A.

BACKGROUND
The aim of this study is to investigate the influence peer feedback on
students’ writing ability which is dealing with enhancing the ability primarily,
particularly in writing assessment which is student comprehend and have
competence in writing text. Based on renewable of curriculum 2013 that has
main competence (KI) which become benchmark to reach the purpose of
education. In the forth main competence (KI) and this competence is about
skills. Processing, presenting, and reasoning in a concrete realm (using,
parsing, assembling, modifying, and making) and abstract realm (writing,
reading, computing, drawing, and composing) as learned in school and others
sources in the same perspective/ theory (english sillabus for class VIII Junior
High School, Curriculum 2013 with new revision). In the forth main
competence, students are expected to have skill and create something in
abstract realm. Hence, writing is one of the skills in english that should be
mastered by students. Writing is one of the most important skills in learning a
foreign language; The significance of being able to write in a second or
foreign language become clearer nowadays (Gholami Pasand & Bazarmaj
Haghi, 2013).
Writing is considered as the most difficult skill for language learners
because they need to have a certain amount of L2 background knowledge the
rethorical organizations, appropiate language use or specific lexicon with
which they want to communicate with their readers (Tangpermpoon, 2008).
Considering the difficulties, some students were hard to produce writing
academic with correctly cohesion and coherence as the researcher found
when thaught english in Junior High School in program PPL for class VIII
and also the researcher found and experienced the same case in english
writing class in a university. The students were not able to arrange the words
correctly with good sense based on grammar, structure, syntax, and semantic.
In fact, students were confused how to write with correctly cohesion and
coherence. Cohesion refers to presence or absence of explisit cues in the text
that allow the reader to make coonections between the ideas in the text and

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coherence refers to the understanding that the reader derives from the text
(Date, 2010). The role of teacher is needed in this case but sometime teacher
were not able to encourage students with effective technique to enhance
students’ writing ability. There was no follow up after students created a
writing. Furthermore, the learning in the class was lack of feedback.
Abundant of technique were developed to encourage writing ability of
students. One of the technique is peer feedback that is used in writing
assessment. As a form of collaborative learning, peer feedback can serve as
an effective pedagogical activity to improve the teaching and learning of
language writing (Min, 2005; Yu & Le, 2015; Zhao, 2014). In this way,
students can gain confidence since they express and negotiate their ideas in a
stress-free zone that can decrease the anxiety they go through during the
writing process (Leki, 1990).
Seliger (1983) pointed out that students writers can also give feedback
to each other, which is called peer feedback. In the learning process, peer
feedback is applied in assessment. Students create a text and the follow up to
upgrade student’s ability, they and their friends work in group to give
comment and fix on their friends’ writing. By giving comment ,fixing, and
discussing the writing, they can get reflection for themselves.
There are several research in realm peer feedback on writing. One
research is conducted by Rachael Ruegg (2015) to 51 EFL students. The
researcher focus on the differences between peer feedback and teacher
feedback on students’ writing ability. The result of the study is no significant
difference between gains for organization, vocabulary, content, or total essay
scores. The teacher feedback group gained significantly more in grammar
scores than peer feedback group. Another research is conducted by Shulin Yu
& Guangwei Hu (2017) to students university. Researcher focus on how
individual differences and contextual influences in peer feedback in order to
assess writing. Hence, this research is different in the focus of research from
previous research and this research is interested to investigate the enhancing
students’ writing ability using peer feedback in writing assessment.

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 Deeply research about peer feedback in writing in term of assessment
is still lack in learning process in Indonesia. Furthermore, it is important to
investigate more about the effect of peer feedback technique toward writing
ability of students Junior High School. Thus, the researcher want to conduct a
research with the title “THE INFLUENCE OF PEER FEEDBACK ON
STUDENTS’ WRITING ABILITY” (An experiment to students class
VIII of SMP Negeri 1 Cileunyi).

B. THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the students’ writing ability before using peer feedback in writing
asessment?
2. What is the student writing ability after using peer feedback in writing
asessment?
3. How significant is the difference between students’ writing ability before
and after using peer feedback in writing assessment?

C. THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1. To find out the students’ writing ability before using peer feedback in
writing asessment.
2. To find out the students’ writing ability after using peer feedback in
writing asessment.
3. To find out the significant difference between students’ writing ability
before and after using peer feedback in writing assessment.

D. THE SIGNIFICANCES OF STUDY

a. Theoritical Significance
Theoritically, this study is significant for information that peer
feedback can be used in writing in order to conduct assessment toward
students’ writing ability. A substantial number of studies have examined
learners’ perceptions and psychological or motivational impact or peer

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 feedback as well as peer feedback could affect writing and language
development (Hyland and Hyland, 2006).

b. Practical Significance
Practically, this study is significant to help teacher to assess
students’ writing ability using peer feedback as an alternative in teaching
model to enhance students’ writing ability based on correctly cohesion
and coherence.

E. RATIONALE
Winne and Butler (1994) said that feedback is information with
which a learner can confirm, add to, overwrite, tune, or restructure
information in memory, whether that information is domain knowledge,
meta-cognitive knowledge, beliefs about self and tasks, or cognitive tactics
and strategies. Using feedback in learning is to help learner in process of
learning in term of advance in education. Feedback is used to establish
effective teaching. Effective teaching not only involves imparting
information and understandings to students (or providing constructive
tasks, environments, and learning) but also involves assessing and
evaluating students’ understanding of information, so that the next
teaching can be matched to the present understanding of the students
(Norcini, 2010).
There are various type of feedback. Feedback is conceptualized as
information provided by an agent (e.g., teacher, peer, book, parent, self,
experience) regarding aspects of one’s performance or understanding; A
teacher or parent can provide corrective information, a provide alternative
strategy, a book can provide information to clarify ideas, and a learner can
look up the answer to evaluate the correctness of a response (Norcini,
2010). Peer feedback can grab some feedback that are peer, experience,
and self. Experience and self include to peer feedback implicitly.

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 Peer feedback become famous technique that is used in writing
learning. Writing is one of the productive skills that are paid special
attention in English language teaching (Yastıbaş & Yastıbaş, 2015). As a
popular pedagogical activity in writing classroom, peer feedback has
received increasing attention from writing researchers and instructor in
recent years (Chang, 2015; Yu, 2016; Yu & Lee, 2014; 2015, 2016a,
2016b; Hu, 2005a, 2005b; Zu & Mitchell, 2012). Liu and Hansen (2002)
defined peer feedback as “ the learners” use of sources of information and
interaction for each other in such a way that learners take on the
responsibilities on commenting on each other’s drafts in the process of
writing. Peer feedback is one of technique to assess writing when the
process of writing is needed to follow up and peer feedback is one of the
form of students-centered learning because feedback is not always from
teacher. Student-centered learning is abroad teaching approach that
encompasses replacing lecturer with active learning, integrating self-paced
learning programs and / or cooperative group situations, ultimately holding
the student responsible for his own advances in education (Nanney, 2004).
Hence, students become more independent in term of upgrading
comprehension in learning.
Peer feedback as an alternative technique can give positive
contribution for the learning. Damond and Phelps (1989) discussed the
advantages of peer feedback regarding cognitive benefit in leading
students to think than receive feedback from the teacher. Therefore,
students give extra efforts in learning that make them independent in term
of advance and they comprehend more knowledge because they get the
knowledge by themselves with hard efforts and they become aware that
the learning and feedback is not only focus on teacher but students can act
dominantly in the learning process, especially in writing classroom.
Besides that, peer feedback can contribute to peers’ social relations,
intellectual improvement, and progressing of creative and critical thinking
(Damond and Phelps, 1989). In this way, students can gain confidence

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 since they express and negotiate their ideas in stress-free zone that can
decrease the anxiety they go through during the writing process (Leki,
1990).
From the explanation above, this research is intended to present
peer feedback that is expected to give an effect on students’ writing ability
in term of conducting assessment. The sample of this research used two
kinds of the variables. The first is Peer feedback as the “X” variable, and
the second is students’ writing ability as the “Y” Variable.

F. HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis is a temporary statement that is still weak, then need
to be investigated (Meilia, 2010). The investigation will divide into two
variables. The first variable is peer feedback (variable X) and the second
variable is students’ writing ability (variable Y). The hypothesis in this
study is an alternative hypothesis (Ha) and the null hypothesis (H0). The
relation of the research hypothesis is proposed as follow: “THE
INFLUENCE OF PEER FEEDBACK ON STUDENTS’ WRITING
ABILITY.”
The formulated hypothesis is described as follows:
Ha is accepted if tcount > ttable = There is significant improvement on
students’ writing ability after using peer feedback.
H0 is accepted if tcount < ttable = There is no significant improvement
on students’ writing ability after using peer feedback.

G. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. Research Design
Creswell (2012) said that research design are the specific
procedures consists of data collection, data analysis, and report writing
involved in the research process. This study used quasi-experimental
design to collect data based on quantitative method. Quantitative is a
research method based on the philosophy of positivism; It is used to

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 examine the population or a certain sample, sampling techniques are
taken randomly; Further, collecting data use research instruments; Data
analysis is quantitative/ statistical with the aim to test the hypothesis that
has been set (Sugiyono,2015). Furthermore, a quasi-experimental design
consists of both pre-test and post-test and experimental group and control
group but no random assignment of subjects (Nunan, 1992). Hence, the
research will investigate two groups; the first is experimental group that
is class that will receive treatment using peer feedback while another is
control group that will not receive any treatment. The formula of quasi-
experimental design is illustrated as follows :

A (intact) O1 X O2

B (intact) O3 O4

Note : A = Experimental Group

B = Control Group

X = Treatment

O1, O3 = Pre-test

O2, O4 = Post-test

Figure 1.1 Steps of research

English Teaching and Learning Process

(Creating a text in writing)

Experimental Control
Group Group

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 Pre-test

Teaching Writing with Teaching Writing with

Peer Feedback Technique Lecturing Method
(Giving Treatment) (Giving Treatment)

Post-test Post-test

Students’ Writing
Ability

Based on research framework showed in the figure above, the

process of this research consists of three key steps that are firstly giving pre-
test, secondly teaching writing with specific technique and method (giving
treatments), and lastly is giving post-test. The results of those steps will
provide the answer for question of significant differences between teaching
writing using peer feedback technique and teaching writing with usual
method that is lecturing method. Thus, the effect of peer feedback technique
can be measured giving significant toward students’ writing ability or not.

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2. Research Site
The study of the use peer feedback in writing will be applied to the
second grade of Junior High School because peer feedback in term of
assessment of writing is the new technique for basic students at second
grade of Junior High School, especially at SMP Negeri 1 Cileunyi. Based
on the researcher experience, students at SMP Negeri 1 Cileunyi were
through some difficulties in creating a text or in writing learning. The
location of the school would be held in SMP Negeri 1 Cileunyi, that is
located in Jl. Raya Cinunuk Cileunyi KM 15, Cimekar, Cileunyi,
Bandung.

3. Population and Sample

a) Population
Creswell (2012) states that a population is a group of individuals
who have the same characteristic and Arikunto (2006) states the
population is the overall subject of the research. In this research, the
population is the 8th grade students of SMPN 1 Cileunyi. This school
is regarded suitable with the problem of the reasearch because based
on researcher’s experiences when taught english in the school. There
are 35 students in every class. The classes consist of VIII-A until
VIII-K with 385 students in total.

b) Sample
Sample is partly or representative the studied population
(Arikunto, 2006) or a sample is target population that researcher plans
to study for generalizing about the target population (Creswell, 2012).
Thus, to determine the amount of sample, if the subject less than 100.
It will be better to take all the subject as sample from the population
and when the subject is greater, it may be taken between 10-15% or

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 15-25%. The total of students in the population is 385. Hence, the
sample will be taken in this research is 14 of the total number of
population. There are two classes. It is consists of VIII I and VIII H
with 70 students in total as the policy from the certain teacher and the
school; one class for experimental group and another class for control
group.

c) The sampling technique

In this study, the researcher uses quantitative method. The
sampling technique is conducted by non-random sampling. From
some classes at SMP Negeri 1 Cileunyi, using non-random sampling
technique is got two classes that are : VIII I and VIII H with 70
students in total that consists of 35 students for each class.

H. RESEARCH TECHNIQUE OF COLLECTING DATA

1. Pre-Test
Pre-test provides a measure of some attribute or
characteristic for participants in an experiment before they
received treatments (Creswell,2012). As the firts step of research,
pre-test is applied to find out the ability of students’ writing when
creating a text. This test was conducted before the students
received any treatments. The pre-test will be conducted to students
in creating a text and the type of text is recount text.

2. Treatments
The experimental class might be provided with some
treatments, while the control class would receive usual treatments
(Creswell, 2012). In this research, class VIII H as the experimental
group that will receive peer feedback technique during learning
process as a treatment and class VIII I as the control group that

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 will receive usual method that is lecturing method as the
treatment.

Table 1.1

Treatments (Experimental Group 1)

No Meeting Research Technique Using peer feedback

technique

1 1st Pre-test -

2 2nd

3 3rd Treatments

4 4th

5 5th Post-test -

Table 1.2

Treatments (Control Group)

No Meeting Research Technique

Using Lecturing Method

1 1st Pre-test -

2 2nd

3 3rd Treatments

4 4th

5 5th Post-test -

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 3. Post-Test
Creswell (2012) states that a post-test is a measure of some
attributes or characteristics that are accessed by participants in an
experiment after treatments. The post-test will be applied in two
classes both experimental group and control group. In this post-
test, students will create a new text of recount. The post-test is
implemented to find out how far the students can comprehend in
writing learning that bring impact to increase their ability in
writing skill and this post-test to find out the influence of the
experiment which is conducted toward both experimental group
and control group by using peer feedback technique.

I. DATA ANALYSIS
The analysis used quantitative approach with some steps that are :
Normality test, homogeneity test, hypothesis test, and index N-gain
calculating. Furthermore, to know the significant influences of peer
feedback technique toward writing ability of students, the percentage
formula scale is used.
a. Normality Test
Normality test is statistical test that is used to find out how is the
distribution of data. This research uses SPSS version 16.0 for windows
to test the normality. Normality test in SPSS is consists of three types of
test that are: Kolmogorov Smirnov Test, Shapiro Wilk Test and
Lilliefors. The criterion of SPSS:
- If respondents > 50, the normality test uses Kolmogorov Smirnov.
- If respondents < 50, the normality test uses Shapiro Wilk same as
Lilliefors.
In this study, the respondent are 70 persons, the normality test
that can be applied is Kolmogorov Smirnov. If the significant value of

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 the Kolmogorov Smirnov test is higher than 0.05, the data is normally
distributed. Furthermore, if the significant value is below 0.05, the data
significantly deviate from a normal distribution.
The criterion of the hypothesis are:
- H0: Significant Score > 0.05 means the data is normally distributed.
- H1:Significant Score < 0.05 means the data is not normally
distributed.
b. Homogeneity test
Homogeneity test is calculated by SPSS 16.0 for windows. The criteria
of the test: a = 0.05
- H0 is accepted if F(1-a)(n1-1) < F < F (1/2 a(n1-1)(n2-1)) = Both of
populations have homogeneity variance.
- H1 is rejected if F = F (1/2 a(v1,v2)) = Both of populations do not
have homogeneity variance.
The formula used can be seen as follows:

F = The highest variance

The lowest variance
c. T-Test
T-test is used in this research to prove the hypothesis. The
formula of T-test can be seen as follows:
SEM1-SEM2
SEM1 = Standard error of mean Variable X
SEM2 = Standard error of mean Variable Y
The procedures of calculation as follows:
Variable X: teaching writing using peer feedback technique
Variable Y: teaching writing without peer feedback technique
The specification of t0 can be written as follows:
- Determining Mean of Variable X, with the formula:

∑x
M1 = N1

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- Determining Mean of Variable Y, with the formula:

∑x
M2 = N2

- Determining Standard of Deviation Score of Variable X, with the

formula:

x∑ 2
SD1 = √ N1

- Determining Standard of Deviation Score of Variable X, with the

formula:

∑𝑦 2
SD2 = N2

- Determining Standard Error of Mean of Variable X, with the

formula:

SD1
SEM1 =
√N1−1

- Determining Standard Error of Mean of Variable X, with the

formula:

SD2
SEM2 =
√N2−1

- Determining Standard Error of Difference of Mean of Variable X

and Variable Y, with the formula:

SEM1-M2 - √SEM12 + SEM22

- Determining to with the formula:

𝑀1 − 𝑀2
𝑡0 =
𝑆𝐸𝑀1 − 𝑆𝐸𝑀2

- Determining t-table at significance level 5% and 1% with Degree

of Freedom: df=(N1+N2) – 2

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 To measure the effect size to know how effective peer feedback on
students’ writing ability, the measure of the effect size used with
the t-test is called Cohen’s d. The formula for this effect size are as
follows:
- Determining d (Cohen’s d)
The criteria of the effect size are as follows:

Table 1.3
Cohen's Table 1

Cohen’s d Value Effect

D 0-20 Weak

D 21-50 Modest

D 51-80 Moderate

D 81-100 Strong

Statistical Hypothesis :

Ha: There is significant improvement on students’ writing ability after

using peer feedback.

H0: There is no significant improvement on students’ writing ability

after using peer feedback.

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