Indonesian Journal of Learning and Instruction Volume 1, Issue 1, April 2018 p-ISSN 2614-8250, e-ISSN 2614-5677 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/IJLI 37 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DISCOVERY LEARNING MODEL IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ FICTION WRITING Isah Cahyani Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia E-mail: isahcahyani@upi.edu Lia Yulindaria Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia E-mail: liayulindaria@gmail.com APA Citation: Cahyani, I., & Yulindaria, L. (2018). The effectiveness of discovery learning model in improving students’ fiction writing. Indonesian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 1(1), 37-46. Received: 14-02-2018 Accepted: 23-03-2018 Published: 01-04-2018 Abstract: Writing skill becomes a concern nowadays since it is an important skill in communication and becomes the hallmark of a creative, imaginative, and educated nation. Yet, in fact, students’ writing skills are generally low which can be seen from the lack of quality of writing produced. This is caused by some factors, including the lack of time allocation provided by the teacher to practice writing, the lack of teachers’ creativity in using learning models that can stimulate students to write, and the low of students’ reading habits. Hence, this study aims to identify the effectiveness of Discovery Learning (DL) model in improving students’ fiction writing. This research is a quasi experimental with nonequivalent control group design. The sample of research was the fourth grader of elementary school in Purwakarta sub-district. The data in this research were collected through writing test, observation, and interview. Moreover, students’ writing skills were assessed by using writing rubric which has been validated by expert lecturers. Further, the data were then analyzed by using inference statistics including normality test, homogeneity test, and t-test. The results revealed that discovery learning model is effective in improving students’ fiction writing which can be seen from students’ post test score. This is because discover learning model allows students to explore, classify, and utilize more data to improve their imagination, their vocabulary selection, and their creativity as well. Keywords: discovery learning model; writing skill; fiction writing. INTRODUCTION Reading and writing skills are important things to consider in today's age of technology and information because writing is an important ability in communicating to convey an intention and purpose (Nurhayati, 2015; Soleha, 2014; Tarigan, 2008). Besides, writing is one of skills that can improve student creativity (Munawaroh, 2013; Silalahi & Haryadi, 2015). Further, writing skill is regarded as a hallmark of an educated person or nation (Soleha, 2014; Supriyadi, 2013). As a skill, writing is a difficult and complex skill that is difficult to master. This problem is considered normal, because writing is not a hereditary ability, nor is it merely the activities of stringing words and sentences, but also expressing and developing the mind in a regular writing (Cahyani, 2012). Writing is said to be complicated because writing skills have six dimensions, namely 1) quality and content scope (quality and scope of content); 2) organization and presentation of content; 3) style and appropriateness; 4) grammatical forms (grammatical features); 5) spelling; and 6) handwriting and neatness (Rahman, 2013; Ismail, 2011). Fiction Story is a story containing narratives that are made based on the mailto:liayulindaria@gmail.com Isah Cahyani & Lia Yulindaria The effectiveness of discovery learning model in improving students’ fiction writing 38 imaginary fantasy or imagination. Fiction or custom stories are usually in the form of novels and short stories (Frigg, 2010; Sterling, 2009). Fictional stories try to enliven the feelings or arouse the emotions of its readers. A fictional story as a literary work is a tool for instilling morale to students or children according to its characteristics (Frigg, 2010; Skolnik, 1973). Children around 5-12 years old need concrete understanding. This is in line with Piaget's opinion that the maturity level of children aged 7-12 years is called the concrete stage in which the maturity of children tends to be limited to concrete objects that can be seen and touched, while the abstract concept is still difficult to accept (Wood, 2008). Writing fiction stories will give some benefits for students, such as giving students the opportunity to be a young writer, allowing them to elaborate their imagination, and motivating them to appreciate literary works. Yet, teaching fiction writing is not an easy task since writing, especially fiction writing is not yet a habit in our society. The writing culture among students is still very low (Rakhmat, 2012; Sumasari, 2014). Discovery learning model is one of the learning models applied in the 2013 curriculum because it supports the application of scientific approach and can bring students to think high level (Higher Order Thinking Skill/HOTS). The DL model is one of learning models that is expected to develop self- learning (Hermann, 1969; Rumelhart & Zipser, 1985). This model seeks to understand how we better understand ourselves, take responsibility for our education, and learn to reach or even transcend our current development in order to become stronger, more sensitive, and more creative in looking for a more prosperous life (Marzano, 2011). Discovery learning model, according to Alma et al. (2010), is based on a belief in the framework of independent student development. This model requires active participation in scientific investigation. This is in line with the opinion that the child must play an active role in learning in the classroom.When applying the learning model, the teacher acts as a mentor by giving students the opportunity to actively learn. Here, the teacher must be able to guide and direct the student’s learning activities according to the purpose (Alfieri, Brooks, Aldrich, & Tenenbaum, 2011). Discovery learning is expected to be an alternative to improve learning outcomes and students’ ability in understanding the concept of fiction writing as well as minimizing the difficulty level of writing. In addition, with the Discovery Learning model, it is expected to bring the creativity and imagination of students as well as allow them to be able to write better fiction stories. METHOD This research is a quasi experimental with nonequivalent control group design by employing two variables, namely the learning model (X) as independent variable and the skill of fiction writing (Y) as the dependent variable (Setyanto, 2006; Supranto, 2000). The instruments used in this research were test, observation, questionnaire, and interview. The collected data were then analyzed by using software of MS Excel 2013 and Predictive Analytics Software (PASW Statistics 21) or IBMSPSS version 21.0. The data in the form of test result of fictional story writing skill is analyzed quantitatively by using statistical test. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Initial ability profile of CIRC (Cooperative Integrated Reading Composition) The results showed that the initial skill profile of writing group of DL 0% learning model was in the category of very good, 0% was in good category, 3.23% was in enough category, and 96,77% were in the category need guidance. Table 1 below presents a complete profile of the initial capability of writing the DL group. Indonesian Journal of Learning and Instruction Volume 1, Issue 1, April 2018 p-ISSN 2614-8250, e-ISSN 2614-5677 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/IJLI 39 Table 1. Initial writing capabilities profile of DL group No Criteria Interval Frequency Percentage 1 Very Good 90 – 100 0 0.00 2 Good 80 – 89 0 0.00 3 Enough 70 – 79 1 3.33 4 Need Guidance < 70 29 96.67 Total 30 100.00 When described in graphical form, it is presented as in Figure 1 below. Figure 1. Initial writing capabilities profile of DL group The number of students in the category need guidance indicates that the writing ability of students is still low so that reinforcement is needed on the indicators of writing skills, especially on indicators of style and storyline development, grammatical, spelling, and neatness of writing. Furthermore, if the description of the initial ability to write the DL group is outlined based on the indicator, then presented as in Table 2 below. Table 2. Initial skills indicator profile of DL group No Indicator Criteria Interval Frequency Percentage 1 Scope and Content Very good 90 - 100 2 6.67 Good 80 - 89 14 46.67 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 14 46.67 2 Organization and Content View Very good 90 - 100 0 0.00 Good 80 - 89 9 30.00 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 21 70.00 3 Development of Styles and Story Flow Very good 90 - 100 0 0.00 Good 80 - 89 1 3.33 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 29 96.67 4 Grammatical Very good 90 - 100 0 0.00 Good 80 - 89 1 3.33 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 29 96.67 5 Spelling Very good 90 - 100 0 0.00 Good 80 - 89 2 6.67 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 28 93.33 Isah Cahyani & Lia Yulindaria The effectiveness of discovery learning model in improving students’ fiction writing 40 6 Posts, Tidiness, and Hygiene Very good 90 - 100 0 0.00 Good 80 - 89 2 6.67 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 28 93.33 Based on Table 2, it can be seen that the scope and content indicator show that 6.67% are in very good category, 46.67% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 46.67% are in need guidance category. The magnitude of both categories indicates that when writing, students have written the intrinsic element of the story in the form of title/theme, background, figure, plot, complete message, and content fit properly. In the organizational indicator and content display, it is found that 0% is in very good category, 30% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 70% are in need guidance category. The magnitude of the category needs guidance on this indicator indicates that the students in this class have not been able to decipher the ideas that are interconnected with each other and yet balanced between the opening, fill and closing sections. Students have not been able to compose fictional essays from the beginning to the closing. The writing is not yet orderly, neat, clear, and logical. Coherence between parts is not good enough. In the indicator of style and story development, it is found that 0% is in very good category, 3.33% are in good category, 0% are in enough category, and 96,67% are in need guidance category. The size of the category needs guidance on this indicator shows that the ability to apply and write sentences of words and variations of phrases used is still very low. Subjection uses only a few simple words to describe the fiction story he wrote. The development of a story that contains the creativity and imagination of the author is still very shallow and simple. In the grammatical indicator it is found that 0% is in very good category, 3.33% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 96,67% are in need guidance category. The magnitude of the categories need guidance on this indicator indicates that the effective use of sentences, the correspondence between sentences with each other, and the selection of the right word or diction is still not mastered. In the spelling indicator, it is found that 0% is in very good category, 6.67% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 93,33% are in need guidance category. The size of the categories need guidance on this indicator indicates that students have not mastered the rules of writing, writing is often confusing, a lot of spelling errors, and there is often the use of less precise punctuation. In the indicator of writing, tidiness, and cleanliness, it is found that 0% is in very good category, 6.67% is in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 93,33% is in need guidance category. The size of the category need guidance on this indicator indicates that the student's writing is still a lot of unreadable letters, letter size and position of the letter is not as it should be, and the writing sheet that looks dirty. When being described in graphical form, it is presented as in Figure 2 below. Figure 2. Initial skills indicator profile of DL group Indonesian Journal of Learning and Instruction Volume 1, Issue 1, April 2018 p-ISSN 2614-8250, e-ISSN 2614-5677 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/IJLI 41 The final capability profile of DL model group The results showed that the final writing ability profile of DL group are 73,33% learning model group is in very good category, 26.67% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 0% is in need guidance category. The following 3 presents the complete profile of the end group writing DL capabilities. Table 3. Final writing capabilities profile of DL group No Criteria Interval Frequency Percentage 1 Very Good 90 – 100 22 73.33 2 Good 80 – 89 8 26.67 3 Enough 70 – 79 0 0.00 4 Need Guidance < 70 0 0.00 Total 30 100.00 When being described in graphical form, it is presented as in Figure 3 below. Figure 3. Final writing capabilities profile of DL group Furthermore, if the description of the final writing capability of the DL group is outlined based on the indicator, it is presented as in Table 4 below. Table 4. Final writing capabilities profile of DL group No Indicator Criteria Interval Frequency Percentage 1 Scope and Content Very good 90 - 100 26 86.67 Good 80 - 89 4 13.33 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 0 0.00 2 Organization and Content View Very good 90 - 100 25 83.33 Good 80 - 89 5 16.67 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 0 0.00 3 Development of Styles and Story Flow Very good 90 - 100 11 36.67 Good 80 - 89 19 63.33 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 0 0.00 4 Grammatical Very good 90 - 100 15 50.00 Good 80 - 89 15 50.00 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 0 0.00 5 Spelling Very good 90 - 100 15 50.00 Good 80 - 89 15 50.00 Isah Cahyani & Lia Yulindaria The effectiveness of discovery learning model in improving students’ fiction writing 42 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 0 0.00 6 Posts, Tidiness, and Hygiene Very good 90 - 100 16 53.33 Good 80 - 89 14 46.67 Enough 70 - 79 0 0.00 Need Guidance < 70 0 0.00 Based on Table 4, it is found that in the scope and content indicator, 86.67% are in very good category, 13.33% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 0% is in need guidance category. In the organizational indicator and content patch, it is found that 83.33% are in very good category, 16.67% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 0% is in need guidance category. In the indicator of style and story development, it is found that 36.67% are in very good category, 63.33% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 0% is in need guidance category. In the grammatical indicator, it is found that 50% are in very good category, 50% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 0% is in need guidance category. In the spelling indicator, it is found that 50% are in very good category, 50% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 0% is in need guidance category. In the indicator of writing, tidiness, and cleanliness, it is found that 53.33% are in very good category, 46.67% are in good category, 0% is in enough category, and 0% is in need guidance category. When being described in graphical form, it is presented as in Figure 4 below. Graph 4. Final writing capabilities profile of DL group This DL model is able to improve students’ writing skill because it gives students the opportunity to conduct their own experiments and practice in writing. As Hoogeveen (2016) state students should be given plenty of opportunities to experiment with physical objects, supported by interactions with many elements, and assisted by teacher questions. Teachers should provide stimulus to students to interact with the environment and actively seek and find things in the environment. The DL model provides students with opportunities to actively and effectively learn. The DL model provides a range of learning conditions and situations in the form of direct and actual experience involvement designed by the teacher (Humphrey, 2014; Anam, 2015; Ausubel, 1971). The DL model directs students to gain more experience and effectiveness through direct and personal engagement. Indonesian Journal of Learning and Instruction Volume 1, Issue 1, April 2018 p-ISSN 2614-8250, e-ISSN 2614-5677 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/IJLI 43 According to Dewey, learning is the process of doing, reacting, discovering, and experiencing. Students obtain learning outcomes based on activities that have been done (Bower, 2014). In addition, Dewey also explained that true education takes place through educational experience. The experiences that students have experienced have an important role in the formation of cognitive knowledge in the minds of students. Learning based on experience also conforms to the Ausubel concept of meaningful learning. According to Ausubel, meaningful learning will occur if the new information received by students has a close relationship with existing concepts that have been received previously and stored in the cognitive structure. Ausubel explains that experience gives students a way to find understanding instead of accepting understanding (Dahar, 2011). Therefore, DL affects the writing skills of students. Each experience gives meaning so that students can write ideas about the information and experience it (Bicknell-Holmes & Hoffman, 2000; Bruner, 1961). Another impact of this DL model is that students follow the lesson with enthusiasm and joy. Enthusiasm when learning occurs because students gain a pleasant learning experience such as visiting the library, conducting interviews, and finding information through surfing the internet. Student involvement in learning will provide experience so that students can construct their own knowledge. This is in line with Kolb's theory that learning is a process for building knowledge through a series of concrete and abstract experiences (Tomkins & Ulus, 2016). The learning process takes place internally so that the learning process leads to the achievement of the objectives and curriculum so the teacher must plan with a systematic learning experience that allows changes in student behavior in accordance with what is expected. Teachers’ efforts to create conditions that enable student learning to take place are optimally visible in DL learning. Learning with the Discovery Learning model facilitates a learning process that enables students to develop themselves, their knowledge, understanding, behavior and skills they master (Holland, Holyoak, Nisbett, & Thagard, 1986; Mayer, 2004). Teachers are in charge of helping students by manipulating the environment so that students can learn easily. Teachers held the selection of various strategies and learning models that exist and most likely to optimize student learning process (Munawaroh, 2013). Based on analysis, it was revealed that learning with the DL model has a tremendous impact on improving students’ fiction writing skills. By applying the DL learning model, students perform increased levels of exploration, classification, and greater use of data as well as their imagination, selection of vocabulary, and their creativity as well. CONCLUSION Based on the theories that have been presented and coupled with the analysis of research data, it can be concluded that the empirical model of Discovery Learning can improve students’ fiction writing skills significantly, especially on organizational indicators and content display, the development of style and storyline, grammatical, spelling, tidiness and cleanliness of writing. The Discovery Learning model enables students to grow as they provide opportunities for students to conduct their own experiments, allowing students to actively and effectively learn, providing a range of learning conditions and situations in the form of direct and actual experience engagement. In addition, the Discovery Learning model allows students to follow the lesson with enthusiasm and joy. Students’ involvement in learning will provide experience so that students can construct their knowledge. Teachers play a crucial role on the success of students in learning, where teachers have to manipulate the environment so that students can learn easily. Teachers need to make an election to the various strategies and models of learning that exist. 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