THE EFFECT OF DISCOVERY LEARNING MODEL ON STUDENTS' ABILITY IN WRITING PORTOFOLIOS

Abstrak

Writing is considered one of the most challenging skills for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, especially when it comes to producing structured and coherent texts such as portfolios. This study aims to determine and analyze the effect of the Discovery Learning model on students’ ability in writing portfolios. The research employed a quantitative approach with an experimental method using a pre-test and post-test control group design. The population of this study consisted of all Grade XII students at SMAN 1 Tanjungbalai, and the sample included 60 students selected through random sampling techniques. Data were collected using writing tests and analyzed using the t-test. The results revealed that students taught using the Discovery Learning model performed better in writing tasks compared to those taught using conventional methods. The average post-test score of the experimental group was 86.86, while the control group scored 67.42. Hypothesis testing showed that the calculated t-value (tₕ = 9.894) was higher than the critical t-value (tₜ = 2.042), and the significance level was p < 0.05. These findings indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Therefore, the study concludes that the Discovery Learning model has a positive and significant effect on students' ability in writing English portfolios.