In learning a foreign language, there are four skills that must be acquired by foreign language learners, including speaking, listening, writing and reading. Moreover Gilakjani & Ahmadi states that listening takes as much as 40-50%, speaking 25-30%, reading 11-16%, and writing about 9% [1]. From this statement, writing shows the lowest percentage number, which means that writing is the most difficult skill for foreign language learners to master. Writing requires communication, attention to grammar, and the ability to communicate thoughts, opinions, and feelings in writing, making it a difficult skill to master. Writing is part of a language skill that must be taught optimally [2]. On the other hand, according to Bryne cited in Ramadhani writing is the main platform to capture a speech, although it is secondary in communication media [3]. Researchers conclude that writing is a crucial communication tool for socializing, interacting, and conveying opinions, ideas, and other expressions in society.

According to the pre observation conducted by the researchers in a Junior High School in Sidoarjo, the researchers found that the English learning process was carried out only using textbooks. Students should not solely rely on textbooks that typically provide theoretical knowledge, they should engage in hands-on experiences, critical thinking, and problem-solving to develop a comprehensive understanding and prepare for future challenges [4]. In addition, the researchers also found that students lacked interest in writing. This happens because of some factors such as students who have a low understanding of grammar and lack of vocabulary knowledge. The challenges faced by the students consist of their poor competence in English grammar, inability to develop their ideas in English writing, lack of English vocabulary, and demotivation to learn to write in English [5]. Therefore, in this study the researchers want to focus on writing skills because writing includes vocabulary and grammar. Writing skills development promotes critical thinking and creativity, enabling students to organize their thoughts and present arguments logically and coherently [6].

Teaching writing to Junior High School students is not an easy thing for teachers. Teachers will often find difficulties when lead the students in expressing their ideas or creativity, and not all students are interested in writing [7]. Teachers face challenges in teaching writing skills, such as lack of motivation, grammar difficulties, limited vocabulary, organizational skills, and adapting styles [8]. To overcome these, teachers should use instructional strategies, provide constructive feedback, and create a supportive environment. Furthermore, the teachers also will face challenges in teaching writing due to linguistic and cultural differences between the target language and the native language, students, teachers, and the teaching context [9]. Considering the difficulties experienced by the teachers, the researchers realized that Junior High School students really need to be more trained to write, whether it is expressing ideas, arguments, or thoughts that aim to make them used to writing as well as to increase their creativity. However, here is where the teacher's creativity will be tested to think about how to make their students interested in writing.

Based on the 2013 Curriculum in Indonesia, there are various ways to teach writing for Junior High School students such as teaching descriptive, narrative, recount, report, and procedure texts, etc [10]. Each text has different language structures and functions. Because students in a Junior High School in Sidoajo often face the same problems, such as limited vocabulary knowledge, especially the standardized words. They are also confused about how to create a plot to make the story connected and good. Narrative text is a text that contains imaginative stories to entertain the readers. In addition, Pardosi said that narrative text uses the simple past tense because the story in it happened in the past [11]. The generic structure of the narrative text itself consists of orientation, complication, resolution and reorientation. Narrative text has several types such as fairy tales, folktales, legends, fables, etc. From narrative text, readers can take a message or moral value from the story that can be used as lessons in a meaningful life. It can utilize a variety of media in delivering this material. Students face challenges in narrative writing, including structural organization, character development, plot development, dialogue, descriptive language, transitions, theme and message, editing and revising, and audience awareness [12]. Teachers can enhance narrative writing skills by providing explicit instruction, modeling effective writing strategies, offering practice and feedback, and creating a supportive environment.

The use of media is important in education for several reasons. First, media can enhance engagement and motivation by capturing students' attention and making learning more interactive and enjoyable. Second, media can cater to diverse learning needs, including those of students with learning disabilities and gifted students. Additionally, media can provide access to a wide range of resources, including open source materials and educational websites, which can be used for lessons, practice, and sharing of educational resources [13]. According to Taufiq & Santoso teaching the subject that the teacher provides becomes easier by the usage of media in the classroom [14]. Media is a tool to help teachers in the learning process in a way that is more interesting but at the same time it will be efficient. However, teachers are still expected to think creatively in using the existing media so that the learning is not only fun but the material taught is also successfully delivered to the students.

Based on the pre-observation, the researchers found that the English learning method implemented by the teacher at the school is the grammar translation method. Moreover, the media used is quite limited other than using textbooks, the teacher also uses Canva as one of the media in English learning writing. In teaching writing skills it is not enough if only depend on learning using old methods like reading the textbooks which tend to be monotonous, in this modern era there are many platforms that can be utilized by students to learn foreign languages. Some examples of platforms can be used in teaching and learning such as video conferencing like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet. Then social media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, Podcasts and other apps like Duolingo, quizzes, Edpuzzle, games, and activities that reinforce learning. Especially to master their writing skill in narrative text, one of which is by using Animated Short Movies. An animated short movies is a moving animated picture that shows a life in a real or imaginary story with a short duration. In other words, short animation movies are the same as movies, with the difference that the duration is shorter. Based on a theory put forward by Johnson that watching movies in a foreign language can provide various benefits for students including improving the ability to understand spoken language, increasing the ability to pronounce words, acquiring new vocabulary, can develop abilities in expression, and without realizing students have adapted to sentence patterns and grammar according to context [15]. The use of media animated short movies can make learning more enjoyable because students tend to easily understand everything related to audio visual. According to Umaraliyeva who cites the Webster dictionary, it is explained that audio-visual materials are educational training that focuses on the senses of hearing and vision such as movies, recordings, pictures etc. She also said that the use of audio visual aids has a positive impact in the teaching process here it helps learning to be more fun, interesting and realistic [16]. In this study, researchers used media in the form of animated short movies in which the video tells a narrative story. Narrative text and animated short movies used interconnectedly to analyze the story, comparison of script and screen, consistency of structure such as analyzing plot, character, theme, and also dialogue.

There are some previous researches conducted by several researchers in teaching writing. A study by Pratiwi investigated students' perceptions of using animation video in teaching narrative text writing. The study used questionnaire data and interviews with 10th grade students at MA Ibadurrahman Boarding School Banten. The results showed that students agreed with the use of animation videos in teaching narrative text [17]. Moreover, Silvani's experimental quantitative study confirmed that using animation movies as instructional media can lead to better understanding, enjoyable learning experiences, and improved writing ability among high school students [18]. Victoria's quantitative research used a one-group pretest postest design to investigate the improvement of students' narrative text writing ability after using short animated stories media. The results showed that the implementation of short animated stories can significantly improve students' narrative text writing ability [19]. To strengthen this study, the researchers used quantitative methods with the aim to investigate the effect of using animated short movies for teaching writing narrative text for ninth grade of Junior High School students. Therefore, the researchers conducted this study with the purpose to investigate the research question.

Research Question

"Is there any effect of using animated short movies in teaching writing skills for Junior High School students?"

Based on the data analysis, it can be concluded that the use of animated short movies in teaching writing narrative text has significantly improved. It can be proven from the T-test result which shows that the mean score of the post-test after the treatment is 89.06 which is significantly higher than the pre-test score of 76.87 before the treatment. Those results suggest that this method has effects for IX grade at a Junior High School in Sidoarjo. This demonstrates that the approach of teaching narrative text using animated short movies is evidently having good and positive effects on improving the quality of students' writing, as well as effectively improving students' writing ability. Some of the effects that arise include 1). Students are better able to express their ideas in a creative and effective way. 2). Enhancing quality of students' writing. 3) Improving students' ability to process words. 4). Better understanding of the organization of narrative text. 5). The accuracy of using past tense in narrative text. 6). Increasing their confidence in writing. 7). Making the learning process in the classroom more interesting. In conclusion, the interactive approach of using animated short movies in teaching process has led to a significant improvement in the quality of students' writing and their confidence to write. It is an effective strategy that not only shows the creative side of the students but also makes the learning process more enjoyable. In teaching writing narrative text, animated short movies are one of the interesting media, since students can learn it in a relaxed and fun way.

This study of animated short movies in teaching writing narrative text has shown that animated short movies can enhance student engagement, facilitate visual learning, and promote creativity and expression. The teachers can use animated short movies as an effective teaching tool, which can fulfill diverse learning styles and provide assessment support. The researchers have found empirical evidence supporting the power of animated short movies in teaching writing narrative text, offering pedagogical insights into how multimedia can enhance learning outcomes and engagement. The future research directions including optimizing instructional methods and integrating technology in educational environments. Overall, this study contributes to fostering creativity, engagement, and a deeper understanding of narrative composition among students, supports teachers, and provides valuable insights for ongoing educational research.