 

cloth bottles. With the skills that are already lightly retarded to which children can develop their 

vocational skills, the activities of making flower skills from onion skins can be carried out. From 

the results of a child's motor assessment that researchers conducted, the results were obtained 

that the child's motor did not experience problems or disorders so that it can be used to make 

simple vocational skills such as cutting, folding, and arranging flowers. Children can do this skill. 

From this, the researchers were interested in teaching vocational skills to make flowers 

from the necessary ingredients of kitchen waste namely garlic skin. Not only used items can be 

used as flowers, but kitchen waste can also be used, for example, we can turn corn skin into 

flowers, because in this day and age many people are competing in making handicrafts from used 

goods or kitchen waste that can be processed into handicrafts. Attractive and economical so they 

can produce high selling points. So, we can use garlic skin as a material for making skills, namely 

making jasmine flowers from the essential ingredients of onion skin. Making flowers from the 

essential components of onion skin is not difficult, the material used is also easy to obtain. 

 

METHOD 

The study was conducted in class VIII at SLB Perwari Padang with five students. The 

research was carried out during the development activities on Saturday and at recess on Monday, 

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Data collection is carried out by established research 

instruments and data collection techniques. The data obtained by researchers based on students' 

ability to perform vocational skills activities to make flowers from onion skins were processed 

according to data analysis techniques using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test formula. 

According to Sugiyono3 , the value obtained next is to use the Wilcoxon Sign Rank 

Test formula. To make data processing easier, previously, it is necessary to enter 

                                                     
3 Drs Sugiyono, “Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif Dan Kualitatif R&B” (Jakarta: Alfabeta, 2010). 



  
 
 
 

  

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the pretest and posttest values into the table to see the initial abilities and the final abilities 

studied. The material given during the pretest and posttest is to test how the subject's initial ability 

and the ultimate ability of the item after being treated with a direct learning model.   

 

RESULT AND DISCUSSION 

The results of data collection in making flowers from onion skins can be seen in the 

following table: 

 Table 4.1. Results Pretest and Posttest 

No. Subject Pretest Value (X1) Postest Value (X2) 

1 AD 43 75 

2 FT 32 57 

3 AL 53 82 

4 BM 43 71 

5 SR 36 64 

Amount 207 349 

From Table 4.1 we can define the percentage of pretest or initial ability and ability after 

being given treatment or posttest. 

1. Pretest value data 

The following is a statistical description of the Pretest value : 

Table 4.2 Pretest Results 

  N Minimum Maximum The mean Std. Deviation 

Pre Test 5 32 53 41.40 8019 

Valid N (listwise) 5         

Based on table 4.2 is known that the highest score of AL is 53, and the lowest 

value on the pretest results was FT of 32. While the average pretest value of the five 

subjects was 41.40. 

2. Posttest value data 

The following is a statistical description of the posttest results : 

  

  

  

  

 

Based on Table 4.3, it is known that the highest AL value on the posttest results was 82, 

and the lowest value on the posttest results was FT of 57 while the average posttest value of the five 

subjects was 69.80. 

After knowing the value of the pre-test and post-test results, the next step is to determine 

the rank or rank of the research subjects before being given treatment (X1) and after being given 

treatment (X2) to be analyzed using hypothesis testing with Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test Test 

analysis. In testing hypotheses, it takes conditions in the study of data generated by comparing 

the Asymp Sig. (2 tailed) with a significance level (α). The significance level used in the analysis is 

0.05 or 5%. The terms of hypothesis testing are as follows: 

Table 4.3 Posttest Results 

  N Minimum Maximum The mean Std. Deviation 

Post Test 5 57 82 69.80 9680 

Valid N (listwise) 5         



  
 
 
 

  

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    Table 4.4 Hypothesis Testing Requirements 

Hypothesis Asymp. Sig . (2

- tailed ) 

Significance 

level ( a ) 

Conclusion 

Zero Hypothesis: 

The direct learning 

model is effective for 

improving vocational 

skills in making 

flowers from onion 

skins for mentally 

retarded children at 

SLB Perwari Padang 

> 0.05 0.05 The null 

hypothesis 

was rejected 

  

Alternative 

hypothesis: 

The direct learning 

model is effective for 

improving vocational 

skills in making 

flowers from onion 

skins for light retarded 

children in SLB 

Perwari Padang 

<0.05 0.05 Alternative 

hypothesis 

accepted. 

  

To prove the hypothesis of a direct learning model that can improve the ability to make 

flowers from onion skins, the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test was used. Wilcoxon Sign Rank 

Test analysis results show the following: 

  

Table 4.5 Analysis Test Results 

  Posttest-Pretest 

Z 

Asymp.Sig. (2-tailed) 

-2,032 a 

.042 

a.        Based on negative ranks. 

b.       Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test 

The Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test between the pretest and posttest shows that the resulting 

value Z count  = -2.032   with the probability of Asymp Sig (2-tailed) = .042. Probability values 

obtained through the analysis test are then compared with the probabilities that have been set α 

= 0.05, so the probability of Z count is less than the probabilities set (0.042 <0.05). Therefore 

the calculated Z probability value from the Wilcoxon Signed Ranking Test is smaller than the 

probability set at 5%   ( a= 0.05), and from the results of descriptive analysis obtained an 

average pretest 41.40, and posttest 69.80 it can be said that the direct learning model is effective for 

improving vocational skills making flowers from Bawang skin for lightly retarded children in 

Perwari Padang SLB. Thus in a study that reads: "The effectiveness of direct learning models in 

improving vocational skills of making flowers from onion skins for lightly retarded children in 



  
 
 
 

  

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SLB Perwari Padang" can be accepted.  

 

Discussion 

  This study discusses the effectiveness of direct learning models in improving vocational 

skills in making flowers from onion skins, by light mental retardationchildren in SLB Perwari 

Padang. According to Suprijono4 the direct learning model is a teaching model in which the 

lessons are taught directly to all students, and the teacher is actively involved in delivering the 

contents of the lesson.  Efendistates that mental retardationchildren who are light or able to 

educate our children who are unable to participate in regular school programs, but he still has 

abilities that can be developed through education even though the results are not optimal5. 

In this study an increase in children's ability to improve vocational skills to make flowers 

from onion skin after being given treatment using direct learning models6. This can be seen from 

the comparison of the results of the pretest and posttest that the researchers have done, which is 

done 8 times with the pretest conducted two meetings in completing the stages of making flowers 

to see the initial ability of each student in making flowers from making onion skins. From the 

results of the pretest furthermore given treatment or treatment using the direct learning model as 

many as 5 meetings, for the treatment stage or treatment is not assessed. In the third stage, the 

posttest, which is the child's final ability to make flowers from onion skin, is done 1 time. 

From the results of the comparison of the percentage of pretest and posttest seen an 

increased comparison of the ability to make flowers from the skin of onions for children with 

mental retardation class VIII C in Perwari Padang SLB after being treated using direct learning 

models. Research with direct learning models conducted by researchers to increase vocational 

skills blinding interest from onion skin looks increased when compared between pre-test and post-

test values and can be proven through the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test where Z count = -2.032 and 

Asymp.Sig (2-tailed) = 0.042, means Z count >Asymp.Sig. (2-tailed) thus Ho is rejected and Ha is 

accepted. 

 

CONCLUSION 

This research was conducted at SLB Perwari Padang, which aims to teach the skills of 

making flowers from onion skins in light mental retardationchildren grade VIII C using a direct 

learning model. The collected data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test where 

the pretest and posttest showed that the value generated Z count  = -2.032   with the probability 

of Asymp Sig (2-tailed) = .042. Probability values obtained through the analysis test are then 

compared with the probabilities that have been set α = 0.05 so that the probability of Z 

is calculated less than the established probability (0.042 <0.05). Thus Ho is rejected, and Ha is 

accepted. 

  

 REFERENCES 

                                                     
4 Suprijono, “Cooperative Learning (Edisi Revisi).” 
5 Robert P Ingalls, Mental Retardation: The Changing Outlook (Wiley New York, 1978); P T RajaGrafindo 

Persada, F N Kerlinger, and Moh Nazir, “Adriana, D.(2011). Tumbuh Kembang Dan Terapi Bermain Pada Anak. 
Jakarta: Salemba Medika. Agus Efendi.(2005). Revolusi Kecerdasan Abad 21. Bandung: Alfabeta Chaplin, JP (1981). 
Kamus Lengkap Psikologi (Kartini Kartono Trans). Jakarta” (n.d.). 

6 Achmad Habibullah, “Kompetensi Pedagogik Guru,” EDUKASI: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Agama dan 
Keagamaan 10, no. 3 (2012). 



  
 
 
 

  

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Habibullah, Achmad. “Kompetensi Pedagogik Guru.” EDUKASI: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan 

Agama dan Keagamaan 10, no. 3 (2012). 

Ingalls, Robert P. Mental Retardation: The Changing Outlook. Wiley New York, 1978. 

Persada, P T RajaGrafindo, F N Kerlinger, and Moh Nazir. “Adriana, D.(2011). Tumbuh 

Kembang Dan Terapi Bermain Pada Anak. Jakarta: Salemba Medika. Agus Efendi.(2005). 

Revolusi Kecerdasan Abad 21. Bandung: Alfabeta Chaplin, JP (1981). Kamus Lengkap 

Psikologi (Kartini Kartono Trans). Jakarta” (n.d.). 

Somantri, Sutjihati. “Psikologi Anak Luar Biasa.” Bandung: Refika Aditama, 2006. 

Sugiyono, Drs. “Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif Dan Kualitatif R&B.” Jakarta: Alfabeta, 2010. 

Suprijono, Agus. “Cooperative Learning (Edisi Revisi).” Yogyakarta: Pustaka Belajar (2015). 

Efendi. (2005). Introduction to the Psychopedagogic of Children with Disabilities . Malang: Earth Literacy. 

Sugiyono (2014). educational research methods quantitative, qualitative, and R&D approaches . (Alfabeta, 

Ed.). bandung 

suprijono A. (2015). cooperative learning . (ARCITRA, Ed.). Yogyakarta. 

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