Enhancing Students' Narrative Writing Through English Visual Prompt Cards at SMA Swasta Nurul Iman Tanjung Morawa

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate how effective English Visual Prompt Cards (EVPC) are at enhancing the narrative writing skills of eleventh graders at SMA Swasta Nurul Iman Tanjung Morawa. Writing has traditionally been regarded as one of the most difficult skills to master in English as a foreign language because it demands not only grammatical precision and vocabulary knowledge but also the ability to generate ideas, organize them coherently, and express them creatively. A lot of students struggle with narrative writing, especially when it comes to crafting plots, keeping logical coherence, and preserving motivation as they write. This study proposed EVPC as a visual-based tool aimed at fostering students’ creativity, steering idea generation, and alleviating writing-related anxiety as a means of tackling these challenges. The research utilized Classroom Action Research (CAR), carried out in two cycles, each comprising planning, action, observation, and reflection. The study involved 30 students from the eleventh grade as participants, and data collection utilized a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, such as pre-tests, post-tests, observation sheets, interviews, and questionnaires. The quantitative results showed considerable advancement: students’ writing mean score rose from 52.00 in the pre test to 77.66 in the first cycle and reached 82.40 in the second cycle, with every student successfully achieving the Minimum Passing Grade (KKM). The qualitative results further indicated that EVPC improved students’ motivation, confidence, and involvement in writing activities. Students indicated that visual prompts facilitated their generation of story ideas, organization of plots, and expansion of vocabulary. Teachers noted a significant change in the classroom atmosphere, with students becoming more active, collaborative, and eager to engage in writing exercises. This research shows that EVPC has significant pedagogical value in developing linguistic competence and positive learning attitudes. In addition to enhancing the quality of students’ writing, EVPC fostered in them the idea that narrative writing could be a worthwhile and pleasurable pursuit, rather than a taxing chore. This research indicates that EVPC can be successfully incorporated into English writing instruction, especially for narrative texts, and may also be suitable for other genres such as descriptive, recount, or expository texts. This study adds to the expanding literature on the use of innovative media in language education and offers practical insights for educators, learners, and researchers to come. To sum up, EVPC is an effective teaching resource that improves students’ narrative writing skills while also fostering their creativity, motivation, and self-assurance in learning English as a foreign language.