Efektivitas Media Post Card dalam Meningkatkan Kemampuan Menulis Surat Pribadi Siswa Kelas VII SMP

Abstract

This classroom action research addressed the low personal letter-writing achievement among grade VII.4 students at SMPN 23 Malang, where only 29.0% of the 31 students met the minimum mastery criterion (KKM 75) at the pre-cycle stage, with a class average of 72.0. Preliminary observation linked this shortfall to the absence of a concrete writing context that gave students a genuine reason to write. The study therefore introduced post cards as instructional media across two cycles following the Kemmis and McTaggart model (planning, action, observation, reflection), on the assumption that the pictorial side of a card would supply both a visual stimulus and a tangible occasion for composing a letter. Writing performance was assessed with a five-component rubric covering structure, content, language use, mechanics, and neatness, supported by observation sheets and field notes; the three data sources were triangulated to strengthen the credibility of the findings. Results showed a steady rise in the class average, from 72.0 in the pre-cycle to 77.0 in Cycle I and 84.0 in Cycle II, while the mastery rate climbed from 29.0% to 67.7% and ultimately reached 100.0% in Cycle II, surpassing the 80% success indicator set at the outset. The study concludes that post cards can turn personal letter writing from an abstract classroom exercise into a concrete, personally meaningful task, and recommends the medium as a practical option for teaching personal letter writing at the junior secondary level.