Improving The Eight Grade Students’ Writing Skill Through STEM-Integrated in Project-Based Learning at SMP Labschool Palu
Abstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of STEM-integrated Project-Based Learning (PjBL) in improving the writing skills of eighth-grade EFL students at SMP Labschool UNTAD Palu. Writing remains a persistent challenge for junior high school EFL learners, particularly in terms of content development, organizational coherence, and vocabulary application. Although Project-Based Learning has been widely shown to support EFL writing development, few studies have specifically examined the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) content within procedural text writing at the junior high school level. The Emancipated Curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka) encourages contextual, interdisciplinary, and project-driven approaches to language learning, yet empirical evidence on STEM integration within procedural text writing instruction at the junior high school level remains limited. A pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest method was employed. Twenty students from Class VIII A were selected through purposive sampling and received six sessions of STEM-integrated PjBL treatment centered on a bridge-building project using ice cream sticks. Writing performance was assessed using an analytic rubric adapted from Jacobs (1981), encompassing content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. The pre-test yielded a mean score of 61.13, while the post-test produced a mean score of 76.25, representing a mean deviation of 15.13 points. Statistical analysis using a paired t-test returned a t-counted value of 14.14, which exceeded the t-table value of 1.729 (df = 19; α = 0.05), confirming that the improvement was statistically significant. The findings suggest that integrating STEM content through project-based activities provides authentic and meaningful contexts that support students' procedural writing development. Teachers are encouraged to adopt this interdisciplinary approach to enhance EFL writing instruction, particularly under the Emancipated Curriculum framework.
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References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i4.2709
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