CONTEXTUALIZED WRITING AND MIXED SKILL FORMATS
CHAPTER
I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of The Study
Nowadays, learning and mastering English
are very necessary for every people especially the students. Not only to pass
the examinaton, but also to face the challenge of globalization. If we talk
about learning English, we will face some skills, receptive skill and
productive skill. Listening and reading are categorized as receptive skill.
While writing and speaking are productive skill.
Writing can be the most difficult aspect
in learning English. Indonesian students who learn English as a foreign
language usually find difficulties in writing English. The problem of writing
itself is also faced by the taechers. The teachers find difficulties in giving
the approprite items and scoring the result of the students’ answer sheet.
A guided or controlled composition have
been used in the past as tests of communicative ability, an using writing as
the medium. The problem is it is difficult to score because of the subjectivity
of the scorer.
Overcoming this problem can be done by
giving the fairly objective scoring methods for these types of tests. Sentence
cues, contextualized partial translation, and modification of the cloze test
(gap filling itmes) are contextulized writing suggested to allow for the testing
of vocabulary and grammar on hourly exams and quizzes.
1.2
Statements of The Problem
1.
What is contextualized writing?
2.
What is controlled compositions?
3.
What is sentence cues?
4.
What is contextualized partial
translation?
5.
What is modification of the cloze test?
1.3
Objectives of The Study
1.
To identify the contextualized writing.
2.
To determine controlled compositions.
3.
To know the sentence cues.
4.
To find the clarity of contextualized
partial translation.
5.
To Identify the modification of the
cloze test.
1.4
Significances of The Study
1.
The students in general can use this
paper as a literature which explain contextualized writing and mixed skills
formats.
2.
The teachers can apply the suggestion
items in giving the apprpriate test, exams, and quizzes.
3.
Public by reading this paper can
understand what problems that is usually founded by Indonesian teachers and students
in writing. So that they will give idea or new way to overcome that problem.
4.
The further researcher can use this
paper as an additional literature to enrich their discussion.
CHAPTER
II
ANALYSIS
2.1 Contextualized Writing
Writing has been with us for several
thousand years, and nowadays is more important than ever. Writing is a method
of representing language in visual or tactile form. Writing systems use sets of
symbols to represent the sounds of speech, and may also have symbols for such
things as punctuation and numerals. According to Klein (1985), writing is the
ability to put pen and paper to express ideas through symbols. This way,representations
on the paper will have meaning and content that could becommunicated to other
people by the writer.
Writing is a complex combination of
skills which is best taught by breaking down the process. The writing process
involves a series of steps to follow in producing a finished piece of writing.
Educators have found that by focusing on the process of writing, almost
everyone learns to write successfully. By breaking down writing step-by-step,
the mystery is removed and writer’s block is reduced. Most importantly,
students discover the benefits of constructive feedback on their writing, and
they progressively master, and even enjoy writing.
According Cambridge Advance Dictioniory,
contextualized means formal or
specialized to consider something in its
context. Contextualized writing means that write something using formal
or specialized rule depends on the context.
2.2 Controlled (Guided) Compositions
Since global writing tasks are not as
difficult to contextualized as the more discrete point item formats, they will
be treated first in this paper. Some very fine ideas for testing global skills
via writing have been described in the sources citied previously under
listening and reading items.
Controlled or guided compositions. where
students respond to question prods, pictorial or verbal cues, or other similar
guidelines, have been used in the past as tests of communicative ability, using
writing as the test medium. That is, the items that follow are not necessarily
tests of writing in terms of expository writing as medium for testing such
aspects of the developing language as grammar and vocabulary. Try to analyze
these examples below:
Sample
1
You
are writing a letter to your close friend in U.S. This person wants to know one
of the ritual ceremony of salt society namely Nyadar in your home town. He
wants you to describe the ceremony as clear as possible. Be sure to use English
in your letter. Your letter might be like this following letter:
29 Menara Tanjung Street
Sumenep 69467
March 19, 2015
Dear Smith,
How we miss you! And how we envy yo
too! You looks so interested in one of ritual ceremony in home town, right?
Here we go......
History of Nyadar is related to
Syekh Anggasuto. He is a moslem scholar, story goes, who saved Bali Kingdom
troops when they got defeated in a battle by Sumenep Kingdom soldiers. Then
he asked for the king of Sumenep to forgive and let them living in Pinggir
Papas village under his responsibility and taught them how to produce salt.
Nyadar is derived from the words “to do Nadar (intention that someone
should do if what he/she dreams come true)”. The ceremony of Nyadar is
basically done by this Pinggir Papas village people to express the
gratitude to God on their success in producing salt. Besides, It is
celebrated to memorize and respect their anchestor. It is held three times,
between July to September, each years.
The first Nyadar is usually
celebrated on July when the society of Pinggir Papas village start
processing of salt production in Kebun Dadap Barat village, Saronggi
district. Second Nyadar is held on Augusts, after “harvesting” of salt in
the same location as the first Nyadar. Third Nyadar is called Nyadar
Bengko (house) held on Septembers. People of Pinggir Papas village
celebrate this ceremony when they have already finished all process of
production and packing of their salt production. It is not like the one in
first and second, Nyadar Bengko is done at their own village,
Pinggir Papas. This rite is centred in a house that is the ex residence of
Syekh Anggasuto, their anchestor.
How’s that? It looks so interesting.
But you should come to my beloved town ang grab the sensation of this
ritual ceremony. I am waiting for your letters. Write soon.
Your
friend,
Mery
Ariansyah
|
The global writing task in the example
given above will elicit certain features of the language that are related to
specified goals: date, month, time, description, and actions in the past will
be elicited. These items will still be somewhat difficult to score, however. As
Bartz (1976) points out, “test of communicative competence involving writing
are somewhat more difficult to score an involve a great deal more subjectivity
on the part of the scorer”.
To overcome this problem, Bartz and
others have presented some fairly objective scoring methods for these type
tests. One possibility is to assign a global score to a written language sample
on the basis of weighted subratings: factors such as comprehensibility, ease of
expression, cohesion and coherence, linguistics accuracy, breadth and
appropriateness of vocabulary, and the like coulde be judged and rated globally
and transformed into numerical scores.
Although one can limit the writing task
somewhat inglobal composition tests, it is still difficult to elicit all the
discrete items one might be interested in for achivement testing purposes. In
order to supplement these general achievement tests, which might be
administrated periodically during the courseof a semester or school year, the
following contextualized writing and mixed skills formats are suggested to
allow for the testing of vocabulary and grammar on hourly exams and quizzes.
2.3 Sentence Cues
Items of this type consist of
“telegraphic” or “slash” sentences: sentence elements are provided as the
stimulus and the student must combine them into complete and meaningful
sentences, adding any necessary function words and making any necessary
morphological changes. To contextualize this type of format, each individual
stimulus should be connected to the others in the subsection of the test,
either in a logical sequence or in some themetic sense.
Sample
1
You
are a student who have a task to report
news from television. You founded some informations of Suramadu Bridge.
The notes you made during watching the news are given below. Write out the news
in complete sentences, using the past time whenever appropriate.
Suramadu Bridge
(Surabaya-Madura Bridge) constructed Surabaya and Bangkalan. Wide is 30 m.
High is 146 m. Opened June 10, 2009. Total length 5.4 km, the longest
bridge in Indonesia. Carries motor vehicles. The fares -- 30000 (IDR) four
wheeled vehicles and 3000 (IDR) for two wheels.
|
The complete news can
be like this following sample.
The Suramadu Bridge or
Surabaya-Madura Bridge is constructed between Surabaya on the island of
Java and the town of Bangkalan on the island of Madura. The bridge is 30
meters wide and 146 meters high. It was opened on June 10, 2009. The total
length of the bridge is 5.4 km which makes the longest bridge in Indonesia.
It carries motor vehicles. The fares have been initially set at 30000
(IDR)Mfor four-wheeled vehicles and 3000 (IDR) for two-wheelers.
|
Sample
2
You
are a student who have a task of describing someone. Your teacher explained
Andre Taulani very fast before the class. The notes you made during listening
your teacher’s exolanation are given below. You should write out the complete
informations as good as you can.
Andre Taulani – famous actor.
Commedian in OVJ. singer in the past. has beautiful and powerful voice. 43
years old. Has black short hair, oval face, dark brown eyes.
|
The
complete description can be like this following sample.
Andre Taulani is a famous
actor in Indonesia. He was a comedian in OVJ (Opera Van Java). He was also
a talented singer with beautiful and powerful voice. He is 43 years old. He
has a black short hair. He is an oval face and dark brown eyes.
|
2.4 Contextualized Partial Translation
Valette (1977) presents this item type
in her text on testualing, but she illustrates it with single-sentence frames.
A contextualized, connected version of several paragraphs is length can be
created quite easily if all the sentences follow one another logically in a
conversation or narrative. Two examples of partial translation are given below.
The second of the two formats, which resembles a cloze-type task, seems to be
less disruptive of the natural flow of the discourse.
Sample
1
Complete
the conversation in English, using the English sentence equivalents as your
guide.
Tina : Hi
Joe, ..................... the weather .............................?
(Hai Joe, bagaimana
cuaca diasana hari ini?)
Joe : It’s
................ It ................. and the schools
......................
(Cuacanya
sangat dingin. Salju turun sepanjang hari dan sekolah
dipulangkan
lebih awal.)
Tina : What’s
...........................?
(Suhunya
berapa?)
Joe : It’s
30 .................now. It was ...................... this morning.
(Sekarang
suhunya 30 derajat.
Suhunya bahkan
lebih dingin pagi ini.)
Tina : Have
you ....... what the weather ........................... tomorrow?
(Sudahkah
kamu mendengar cuaca akan seperti apa besok?)
Joe : I
was watching the news ....................... They said it’s
....................
going to
snow tomorrow.
(Saya telah
menonton berita sedikit lebih awal. Mereka
menyebutkan
mungkin akan turun salju besok.)
Tina : I
......... don’t like ...................
(Saya
benar-benar tidak suka musim dingin.)
Joe : Me
too. How’s the weather ....................?
(Saya juga
demikian. Bagaimana cuaca di mana kamu berada?)
Tina : It’s
not too bad, but it’s ............... too. It .............. this
afternoon.
I heard
it’s going to be .......................... tomorrow.
(Cuacanya tidak terlalu buruk,
tapi juga cukup dingin. Sore ini hujan.
Saya dengar cuacanya akan
sedikit lebih hangat besok.)
|
Sample
2
Michael
were asking the direction of the nearest bank to Amy. Complete their
conversation. The Indonesia conversation is next to the English conversation.
Michael
: Excuse me! -------- you tell me
where ----------------------
is, please?
Amy : Walk two blocks and -------- at the bookstore. The bank will be -------------
the post office.
Michael :
Is it far from here?
Amy : No, it’s ---------------------
walk.
Michael :
Well, thank you very much.
Amy : You are welcome.
|
Michael
: Permisi! Bisakah Anda memberitahu saya
di mana bank terdekat?
Amy : Jalanlah dua blok dan beloklah ke
kiri di toko buku. Banknya berada di seberang jalan, di sebelah kantor pos.
Michael : Apakah jauh dari sini?
Amy : Tidak, itu hanya sepuluh menit
berjalan kaki.
Michael : Yah, terimakasih banyak.
Amy :
Sama-sama.
|
Sample
3
Margot
and Annick, her roommate, hate their apartment. One day they decide to look for
other lodgings. Complete their conversation. The Indonesia conversation is next
to the English conversation.
Margot :
I don’t like our apartment. The kitchen is too small, and there is no
garden. Besides, it is too expensive!
Annick : Doesn’t your Aunt have an
apartment for rent near the university
Margot :
Ah yes! That’s true! I’m going to phone her.
|
Saya
tidak suka apartemen kita. Dapurnya terlalu kecil, dan tidak ada kebun.
Lagi pula, itu terlalu mahal.
Bukaknkah
bibimu mempunyai sebuah apartemen untuk disewakan yang dekat dengan
universitas.
Oh ya! Itu
benar! Saya akan menelponnya.
|
One advantage of partial translation
format is that the teachercan test a variety of discrete points of vocabulary
and grammar efficiently in one single subsection of the test, and the items,
though scored in a discrete-point fashion, are still embedded in naturalistic
discourse. Because grammar and vocabulary must be recalled, the test items are
also diagnostic. One disadvantage of the first of the two formats is the need
to insert native language equivalents into the passage, which interrupts its
natural flow.
2.5 Modifications of the Cloze Test :
Gap-Filling Items
Shohamy
(1982) defines cloze tests have ben the subject of much discussion and
controversy recently; one problem associated with this type of test is the
rather arbitrary nature of the deletions when an “every-nth-word” procedure is
used, and the negative reaction of many students to exact-word scoring
procedures or to the test in general. To adapt the cloze type format
successfully to foreign language classroom tests, some alternative are
suggested below.
1.
Non-arbitrary
deletion procedures
Specific parts of speech are choosen to
be deleted from a passage and may be presented in a list in alphabetical order
before the passage, after it, or in a box beside the text itself. If verbs are
deleted, students must choose the verb that fits the context semantically,
conjugate it appopriately, and pay attention to tense. If adjectives are
deleted, students must choose the adjective that fits the context semantically.
If articles are deleted, students must choose the article that fits the context
semantically. Students must make all morphological changes necessary for other
parts of speech deleted as well (such as adjectives, articles, possesive
pronouns).
Sample
A
Ann
and Marie are besti friend. They are talking about their plans which are going
to be did tonight. Complete the conversation by choosing the appropriate verb
from the box on the right. Each verb should be used only once per section. Be
sure to make a sensible choice of the verb and to use form and tense that are
most appropriate to the context.
Ann :
Marie, are you doing anything tonight?
Marie : Yeah,
I’m planning ------------- some movies and spend the night --------------------
them.
Ann : Well,
it sounds good. But, actually I’ve ----------- 2 tickets to watch a play
tonight at 7 p.m. at city hall. I wonder to go with me.
Marie : A play?
Tonight? Are you sure? Isn’t it ------------to be on Thursday?
Ann : No,
it’s played on Friday, tonight! You must have got the wrong information.
The ---------- is entitled The Fairies’ Cake. It’s ------------- from a fairytale.
Marie : Well,
it sounds really interesting, but you’re a bit too late. I’ve -------------
the movies.
Ann : Oow,
come on Marie. You can always watch them next time, while the play is only -----------
tonight! You’re not going to let me down, are you?
Marie : But I
have to return the movies on time,
unless I’ll be fined.
Ann : Wait
a minute, when did you rent the movie? Remember that if you rent more than
5 movies, you’ll
--------------- a
day extra.
Marie : I
rented them today, Friday 18th. So...ehm.. I have to return them
on Sunday 20th.
Ann : So?
Marie : All
right! I’ll accompany you tonight.
|
Rented
To rent
Supposed
Watching
Got
Get
Adapted
Play
Played
|
Sample
B
Read
carefully this following text. You should complete it by choosing the most
appropriate words from the box. Each verb should be used only once per section.
Be sure to make a sensible choice of the verb and to use form and tense that
are most appropriate to the context.
50% of Snacks Sold in Schools Unhealty
The Food Hygiene Department
------------------ on Thursday that about 50 percent of snacks sold in
schools were unhealthy. However, they admitted that no significant action
had been taken against food producers.
Many of the snacks were
-------------- to contain preservative materials commonly -----------in the
textile industry. That might cause liver problem, alergic reaction, fever,
and migraine headaches.
Last year, the Food Hygiene
Department had ----- more than 1,500 food items which were ------ as
parcels for Idul Fitri, Christmas, and New Year holidays. Many of these
food items ------------ substances which were not ----------- in the
labels.
|
mentioned
destroyed
found
sold
contained
announced
used
|
Sample
C
Fill
in the description of Mery’s house below, using the appropriate preposition
from the box on the right. Refer to the sketch to make sure you are using the
correct preposition.
It is my beautiful house.
It’s not too big but we our family really love it. We have yard ----------
our house. There are some rooms in my house. The first is garage which is
located ----------- the corner of my house. -------the garage is my room.
The room ----------- the back yard is my parents’ room. Our dining room is
located -------my parent’s room and bathroom. Another important part is our beloved
kitchen in front of bathroom. ---------- it, the living room is located
---------- passing the main door.
|
around
near
in
between
behind
besides
after
|
The
map of Mery’s house
2.
Multiple-choice
cues
A modified cloze passage is presented to
students in which gaps in the discourse are accompained by multiple-choice
options below the text, within the text, or beside the slots in the margin.
Sample
1
Choose the most correct answer.
1. “The
virus can make us ill. It can kill us, you know. But I’m not not afraid because
I always wash my hands before eating and stay away from chicken. I won’t touch
any chicken if they look sick or if they are dead,” said Natalie, one of
student SMPN 1 Saronggi, a state junior high school in Sumenep, East Java.
The underlined word “they” refers
to...
a.
the students
b.
Natalie’s friends
c.
Natalie’s teachers
|
d.
The
virusses
e.
Any chicken
|
CHAPTER
III
CLOSURE
3.1 Summary
The coomunicative competence tests
including writing are difficult to score and involve the great deal more
subjectivity on the part of the scorer. Overcoming this problem can be done by
giving the fairly objective scoring methods for these types of tests. One
possibility is to assign a global score to a written language sample on the
basis of weighted subratings: factors suchas comprehensibility, ease of
expression, cohesion and coherence, linguistic accuracy, breadth and
appropriateness of vocabulary.
It could be judged ad rated globally
also tranformed into numerical scores. Sentence cues, contextualized partial
translation, and modification of the cloze test (gap filling itmes) are
scontextulized writing suggested to allow for the testing of vocabulary and
grammar on hourly exams and quizzes.
3.2 Suggestion
Depending
on the results, the writer can make the
following recommendations:
1.
The teachers should use the appropriate
items in giving their students neither exams or quizzes. They also should be
more objective in scoring the students tasks, exams, or quizzes.
2.
The students should read and understand
each instruction both of their exams and quizzes given by the teacher. It
should be done to putthe appropriate answer on their answer sheet.
The writeris fully aware that this paper is
so far from being perfect, that is why any constructive criticis are welcome to
improve the quality of this paper.
REFERENCES
Hakuta, Kenji.
2000. Testing English Language Learner in
U.S School. Washingotn, D.C: National Academy Press.
C.
van Kraayenoord et al (2009), “Teaching writing to students with learning
difficulties in inclusive English,”English Teaching: Practice and Critique
8:1-29
Kerstetter Bob,
2004, “What is Writing?”, (http://www.omniglot.com/writing/definition.htm)