Experimental Study on Positive Reinforcement Using Picture Cards to Improve Elementary School Students' Writing Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24114/icp.v6i1.70344Keywords:
Positive Reinforcement, Picture Card, Writing Ability, Elementary StudentsAbstract
Writing is a fundamental literacy skill that remains a major challenge for elementary school students in Indonesia. Many students experience difficulties in organizing ideas, constructing sentences, and maintaining writing motivation, which negatively affects their literacy development. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of positive reinforcement using picture card in improving elementary school students’ writing skills. The research employed a experimen approach with a One Group Pretest–Posttest Design. The participants were 20 third-grade students from UPT SDN 26 Gresik, selected based on initial screening results. Data were collected using a validated writing skill assessment covering aspects of letter formation, sentence construction, spelling accuracy, and writing neatness, and were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The results indicated a significant improvement in students’ writing performance, with the mean score increasing from 25.00 in the pretest to 36.50 in the posttest, representing a 57% improvement. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores p = 0.001 (p < 0.05), with all participants demonstrating positive score gains. These findings confirm that positive reinforcement supported by picture card media is effective in enhancing elementary students’ writing skills. The study strengthens the application of Skinner’s operant conditioning theory in literacy learning and offers practical implications for developing engaging, motivating, and student-centered writing instruction in elementary education.References
Astuti, N. W., & Rambe, R. N. (2024). Pengaruh Media Gambar Berseri terhadap Kemampuan Menulis Siswa Kelas Rendah. Aulad: Journal on Early Childhood, 7(2), 554–562. https://doi.org/10.31004/aulad.v7i2.718
Aunurrika, S., & Puspitaningrum, N. S. E. (2023). Pemberian Reinforcement Positif Dalam Meningkatkan Kedisiplinan Siswa MTs X. Jipsi, 5(2), 56–66. https://doi.org/10.37278/jipsi.v5i2.766
Azwar, S. (2012). Penyusunan Skala Psikologi (II). Pustaka Pelajar.
Bekata, H. M., Mau, P., Dony, T., & Daik, T. Y. (2025). Implementasi Keterampilan Guru Memberi Penguatan Dalam Proses Pembelajaran di Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Ilmiah Wahana Pendidikan, 11, 77–93. https://jurnal.peneliti.net/index.php/JIWP/article/view/11453
Bouwer, R., & van der Veen, C. (2024). Write, talk and rewrite: the effectiveness of a dialogic writing intervention in upper elementary education. Reading and Writing, 37(6), 1435–1456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10474-8
Carooline, S. H. (2025). Penerapan reinforcement positive dengan metode drill untuk meningkatkan kemampuan menulis permulaan huruf pada anak low vision di slb kemala bhayangkari 2 gresik. 1(1). https://journal.nurscienceinstitute.id/index.php/fukuri
Gaffar, S., Atmowardoyo, H., & Dollah, S. (2022). The Effects of Positive Reinforcement on Students’ Writing Achievement in an Indonesian EFL Classroom. Celebes Journal of Language Studies, 2(1), 9–22. https://doi.org/10.51629/cjls.v2i1.78
Hae, Y., Tantu, Y. R. P., & Widiastuti, W. (2021). Penerapan Media Pembelajaran Visual Dalam Membangun Motivasi Belajar Siswa Sekolah Dasar. Edukatif : Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, 3(4), 1177–1184. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v3i4.522
Kasdanel, P. (2013). Efektivitas Sensori Integrasi untuk Meningkatkan Keterampilan Menulis Permulaan pada Anak Autis di TI-JI Home Schooling Padang. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Khusus, 1(2), 248–255.
Kusumaningtyas, N. F., Astini, B. N., & Rachmayani, I. (2022). Pengaruh Penggunaan Kartu Kata Bergambar Terhadap Kemampuan Membaca Permulaan. JCAR ( Journal of Classroom Action Research), 4(4), 6. https://doi.org/10.29303/jcar.v4i4.2373
Maftuhah, M., & Noviekayati, I. (2020). Pengaruh penguatan positif terhadap motivasi belajar siswa sekolah dasar. PHILANTHROPY: Journal of Psychology, 4(2), 158. https://doi.org/10.26623/philanthropy.v4i2.2406
Pusat Asesmen Pendidikan. (2022). Buku Saku Capaian Hasil AN untuk Satuan Pendidikan. 1, 1–40.
Rahmah, Z. M., & Azmy, B. (2025). Pengaruh Media Kartu Bergambar terhadap Keterampilan Menulis Permulaan Siswa Kelas 1 Sekolah Dasar. Pendas : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 10(1), 213–220.
Sahno. (2022). Penggunaan Media Gambar Berseri Dalam Meningkatkan Kemampuan Menulis Karangan Narasi Siswa Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan, 1(2), 53–58. https://doi.org/10.56916/ejip.v1i2.18
Santrock, J. W. (2007). Child Development (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science And Human Behavior. The Macmillan Company.
Slamet, S. Y. (2013). Dasar-Dasar Keterampilan Menulis. UNS Press.
Tarigan, H. G. (2008). Menulis: Sebagai Suatu Keterampilan Berbahasa. Angkasa Bandung.
Wahyu Rendiyono, P., Setiawan Wicaksono, A., Info, A., & Artikel, R. (2024). Encouraging Students’ Passion for Learning: The Effectiveness of Positive Reinforcement Techniques for Elementary School Students Mendorong Semangat Belajar Siswa: Efektivitas Teknik Reinforcement Positif Untuk Siswa Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Imiah Psikologi, 12(4), 510–516. http://dx.doi.org/10.30872/psikoborneo.v12i4
Yusuf, M., Sunardi, & Abdurrahman, M. (2003). Pendidikan Bagi Anak Dengan Problema Belajar (Cetakan 1). PT Tiga Pustaka Mandiri.
Kim, Y. S. G., Yang, D., Reyes, M., & Connor, C. (2021). Writing instruction improves students’ writing skills differentially depending on instructional focus for primary grade students: A meta-analysis. Reading & Writing, 34(8), 1897–1921. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-021-10181-y.
Green, K. R. (2021). Evidence-based teaching of essay writing: Intervention at primary levels. Journal of Writing Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2021.1939658.
Guo, Y., et al. (2025). Typical writing instruction and practice: Contributions to early writing development in kindergarten children. Reading and Writing, Online First. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-025-10654-8.
Harris, K. R., Kim, Y.-S., Yim, S., Camping, A., & Graham, S. (2024). Integrated teaching of reading and writing: Science and implications for early literacy. Scientific Studies of Reading, 29(1), 32–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2024.2380272.
Hikaya, N., Hamzah, R. A., Rahmadani, E., & Putri, A. (2025). Mengembangkan keterampilan menulis di sekolah dasar. JIE: Jurnal Inovasi Edukasi, 8(1), 1–12.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5625629/
Kim, Y. S. G., & Park, H. (2024). Integrated writing and reading instruction effects on early literacy development. Scientific Studies of Reading. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2024.2380272
Lovita, I. D. (2025). Analisis keterampilan menulis siswa sekolah dasar. JIIP: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 6(1), 1–10.
Wanzek, J., et al. (2016). The impact of transcription writing interventions for first-grade students. Early Education and Development.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Anisa Farah Adiba, Awang Setiawan Wicaksono

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are 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 an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their 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 published work.






