Students' Ability in Writing Descriptive Texts: A Descriptive Quantitative Study in Junior High School Muhammadiyah Mataram

Abstrak

Descriptive writing is a fundamental component of language education, enabling students to express ideas, describe experiences, and develop coherent texts. Despite its importance, many students face challenges in grammatical accuracy, vocabulary development, and text organization. These difficulties hinder their ability to produce well-structured descriptive texts. This study aims to analyze students' ability in writing descriptive texts using a descriptive quantitative approach, with the goal of identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. The study involved 21 students selected through purposive sampling based on criteria aligned with the research objectives. Data were collected through a descriptive writing task titled “Describe your favorite place!” Students’ work was evaluated using an assessment rubric consisting of five aspects: content relevance, text organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics, including spelling and punctuation. The scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including the calculation of the mean, median, and frequency distribution. The analysis revealed that most students demonstrated writing abilities categorized as “Good,” while the remainder fell into the “Fair” and “Poor” categories. A notable uniqueness in the students’ writing was their ability to organize ideas clearly and maintain relevance to the topic, particularly in describing personal experiences or locations with emotional significance. Mechanics, such as spelling and punctuation, were also generally well-handled. However, significant weaknesses were identified in grammar use, especially in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. These findings suggest a varied distribution of skills, with some students demonstrating strong narrative cohesion but struggling with linguistic accuracy. The results highlight the importance of reinforcing grammar instruction and vocabulary enrichment in descriptive writing instruction. The study implies that future researchers and educators should focus on targeted grammar interventions, differentiated learning strategies, and the integration of grammar within contextual writing tasks.