Marino Sihombing

Writing skill is a crucial component of English language learning; however, it remains one of the most challenging skills for many senior high school students, particularly in narrative writing. In the current classroom context, students of grade XI-3 SMA experience specific difficulties in generating ideas, developing coherent story plots, and organizing events logically. Many students struggle to construct complete narrative structures, including clear orientation, complication, and resolution, which often results in fragmented and incoherent texts. Common problems include poor event sequencing, limited vocabulary, weak paragraphs, and low cohesion. These difficulties are closely related to instructional practices that emphasize the final written product rather than the writing process. Students are frequently asked to write narrative texts without sufficient guidance on planning, organizing, and developing ideas systematically. Consequently, students feel confused, unmotivated, and anxious, which negatively affects their writing performance. This situation indicates the urgent need for an effective instructional technique. Mind Mapping was selected to address these issues because it helps students brainstorm ideas, organize story elements, and maintain narrative coherence. This Classroom Action Research involving 34 students showed improved writing achievement, with mean scores increasing from 65.21 to 82.46 and more students reaching Good and Very Good categories overall.

This community service program aimed to improve students’ recount text writing skills by enhancing their mastery of past tense verbs through the application of clustering techniques within the Genre-Based Approach (GBA). The main problem addressed was the students’ limited ability to construct recount texts with appropriate structure, vocabulary, and chronological flow. The program involved socialization and training for 10 eighth-grade students at SMP YP HKBP 1 Pematangsiantar on May 13, 2025. The implementation methods included lectures, discussions, and writing practice, with evaluations conducted through observation, worksheet analysis, and student writing assessment. Results indicated that 80% of the participants showed significant improvement in text structure, use of past tense verbs, and idea organization. These findings suggest that the integration of clustering techniques and GBA is effective in enhancing students’ writing hardskills in the recount text genre.

This comprehensive study investigates the multifaceted impact of TikTok usage on English language acquisition among adolescent students in HKBP Siantar Timur. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research delves deep into how TikTok influences various aspects of language learning, including vocabulary acquisition, listening comprehension, speaking skills, and cultural awareness. The study surveyed 21 teenagers aged 15-17, meticulously analyzing their TikTok usage patterns, language preferences, learning strategies, and perceived impacts on English proficiency. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with a subset of participants to gain richer insights into their experiences and perceptions. Results indicate that while TikTok offers engaging and diverse content for language learning, students face significant challenges such as distraction, content reliability, and the need for critical digital literacy skills. The study reveals complex relationships between TikTok usage frequency, content types, and perceived language improvements. Notably, students who actively engaged with educational content and international users reported higher perceived gains in language skills. This research provides nuanced insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers on leveraging social media platforms for language education in the digital age. It highlights the need for structured guidance, curated content, and the development of digital literacy skills to maximize the potential of platforms like TikTok in formal and informal language learning contexts.

This comprehensive study investigates the crucial role of clauses in English sentence structure, primarily focusing on the distinction between independent clauses and dependent clauses. This research explores how these two types of clauses function as essential components in forming sentence structures, facilitating the expression of complex ideas and effective communication. The investigation reveals that independent clauses possess the ability to position alone as thorough sentences, while dependent clauses depend on independent clauses on the context and meaning. The study identifies various types of dependent clauses and examines how they contribute to more complex sentence structures. Furthermore, this research highlights the importance of subordinating conjunctions in introducing dependent clauses and establishing logical relationships within sentence structures. By elucidating the functions of independent and dependent clauses, this study provides valuable insights into the formation of effective sentence structures. The research demonstrates how the strategic use of independent and dependent clauses, along with the appropriate utilization of subordinating conjunctions, can enhance the quality and complexity of sentence structures. This analysis offers a deeper understanding of sentence structure mechanisms, contributing to broader linguistic theories and applications. The study emphasizes the critical role of clause analysis in developing strong writing skills and effective communication. The results indicate that a solid understanding of independent clauses, dependent clauses, and the use of subordinating conjunctions is crucial in creating varied and expressive sentence structures. This study contributes significantly to the considerate of sentence structures in English, underscoring the importance of independent clauses, dependent clauses, and subordinating conjunctions in language learning, teaching, and research. The study concludes that mastery of various clause types and the ability to combine them effectively are key to enhancing language proficiency and communication skills.