1. THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SIMPLE PAST TENSE MASTERY
AND WRITING ABILITY IN RECOUNT TEXT AT TENTH GRADE
OF SMA IBNU SINA BRAJA SELEBAH
IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF
2011/2012
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
By:
MASRIQON
NPM : 07240025
ISLAMIC COLLEGE OF MA’ARIF
METRO LAMPUNG
1432H/2011M

2. THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SIMPLE PAST TENSE MASTERY
AND WRITING ABILITY IN RECOUNT TEXT AT TENTH GRADE
OF SMA IBNU SINA BRAJA SELEBAH
IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2011/2012
ABSTRACT
By:
MASRIQON
07240025
This research is about the correlation between simple past tense mastery
and writing ability in recount text at tenth grade of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah
in academic year 2011/2012.
The research was done because of students’ pbolems in writing ability, and
it was limited in recount text. The objective of study were to find out simple past
tense mastery, writing ability in recount text, and whether there was any
correlation between simple past tense mastery and writing ability in recout text.
The hypothesis of the reseacher was; Ha: Ther is correlation between simple past
tense mastery and writing ability in recount text, and Ho: There is no correlation
between simple past tense mastery and writing ability in recount text.
The research was a quantitative research. The populations of the study
were 30 students of tenth grade of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah. The instrument
used was a test. The researcher decided to give grammar test and writing test.
Type of grammar test was multiple choice and writing test is essay test which
asked students to make sentences into a paragraph.
After giving test, the writer analyzed the score. The result of testing
hypothesis were 0, 745 score and the product moment table N=28 using 5%
confidence limited the score 0, 374 and 1% = 0,478, where the score 0,745 is
between 0,600 – 0,800. It means that the correlation between simple past tense
mastery and writing ability was enough. rratio = 0,745 > rtable = o,374, it means that
there was positive correlation between both of variables.
Based on the result data confirmed that rratio higher than rtable. Therefore, it
could be inferred that Ha was accepted and Ho was rejected. It means that there
was positive and significant correlation berween simple past tense mastery and
writing ability in recont text at tenth grade of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah in
academic year 2011/2012.
Key words: simple past tense, writing, ability, and recount text.

3. DEDICATION
I dedicated this thesis to:
 My
beloved
my
father
and
mother
who
always
supporting and praying in success my study.
 Mas Taufiq’s family
 My beloved young brother Iskandar, Yahya. R, Erwin,
and Fahmi
 My
beloved
Miftah,
and
friends
Istiq
Adelia,
who
M.
always
Nas,
give
,
me
Munzalil,
ideas
and
suggestions.
 The big family of English Student Association (ESA)
STAI Ma’arif Metro.

4. MOTTO
Verily, every difficulty there is relief
(By self)
God will raise people who are faithful among you and
People who are given some level of knowledge.
(QS. Al-Mujadalah:4)

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Praise be to Allah the Almighty for all His bounties and blessings and for
enabling the writer to complete this paper.
In conducting this paper, the writer has received many valuable and
meaningful contributions, suggestions, and guidance from others. Therefore, the
writer is indebted to many people for their efforts and he would like to extend his
sincere gratitude to:
 Drs. M. Zaini, M.Pd.I, as the head of STAI Ma’arif Metro Lampung
 Drs. Mahrus As’ad, MA and Sophan Krisna Aji, S.Pd. as his supervisor for
their suggestions and corrections during finishing this paper.
 All of the lectures English Program of STAI Ma’arif Metro, who have shared
the knowledge and experiences during my study at English Program of STAI
Ma’arif Metro.
 All of the staffs of administration of STAI Ma’arif Metro for their kindness in
allowing his using the facilities of department.
 The head master of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah for cooperating during
completing my study.
 Bu Parlin Andriani, S.Pd and her students for being very cooperative and
helpful respondents.
 All of my friends in English program special in 2007, for being cheerful and
uncivilized friends that make the past five years of my studying become so
wonderful.
 All of my KKS’ friends in Purbolinggo Lampung Timur. PPL’s friends in
SMP Islam Purbolinggo and anyone I admire who gave me beautiful and
memoreable memories.
 My beloved father and mother, for their endless pray and sacrifice. My brother
and young brother for their motivations, love, and care.

6. Finally, I realize that my study is still far from being perfect. There are still
so many expectations can be done to make it better.
My God bless you
Metro,
July 2011
The writer
MASRIQON
NPM.07240025

7. CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Definition of Key Terms
In order to gives consists idea in this research, some key terms are defined:
1. Simple past tense is use to report a state or activity that can be a scribed to a
definite past time. The past tense is also used for activities that occurred over a
period of time in the past, but are now finished, or that occurred at intervals in
the past, but don’t occur now.1
2. Writing is a process. Its mean the writing process follows three major stages:
prewriting, writing, and revising.2
3. Ability is the quality of being able to perform a quality that permits or
facilitates achievement or accomplish.3
4. Recount text is a piece of text that retell past events, usually in order in which
they occurred.4
B. Background of problem
English is one of international language used by many people in the world.
Many source information in books, technology and science written in English. In
Indonesian, English as foreign language or second language. The first language
based on their mother tongue such as Javanese, Sudanese, and Bataknese. They
1
Wishon George E, Julia M. Burks, Let Write English (American Book Company, 1980)
p. 195
2
Macmillan Publising Company, English (Macmillan, 1986) p. 2
Http:// www.Definitions. Net/ ability/ (23 may 2010)
4
Anderson Mark and Kathy Anderson, Text Types In English (Macmillan Education
Australia, 2003) p. 24
3

8. use the first language to communication in their daily activities. In Indonesia, the
students compulsory to learn begin in elementary school, kindergartens, junior
high school, senior high school and university.
In learning English process, the students have to master not only
vocabulary but also grammar because grammar is essential as the rules of word to
make meaningful. They find many kinds about English grammar such as verb,
adverb, noun, pronoun, etc. Tenses are one of grammar, it is very important to
clear in writing because tense to identity of time.
There are three tenses:
1. Present
2. Past, and
3. Future
In learning English, there are four skills such as listening, speaking,
reading, and writing. The students must master four skills in the language learning
process. All these language skills related to each other. The students must be
trainer adequately in all the four basic skills to make them easily practice and use
the language. Although the learners have mastered the rules, they have not learned
the correct distribution of rules yet. In fact, some students in Indonesian get some
difficulties in learning English.
The writer wants to know the student’s ability at SMA Ibnu Sina Braja
Selebah to be master of grammar especially in simple past tense and to use it in
writing recount text and is there correlation between simple past tense mastery
and writing ability in recount text.

9. Based on the explanation above, the writer entitle as “The correlation
between simple past tense mastery and writing ability at tenth grader of SMA
Ibnu Sina”. The writer got the data of writing ability especially the tenth grade of
SMA Ibnu Sina, based on pre-survey. The data can be seeing as follows:
Table 1
The result of students’ writing ability recount text.
Students’
Writing Ability
Number
Score
1
60
2
40
3
45
4
35
5
45
6
35
7
45
8
50
9
40
10
35
Source: the result of the writing ability test by; SMA Ibnu Sina Teacher’s
The students still got difficult in writing. There are any problems students
to mastery in writing abilities. They often made error when they used it in their
sentences. This condition is very poor, I realized that this poor condition might be
happened because the differences of their vocabulary and structure between

10. Indonesia and English. Another cause of difficulties may be the teaching method,
which is not interesting, and many of students are low of vocabulary, especially in
past tense. Therefore, they got bored in studying writing.
C. Problem of the study
Considering to the background of study above, there are any problem but
the researcher limit of the problem as follow:
“Is there correlation between simple past tense mastery and writing ability
in recount text?”
D. Objectives of the study
1. To find out of the simple past tense mastery
2. To find out of the writing ability in recount text
3. To find out whether there is correlation between simple past tense mastery and
writing ability in recount text.
E. Significant of study
1. For the teachers
To give information how to apply between simple past tense mastery and
writing ability in recount text.
2. For the students
To gives information how to simple past tense mastery and writing ability in
recount text.
3. For the institution
To gives reference for all the students.

11. F. Scope of the study
Researcher limited the research to tenth grade of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja
Selebah in usage simple past tense in writing ability recount text.
G. Hypothesis
Based on the problems above, the hypothesis of the study stated as
follows:
Ha: There is correlation between simple past tense mastery and writing ability in
recount text to tenth grade of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah in the academic
year 2011/2012. If rratio is higher than rtable.
Ho: There is no correlation between simple past tense mastery and writing
ability in recount text to tenth grade of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah in the
academic year 2011/2012. If rtable is higher than rratio.

12. CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Definition of Writing
People consider that writing skill is the most difficult skill to develop. In
the process of studying and acquiring new languages writing process is more
complex than other skills. People realize that writing cannot stand alone without
any other supported skills, writing has relations with reading. All writers rely on
their skills as readers, because all writers must be readers. You cannot write
without acknowledge your experience through reading. Through reading you can
understand how the language work to communicate ideas, through reading you
can evaluate how vocabulary constructs together as a certain rules of grammar or
how the use of spelling , grammar, punctuation, word choices, and other elements
construct as a good written text. Reading helps you to be a good writer.
Halliday in Nunan (1985b) suggests that writing has evolved in societies a
result of cultural changes creating communication needs which cannot be readily
met by spoken language. He speculates that with the emergence of cultural based
on agriculture rather than hunting and gathering, there developed a need for
permanent records which could be referred to over and over again.5
Writing is an important element in your life. You write notes to your
friends, letters of inquiry and application to businesses and schools, and lists of
items to remember. As a student you spend a part of most days writing. You
5
Nunan David, Language Teaching Methodology : A Textbook for Teachers, Prentice
Hall International, 1998) P. 84

13. communicate many of your thoughts in written form, in papers, reports, creative
composition, and answers to essay questions.
Writing is a process. The writing process follows three major stages:
prewriting, writing, and revising. The writing process is a process discovery. 6 As
you write, you discover more about your subject and what you want to say about
it.
The writing process is the means by which you discovery what you want
to say and how you can best say it. Because the writing process is a reflection of
your natural thinking processes, using the writing process will enable you to call
up ideas you otherwise might not have and express them in language that is
uniquely your own. The writing process is equally adaptable to personal writing,
such as retelling of a childhood experience, and to more formal writing, such as a
research paper.
There are three steps in writing process:
1. Prewriting
Prewriting is an activity in which you mine your imagination in order to come
away with the rough gems you will later shape and polish into finished piece
of writing. Prewriting requires concentrating on one subject in order to gather
ideas about that subject.
2. Writing a first draft
Writing a first draft is related to the word draw; as in drawing water from a
well. That is exactly what you are doing when you write a first draft: you are
drawing from the well of your mind the words and ideas that you want to put
on paper.
3. Revising
Revising means questioning your discovery draft to make sure it has fulfilled
your purpose in writing. Part of the art of revising is being able to read your
work as if you had never seen it before.7
B. Definition of Tenses
We use tense as a method to indicate of time. Tense means time. However,
it should be pointed out that time in relation to action is a concept that exists in the
6
7
Macmillan, loc. cit. p.2
Ibid. P.2

14. mind of the speaker, reader, or listener. Tense, in actual usage, refers consistently
only to grammatical form.8
Tense is the form a verb takes to indicate the time of the action or the state
of being; as, present (he speaks), past (he spoke), future (he will speak).9
Grammar tense (a verb form) must be carefully differentiated from actual time, for
the two are not always identical. For example, the past tense does not always
indicate past time, nor does the present tense always indicate present time.
Modern English has six tenses, three of which are simple (or basic) tenses,
and three of which are compound (or perfect) tenses. The simple tenses are the
present, the past, and the future. The compound (or perfect) tenses are the present
perfect, the past perfect, and future perfect. So, tenses to indicate of time in the
actions.
C. Definition of Past Tense
The past tense indicates events happened in the past. Past tense is
generally employed to represent an action or state of being as having occurred or
existed before the present; but in some of its special uses, the past tense is not
restricted to denoting past action.10
The past tense can be concluded as an activity or situation began,
happened, and ended in the past. The past tense divide into four forms; simple
past, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous.
8
George E. Wishon, Julia M. Bruks, Op.Cit. P.192
Susan Amolyn Harman, op. cit. P. 116
10
Ibid. P. 120
9

15. D. Simple Past Tense
Simple past tense is used to report a state or activity which can be a
scribed to a definite past time. The past tense is also used for activities that
occurred over a period of time in the past, but are now finished, or that occurred at
intervals in the past, but don’t occur now.11
The simple past tense is the most common tense in English. The simple
past is used to talk about activities or situations that began and ended in the past.
The following are examples of activities that began and ended in the past.
Mary walked downtown yesterday
I slept for eight hours last night.12
(Betty Schrampler Azar, p.18)
E. Simple Past Tense Form
Statement
{I-You-She-He-It-We-They}
worked yesterday
ate breakfast
Negative
{I-You-She-He-It-We-They}
did not (didn’t) work yesterday
did not (didn’t) eat breakfast
Question
Did {I-You-She-He-It-We-They}
work yesterday?
eat breakfast
Short
Yes {I-You-She-He-It-We-They}
did
answer
No
didn’t.13
The simple past tense is formed by using the simple past form of the verb.
Firstly, for the regular verb, the past form is made by adding –ED to the verb.
11
Wishon George E, Julia M. Burks, op.cit. P. 195
Betty Schrampler Azar, Fundamental of English Grammar.2nd edt. p.18
13
Ibid. P.19
12

16. Forms
Examples
Jump – Jumped
The dog jumped over the fence
Walk – walked
I walked 22 kilometers yesterday
Work – worked
We worked together as lawyers for 15 years14
The following is pattern to add –ED which change the ending a little.
How to make the
Verb Ending
Add –D
E
Examples
Simple Past
Live- lived
Date- dated
Consonant + Y
Change Y to I then add -
Try- tried
ED
Cry- cried
One vowel + one
Double the consonant,
Tap- tapped
consonant (not W or Y)
then add –ED
Commitcommitted.15
Many verbs in English form their past tense with – ED, some do not. We
call this second form as irregular verbs. They have some patterns.
Examples
be - was/were
make – made
become - became
meet - met
begin - began
pay - paid
break - broke
read - read
bring - brought
ride - rode
build - built
run - run
buy - bought
say - said
14
15
http://www.1-language.com/englishcoursenew/unit27 grammar.htm
Ibid

17. Examples
catch - caught
sell - sold
choose - chose
send - sent
come - came
shut - shut
do - did
sing - sang
draw -drea
sit - sat
eat - ate
sleep - slept
feel - felt
smell - smelt/smelled
fight - fought
speak - spoke
find - found
stand - stood
fly - flew
swim - swam
forget - forgot
take - took
get - got
teach - taught
give - gave
tell - told
go - went
think - thought
have - had
understand - understood
hear – heard
wear – wore.16
F. Definition of recount text
A recount text is a piece of text that retells past events, usually in the order
in which they occurred. Its purpose is to provide the audience with a description
of what occurred and when it occurred.17 Everybody have past experience or
special event in the past, when study in the kindergarten, elementary school,
junior high school, senior high school and when going to in the interesting place.
16
17
http://englishonline. Blogdetik.com/2009/08/10/simple-past-tense/
Anderson Mark, op cit. p. 24

18. A recount text is the unfolding of a sequence of events over time. We are
using language to keep the past alive and help us to interpret experience. 18 Thus, a
recount text is retelling past events and unfolding sequence of past events.
1. Types of recount text:
a. Personal recount
Personal recount is retelling of an activity that the writer/speaker has been
personality involved in (e.g. oral anecdote, diary entry)
b. Factual report
Factual report is recording the particulars of an incident (e.g. report of a
science experiment, police report, and news report)
c. Imaginative report
Imaginative report is taking on an imaginary role of giving details of events
(e.g. a day in the life of a Roman slave; how I invented….)
2. Text organization of recount text
a. Orientation
Orientation is provides the setting and introduces participants.
b. Events
Events are telling what happened, in what sequence.
c. Re-orientation
Re-orientation is optimal closure of events.19
3. Language features of recount text
a. Specific participants
E.g. Mrs. Brady, our dog, the shopkeeper
b. Use of simple past tense
E.g. she smiled, it barked, he pointed
c. Use of action verbs / material process
E.g. went, climbed, ate
d. Use of linking items to do with time
E.g. on Wednesday, then, at the same time, next, later, and before.
18
19
Beverly Derewianka, Exploring How Texts Work. Australia. P.14
Ibid.P.15

19. Example of recount text:
My friend Sarah
When I was in the first grade of senior high, I had a friend, Sarah. She was the
friendliest and the most intelligent student in the class. We soon became very
close to each other because we had a lot of things in common.
Now, we are in the second year, we are not in the same class anymore but we
spend a lot of time together. We are used to studying together, doing some
assignments and hanging out for fun.
Having friends is as valuable as having diamonds. We do realize it and
promise that we will remain good friends as long as we live.
(Taken from various sources)20
In teaching of writing abut recount text, the teacher was taogh simple past tense
bacause there are language features in recount texts as like simple past tense (E.g.
she smiled, it barked, hepointed), use of action verb / material process (E.g. went,
climbed, ate), and use of linking items to do with time (E.g. on Wednesday, then,
at the same time,next, later). Sothat, in teaching learning process about recount
text, the students’ have studied simple past tense and writing ability skill.
20
F.A. Soeprapto & Mariana Darwis. The World 3 English for Senior High School.
Yudistira. P.7

20. CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A. Research design
This researcher used quantitative research. Quantitative research is
“appropriate with the name, this research is much demanded by using number,
beginning from collecting the data, interpretation toward the data, and the
result”.21
Based on the definition of research method above, the writer investigated
that there was correlation between simple past tense mastery and writing ability in
recount text. The research design is:
T1 T2
Where:
T1
: The measureing of the tool to find the first variable.
T2
: The measureing of the tool to find the second variable.
B. Research population, sample and sampling technique
1. Population
Population is all members of well defined class people, events or objects
(Ary,dkkk in Suharsimi).22 The population in this research took at tenth grade
of SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah.
21
Suharsimi Arikunto, Prosedur Penelitian Suatu Pendekatan Praktek. (Jakarta: Rineka
Cipta, 2006), P. 10
22
Prof. Dr. Sukardi, Ph.D. Metodology Penelitian Pendidikan Kompeensi dan Praktiknya.
Penerbit: Bumi Aksara. 2003. P.53

21. 2. Sample
Sample is part of number and characteristic which have by population itself.23
Based on the definition population above, the writer chose tenth grade of
SMA Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah which consists of 30 students.
3. Sampling Technique
In this research, the writer used the classical random sampling. It means that
the writer took all the students of class sample (i.g. the tenth grade of SMA
Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah).
C. Research instrument
Instrument is tools used by researcher for the measure of object research.24
In this research I used a test method as the instrument. According (Kingler in
Sukardi, 1986) a test is a systematic procedure in which the individual tested are
presented with a set of constructed stimuli to which the responses enabling the
tester to assign the numeral test.25
1. Validity
The instrument say valid if the instrument can measure what will be
measured.26 According to Brown, test validity is the complex criterion of good
validity, the degree to which the test actually measures what is intended to
measure.27 In this case, to know the validity of the test, the writer used logical
23
Prof. Dr. Sugiyono, Metodologi Penelitian Pendidikan, (Bandung: Alfabeta,
2010)p.118
24
Ibid, p.148
25
Sukardi, Op.Cit. P.138
26
Id, p.173
27
H Douglas Brown, Teaching By Principles, (San Francisco :San Francisco State
University, 2000), p. 387.

22. validity. It means that the test is valid if the test is suitable with curiculum and
the material that has been given before.
2. Reliability
Reliability is meant the stability of test scores.28 To determine the realiability
of the test there are some steps.
a. Giving test items to the students
b. Dividing the test items into odd items and even items
c. Calculating between odd and even items using the product moment
formula, as follow:
rxy 
N  XY   X  Y 
N  X
2

  X  N  Y 2   Y 
2
2

29
Where:
rxy
=
Correlation coeficiente reliability between X and Y
N
=
Number of Student
X
=
Number of Simple Past Tense Mastery (X)
Y
=
Number of Writing Ability (Y)
xy
=
Total of X and Y
d. Determining coefficient of reliability using Spearman Brown formula.30
r11 =
r11
28
2  rxy
1  rxy
= reliabilities of instrument
David P. Harris, Testing English as a Second Language. (Bombay New Delhi: Tata Mc
Graw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd, 1969), P. 14
29
Suharsimi Arikunto, Prosedur Penelitian Suatu Pendekatan Praktik, Jakarta: Rineka
Cipta, 2006. P.170
30
Ibid. P.181

23. e. Comparing the result with the criterion reliability as follows:
0.90 – 1.00
High reliability
0.50 – 0.89
Sufficient reliability
0.00 - 0.49
Low reliability
So, in this test the writer used objective test of multiple choice A, B, C, D,
it consist of 25 items. The score of item is 4 for the true answer. Then the highest
score is 100 and the low is 0.
To know the student writing ability, the writer measured the students’
writing by giving a topic. The writer asked the students to make simple sentences
into a simple paragraph. To know reliability of the test instrument, the writer used
the Spearman-Brown formula, because it was suitable for correlation.
D. Research data and data collecting technique
1. Research Data
There are two variable in this research. The independent variable (X) and
dependent variable (Y). The independent variable (X) is simple past tense mastery
and dependent variable (Y) is writing ability.
2. Data Collection Technique
In this research, the writer used test to collect data. According to
Kerlinger, A test is systematic procedure in which the individual tested are
presented with a set of constructed stimuli to which they responds, the responses
enabling the tester to assign the test numerals.31 The writer uses as data collection
31
Prof. Sukardi, Ph.D, op. cit. P.138

24. method to measure both variables. The writer measured simple past tense mastery
by giving test consists of multiple choice form, and measured writing ability of
the students by testing them to make a sentences into a simple paragraph.
The researcher investigated whether there is correlation simple past tense
mastery and writing ability in recount text at tenth grade senior high school SMA
Ibnu Sina Braja Selebah, the writer used product moment correlation as data
analysis. After data were collected, especially data about simple past tense
mastery and writing ability, the data would be processed by statistic formula;
becauseconsidering of the data is correlation/quantity data. The formula of
Product Moment Correlation:
rxy 
N  XY   X  Y 
N  X
2

  X  N  Y 2   Y 
2
2

32
Notes:
rxy
=
Correlation coefficient between X and Y
N
=
Number of Student
X
=
Number of Simple Past Tense Mastery (X)
Y
=
Number of Writing Ability (Y)
xy
=
Total of X and Y
32
Arinkunto, op.cit.P.170

25. E. Research procedure
As the writer had mentioned, the research was held at SMA Ibnu Sina
Braja Selebah. Here, He took several steps of procedure in order to make it
flawlessly and well conducted. The steps are as follows:
1) Determined the research subject those are the students of SMA Ibnu Sina
Braja Selebah, and problems and then asked the permission of the head of this
institution.
2) Gave the test of simple past tense and writing to get data.
3) Analyzed the data of the result of the test in order to know whether there is
correlation between simple past tense mastery and writing ability.
4) Took the conclusion of the research.