PROJECT – BASED LEARNING (PJBL) TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ WRITING CAPABILITY

Writing is considered as a difficult skill in learning English. That’s way the teacher should creative and innovative in teaching writing. One of methods that can be used in teaching writing is PjBL (Project Based Learning). The purpose of this article is to examine the uses of PjBL can improve students’ writing capability. It is based on the classroom action research with the subject is the students of fourth semester of English department of Widya Dharma University. The findings of the research imply that PjBL is very effective. The implementation of PjBL improved the students’ writing capability. PjBL enables the students to be more active to explore their ideas. By doing the project, the students can work together and share their ideas and knowledge with others. It makes the learning activity is not teacher centered but student centered, because most of the activity is done by the students. It can also improve writing class in a better situation in the way that the classroom situation becomes more alive with various interesting activities, and there is a rising of students’ participation.


INTRODUCTION
In learning English, there are four competences that should be mastered, those are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening and speaking are usually learned early, because those skills can be achieved by immitating and memorizing. So, for early English learners, e.g for children, they are usually taught listening and speaking first. It is because those skills are considered easier than other skills, reading and writing. While, for intermediate or advance learners, they are expected to master all of those skills. But, unfortunatly, most of the studies said that writing is the most difficult skill to be mastered (Hartawan, et.al, 2005), boring activity (Sulistyani, 2010), and is not interesting (Sudilah, 2015). It is based on their research that in writing learning process, there are still many students who are difficult in deciding the topic and exploring their ideas in writing. The students suggest that writing is uninteresting and boring activity.
The difficulties in writing class becomes problems for the teacher. Teachers of writing have to find ways to overcome the problems, such as using inquiry model (Hartawan, et.al, 2005), think pair and share technique (Sulistyani, 2010), and online method (Sudilah, 2015). However, finding solution for such problems is not easy. What the teacher can do is maximizing their roles. Harmer (2001: 261) in Rokhyati (2014) explains that the roles of the teacher in writing class are motivator, resource, and feedback provider. Chamot and O'Malley (1994) in Sudilah (2015) mentioned that: "........in writing, ESL students may not know how to plan and sequence their ideas before writing (organizational planning) or conduct memory searches which include knowledge and experience gain through their first language (elaborating prior knowledge )." Harris also explains that language in general allows us to construct representations of experience, writing, in particular, allows us the futher option of working on the representation. When writing, we are able to work through a process of assembling ideas, drafting, and revising (1993: 11). It's clear that we need assembling ideas, drafting, revising in writing, and should do reflection to make our next writing better.
The students should reread their writing to get sure that their writing are good enough.
They can discuss their writing together with their friends and teacher.
According Brown (2001: 357) Then Brown (2001: 358) states that if the teachers still need to assign a single grade or score to each paper, then consider weighting the first few categories more heavily.

Project -Based Learning (PjBl)
Project-Based Learning (PjBL) is a model that organizes learning around projects (retrieved from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project-based-learning). Railsback (2002: 4) states that using projects as part of the curriculum is certainly not a new concept; teachers often incorporate projects into their lesson plans. According to Railsback (2002: 9-10), there are some benefits of Project Based Learning (PjBL): a. Preparing children for the workplace.
Children are exposed to a wide range of skills and competencies such as collaboration project planning, decision making, and time management (Blank, 1997;Dickinson, et al, 1998).

c.
Connecting learning at school with reality.
Students retain more knowledge and skills when they are engaged in stimulating projects. With projects, kids use higher order thinking skills rather than memorizing facts in an isolated context without a connection to how and where they are used in the real world (Blank, 1997;Bottoms & Webb, 1998;Reyes, 1998). d.
Providing collaborative opportunities to construct knowledge.
Collaborative learning allows kids to bounce ideas off each other, voice their own opinions, and negotiate solutions, all skills that will be necessary in the workplace (Bryson, 1994;Reyes, 1998 f. Increasing problem-solving skills. There could be some problems or misunderstandings among members of the group. They are demanded to solve their own problem (Moursund & Bielefeldt).
g. Enabling students to make and see connections between discipline.
Each student has their own responsibility in finishing a project. It means that they have to do what group has told them to do.
h. Providing opportunities to contribute to their school or community.
One kind of contributions is the product they have made.
Children take pride in accomplishing something that has value outside the classroom.
j. Allowing children to use their individual learning strengths and diverse approaches to learning (Thomas, 1998) and providing a practical, real world way to learn to use technology (Kadel, 1999;Moursund, Bielefeldt & Underwood, 1997).

METHOD
This research is an action research method to solve the students' problems on writing skill. Classroom action research can be conducted through four stages: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting (Arikunto, 2006: 16). This research consists of three cycles, each cycle consists of four meetings. The subject of the research is the students of fourth semester of English department of Widya Dharma University.

The Technique of Collecting the Data
The data in this classroom action research consists of qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were taken from document of questionnaires, interviews, and observation. While quantitative data were taken from the writing test, including the students' score on pre-test and post-test each cycle. To analyze the students' written test, the researcher use Analytical Scoring Rubric. Reid (1993: 243) explains that for classroom instruction, holistic scoring provides little washback into the writers' further stages of learning. Classroom evaluation of learning is best served through analytic scoring, in which as many as six major elements of writing are scored. Analytic scoring may be more appropriately called analytic assessment in order to capture its closer association with classroom language instruction than with formal testing. The following is the table of analytical scale: The formula to find out Mean: The second types of data are in the form of non -numerical data. In analyzing non -numerical data or qualitative data, the researcher made use of interactive model proposed by Miles & Huberman (1984: 21 -23), they are data reduction, data display, and data verification.

THE RESULT OF THE STUDY
The aims of the research are to find out whether the use of Project Based Learning (PjBL) improves students' writing capability.
In the process of the research, it is divided into the condition before the research, the implementation of the research consisting of Cycle 1, Cycle 2, Cycle 3 and research findings.

The Condition before the Research.
The condition before the research was identified in pre-research stage. The preresearch was held to gain base-line data of the research.

1) Students' Ability in Writing
To identify the students' ability in writing, the pre-test was conducted in the form of written test. The result of the pre-test showed that the students had low ability in writing. The low ability in writing could be seen from the low achievement of writing test. The mean of the writing test scores in pre-test was low, namely 65.31. The low ability in writing could also be identified from the following indicators. First, the students could not write using appropriate vocabulary. Second, students made mistakes of grammar in writing sentences. Students did not know the English words and how to apply them in various grammatical forms. Third, the students could not express their ideas because they are afraid of making mistakes. Forth, the students made some mistakes of punctuation. Fifth, the students could not arrange a good paragraph because they did not know well about organization in writing, namely introduction, body, and conclusion.

2) Classroom situation
Before conducting the research, the teaching and learning process was not alive.
The students just listened the lecturer explanation, and when they are asked to make a sentence or paragraph, most of them did mistakes. They are stressed in writing class because they could not enjoy the lesson and did not attract to do the exercises.

Research Implementation
Having identified students' problem in writing, the researcher chose Project Based Learning ( Lecturer: prepare the work sheets, the project is little confusing for some students, did not give written model and grammar discussion, lack of monitoring in group work. Weaknesses: less control of the teacher in group work, lack discussion about grammar, lack activity in vocabulary exploration, lack modeling from lecturer in writing. 2) Cycle 2 -Planning: Giving a project of long functional text (class is devided into four groups: group 1: making descriptive text, group 2: making narrative text, group 3: making recount text, group 4: making procedure text). All group have to send their project in social media, e.g. facebook, online news, newspaper, or conference, or journal.
Using M1 for doing a project, M2 for discussing the project, M3 for review and explanation. -Action: M1: doing a project, M2: Discussing the project, M3: review and explanation, M4: Post test. -Observation: Students: Active in doing a project, interesting in learning, could perform in writing with fewer mistakes in vocabulary and grammar.
Lecturer: give sufficient model in written forms, sufficient vocabulary building and grammar practice, give reasonable project in the available time.
Classroom situation: more alive, fun, enjoyable for students. -Reflection: Strength: students' participation was increased, the enjoyment of conducting the activity could reduce the tension in writing class.
Weaknesses: the students were still had difficulty in punctuation, organization and selecting appropriate vocabularies. All of the group send their project in facebook.

3)
Cycle 3 Giving a project of long functional text (class is devided into four groups: group 1: making report text, group 2: making explanation text, group 3: making hortatory text, group 4: making analitical exposition text). All group have to send their project in social media, e.g. facebook, online news, newspaper, or conference, or journal.
Using M1 for vocabulary bulding, M2 for doing a project, M3 for discussing the project, review, and explanation. -Action: M1: vocabulary bulding, M2: doing a project, M3: discussing the project, review, and explanation, M4: Post test. -Observation: Students: Active in doing a project, interesting in learning, improvement in writing ability, were not afraid in making mistakes.
Lecturer: give sufficient model in written forms, sufficient vocabulary building and grammar practice, give reasonable project in the available time, and give enough explanation in discussion.
Classroom situation: more alive, fun, enjoyable for students. -Reflection: Strength: PjBL can improve students' writing ability, working in group increased students' participation in writing class, made the classroom situation more alive, could encourage students to write more.
Weaknesses: group work in doing PjBl made some students depend their friends.
All of the group send their project in facebook.

1) Findings a) Improvement of students' writing ability
The findings of the study showed that the use of PjBL in writing class improve students' writing ability. The improvement of the students' writing ability could be recognized from the improvement of writing in a good organization, the ability to express ideas using appropriate vocabulary and grammatical forms, and using correct punctuation. Before the study, the researcher found that the students had low writing ability.
The improvement of writing ability could be seen from the improvement of students' writing cycle to cycle. The mean of scores in pre-test is 65.31, the mean of score in Cycle 1 is 68.5, the mean of Cycle 2 is 71.6, and the mean score in Cycle 3 is 75.50.

b) Improvement of classroom situation
The findings of teaching and learning process showed that there was a change of classroom situation before and after PjBL was implemented in writing class. The teaching and learning process using PjBL was more alive. Most of the activities were student-centred. Lecturer applied various interesting activities.
Students showed high participations in writing class. they were eager to conduct the tasks with high spirit. They were not afraid of making mistakes, because the class was far away of humiliating the students and tolerating the students with various level of ability. Lecturer was appreciated all of the students' effort in doing a project. The writing class was full of enjoyment, the goup work was coloured with students' laugh. It showed the eagerness of the students in learning writing in relax situation. -Most of the activities were student-centred.

2) Discussion
By doing the project, the students are more active to finish the project and the teacher is just as consultant. It means that the learning activity is student-centered. -This activity also can also increase self-esteem. Children take pride in accomplishing something that has value outside the classroom. They were not afraid of making mistakes, because the class was far away of humiliating the students and tolerating the students with various level of ability. Allowing children to use their individual learning strengths and diverse approaches to learning (Thomas, 1998) and providing a practical, real world way to learn to use technology (Kadel, 1999; Moursund, Bielefeldt & Underwood, 1997).
-Lecturer applied various interesting activities.
It provides collaborative opportunities to construct knowledge. Collaborative learning allows kids to bounce ideas off each other, voice their own opinions, and negotiate solutions, all skills that will be necessary in the workplace (Bryson, 1994;Reyes, 1998).
Lecturer was appreciated all of the students' effort in doing a project.
-The writing class was full of enjoyment, the group work was coloured with students' laugh. It showed the eagerness of the students in learning writing in relax situation. c.

CONCLUSION
The strength of the implementation of PjBL in writing class is that it can raise students' participation in writing class and it can enhance students' writing capability. However, the implementation of PjBL needs some preparation, especially in desinging the project which are suitable to the students' and curriculum need.