USING COOPERATIVE LEARNING TO IMPROVE ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS OF GRADE VIII STUDENTS OF SMP N 1 JOGONALAN KLATEN

The aim of this research was to improve English writing skills of grade VIII students of SMP N 1 Jogonalan Klaten by using cooperative learning. This research was an action research conducted at SMP N 1 Jogonalan Klaten. The subjects of this research were 42 eighth grade students. The researcher gathered the data through observation, questionnaire, interviews, and writing tests. By using these data collection techniques, the researcher obtained both qualitative and quantitative data. During the data analysis, the researcher interpreted the qualitative data and compared the mean values of the quantitative data. Based on the qualitative data analysis, the researcher concluded that the students had gotten better in writing performance and understanding the materials. In quantitative data analysis, it could be seen that the mean values of the students’ writing scores in the pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2 were 51.46, 58.63, and 77.54 respectively, which showed substantial improvements in the students’ writing skills before, during, and after the implementation of cooperative learning. In the end, all the data findings indicated that using cooperative learning could significantly improve English writing skills of grade VIII students of SMP N 1 Jogonalan Klaten