Journal of Contemporary Issues in Primary Education (JCIPE)
Vol. 2, No. 1, June 2024, page: 43-50
E-ISSN: 3026-4014
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1. Introduction
English is the most widely used international language, with more than one billion
speakers globally. It is the official language in over 60 countries and is integral to
communication in both developed and developing nations. In Indonesia, English holds
significant importance in various fields, including education, business management, tourism,
and the creative industry. Therefore, enhancing English proficiency, particularly in education, is
essential. Among the four key English skills-listening, speaking, reading, and writing-writing is
crucial for conveying ideas and messages effectively. Writing allows students to express
themselves, explore ideas, and communicate efficiently with others. The development of
English proficiency in high school is closely linked to cultivating monologue text writing skills,
such as descriptive, narrative, and report texts.
However, many students face challenges in effectively structuring written texts. Writing requires
mastering various skills, including pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing, which involve grammar,
vocabulary, and spelling. Research by Basalama et al. (2020) highlighted two primary difficulties
students encounter in essay writing: pre-writing and pre-drafting. Their study found that nine students
struggled with pre-writing, while twelve faced challenges with pre-drafting, particularly in topic
selection and organizing the essay. Interviews with students and observations revealed that nearly 80%
of students complained about writing subjects. Common issues included a lack of motivation, limited
vocabulary, difficulties in applying grammar, confusion in expanding main ideas, and the need for
effective strategies to enhance writing skills. To address these problems, the Point Illustration
Explanation (PIE) strategy was introduced as a classroom learning strategy to improve writing skills. The
PIE strategy involves three components: Point (introducing the main idea), Illustration (providing
supporting evidence), and Explanation (elaborating on the illustration). This strategy encourages
students to engage in analysis and develop their ideas logically and thoroughly.
The novelty of this research lies in its focus on the PIE strategy as a specific method to improve
descriptive writing skills among tenth-grade students at SMAN 1 Malingping. Unlike previous studies
that broadly addressed writing difficulties, this research zeroes in on the effectiveness of the PIE strategy
in a descriptive writing context. The study aims to provide empirical evidence supporting the use of the
PIE strategy to enhance students' writing skills. Writing is a fundamental skill in learning English,
essential for students to express opinions, ideas, and information. According to Eliwarti & Aruan
(2018), writing is a form of conveying ideas or thoughts that aim to provide knowledge and experience to
readers. Maslichah & Tarwiyah (2017) further describe writing as a productive skill that involves
developing ideas through knowledge and vocabulary. Maulana et al. (2021) emphasize that writing
conveys ideas, meaning, and feelings in written form.
Brown & Abeywickrama (2018) identify four basic types of writing: imitative, intensive,
responsive, and extensive. Responsive writing, which requires students to connect sentences into
paragraphs, is particularly relevant for descriptive text writing. The writing process, as outlined by Rony
(2021), involves pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing. These stages are crucial for producing
coherent and well-structured texts. Components of writing, as noted by Jacob et al. in Brown (2018),
include content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. Effective descriptive writing
requires students to describe specific subjects in detail, adhering to a generic structure of identification
and description, as highlighted by Saifudin et al. (2020). The Point Illustration Explanation (PIE)
strategy, as described by Tsuraya and Nur (2021), involves making a point, illustrating it with examples
or quotes, and providing explanations. This strategy helps students organize their paragraphs logically
and develop their ideas thoroughly.
This research aims to investigate the significant effect of the PIE strategy on students' descriptive
writing skills at the tenth grade of SMAN 1 Malingping, Lebak-Banten, in the academic year
2023/2024. The findings are expected to provide theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the
research can serve as a reference for future studies on writing performance using the PIE strategy.
Practically, it aims to enhance students' enjoyment and engagement in writing, provide teachers with
effective teaching strategies, and increase readers' understanding of the PIE strategy in writing
instruction. The primary research question is: "Is there any significant effect of the Point Illustration
Explanation (PIE) strategy on students' descriptive writing at the tenth grade of SMAN 1 Malingping,
Lebak-Banten, in the academic year 2023/2024?"