IMPROVING VOCATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS' WRITING ABILITY THROUGH THE DICTATION METHOD
Keywords:
dictation method; writing skills; recount text; pre-experimental design; vocational school studentsAbstract
This study investigates the pedagogical effectiveness of the dictation method in enhancing the recount text writing skills of second-year vocational high school students at SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Palu. A quantitative pre-experimental research design utilizing a one-group pre-test and post-test model (O1 ® X ® O2) was implemented with an intact class of 17 second-year vocational students (n = 17) selected through total sampling. Student writing performance was evaluated using an analytical composition rubric across five core dimensions: content (30%), organization (20%), vocabulary (20%), language use (25%), and mechanics (5%). The empirical data revealed a slight numerical improvement in overall mean scores, moving from a baseline pre-test mean of 84.74 (SD = 7.12) to a post-test mean of 85.33 (SD = 6.85), representing an absolute score gain of +0.59 points. Inferential statistical testing via a paired-sample t-test yielded a calculated t-value of 0.27, which was substantially lower than the critical t-table value of 2.120 at degrees of freedom df = 16 and a significance level of α = .05 (0.27 < 2.120). Consequently, the null hypothesis (H₀) was accepted, establishing that the observed score increase was not statistically significant. The lack of statistical significance is primarily attributed to a pronounced statistical ceiling effect driven by high baseline pre-test scores, as well as a small sample size (n = 17) and a negligible Cohen’s effect size (d = 0.07). Dimension-level descriptive results showed that the largest gains occurred in language use (+0.30) and mechanics (+0.10), whereas content and organization each changed by only 0.06 points. The study concludes that while dictation functions as an effective auxiliary tool for reinforcing foundational mechanics, vocational ELT instruction must integrate dictation within broader process-oriented and communicative task-based frameworks to foster true writing autonomy.
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