The Effectiveness of Using Flashcards on Students’ Writing Skills in Descriptive Texts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31949/educatio.v12i2.18797Abstract
Writing is one of the essential language skills that students need to master; however, many junior high school students still face difficulties in generating ideas, organizing sentences, and using appropriate vocabulary in descriptive writing. To address these problems, flashcards were used as a visual learning medium to facilitate students’ writing activities. This study aimed to determine the effect of using flashcards on students’ writing skills in descriptive texts. The research employed a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design. The participants were 66 seventh-grade students of SMP Deli Murni in the 2025/2026 academic year, consisting of 33 students in the experimental class and 33 students in the control class. The instrument used to collect the data was a writing test administered through pre-test and post-test. The students’ writing was assessed based on content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality and homogeneity tests, paired sample t-test, and independent sample t-test. The findings revealed that the students who were taught by using flashcards showed greater improvement in writing descriptive texts than those who were taught through conventional methods. The mean score of the control class increased from 45.70 to 67.82, while the experimental class improved from 48.94 to 78.76. Furthermore, the independent sample t-test showed a significance value lower than 0.05, indicating that flashcards had a significant effect on students’ writing skills. Therefore, it can be concluded that flashcards are effective in improving students’ ability to write descriptive texts.
Keywords:
Flashcards Writing skills Descriptive text Quasi-experimental researchDownloads
References
Adillah, G., Ridwan, A., & Rahayu, W. (2022). Content validation through expert judgement of an instrument on the self-assessment of mathematics education student competency. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 9(3), 780–790. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v9i3.3738
Alghizzi, T. M., & Alshahrani, T. M. (2024). Effects of grading rubrics on EFL learners' writing in an EMI setting. Heliyon, 10(18), e36394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36394
Altameemy, F., & Daradkeh, A. (2019). Common paragraph writing errors made by Saudi EFL students: Error analysis. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 9(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0902.07
Azharra, A. P., Shodiq, J., & Setyaji, A. (2022). The use of flashcard to improve students' vocabulary mastery in writing descriptive text: Case of grade 7 students of SMPN 5 Ambarawa. Journal of Research on English and Language Learning (J-REaLL), 3(2), 98–103. https://doi.org/10.33474/j-reall.v3i2.17364
Brown, H. D. (2004). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices. Pearson/Longman.
Bulqiyah, S., Mahbub, M. A., & Nugraheni, D. A. (2021). Investigating writing difficulties in essay writing: Tertiary students' perspectives. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 4(1), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v4i1.2371
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications.
Denny, M., Denieffe, S., & O'Sullivan, K. (2023). Non-equivalent control group pretest–posttest design in social and behavioral research. In A. L. Nichols & J. Edlund (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of research methods and statistics for the social and behavioral sciences (Vol. 1, pp. 314–332). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009010054.016
Emilsa, L., & Guslinda, G. (2019). Pengaruh penggunaan media flash card terhadap keterampilan menulis karangan narasi siswa kelas III SDN 188 Pekanbaru. Primary: Jurnal Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Dasar, 8(2), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.33578/jpfkip.v8i2.7566
Gerot, L., & Wignell, P. (1994). Making sense of functional grammar. Gerd Stabler.
Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching. Pearson Education Limited.
Hyland, K., & Richards, J. C. (2010). Second language writing. Cambridge University Press.
Ismayanti, E., & Kholiq, A. (2020). An analysis of students' difficulties in writing descriptive text. E-Link Journal, 7(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.30736/ej.v7i1.260
Jacobs, H. L., Zinkgraf, S. A., Wormuth, D. R., Hartfiel, V. F., & Hughey, J. B. (1981). Testing ESL composition: A practical approach. Newbury House.
Jayanti, F., & Fachrurazi, F. (2020). Peningkatan keterampilan menulis karangan deskripsi melalui metode discovery dengan menggunakan media gambar. Jurnal Kependidikan, 6(2), 329–339. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v6i2.2491
Kanellopoulou, C., Kermanidis, K. L., & Giannakoulopoulos, A. (2019). The dual-coding and multimedia learning theories: Film subtitles as a vocabulary teaching tool. Education Sciences, 9(3), 210. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030210
Kasvita, A. F., & Ritonga, M. U. (2024). Pengaruh media video tutorial terhadap kemampuan menulis teks deskripsi siswa kelas VII MTsN 2 Medan. Morfologi: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, Bahasa, Sastra dan Budaya, 2(4), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.61132/morfologi.v2i4.809
Luo, X. (2022). A study on the application of computer-aided dual-coding theory in English vocabulary teaching. Scientific Programming, 2022, 5951844. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5951844
Martin, J. R., & Rose, D. (2008). Genre relations: Mapping culture. Equinox Publishing.
Mulyasin, M. A., Zamzam, A., Putera, L. J., Amin, M., & Arfah, H. (2023). The challenges and strategies in writing descriptive text on local places in the EFL essay writing course. Jurnal Educatio, 9(4), 2086–2092. https://doi.org/10.31949/educatio.v9i4.6017
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge University Press.
Nuralisaputri, V. V., & Megawati, F. (2023). Writing descriptive texts: What makes this difficult for lower secondary school learners? Indonesian TESOL Journal, 5(2), 120–133. https://doi.org/10.24256/itj.v5i2.2718
Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2007). Introduction to academic writing. Pearson/Longman.
Raimes, A. (1983). Techniques in teaching writing. Oxford University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (1986). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Subandiyono, & Ristiani, I. (2026). The effectiveness of flashcard media using a constructivist approach for learning to use spelling in writing descriptive texts. Jurnal Pembelajaran Bahasa dan Sastra, 5(1).
Sukarni, S., & Haryanto, T. (2022). Project-based learning to improve students' writing skills and motivation. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics, 7(1), 79–94. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v7i1.380
Suvin, S. (2020). Complexities of writing skill at the secondary level in Bangladesh education system: A quantitative case study analysis. English Language Teaching, 13(12), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n12p65
Tuan, L. T. (2012). Teaching writing through genre-based approach. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(4), 693–699. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.3.4.693-699
Wang, H. (2021). Exploring the relationships of achievement motivation and state anxiety to creative writing performance in English as a foreign language. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 42, 100948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100948
Wright, A. (1989). Pictures for language learning. Cambridge University Press.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mia Ernika Samosir, Fiber Yun Almanda Ginting, Jenita Anjani Br. Sembiring

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
An author who publishes in the Jurnal Educatio FKIP UNMA agrees to the following terms:
- Author retains the copyright and grants the journal the right of first publication of the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal
- The author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with the acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- The author is permitted and encouraged to post his/her work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of the published work










