Improving the Writing Skill of the Students using Peer- Editing

The aims of this research were to identify: 1) whether peer-editing can improve the writing skill of the students and to what extent and 2) the classroom situation when peer-editing is implemented in the classroom. The method used in this research was classroom action research which consisted of two cycles with each cycle consisted of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The subjects of the research were the students of grade XI Bahasa dan Budaya of an SMA in Kudus in the academic year 2019/2020. The class consisted of 35 students which were made up of 23 girls and 12 boys. The qualitative data were gathered by observation, interview, and questionnaire, while the quantitative data were gathered by conducting pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2. The qualitative data were analyzed by using the interactive model of analysis, while the quantitative data were analyzed by comparing the mean score of the pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2. The research result showed that there were improvements in the writing skill of the students when peer-editing is implemented in the classroom. Based on the findings, it is suggested for the teacher to implement peer-editing with interesting activities. Additionally, it is recommended for the other researchers to carry other studies regarding peer-editing which involves the other variables. Keywords— classroom action research, peer-editing, writing skill.


INTRODUCTION
Writing, as one of the basic language skills, is more complicated than the other language skills (Javed et al, 2013). It is regarded as the most difficult skill for the students of English as a foreign language. However, writing can also help the students to improve their grammar and vocabulary as well as assisting the other language skills (Kellogg, 2008 in Javed et al, 2013). Therefore, writing is necessary for the students of English as a foreign language. In Curriculum 2013 in Indonesia, writing is also one of the basic competences which is stated as 'Menyusun teks lisan dan tulis' [Arranging oral and written text]. Unfortunately, many students in Indonesia did not realize the significance of writing skills. As a result, they are unable to write English sentences or texts correctly.
During the writing lesson, the students should at least be able to brainstorm, create an outline, write the draft, and write a complete text. They should also be able to revise the text that they write, all with good organization, rich content, correct grammar, correct spelling and punctuation, and a variety of vocabulary. However, as stated previously, many students are unable to write English sentences or texts correctly. As a consequence, the students may not realize their own mistakes during the process of revising.
There are various factors that caused the students to be unable to write English sentences or texts correctly. For example, in Grade XI of Bahasa dan Budaya, when the students are interviewed, several of them admitted that they hardly ever write anything in English outside the class. Some of them also said that they do not have any confidence in their writing skill and are afraid of other people's opinions regarding their writing. In addition, the dictation method used by the teacher does not increase the students' motivation and limits them to write only what the teacher says. Thus, it is important for the teacher to use a technique that can improve the writing skill of the students. There are many techniques that the teacher can use to do that and one of them is the peer-editing technique.
Peer-editing is a collaborative learning technique in which the students provide feedback to their peers' work (Hill, 2011). The objective of peer-editing is to improve the writing skills of the students and promote collaboration at the same time (Insai & Poonlarp, 2017). According to Galvis (2010), peer-editing can also create new opportunities for the students to work together and develop their collaborative skills. Additionally, in the latest research from Muthmainah (2019), peer-editing is defined as a classroom activity in which the students exchange their writing with their peers in order to be edited which will result in the improvement of the students' skill to recognize the mistake in their writing and correct them.
There are many advantages of using peer-editing in the writing classroom. According to Galvis (2010), peerediting allows the students to learn from both the revisions they receive and the revisions that they provide. It is an effective technique to increase their awareness of important organizational and syntactical elements in their writing that they might not recognize on their own. Additionally, the practice of peer-editing allows the students to practice and develop their other language skills as well as receiving more individual comments from their peers (Lundstrom and Baker, 2009). In the latest research conducted by Harutyunyan and Poveda (2018), the peerediting technique is considered a useful strategy to improve the students' critical thinking and collaborative skills. Thus, by implementing peer-editing during writing class, the students' writing, critical thinking, and collaborative skills might improve.
This article was written in order to report the result of the research about implementing peer-editing techniques to improve the writing skills of the students in grade XI of Bahasa dan Budaya in an SMA in Kudus. There were two objectives in this research which include: 1) to identify whether peer-editing can improve the students' writing and to what extent and 2) to describe the classroom situation when peer-editing is implemented in the writing class.

II. RESEARCH METHOD
The method used in this research was action research. According to Bailey (2001), action research is a method of collecting and interpreting data that involves a repeated cycle of procedures. Burn (2010) also stated that the main purposes of action research are to identify a 'problematic' situation that the participants, including teachers and students, consider worth looking into more deeply. Problematic here means an area that could be done better or subject to questioning for an improvement by implementing new ideas. Therefore, it can be concluded that action research is a method of collecting and interpreting data by the participants, including teachers and students, in order to find an area that could be improved by implementing new ideas.

Participants
This action research was conducted in one Senior High School (SMA) in the Kudus Regency. The subject of this research was the students of grade XI of Bahasa dan Budaya Departmentin the academic year of 2019/2020. It was a class consisting of 35 students made up of 23 girls and 12 boys.

Data Collection and Analysis
The data in this research were collected using several techniques which include: 1) observation, 2) interview, 3) questionnaire, and 4) test. Those data were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. In analyzing the qualitative data, the steps from Miles et al (2014) were used. According to Miles et al (2014), there are four steps that must be taken in order to analyze the qualitative data, which include: data collection, data condensation, data display, and drawing and verifying conclusion.

Data collection
The first step was collecting the data. The data in this research was collected from the students and the teacher. Several methods were used in order to collect the data which include: the observation of the students during classroom activities, the interview with teacher and students, and the questionnaire to the students. Tests were also conducted for the students in order to know their writing ability.

Data condensation
The next step was condensing the data. In this stage, the data the researcher obtained from observation, interview, questionnaire, and tests were selected, focused, simplified, abstracted, and/or transformed. The data condensing process continued until the final report was completed.

Data display
The third stepwas displaying the data in which the data is organized to allow a conclusion drawing.

Drawing and verifying conclusion
The last step was drawing and verifying the conclusion. The conclusion of this research was drawn from the previous stages. It started from a light conclusion which maintains openness and became more explicit and grounded later on. The conclusion was verified as the research proceeded. focused on the students' writing ability and the classroom situation.
Meanwhile, in quantitative techniques, the researcher compared the mean scores of pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2. The improvement can be seen if the mean score of post-test 1 is higher than the mean score of pretest and the mean score of post-test 2 is higher than the mean score of post-test 1. The mean scores of the tests can be calculated using the following formula: The mean score of students' pre-test. ̅ = The mean score of students' post-test. ∑ = The sum of students' scores in pre-test. ∑ = The sum of students' scores in post-test. = Number of students.

III.
RESEARCH FINDINGS From the interview that was conducted, it was found that the students did not have any confidence in their writing skills and that they were afraid of other's people opinions regarding their writing. Some of them also stated that they never write any English texts or sentences outside of class. Additionally, the dictation method that the teacher used limited the students to write only what the teacher said. Moreover, from the questionnaire, it was found that most of the students like the English class but admitted that their scores are below the passing grade and not satisfactory. Asides from the interview and questionnaire, a pre-test was also conducted in order to obtain data about the writing skill of the students. From that, it was found that the mean score of the students in grade XI Bahasa dan Budaya was 73.14. It was lower than the school passing grade which was 77.00. The students' mean score of the pre-test and its indicators were shown in table 1. Based on the interview, questionnaire, and pre-test, it was decided that the students' writing skills needed to be improved. Peer-editing was chosen as a means to improve the writing skill of the students in this research. Peer-editing is a form of collaborative learning in which the students work in pairs of groups to review, criticize, and provide editorial feedback to each other's work. By implementing the peer-editing technique, the students learn to work together and become more aware of the language errors in their own work.
Once the data were obtained, the lesson plans for the meetings in cycle 1 were made. There were three meetings in cycle 1, each was conducted once a week. The materials used were taken from the school textbook. The teacher also prepared several tasks and papers for the students to write their text during the lesson. During cycle 1, the students were observed in order to know the improvement of their writing skills. Then, after cycle 1 was finished, a post-test 1 was conducted.
From the observation that was conducted in cycle 1, it was found that the students' writing skills improved. During the pre-test and the first meeting, for example, the students still made a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes. They also often repeated the same vocabulary in their text. However, in the second meeting, there were only a few spelling mistakes and their vocabulary began to vary. Then, during the post-test 1 that was conducted after cycle 1, the mean score of the student was better than the mean score in the pre-test. In the pre-test, the students' mean score was 73.14. But, in post-test 1, the students' mean score was 82.51. The students' mean scores of the pre-test and posttest 1 and each of its indicators was shown in table 2. However, from the observation, several problems which needed to be solved were also found. Those problems include: 1) the students' mistakes in using grammar for their text and 2) the students' low confidence when writing their text on the whiteboard.
Considering those problems, the research was continued to cycle 2. In cycle 2, to solve the problems regarding the students' grammar, the teacher encouraged the students to read more English text and ask questions if there is anything that they do not understand. Then, to solve the issue of the students' low confidence, the teacher increased the frequency of asking the students to write their sentences on the whiteboard.
After cycle 2 was finished, it was found that there were some improvements in the writing skill of the students. In cycle 1, the students still made a few spelling mistakes in their text. However, in cycle 2, the students' spelling mistakes became fewer and their vocabulary varies a lot more. The students also paid more attention to the lesson. They also became more active in answering and asking questions to the teacher. The mean score of the post-test 2 was also better than pre-test and post-test 1. In the pre-test, the students' mean score was 73.14 and, in the post-test 1, the students' mean score was 82.51. However, in post-test 2, the students' mean score was 83.40. The students' mean scores of the pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2 with each of its indicators were shown in table 3. However, during cycle 2, it was found that the students still do not have the confidence to write their English sentences on the whiteboard. To address this, the teacher encouraged the students to keep on writing texts and sentences in the English language and not to be afraid of other people's opinions regarding their writing.

IV. DISCUSSION
Based on the findings, there are several theories that can be generated which include: 1) The implementation of peer-editing in class can improve the writing skills of the students to a certain extent and 2) the classroom situation became more active when peer-editing is implemented in the English class. Those theories are supported by other relevant theories and references which are explained in detail in this section.

The Implementation of Peer-editing Technique Can Improve The Students' Writing Skill
Most of the students of grade XI Bahasa dan Budayaat an SMA in Kudus stated that they like the English lesson. However, most of them also admitted that they rarely receive a satisfying score and that their scores in writing tests are often below the passing grade. Implementingpeerediting technique in the classroom had improved the writing skill of the students. The improvement of the students' writing skill involves five different aspects of writing andeach improvement is discussed as follows: 4.1.1. Peer-editing technique can improve the students' writing skill in writing an organized text The research findings show that the text that the students write became more organized. By using the peer-editing technique, the students could compare their work with their peers' work and figure out which of the text has a better organization and what conjunction words should they use in a text. This finding is supported by Puegphrom and Chiramanee (2011) who said that the peer-editing technique can improve the students' language ability and create a better idea organization. The research that was conducted by Galvis (2010) also stated that peer-editing allows the students to learn both from giving and receiving reviews of others' work.

Peer-editing technique can improve the students'
writing skill in writing more related content in their text The research findings show that the content of the text that the students made became more complete. Before the peerediting technique is implemented, the text that the students made is not in line with the title. For example, one student wrote a text with the title "The Snow Queen", but the content of the text is "Snow White". However, when the peer-editing technique is implemented, the more knowledgeable students reminded their friends of whether the title and the content of their text are related or not. This finding is in line with Puegphrom and Chiramanee (2011) who said that peer-editing can improve the language ability of the students to create more complete content. It is also in line with the research that was conducted by Merina  use past tense such as using 'is' when it should have been 'was'. However, during the implementation of the research, the students whose grammar was inaccurate could compare their work with the work of the students whose grammar was accurate. They also asked those students about which grammar to use in their writing. Thus, they learned about their own mistakes and will be able to use the correct grammar in their next writing. This improvement in grammar is in line with Al-nafiseh (2013) who stated that peer-editing helped the students to know their mistakes in terms of grammar and other writing aspects. Additionally, the research that was conducted by Nirmala & Ramala (2017) also concluded that peer-editing techniques can develop the students' awareness of grammatical rules when writing. Thus, they are less likely to use incorrect grammar in their text.

Peer-editing technique can improve the students'
writing skill in writing a text with correct spelling and punctuation The research findings show that the students made fewer mistakes in spelling and punctuation in their text. From the pre-test that was conducted before the research was implemented, it was found that the students still made some spelling and punctuation mistakes. Some students use 'i' instead of 'I' whenever there was a first-person pronoun and there were also several students who did not use a capital letter when writing the name of a person. Some of them also wrote 'he husband' on their text when it should have been 'her husband'. However, during the implementation of the research, the students corrected their friends' mistakes in spelling and punctuation. The students who correctly used 'I' as a first-person pronoun instead of 'i' increased and they made fewer spelling mistakes in their writing. This finding is in line with Insai and Poonlarp (2017) who stated that peer-editing helps the students to notice their error and became more critical and aware of them when revising and editing their work. Because the students are giving and receiving correction, their understanding of the spelling and punctuation increased. Thus, the mistake in spelling and punctuation in their writing decreased. The research from Sanchez and Lozada (2020) also states that there was an improvement in the organization, capitalization, and punctuation in the students' text when the peer-editing technique is implemented.
4.1.5. Peer-editing technique can improve the students' writing skill in writing a text with a varied vocabulary The research findings show that the students' vocabulary increased and has more variety. Before the research was implemented, the students often use the same vocabulary over and over again like using the word 'but' often as conjunction and using the word 'fair' to describe something beautiful. However, when the research was implemented, the students pointed out when their peers used the same vocabulary over and over again. They also taught their friends about the synonym of a few vocabularies such as 'beautiful skin' for 'fair skin'. Thus, the students who received the reviews learned about more varied vocabulary. This finding is supported by Galvis (2010) who stated that peer-editing allows the students to learn both from giving and receiving reviews of others' work. By reviewing their peers' work, the students' vocabulary increased and has more variety. Additionally, in the research that was conducted by Insai and Poonlarp (2017), it was also found that the students who edit others' works subsequently implement their editing skills in their writing which caused them to become more critical of their text. It also provides them with the opportunities to negotiate and interact with each other which resulted in them learning new vocabulary.

The Classroom Situation When Peer-editing Technique is Used in the Writing Class
During the implementation of the research, the classroom situation was observed. From the result of the observation, it was found that the student became more active in the classroom. When the teacher was asking questions, more students answered enthusiastically. The students were also more active in asking questions when they were performing the task given to them. This finding is supported by Al-Nafiseh (2013) who stated that peerediting gives the students the motivation to communicate orally. It was also supported by the research that was conducted by Puegphrom and Chiramanee (2011) which conclude that peer-editing caused the students to have more confidence in their language ability.
However, from the observation, the problem with the students' confidence in their writing skill was also found. For example, when the teacher asked one of the students to come forward and write their sentence on the whiteboard, none of them was willing to volunteer themselves. It is most likely that the students were still afraid of making mistakes and what other people might say regarding their writing. To solve this problem, the teacher increased the frequency of asking students to write their sentences on the whiteboard. The teacher also encouraged the students to keep on practicing their writing and to not be of what other people might say to them regarding their writing. Aside from that, the teacher also encouraged the students to read English text more so that they did not make a lot of mistakes that can cause negative criticism on their writing. From the research finding, it can be concluded that implementing the peer-editing technique in the classroom can improve the students' writing skills. The classroom situation also improved in that there were more students who were asking and answering questions from the teacher. The Peer-editing technique allowed the students to learn from their friends' mistakes when they were editing their friends' work and applied what they have learned in their own writing. Thus, their understanding of their own language skill also increased. However, as could be seen from the research findings, there was still an issue when the peer-editing technique was implemented in the classroom. The issue that was found in this research was the students' low confidence in their own writing. As such, there is still room for improvement in this research. The teacher can create interesting activities to increase the students' confidence and the other researchers can use it as a reference for further research which is related to other aspects such as the students' attitude or motivation.