PowToon as a Teaching Tool for Junior High Writing Skills

PowToon sebagai Alat Bantu Pengajaran untuk Keterampilan Menulis di Sekolah Menengah Pertama

Abstract

General Background: Writing is a crucial communication skill that students must develop, yet many struggle with it. Integrating technology in education has been shown to enhance learning engagement and effectiveness. Specific Background: Traditional methods of teaching writing often fail to capture students' interest, leading to poor writing performance. PowToon, a multimedia-based tool, has gained attention as a potential solution for improving writing skills. Knowledge Gap: While previous studies have explored the effects of PowToon in online learning, research focusing on its impact on junior high school students' writing abilities through quantitative analysis remains limited. Aims: This study examines the effect of PowToon on students' descriptive text writing skills using a pre-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test approach. Results: The paired sample t-test results (t = 5.910, p < 0.05) indicate a statistically significant improvement in students' writing performance after using PowToon, confirming the effectiveness of this tool in enhancing writing skills. Novelty: Unlike previous studies that used qualitative approaches, this research employs a quantitative method to assess PowToon's impact, providing measurable evidence of its benefits for junior high school students. Implications: The findings suggest that integrating PowToon into writing instruction can enhance students' engagement and learning outcomes, supporting its adoption in language education.

Highlights:

• Technology-Enhanced Learning: PowToon significantly improves students' writing skills by providing engaging, multimedia-based learning experiences.

• Quantitative Evidence: The study's statistical analysis confirms a measurable improvement in students' descriptive writing abilities after using PowToon.

• Pedagogical Implications: Integrating PowToon into writing instruction can enhance student motivation and learning outcomes in language education.

Keywords: Powtoon, Writing, Teaching Media, Descriptive Text, Junior High School

Introduction

Writing has been a vital part of human civilization for thousands of years, and it has taken many forms and has become a very important means of communication in our daily lives. Students need to acquire writing skills as well as speaking, listening, and reading skills. Writing can also help someone express their emotions into words, inviting other people to share the writer's experiences, says Djuanda [1]. Writing competence, is the capacity to express ideas, thoughts, or feelings to another person through written language [2]. For thousands of years, writing has been an essential component of human civilization. Writing has a long history, is still evolving, and is now a highly significant method of communication in our day-to-day interactions. With a long history and continuous development, writing has taken many forms and has become a very important means of communication in our daily lives.

One of the fundamental and vital qualities for every human being is the ability to write. Teachers often begin by introducing a few written texts to junior high school pupils. Pupils are then frequently requested to produce many paragraphs that are more organized and coherently connected to the text. In the future, writing abilities will be important not just in academic settings but also in daily and professional life. As a result, it is critical that teachers focus especially on helping pupils improve their writing abilities from a young age. Students with strong writing abilities not only promote their general cognitive growth but also successfully and clearly communicate their thoughts. Writing is a skill that takes a lot of training and experience to master. It is necessary to be proficient in a number of writing techniques, including organization, syntax, punctuation, and spelling [3]. Everyone should be aware of the four parts of writing before learning how to do it: the writer, who communicates the message; the writing's substance; the writing as a medium; and the readers, who receive the message [4]. Transactions involving reading and writing cannot occur in daily life without the four elements listed above. Furthermore, written works are frequently the outcome of a process that demands particular skills, which not everyone possesses naturally—thinking, creating, and rewriting [5].

Copyright © Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Writing has changed over time, starting with handwriting on tangible things like paper and progressing to a more advanced digital environment with social media, blogs, and online writing tools. Everyone may now more easily access the writing process, which provides opportunities for a variety of authors, including journalists, digital content creators, poets, and novelists. One of the biggest shifts brought about by the digital revolution is the way that students’ write and communicate. Students are required to produce persuasive essays and research reports, among other more conventional types of communication, but people also exposed to new digital writing formats [6]. Students obviously enjoy using technology, based on how often they utilize it in the classroom. Students can become more engaged and interested in the subject by using technology in the classroom [7]. However, back to reality, teachers must deliver teaching in a way that is in accordance with today's times, so that students’ do not feel bored. Students will learn more effectively in a technology-based environment, especially in the classroom, because they are accustomed to it, so that students’ learning is not boring anymore. There are many ways for integrating technology into the classroom – using PPT for presentation or using Canva to make a teaching module – may enhance instruction and learning. Given the current conditions, instructors ought to include technology into their teaching and learning activities at the very least [8].

Students’ might be inspired and engaged to write when writing instruction is provided using audiovisual materials [9]. PowToon is one piece of software that can assist children in developing their writing abilities. PowToon can upgrade students' motivation and it assists students to absorb it easier [10]. PowToon has several features such as decoration, writing style, and cute images that had been provided. Many of the PowToon elements are free, but there are also paid ones. PowToon, you can make animated presentations that make sense and flow easily [11]. PowToon is an online tool that provides a plethora of media possibilities, graphics, cartoons, and animated images. With the presence of PowToon, it is hoped that it will bring enthusiasm to the younger generation to convey their writings. PowToon can be used in various groups, from old generation to young generation, for business, teaching, and etc. Ilya Spitalnik, the company's inventor, stated that PowToon was developed as an inexpensive tool that anybody could use to make animated videos for their business, school, or classroom [11]. PowToon may assist teachers in teaching writing lessons by providing more information, such as the use of bubbles for dialog or other features like people, shapes, pictures, audio, etc. The materials will be delivered in a fun and non-monotonous way and can also provide new ideas for PowToon users. Writing activities using books and pencils are no longer suitable for millennial students. Therefore, the presence of PowToon can provide students with a fresh perspective. PowToon supports a wide range of elements, including music, audio, animation, text, and characters, all of which may make studying fun in EFL classes, boost student motivation, and meet the demands of English language learners [12].

Some several of previous studies have addressed the efficacy of PowToon. The first researcher as known as Jabir, used an experimental design to investigate the impact of using PowToon on the motivation of third-grade primary school students [13]. The findings showed that the use of PowToon had an important effect in increasing students' motivation in online learning, although teachers' originality and innovation should still be considered when using PowToon. Then, Mita et al. related to student perceptions of online learning in high school students using a descriptive study method using the PowToon application [14]. The findings of this study show that students can understand the material easily, PowToon also helps students in improving listening skills, speaking skills, and vocabulary mastery. The researcher said that students are very interested to learn the material and increase students' learning motivation. Another study from Rahmawati et al. examined the effects of using PowToon on the literacy skills of Bumigora University students [10]. The research findings show that students feel happy and interested in creating materials using PowToon because of the many animations that can be used. This research suggests lecturers to use PowToon in teaching writing, but they should also prepare a good internet connection.

In this article, while in earlier studies, researchers examined the impact of PowToon in online learning using qualitative approaches, in this study they employed quantitative methods with junior high school students. Because pupils in the middle school who are proficient writers are better able to create positive study habits, the author included middle school students in her study. Pupils get instruction in writing organization, revision, and editing techniques. This behavior is crucial for a number of different academic and non-academic contexts in addition to writing tasks. Aside from that, junior high school is the ideal age for pupils to start thinking critically and recognizing who they are. The development of critical thinking and self-discovery is crucial during teenage [15]. In addition, the researcher will include a number of remarks on the tools and treatment procedure utilized in the study, setting it apart from earlier studies.

Benefits of PowToon including its animated features and a variety of transition effects that encourage students to learn and focus on what they are studying [11]. It can help teachers more effectively integrate the new cloud-based features into their lesson plans and be utilized in both small and big study groups. Lastly, PowToon's unique material presentation encourages students to write about what they have learned. Despite a wealth of studies on media usage in the classroom – particularly PowToon – many studies demonstrate PowToon's efficacy in basic education. Thus, the current study's goal is to examine the use of PowToon for junior high school students.

Research Questions

Does PowToon have an impact on the students’ writing descriptive text achievement?

Methods

This research uses pre-experimental research which is used in this research design. As a result, researchers chose a sample of 25 students from seventh grade students. In this research, the researcher chose simple random sampling. Researchers use this sampling technique because sample members are selected randomly from the population without considering the strata within it, researchers use a simple random sampling approach [16].

Researchers choose a research design before starting any investigation consisting of sample, population, and sampling technique. Researchers obtain samples, use them for pre-test, and then provide treatment. PowToon is used as a treatment by researchers. After the treatment is carried out, the researcher will give a post-test, then calculate the test results using scoring adapted from Ardiyanto [17]. The design model is as follows:

Table 1. Design Research Model

Category	Pre-test	Treatment	Post-test
A pre-experimental	T_1	X	T_2

From Table 1 it explains that researchers will conduct pre-experimental research in the order listed. The first step that researchers will take is to give a pre-test before receiving treatment and a post-test afterward. The pre-test aims to assess students' writing abilities before receiving treatment. The purpose of this post-test is to assess participants' writing abilities after being given treatment. Students are asked to compose descriptive text for the pre-test and post- test. The researchers used PowToon media as treatment during teaching. An explanation of this treatment is explained in detail in the table below.

Table 2. Treatment Detail Process

No.	Activity	Note
1	The researcher asked the student to write descriptive text about their favorite food	Pre-test
2	The researcher explained about the function of descriptive text	First Treatment
3	The researcher gave explanation about the generic structure and language feature of descriptive text
4	The researcher gave some exercises to the students for measuring their understanding about its language feature, especially in making simple present tense
5	The researcher gave the students a short descriptive about food
6	The researcher introduced PowToon media to the students using PowToon video that made by researcher https://youtu.be/7Fo28T96qy8
7	The researcher asked the students to find out ten verbs in the PowToon video
8.	The researcher explained to the students about PowToon video	Second Treatment
9.	The researcher asked students to determine their favorite foods
10.	The researcher gave students a project by writing descriptive about their favorite food
11.	The researcher helped the students to check their sentences	Third Treatment
12.	The researcher gave a chance for the students to edit their sentence if there was a mistake
13.	The researcher give a chance to the students for consulting what they write especially in punctuation and capital letter
14.	The researcher asked the student to write descriptive text about their daily activities	Post-test

In Table 2 the researcher explains about the treatment start from introduced descriptive text until checked the students’ project. The researcher had three times for treatment the participants, that need three weeks. Before and after treatment, researchers carry out tests -pretest and posttest- and then the test will be given a score. In scoring the tests, the researchers adapted from Ardiyanto [17], which measure five criteria; in particular, mechanics, vocabulary, syntax, structure, and content. The criteria's descriptions are presented in the following table.

Table 3. Scoring Rubric Adapted from Ardiyanto (2021)

Aspect	Score	Perfomance Description	Weighting
Content (C) 30%	4	The topic is clear and comprehensive and the details are relevant to the issue.	3x
	3	The topic is clear and comprehensive, but the details are almost relevant to the topic.
	2	The topic is clear and comprehensive, but the details are not relevant to the topic.
	1	The topic is not clear and the details are not relevant to the topic.
Organization (O) 20%	4	Complete identification and well-placed connectives are used in the descriptions.	2x
	3	Complete identification and almost well-placed connectives are used in the description.
	2	Uncomplete identification and few misuse connectives are used in the description.
	1	Uncomplete identification and misuse of connectives are used in the description.
Syntax (S) 20%	4	Very few errors in agreement or grammar.	2x
	3	Few errors in agreement or grammar, yet have no effect on the message.
	2	Numerous errors in agreement or grammar.
	1	Frequent errors in agreement or grammar.
Vocabulary (V) 15%	4	Sensible word and word form selection.	1,5x
	3	Few people misapply word forms and vocabulary without modifying its meaning.
	2	Restricted variety of perplexing word forms and words
	1	Very bad knowledge of vocabulary, word formations, and not intelligible.
Mechanics (M) 15%	4	It capitalizes, punctuates, and spells words correctly.	1,5x
	3	It occasionally uses incorrect capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
	2	It frequently uses incorrect capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
	1	Errors in capitalization, punctuation, and spelling predominate.

From the table above researcher using this rubric to scoring the test –pretest and posttest-. The researcher scores the test than multiplied with the weight of each criterion. Then, the researcher following the formula below:

Figure 1.

After adding up the scores for each criterion, and finding the calculation results above, the researcher used the next formula to calculate the overall score obtained by the participant using the following formula:

Figure 2.

To find the score of the test the researcher divided the obtained score and the max score than multiplied with 100. After that, the researcher will find the test score for each participant. Two raters evaluated each student's work for the pre-test and post-test in order to guarantee the validity of the data in this study. Next, the researcher will analyze the data using statistics. Data analysis calls for a few procedures and calculations. The researcher tests the hypothesis using a paired sample t-test because this study design is pre-experimental. To determine if there is a significant difference between two averages from the same or related samples, the paired sample t-test is utilized [16]. Prior to evaluating the hypothesis in this study, the researcher performed many data analysis. Here is an explanation of the analysis:

1. Finding the mean value

To find the average, total the sample data and divide it by the number of sample members [16]. Using SPSS (StatisticalProgramforSocialScience, the researcher in this study calculated the average pre- and post-test scores.

2. Finding the formula for the t-test

The paired t-test is a t-test formula that may be used to evaluate the hypothesis between one sample and two test outcomes (pretest - posttest). When two test results are from the same sample, the t-test is used to determine if one pair of observations is connected to the other. For instance, you may assess a student's performance both before and after training. To determine the paired sample t-test findings, the researcher use SPSS (Statistical Program for Social Science) software.

3. Examining Hypotheses

The researcher uses these factors to compare the t-test with the t-table after determining the t-test.

a. If t-value > t-table, then Ha is approved and Ho is denied. It is found that junior high school students in grade VII can benefit more from using PowToon to write descriptive texts.

b. Ho is accepted while Ha is refused if t-value < t-table. It is determined that junior high school pupils in grade VII cannot benefit from using PowToon to write descriptive writings.

Findings

The purpose of this study is to respond to the research question, "Does PowToon have an impact on the students' achievement in writing descriptive texts?" The researchers discussed the study's findings and findings in this section. The pre-experimental design was employed by the researcher to gather quantitative data. Twenty-five individuals received pre- and post-test designs from the researcher. The results of a writing exam given to participants who were seventh-grade students were used to analyze the quantitative data. In this study's design, all participants received instruction utilizing videos as real-world examples to help them write more descriptive texts. The number of people

Who participated and the outcomes of the two raters' score calculations are listed below:

Table 4. The participant’s Pre-Test and Post-Test Scores

No.	Nama	Pre-test	Post-test
1.	Participant 1	99,5	121,5
2.	Participant 2	85	105,5
3.	Participant 3	86,5	123,5
4.	Participant 4	95	111
5.	Participant 5	89,5	101
6.	Participant 6	99	103,5
7.	Participant 7	79	90,5
8.	Participant 8	86	91
9.	Participant 9	93,5	91
10.	Participant 10	86	113,5
11.	Participant 11	85	91,5
12.	Participant 12	85,5	93,5
13.	Participant 13	86	92,5
14.	Participant 14	100	96,5
15.	Participant 15	85	107,5
16.	Participant 16	89,5	113,5
17.	Participant 17	97	114,5
18.	Participant 18	87	92,5
19.	Participant 19	96	109,5
20.	Participant 20	89	93,5
21.	Participant 21	86	90,5
22.	Participant 22	98	92
23.	Participant 23	87	91
24.	Participant 24	97	117,5
25.	Participant 25	97,5	111,5

From the table 4, the lowest pre-test score was 76, and the lowest post-test score was 90, according to the researcher's analysis of the score findings above. The greatest post-test score was 123,5, while the best pre-test score was 100. To verify the study's premise, the investigator additionally examined the sample's pretest-posttest results. Calculating the t-test, estimating the average score, and testing the hypothesis are all examples of data analysis in this study. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the pre- and post-test results for the participans.

Figure 3. Photo of Students Taking The Pre-Test

Figure 4. Photo of Students Taking The Post-Test

As can be seen in Figure 3 and Figure 4, students write descriptive text on a sheet of paper to serve as the pre- and post-test format.

Figure 5. Photo of Form Pre-Test Student

Figure 6. Photo of Form Post-Test Student

To ascertain if employing PowToon has an impact on students' performance in producing descriptive texts is the study's hypothesis. The researcher took the first step in analyzing the data by calculating the average score using SPSS (Statistical Program for Social Sciences) software based on Windows, then the researcher used a paired sample t-test to determine whether the hypothesis would be accepted or rejected by the researcher. The information entered into the software known as SPSS matches the individual pre- and post-test information. The paired sample t-test is used in data processing to provide statistical data output.

Table 5. The Mean from PreTest-PostTest

		Mean	N	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean
Pair	Pretest Posttest	90,340 102, 380	25 25	6,3434 11,1171	1,2687 2,2234

From the results of the calculation of the average value above, it is known that the average post-test value is 102,3 and the average pre-test value is 90,3. This shows that the average value of participants after being taught with Powtoon media has increased. The next step, the researcher conducted a paired sample t-test using SPSS software.

Table 6. The Influence of Using PowToon on Students' Writing Achievement

Paired Differences

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

Pair

Pretest Posttest

Mean -12,0400

Std. Deviation 10,1862

Std. Error Mean 2,0372

Lower -16,2447

Upper -7,8353

t

df

Sig. (2-tailed)

-5,910

24

,000

From table 6, the researcher used the paired sample t-test formula to test the research hypothesis. displays the following data: The t-test statistical value based on the hypothesis testing output is |-5,910| = 5,910, degree of freedom (24), and a significance level of 5% (ɑ = 0,05), so that the t-table value was 2,796. This means that the t-value obtained is greater than the t-table (t-value > t-table). Because the t-value obtained is greater than the t-table, it means that Ha is accepted and Ho is rejected. In addition, the paired sample t-test obtained a significant value (sig. 2-tailed) of 0,000 or 0, according to the results of the t-test calculation using SPSS. It can be concluded that Ho is rejected while Ha is accepted because 0,000 < 0,05. From the calculations above, it can be seen that teaching descriptive text using PowToon had a significant impact on students' writing skills.

It can be concluded that, the outcomes of this study hypothesis can address the issue formulation as stated in chapter one, where the research discovered that all alternative hypotheses (Ha) were accepted, by taking into account the findings pertaining to the aforementioned hypothesis. According to the study findings supporting the first hypothesis, utilizing PowToon significantly affects students' ability to write descriptive language. PowToon gives teachers innovative teaching resources that eventually raise student success [18]. In addition, PowToon is a useful tool that welcomes, entertains, and eases students into the classroom [19]. When writing skills are taught using PowToon, kids are able to compose more descriptive texts. In addition to improving students' writing this strategy will addressed

students' spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and topic [20]. The first hypothesis's results, which indicate that utilizing PowToon has a major impact on students' writing abilities, demonstrate how much the study's students' writing skills have improved.

A qualitative review of the students' writing revealed improvements in sentence coherence, word choice, and text structure in addition to an increase in average scores. Pupils were more adept at structuring their thoughts and delivering information in an engaging manner. This result is consistent with other research showing that students' comprehension and participation in the learning process may be enhanced by the use of visual media [21]. Furthermore, according to Anita and Kardena [11], the analysis's findings support the idea that PowToon might motivate students to write more. In this instance, PowToon films serve as both visual assistance and a creative inspiration that encourages students' writing originality.

Because of this, PowToon is an animation-based media platform. PowToon has various useful features to help students learn. Poor quality media throughout the teaching process causes students to struggle with understanding the material. A good educational media that the teacher may provide is PowToon. As a result, using PowToon might be a solution for teaching students in order to increase their writing skills.

Conclusion

This study uses a pre-experimental design using pre- and post-test techniques to assess how utilizing PowToon affects students' descriptive text writing achievement. Because the t-value obtained is greater than the t-table, the pre- and post-test results demonstrate that using PowToon has a substantial impact on students' writing achievement. Utilizing suitable medium, such as PowToon, enhances students' comprehension of the taught content. Many students who are in favor of teachers using media into writing lessons have seen how it impacts their drive to study. Instructors are advised to use PowToon or other pertinent media as a facilitator to ensure that students understand the content efficiently. PowToon is one of the best educational resources, especially for building basic skills like speaking, writing, listening, reading, and vocabulary. Students who use PowToon animated videos to help them understand the subject matter of descriptive text assignments will be able to write more effectively. Additionally, it is advised that pupils practice a lot to improve their vocabulary and grammar. More information on the use of technology or application software to increase students' writing motivation should be acquired for future research, since PowToon is the language learning program that was employed in this study.