The findings are particularly relevant as educators across Indonesia continue to seek effective methods for strengthening literacy skills among primary school students. Writing proficiency remains a key educational priority because it supports communication, critical thinking, creativity, and overall academic success.
Why Narrative Writing Remains a Challenge
Narrative writing is one of the most important literacy skills taught in elementary schools. It helps students organize ideas, describe experiences, and communicate stories in a logical sequence. However, many students struggle with generating ideas, arranging events coherently, selecting appropriate vocabulary, and applying correct spelling and punctuation.
At UPTD SD Negeri 79 Parepare in South Sulawesi, researchers observed similar challenges among fourth-grade students. Initial assessments revealed that students often found it difficult to develop coherent narrative paragraphs and frequently made mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The average writing score before the intervention was 66.92, below the school’s minimum competency standard of 70. Only 42.3 percent of students met the required achievement level.
These challenges prompted researchers from Universitas Negeri Makassar to test whether a more interactive learning approach could improve student performance.
How the Study Was Conducted
The research used a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design involving 26 fourth-grade students at UPTD SD Negeri 79 Parepare during the 2025–2026 academic year. The class consisted of 14 male students and 12 female students.
Researchers implemented the Think Talk Write learning model over two instructional cycles. The method involves three sequential stages:
- Think: Students individually analyze information and generate ideas.
- Talk: Students discuss their ideas with classmates.
- Write: Students transform those ideas into written paragraphs.
To support the process, teachers used serial picture media, a sequence of images that visually illustrate events in chronological order. These pictures served as prompts to help students understand story structure and develop narrative content more effectively.
Researchers collected data through classroom observations, writing assessments, and documentation. Student writing was evaluated based on topic development, paragraph organization, vocabulary, language use, and writing mechanics such as spelling and punctuation.
Significant Improvements in Student Writing
The results showed clear improvements in both classroom engagement and writing performance after the TTW model was implemented.
Key findings included:
- Average narrative writing scores increased from 72.88 percent in Cycle I to 80.19 percent in Cycle II.
- Student learning mastery rose from 73.08 percent to 92.30 percent.
- Teacher activity improved from 66.66 percent to 100 percent.
- Student participation increased from 74.35 percent to 89.10 percent.
- By the end of the intervention, 24 of 26 students achieved the school’s minimum competency standard.
Among the five writing assessment categories, students achieved their highest performance in topic development, scoring 96.15 percent. This suggests that the serial picture media effectively stimulated students’ imagination and helped them generate ideas for narrative writing. Paragraph organization also performed strongly at 84.61 percent, while grammar and vocabulary reached good performance levels.
The weakest area remained spelling and punctuation, which scored 67.30 percent. Researchers noted that although students became better at expressing and organizing ideas, they still needed additional guidance to improve technical writing accuracy.
Why the TTW Model Works
According to the researchers, the Think Talk Write model succeeds because it mirrors the natural process of writing. Students first reflect individually, then refine their ideas through discussion, and finally convert those ideas into written text.
The study found that group discussions reduced students’ difficulties in expressing ideas and increased confidence during writing activities. The visual sequence provided by serial pictures further helped students understand story progression and organize events logically before writing.
Musfirah and colleagues concluded that the integration of TTW and serial picture media creates an active, student-centered learning environment that encourages critical thinking, collaboration, and effective written communication. The researchers reported that the approach not only improved writing outcomes but also increased student participation throughout the learning process.
Implications for Education
The findings have practical implications for teachers, schools, and education policymakers seeking cost-effective ways to improve literacy instruction.
For teachers, the study provides evidence that combining collaborative learning strategies with visual teaching aids can significantly strengthen narrative writing skills. The approach requires relatively simple classroom resources while encouraging greater student engagement.
For schools, the research highlights the value of investing in interactive learning media that promote active participation rather than relying solely on traditional teacher-centered instruction.
The study also suggests that future literacy programs should continue emphasizing spelling and punctuation instruction to complement gains in creativity and idea development.
Author Insight
Researchers from Universitas Negeri Makassar emphasized that the strongest improvement occurred in students’ ability to generate and organize ideas. They concluded that serial picture media effectively stimulated imagination and helped students build coherent narrative paragraphs while increasing classroom participation and engagement.
Author Profiles
Musfirah — Researcher and educator affiliated with Universitas Negeri Makassar, specializing in elementary education, literacy development, and Indonesian language instruction.
Nur Ilmi — Academic researcher at Universitas Negeri Makassar with expertise in primary education and classroom learning strategies.
Putri Ramadhani Sulaiman — Researcher from Universitas Negeri Makassar focusing on elementary school pedagogy, literacy education, and instructional innovation.
Source
Title: Implementation of Think Talk Write (TTW) Learning Model Using Serial Picture Media to Improve Students Paragraph Writing Skills at Uptd Sdn 79 Parepare
Journal: International Journal of Sustainable Applied Sciences (IJSAS), Vol. 4, No. 7
Year: 2026
Authors: Musfirah, Nur Ilmi, Putri Ramadhani Sulaiman (Universitas Negeri Makassar)
DOI: 10.59890/ijsas.v4i7.15
URL: http://ijsasjournal.my.id/index.php/ijsas
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