1.

INTRODUCTION
1.0 Reflection on past teaching experiences
According to Wideman, R(2003) action research generally involves
inquiring into one's own practice through a process of self- monitoring that
generally includes entering a cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting
on an issue or problem in order to improve practice. By reflecting back my
previous experience in teaching during my second and first practicum, I was able
to notice some of the common problems that had occurred in my pupils. Due to
that problem that I had identified before, then I reflected on my teaching. The
problem that occurred among my pupils was based on the language aspect.
Based on that problem I came out with a proposal on my action research. I would
improve my pupils skills in writing simple sentence using the substitution table.
By doing the observation, reflection and the action that was an action research
about. By going through the situation and analyzed the problem, teacher came
out with a method to improve the problem that had happened among the pupils.

After reflecting on my previous teaching experienced and analyzed the

common problem that had happened among my pupils, I had come out with an
action research. I done an action research based on writing during my third
practicum at SK Sungai Tekali, Hulu Langat. I would be focusing on the writing
skill. Based on my experience of teaching at three different schools which located
at Bandar Baru Bangi, Putrajaya as well as my current practicum school Hulu
Langat, I could see the same problem happening at the pupils. The problem is
that most of the pupils were weak in their writing. They were not able to write
simple sentence correctly. This problem was the major problem that the pupils
had and they did not know at all on how to construct simple sentence.
During my first practicum at SK Jalan 6, Bandar Baru Bangi I taught the
year 4 pupils. Their level of English proficiency was quite poor. Only some of
them were at the intermediate level. I noticed that during the writing lesson my
pupils seem to feel stress. I did ask them why they felt that way. Then they
replied writing class was very bored. Plus, every time during the writing class
they were asked to write a simple essay. That caused them problem. It was
because even to create a simple sentence they were hardly able to create the

simple sentence. If every time during the writing class, they have to write an
essay it is burdening their mind and emotion. Plus, the pupils were just copying
and did nothing after that. Then, the copying activity would be useless.
During my second practicum at SK Putrajaya Presint 11/I taught the year
4 pupils as well. Their proficiency level was at the intermediate and a lot of them
were very poor in English. At first, I taught that their English was not that poor.
But, my assumption was wrong. Their proficiency level was the same as the
pupils that I taught before. The same problem happened during the writing class.
I was so surprised that they hardly construct simple sentence. When I did the
writing activity with them in which they were asked to writes sentences to
describe the picture, they were hardly write the sentences. Those who were
bright were able to construct the simple sentences meanwhile the other were just
looking and copying their friends answers.
Same goes to my third experience of teaching at SK Sungai Tekali. This
time around I taught year 3. I had set in my mind that I am teaching in a school at
a village area. It means that my pupils were not really proficient in using English
language. To my surprised this time around most of my pupils were good in using
the language. Even though they were not as good as the pupils at the town area
but still they could be categorized in the group of pupils that are quite proficient in
using the language. They were able to converse about the daily routine in
English. They even recited their doa belajar in English. Even though they were
quite proficient in using the language but still when it came to writing the same
problem happened. The pupils hardly wrote simple sentence. Not all of them
were weak, but half of them.
I really hope that through my action research project I am able to help my
pupils to improve their problem in writing simple sentence using the substitution
table. Working with substitution tables, often, only for short periods, is one way of
learning about language. Rinvolucri, M.(1984). That explained how the pupils can
improve their proficiency level of English. Bu writing the simple sentence
correctly the pupils will also be able to improve the speaking skill. They are using
the simple sentence during communicating with their friends.
2.0 FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION / ISSUE OF CONCERN
2.1 Problem Statement
After almost three month I taught the year 4 pupils of SK Sungai
Tekali, Hulu Langat I could identify that most of the year 4 pupils was

having problem in sentence construction. Most of them were weak in

constructing simple sentence.
Based on the pre test that I had done with them, I asked them to
construct five simple sentences based on topic My Family. I am aware
that in choosing a topic for writing purposes I must bear in mind that I
need to choose the topic that is appealing and suits with the maturity level
of the pupils. Nesamalar, Saratha & Teh Soo Choon (2005) mentioned in
their book that a writer needs to have relevant information about the topic.
This may be his general knowledge or information that he can obtained
through the other sources. What I did was I gave instructions to them to
write five simple sentences based on the topic My Family. This topic is
simple and all of the pupils already have the scheme or prior knowledge
about their family members. Plus, all of the vocabularies that are related
to the topic My Family had been taught to them.
After conducting the pre writing test I could identify that out of 19
pupils only 8 of them were able to write 5 simple sentences correctly.
Meanwhile the remaining 11 pupils were not able to write the 5 simple
sentences correctly. From this result I could conclude that most of my
pupils were having problem in writing the correct simple sentence.
2.1 Related Literature Review
Cherry, K (2007) said that according to the theory of cognitive
development proposed by Jean Piaget there are four stages in the
cognitive development. During the third stage of the cognitive
development which is the concrete operational stage the
presentations and readings must be brief and well organized. For
example, begin the writing lesson by introducing the simple sentence
pattern first. After that, teacher used various methods to teach the
simple sentence writing. In relation to this, I followed the steps
proposed by Jean Piaget and it really worked to my pupils. I began by
showing them the pattern of simple sentence. Then, when they
already familiar with the pattern of the simple sentence then I used the

method of substitution table to make the writing simple sentence more

organized and easy to be understood.
Moreover, according to the theory of in language skill there are
stages in the language development. The target group which now at
year 3 age 9 years old falls in the group of childhood. The range of
age in this group is in between 6-10 years old. Supposing, by the age
of 9 the pupils should be able to develop their reading skills through
the phonic approach. Children are introduced to the vowels a,e,I,o,u
followed by the combination of consonants and vowel. Then they
construct simple sentences and ii is increased to complex sentences
and paragraph. It means that when they reached Year 3 they should
have mastered the skill of writing simple sentence. This was because
during year 2 they had been taught the phonic skills. So, when they
reached Year 3 they should not be having problem to write a simple
sentence.
According to Hassan, M., Kaveh, J., & Heidar, N. (2011) there
is no doubt that writing is the most difficult skill for L2 learners to
master. Each and every pupil in our country will be facing the same
problem which is problem in their writing skill. Most of the pupils were
poor in their writing skills. This statement was proven to be correct
when the Minister of Education, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin highlighted
on the dropped in English result during Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah
Rendah2013. According to him, the overall performance of
candidates in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) this
year is the best in four years. However, the result shows that while the
overall performance has improved, there is a visible decline in the
results of the English language paper.

3.0 OBJECTIVE / RESEARCH QUESTIONS

3.1 General Objective

According to Goh, L.H. (2012) the research objectives and the

research questions should reflect your intent to conduct an action as solution
to a problem to which you do not yet have the answer. It means that once you
identify the problem of your pupils, then you should set the method that you
want to use and implement it to your pupils I order to help them to improve
their problem. As for me, this action research was focusing on the writing skill.
It was done to improve the skill in writing simple writing.
My general objective for this research is:
1. To improve the pupils skill in writing simple sentence using the substitution
table.

3.2 Specific Objectives

My specific objectives for this research included the following:
1. Explore ways in which I can teach the skills of writing simple sentence
effectively.
2. Explore the substitution table as a technique in encouraging pupils to write.
3. Explore learning points which arise from the research that may improve and
enrich me professionally.
3.3 Research objctives
My action research questions are based on the research objectives which
are:
1. How can I teach the skill of writing simple sentence effectively?
2. How substitution table as a technique effective in encouraging pupils to write?
3. What are the learning points from the action research?
4.0 TARGET GROUP / PARTICIPANTS
I am the researcher, Salwa Binti Wahidan with 19 pupils in the class, of
which 8 were boys and 11 were girls. Most of the pupils were at the intermediate
level and there was one girl that I taught who is at the advance level. Out of all
language skills which are listening & speaking, reading, writing and language Art
the most difficult skill that they were weak at was the writing skill. I would make

sure that they write a lot in the process to improve their skill in writing simple
sentence.
The year 4 pupils are currently working on the writing simple sentences
exercise that I gave them. I would like to make sure that all of them were able to
know and understand how to write the simple sentences correctly. At least by the
time I left the school, the pupils will be able to construct the simple sentences
correctly. I feel that I am going to focus on the one of the techniques in teaching
sentence construction that is using substitution table.

5.0 RECOMMENDED ACTION

5.1 Plan of Action
In carrying out this research I had followed one of the action research
model which is the Whitehead and MacNiff. Goh, L. H. (2012) stated that this
model consist of five steps. The first one is the observation stage. The
second step is the reflect stage. The third step is the act stage. The fourth
step is evaluating stage and last but not least the fifth step is modifying. As for

this research I only implement the first four steps which are observe, reflect,
act and evaluate. I did not implement the fifth step because for this research I
did not do any modification.

5 .
M o
d if
y

1 .
O b
se r
ve
4 .
E va
lu a t
e

2 .
R e f
le c t
3 .
A
ct

Figure 1: Whitehead and McNiffs Action Research.

According the first step in Whitehead and McNiff model I had to
identify the problems that my pupils faced. Even though the English teacher
that taught them English had told me before that they were very weak in
writing skill, but still I carried out the pre test with the pupils. My aim of doing it
was to identify my pupils weaknesses in their writing skill. What I did was I
gave them a piece of A4 paper. Then, I told them that they are going to write
5 simple sentence based on the topic My Family.

Figure 2: Pupils worksheets before they were taught the substitution table
technique
Figure two showed two sample of pupils answer during the pre-test.
The Based on figure 2 it could be seen clearly that my pupils did have the
problem in writing the correct simple sentences. Most of the pupils were not
able to write the correct simple sentence. Out of 19 pupils only 8 of them
were able to write the correct simple sentence meanwhile the remaining 11 of
the pupils were not able to write the correct simple sentences. They did not
write down the verb in most of the sentences. They just simply wrote the
subject with no verb and then they proceeded directly with the object. For
example, this was one of the sentences made by the pupil:

Subject

Object

From this example it can be seen clearly that the pupil was having the
problem in writing correct simple sentence. The pupils did not know that a
simple sentence must consist of at least a subject, a verb and a predicate.

The second step in Whitehead and McNiffs method is reflect. At this

stage the researcher needed to reflect on the problem that had been
identified in the first step. Once the problem had been identified then I
reflected on the reasons why the pupils were not able to write the correct
simple sentence. There were various reasons that lead the pupils to that
problem. First of all I could see that most of the pupils were not understand
the concept of constructing simple sentence. I did ask them that have they
learnt before this on how to construct the sentence. They said that they have
learnt that but they did not really understand about it. Secondly, they have
learnt on how to construct the simple sentence but they did not really focus
on that skill. Usually, during the writing lesson they just copy down the
sentences from the whiteboard or from the textbook. It means that they did
not really learn anything. They just copy down the sentences in their exercise
book and when they have finished answered the questions that would be the
end of the lesson.
As for the third step in Whitehead & McNiff model of action research,
it was based on action. This was where I implemented my action research. I
did my action research based on the writing skill. My research objective is to
improve the skill of writing simple sentence using substitution table. In order
to help my pupils to improve their writing skill I had implemented simple
creative technique in teaching writing adapted from Nesamalar book. It is
known as the substitution table. Mariam Mohammad Nor & Abdul Halim
Ibrahim (2007) said that teachers used substitution tables to teach writing.
Based on the statement above, it clearly showed that the methods of
improving writing through substitution table were broadly used by the teacher
from all over the country due to the effectiveness of the method in improving
pupils writing skill. Based on Billows, F. L. (1975) it stated that substitution
table is one of the mechanical form of exercise in which a large number of
sentences can be made up by interchanging the words in each column.
Through this explanation it clearly shown that by using the substation table
the pupils were not just able to learn how to construct simple sentence, at the
same time they also enrich their vocabularies. This is because using the
substitution table the words in the table could be change according to the

necessity. This was what I did with my pupils in order to help them to improve
their problem.

Figure 3: The teacher taught the pupils on how to use the substitution table

. A sentence composed of one clause is called a simple sentence. In

order to make them understand the rule of writing the simple sentence I told
them that the first column is for the subject meanwhile the second column
was meant for the verb and the third column it was meant for the predicate I
told them that in order to make a sentence it must have at least one subject,
a verb and a predicate. The pupils were asked to copy down the word or
words that were located in the first column then continue it with the words that
were in the second column and last but not least combined the words in the
first and in the second column with the words in the third column. Only then it
became a complete sentence. According to Damerezan, M. (2002) A
sentence composed of one clause is called a simple sentence. I did use
examples of simple sentences that consist of one clause to make them
familiar with the simple sentence pattern. Once the pupils were familiar with
the simple sentence pattern then, they would be able to relate the substitution
table with the simple sentence writing. According to Cheong, L.K.(1987).

words are not randomly strung together. They are arranged according to
some set patterns and rules. Same goes with the substitution table. It
functions based on several rules. As being stated above the first column must
be written first the combined it with the second column and last but not least
combined the words with the third column.

Figure 4: While writing test - The pupils are answering the worksheet

This picture were taken during the while test. While the pupils struggled to
answer the questions I snap their pictures as prove. At this moment I asked the

pupils to really focus while answering the questions. I kept on reminding them that in
order to create a sentence they must makes sure that there are subject, verb and an
object.
After done with step three, I proceeded to the next step which is evaluate.
This is the stage where the pupils were the pupils works were gathered and being
analyzed. Then, through the analysis we would know the effectiveness of the method
in helping the pupils to improve their writing skill. After the test ended I collected the
pupils worksheet. I marked their paper. Then, I put the total marks that they
managed to get at the bottom of their paper.

Figure 5: Pupils post writing worksheet

After the post test being carried out I found that all of the pupils of 3 Bestari
were managed to get all answers correct. From this result it reflected on the
effectiveness of the substitution method in improving the pupils ability in writing
simple sentencels. Madson, H. S.(1983) said that through copying activity it can
make the pupils more aware of the extended discourse and also of mechanics
especially copying and punctuation. I agreed with his thought. This was because as
the pupils started to copy dowm the sentences the tendency of them making
mistakes were lower as compared to when they wrote the sentences by their own.
Eventhough sometime it was quite time consumed but still it was worth to see the
pupils were able to construct the simple sentences correctly. Plus, as they copy

down the simple sentences in their book, they would be able to remember the
sentence pattern well.
I had implimented my action research through out three weeks. The further
actions were explained as stated in the table:

No

Weeks

Action

Rationale

.
1.

Week 4
(17-21
February

To identify the problems occurs

Observe
-

I observed my year 3 pupils

focusing on their writing

2014)

among the pupils that relates to

the writing skill.

skill. I entered the class

and taught them writing
skill. Every time I assigned
them with writing activity I
observed

their

participation. Plus, I did

look at their writing book. I
wanted to know how much
they had been exposed to
the writing skill.
2.

Week 4
(17-21
February

Reflect

on

the

result

of

the

observation
- Base on my observation I

2014)

could say that most of them

were not able to write the
-

correct simple sentence.

Even when they were
asked to copy down the
sentences in their writing
book also they tend to
make mistakes.

To analyze the pupils problem in

their writing skill.

3.

Week 5
(24-28

Pre test
- I did the pre test with my
pupils. I gave them a piece

February

To identify whether they were able

to

write

the

simple

sentence

correctly or not.

of paper. Then, I asked

2014 )

them to write the name and

date on the paper. Once
they have finished I gave
them the instruction to write
5 simple sentences based
on topic My Family

4.

Week 6
(3-7
March
2014)

Introduced the substitution table

To teach the pupils on how to

to the pupils

construct simple sentence

Teacher introduced to them

correctly using the substitution

the substitution table using

table.

power point presentation.

They were taught of the
usage of the three columns
that were in the substitution
table. Teacher explains to
the pupils that the first
column was for the subject,
the second column was for
the verb and the third
column was for the object.

5.

Week 7
(10-14

Post-test
- I conducted

March

test

to

2014)

mastery

To test the effectiveness of the

post-writing

test

my pupils

of

writing

the

substitution table in helping the

pupils

to

write

the

simple

sentence.

simple sentence using the

substitution table. I gave
them

worksheet.

It

required them to construct

5 sentences based on the
phrases given in the table.
6

Week 7
(10-14
March
2014)

Evaluate
-

I marked the pupils

To know the end product of the

action research

worksheet. I wanted to the

result after I implemented
my action research.

5.2 Data Gathering Method

There was several of data gathering method in conducting action

research. Koshy, V. (2005).mentioned that action research is all about
developing the act of knowing through observation, listening, analyzing and
questioning. During the implementation of the action research I had used
several of data gathering method which are observation, pre-test and
worksheet. I First of all let me discussed on the first data collection method
that I used that was through the observation. According to the website
(http://www.uic.edu/depts/crwg/cwitguide/04_EvalGuide_STAGE2.pdf)

qualitative method provides descriptive information about what happens in a

program event, including the environment or context, activities, processes,
and discussions. Based on the explanation above I did gather my data
through observation. I observed my pupils during the writing class. Through
the observation it would give the research the clear view of the pupils level of
writing skill. Instead of using the observation method while conducting the
pre-writing test, I did use the observation method throughout conducting my
lesson. Moreover, during the writing class I need to walked around the class
and checked on my pupils progress one by one. This was done to ensure
that the data that I gathered during the observation was valid was fair and not
bias.

Secondly, I had used the method of having a pre-test. After I observed

my pupils and then I reflect at their level of writing skill I took the action of
using pre-test to collect my data. Pre test is a test administered before a
program begins. It aimed to measure the participants' knowledge and
attitudes. I had prepared the pre test question to be asked to the pupils. The
pre test questions required them to write down 5 simple sentences based on
the topic My Family without guidance. The result from this pre writing test
showed the characteristic of authenticity. It was because the pupils were not
being taught on how to write the simple sentence. So, they were just
answered the questions based on their prior knowledge that they have based
on the topic given.
Thirdly, I also used the worksheet as one of my collection data
method. I had used stratified pupils that satisfied the need. According to
Harding, J. (2010) stratified sampling is used when there is insufficient time or
resources to conduct a census (which collects information from every
member of a population). With close reference of this statement with my
action research I did have the same problem as stated above. I had
insufficient time to carry my action research due to various reasons. But
Alhamdulillah I managed to arranged the planning for carrying my action
research. As for the pre writing test, it only involved around 11 pupils from my
class. The reason was that out of 19 pupils 8 of them were able to create

simple sentences correctly. I focused on the pupils that were having problem
in writing the correct simple sentences.

5.3 Data Analysis Method

According to Koshy, V. (2002) qualitative data is very suitable for the
action researcher because of its ability to capture the richness and holism
of a situation. In my action research I did use the qualitative method of data
collection. There were two reasons why I used the qualitative method to
analyze my data. First of all, I conducted my research based on the improving
the language skill which is writing. As we all know, it was very difficult to
gather data when it relates to the research on language. By using the
qualitative method of collecting data I could present my data through various
medium such as through pictures as well as through the pupils work. By
using such method in collecting data the process of analyzing the data will be
more valid.
During the pre writing test I had given the pupils an A4 paper. They
were asked to write down 5 simple sentences based on the topic My Family.
These were the sample of pupils answers during the pre writing test:

Figure 6: Pupils work during the pre writing test

Similarities in the mistake make by the two pupils: Both of

them were not following the correct grammar rules of
subject verb agreement.

Difference in the mistake make by the two pupils:

1. Pupil number 1 make mistake in the term of sentence
structure. Pupil number 1 did not follow the rule of
constructing simple sentence. Plus, he also did not follow the
correct grammar rule of subject verb agreement.
2. Meanwhile pupil number 2 make grammar mistake. After
singular subject it should be followed by singular verb.

After I implemented my action research I could see the improvement in the

pupils writing skill. After evaluating the pupils worksheet during the post writing test I
could see that by using the substitution table all of the pupils were able to write

simple sentences correctly. Non-native speakers of English who have learnt English
the hard way and have often seen substitution tables generally dont find them
difficult. Rinvolucri, M.(1984). It means that the substitution table is really effective in
teaching the pupils to write simple sentence. Our pupils were not native speaker of
English so by learning to write using the substitution table it aided their level of
understanding on how to write simple sentence. Plus, instead of learning to write the
simple sentence in directly by copy down the sentences, they could learn to write the
simple sentence in a creative form of writing. This could help the pupils to
understand more on how to construct the simple sentence. Below was the sample of
pupils work during the post writing test:

Figure 7: Pupils worksheet during the post writing stage

Based on the pupils worksheet it could be conclude that the substitution table
really effective in helping the pupils to improve their skill in writing the simple

sentence. The pupils were managed to get all answers correct without making any
mistakes. This showed that the pupils understood on how to construct the simple
sentences using the substitution table. By using this method the pupils could kill two
birds with one stone. They were not just learning to construct the simple sentence
but they were also able to enrich their understanding on the syntax pattern. Haliza
Hamzah, Samuel, N & Rafidah Kastawi (2008) stated that by using familiar examples
that are related to childrens experience when teaching complex idea will help them
to understand the concept better. During the process of teaching them to write the
simple sentence, I did a lot of reinforcement. Reinforcement is the process of
repetition of the same input to ensure the understanding of its content.
Reinforcement could be made through self-administered-evaluation of own
performance using the repetition method, Sharma, K (2010). It means that through
drilling, repetition, and reinforcement it helped to improve the pupils understanding.
What I did was I stressed on the sentence pattern that they learnt. For example,
during the writing class while giving the example of simple sentence to them, I did
ask them to read the simple sentences twice or when necessary I asked them to
read it thrice.
Other than that, I will also ask them to construct the simple sentence that had
the same sentence pattern. The different was just on the words used in the sentence
For example, in the example given they wrote sentence I Love My Family. Then, for
the next sentence I guided them to construct the sentences based on the same
sentence pattern but replace the subject or the predicate using another words. They
were able to construct the simple sentence with some guidance from the teacher.

6.0 IMPLIMENTING PLAN OF ACTION

6.1 Schedule

Who was involved?

A researcher
-

One female teacher

19 pupils of intermediate
proficiency level in English
language.

What were the circumstances?

11 girls
8 boys

Provide the pupils will sufficient practice to h

them improve in their skill in writing sim

sentences using the substitution table.
When did the event occur?

Starting on 3rd of March until 14 of March 20

During the writing class.

Where did the event occur?

Classroom 3 Bestari of SK Sungai Tekali

Based on the plan of action, I had implemented one of the methods in

teaching the writing skill. The method that I used was substitution table. A
substitution table can be useful in remedying the frequently occurring error
concerned with subject-verb agreement, Moses, F. (2001). This statement
was proven to be correct by looking at the result after I implement my action
research. Before I carried out the conduct my action research I found that
most of my pupils were unable to write the correct simple sentence. After I
implement my action research I found that the method that I used was really
successful in helping my pupils to improve my pupils skill in writing the
simple sentence. The picture below would show the result of the same pupil
before and after implementing the action research to the pupil:
Before implementing the action research:

Figure 8:Pupils work during the pre writing stage

Based on the worksheet I could conclude that this pupil would not
able to construct simple sentence correctly. The pupil had the idea to write.
The problem was that they forgot to write the verb in the sentences.

After the implementation of the action research

Figure 9: The pupils worksheet during the post writing test

After the implementation of my action research I can conclude that by
using the substitution table most of my pupils were able to construct the

simple sentence correctly. According to Nesamalar, C, Sarah, S, & Choon,

T,S (2005) substitution table is useful technique for encouraging writing
among beginners and for those who have limited vocabularies. The
statement was proven to be correct by looking at the result of the post writing
test. If compared to the result of the pre writing test with the post writing test, I
could see the changes in the level of understanding of the pupils. During the
pre writing stage, it was shown that the pupils were not able to construct the
simple sentence because they do not know the rule. They just simply wrote
anything without following the rule of the sentence construction. However,
after the pupils learnt the substitution table method, they showed a clear
understanding on how to construct the simple sentence. That was proven by
looking at the result of the post writing test. 100% of them were able to score
5/5 which means all answer were correct.

6.2 Budget

No.

Materials used

Kos

Amount

Money spent

Blank A4 paper

RM 0.03

19 pieces

RM0.57

Rm0.06

19 pieces

Rm1.14

Photostat pupils worksheet

Total amount:

RM1.71