CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

     CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

A. Definition of Writing 

Writing is a derived from word “write” has mean produce something in written that people can read, perform or use it, etc.  Another definition also described by Hullon. He says that writing as a means of communication is a process of expressing ideas, wants, hopes and thought visually from the writers to the readers.  Therefore, it can be concluded that writing is activities to express and to share information, ideas, and thought in writing forms. Writing has a very important role in learning foreign language because it much the other language skill in daily teaching and learning process. Writing has used in speaking skill, listening and reading skill. 

Writing is a progressive activity. This means that when people first write something down, they have already been thinking about what they are going to say and how they are going to say it. Then after they have finished writing, they read over what they have written and make changes and corrections. Writing is never one-step action.  When make corrections what they have written, they are going to checked word for word and spelling errors in their written. With good way in writing words they are can be communicated their ideas and their hopes to other occasion and thought in writing form.  

In school, writing is a way of life. The students who do not have ability to express themselves in writing, they do not pass the course. Across the age levels from elementary school through university graduated courses, the students write in order to success in mastering the subject matter. It can be concluded that writing as a vehicle of thoughts is necessary in language teaching. It means that, beside learning writing with the meaning of words the students have master English words in the correct spelling. 

That is writing that the writer means. By mastering how to write the words in correct spelling, the students are able to make a right sentences, so that whatever that they write is not make less the meaning it.  

B. The importance of Writing

Writing is more pervasive and more important than we sometime think. Writing would still be valuable in education because in facilities thought writing can help the students to think critically.  It can enable them to perceive relationship to deepen perception, to solve problem, to give order to experience, it can help the students to clarify their thoughts. But even, if writing is not taught in how to write the words in English spelling well, the written is wrong. We have assumption that succession on learning foreign language depends very much on the mastery of words. Without sufficient words of the target language, the students will face a lot of difficulties in developing the language skills. For examples, because lack English words the students difficult to understand the meaning of text and difficult to write their ideas. In another word, the basic work for the teacher in teaching and learning process to improve the students in mastering writing is teaching them English spelling word well. Heaton states that, dictation is a long prose passages that was still regarded as essential method of testing spelling.   

The writer means, by applies dictation method in teaching writing spelling words it can be improve students in mastering writing English words. Furthermore, dictation by spelling the words it can make students able to write the words in right spelling. The importance of writing by correct spelling words very influence when the students want to write a sentence. If the words in their written have spelling errors, it certain the words is wrong and less the meaning of words. So that, the sentences that they write is also wrong. Impossible we can make a good sentence if the words have spelling errors.

   

C. Spelling and Dictation

Dictation can be used in the school to assess how the students are progressing in spelling, punctuation and comprehension. When the teacher and student are preparing a dictation passage, the teacher look for words that they may find difficult and then do a word study to make the students are able to write in correct spelling words. Practice writing the words and make sure they are practicing the correct spelling is important to make a correct words. After the word have been identified, allow time for the student to learn the spelling. From this the teacher can make individualized spelling lists. 

When applies dictation, the teacher may also wish to introduce some spelling rules to help them with the word, because it can make students to memorize their words in a good spelling. When spelling the words, many problems faced the students difficult in listen the different English spelling and different pronounce by the teacher dictates, for example: Horse and House, Lake and Like, etc. The teacher can use dictation to improve students’ spelling and mechanics as well as to assess their listening skill.  Here, the teacher dictates the words by spelling words to improve students’ writing English words. By applies dictation method, the students are able to write the words in English spelling well.

D. Definition of Dictation Method

Dictation is process of speaking for someone else to write down the words.  Here, the teacher not only teach the students by ask them to listen and repeat what the teacher dictates, but the teacher also ask them to write the words in correct spelling words. In addition, Sonya Shafer states dictation is useful to reinforce punctuation, spelling and grammar by studying a selected sentence or passage from a living book rather than just a list of words. 

In simple form, dictation refers to a person reading some text or some words loudly so that the listener can write down what is being said. Here, the teacher’s business to prevent false spelling. When it is used in the language classroom, traditionally the aim has been for students to write down what is said by the teacher, word for word, later checking their own word against the original and correcting the spelling errors made.

 The writer concludes, dictation method is an activity in school where the teacher reads a passage aloud by spelling the words and the students write it down in order to be able write in correct spelling word. Method is a way of teaching a language that is based on systematic principles and procedure, which is an application of the views on how a language is best thought and learner. Method is “Way of doing something”.  The method means is a way in teaching writing spelling words by using dictation. So that, dictation method is the way of teaching a language that the act of speaking or reading a loud that heard by students and the students can reproduce it in writing by the correct spelling word.

Moreover, “dictation method is technique used in both language teaching and language testing in which a passage is read a loud to student or test taker, with  pauses during which they must try to write down what they heard accurately as possible”.  Basically, this is technique used to know how much students’ ability to recognize and identify the spoken language.

Heaton states that, dictation is a long prose passages that was still regarded as essential method of testing spelling.  It means the dictation measures a complex range of integrated skills and should not be regarded as constituting simply a test of spelling words in teaching writing. As we know, in learning English not enough we learn more English words and know their meaning. But  also, we learn to write and read the words by correct spelling. 

E. Design

1. Principle

The dictation base of the author can be used to select unify word identified subjects or document elements to train speech profiles for speech recognition words increasing the accuracy of the automatic speech recognition. The method provides command extension capability that is not part of the user’s dictation words or speech recognition dictation words. Much research has been done on how to help students to improve their language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, but how to help students with the acquisition of English words which is essential to the development of language skills has been neglected.  

A general principle of words selection has been that of frequency. To focus learners’ attention on the high frequency words of the language gives a very good return for learning effort. We can decide which word we should teach on the basis of how frequently they are used by speakers of the language. The words which are mostly commonly used are the ones we should teach firstly.  

In dictation method, both speech and listening comprehension were taught. The students listen what the teacher was dictated and then write down the words. Here, the teacher focussed taught them how to write the words in correct spelling, and also how to write the words pronounce by the teacher. 

2. Material 

Materials are designed through a four-stage procedure:

1. Identify the learner’s areas of interest in broad thematic terms.

2. Identify a series of communication situations related to that theme and link them to form an action sequence.

3. Select or devise materials appropriate to the situations in the action sequence.

4. Choose language points to focus on from the materials.

(Corbel 1985: 74).    

When the teacher was giving materials for students, the teacher was selecting the words. Because the researcher make a research for students of Elementary School, the teacher can taught the words in their environment. The researcher taught the material related to their English teacher that given. So, the materials that be used by teacher and the researcher can be connected.

3. Teacher’s Role 

The teacher should make students interact with words, experiment on teaching seem to suggest that students remember best when they have actually done something with the words they are leaning. Strategies for self-learning is also importance, as words is an open set and not a closed system with a limited number of rules, learning all the words is an impossible task. Therefore, it is also the teacher’s role to give students tools and strategies to learn independently.  

When applies dictation method in teaching writing spelling words, the teacher should help students with word knowledge. It is clear that there is a far more to a words item than just meaning. The teachers should make students incorporate new words into language that is already known. The writer means, when applies dictation by spell the word in teaching writing spelling words is the way to help students to memorize new words in correct spelling word.

4. Student’s Role

In learning writing spelling words by using dictation method, the first work to the students is should listen carefully what the teacher dictated. If the sounds of the words have been mastered, the students will hear it correctly with two or three repetitions. Slow pronunciation without distortion will help. Reading word aloud is also very beneficial, it makes a learners familiar with the word and also improves pronunciations of the learners.   

Furthermore, in learning English words the students should learn how to pronounce the word and how to write the different pronounce the word in English spelling well. Use the dictionary is one important thing for students. Here, the teacher should apply dictation by spelling the word, because if the students look at the dictionary they just focus to see what the meaning them. By the teacher dictated the word, they are not confused to write the words in correct spelling. 

        

F. Procedure in Teaching Writing Spelling Words by Using Dictation Method

Teaching is an activity done by teacher to give some skill, knowledge and attitude to students to get better ability. Dictation has numerous uses in the ETL classroom, often involving very little preparation and a lot of creativity and interest. Used imaginatively, it can be an effective tool for working on accuracy and fluency in all four skills.  Dictation refers to a person reading some text loudly so that the listener can write down what is being said.

Generally, the first step is the teacher explained about the material that studied, such as the theme and how the importance of spelling words and given the dictation as a method to motivate the students. It means that, the teacher dictated by spelling the word in order to improve their ability in writing English words in correct spelling. By spelling the word, the students can directly check the spelling errors in their written and all students are active.

When used in the language classroom, the aim has traditionally been for students to write down what is said by the teacher, word for word, later checking their own text against the original a correcting the errors made.  It means the errors made when the students listen and write the words the teacher dictated. Additionally, dictation activities where students compare their version of the text to the original can increase their ability to notice aspects of the language which are sometimes overlooked, as well as mistakes which they commonly make. 

In accuracy when checking, students often aren’t very good at looking for mistakes in what they have written when comparing it to the original text. It can often be easier to check the errors in someone else’s text rather than in our own. 

In writing work, ask each group to choose a delegate who will write problem words on the board. When these view lexical items are written on the board, helps the learners guess their meaning. If possible, rather than giving straightforward definitions or that give an alternative definition. Every time somebody guesses correctly, repeat this word and have the whole class repeat it after you. 

Chavala Venkateshwari, India stated” I am a teacher working in the Sultanate of Oman. I teach the secondary level and found that dictation helps the students learn the language better. In response to the question on how dictation can be done in class I have a suggestion. Select key words for dictation to check spelling from a lesson and get the students to learn them at home. The teacher should prepare a set of letters on small pieces of paper for the dictation. The activity can be conducted as pair or group work”. 

Chavala also add her suggestion that one set of letters should be given to each pair or group. When the teacher gives the word the students should arrange the spelling on their tables. The teacher could go round the class and check. The teacher can keep scores and select the best group or pair. At the end of the game the correct spelling should be asked for, to be put upon the white board which will help the students to correct themselves. 

In teaching writing spelling words, the researcher limits taught about adjectives and nouns by using dictation method. The researcher taught the students in firstly by learning alphabet and how to spell it well. After that, ask them to write down the words in correct spelling. So, they are able to write the words in English spelling well without spelling errors made.

G. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Dictation Method

Some advantages of using dictation as mentioned by Ruth Montalvan, they are:

1. Dictation can help develop all four language skills in an integrative way.

2. Dictation helps to develop short –term memory. Students practice retraining meaningful phrase or whole sentences before writing the words.

3. Practice in careful listening to dictation will be useful later on in note take exercise.

4. Dictation can help to improve students’ spelling words and mechanics as well as to assess their listening skill. 

5. If the students well, dictation is motivating.

6. During and after the dictation, all the students are active.

7. Correction can be done by the students.

8. Dictation can be prepared for mixed ability groups.

9. The students as well the teacher can get instant feedback (if the exercise is corrected immediately). 

    

Dictation can help develop all four language skills, they are listening, reading, speaking and writing skill. Furthermore, dictation makes all the students are active, because they are directly check their written and the spelling errors they made. The advantages of dictating students’ writing by spelling the words  that make they are able to write English words by correct spelling. When the students can directly check spelling errors, make easier for them to memorize more words and can help the students in writing difference word pronounced by the teacher in spelling well. 

One disadvantages of dictation is that it can be cumbersome and takes some practice. Dictation soft ware is fairly accurate, but you still need to be aware of errors or incorrect words. Also you can often organize your thoughts better when writing or typing. Verbal communication is linear, where writing allows you to skip around. Another drawback to dictation is that most people think usually, rather than completely verbally.  It is one of the teacher’s works to anticipate that problems in teaching and learning process, especially in teaching writing spelling words.