This study aimed to determine the planning, implementation and evaluation of tutorial model on distance learning Indonesian courses in the Elementary School Teacher Education (PGSD) study program, State University of Medan. This research was a descriptive study with a quantitative approach. The data collection in this study was non-participant observation. The instrument used was a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive percentages. The results showed that the planning tutorial model was significant, realistic, relevant, certain, thorough, adaptable, good time allocation and good planning content. The implementation of tutorial model had been going well and was in accordance with the syntax of the model. The evaluation of tutorial model was in accordance with the learning assessment indicators, namely educational, authentic, objective, accountable, and transparent.

This study aims to: (1) Analyze the effectiveness level of interactive learning media assisted by Macromedia Flash on story text learning that will be developed at Public Elementary School 060856 Medan Perjuangan Subdistrict. (2) Analyze how the level of interactive learning media assisted by Macromedia Flash in story text learning that will be developed at Public Elementary School 060856 Medan Perjuangan Subdistrict. This study uses Borg & Gall development research. Based on the analysis of learning media products assisted by Macromedia Flash from the experts, it was declared very effective and feasible to use with criteria of the validity of the material experts 85.42%, the design expert 91.00%, and the linguist 85.00%. Based on the completeness data of student learning outcomes before using interactive learning media assisted by Macromedia Flash obtained an average score of 62 while after using a large scale completeness reached an average of 90 with a gain score of 0.74 into the high category. And the student questionnaire responses to the effectiveness of interactive learning media assisted by Macromedia Flash reached 90% of 30 students. Based on this data interactive learning media assisted by Macromedia Flash are said to be effectively used in learning with the assumption that students' understanding of story text is higher when using interactive learning media assisted by Macromedia Flash.

Using qualitative method and hermeneutical approach, this research examines the ratok bawak bewailing tradition of Minangkabau cultural ethnicity in Bukik Limbuku region, Payakumbuh town, Sumatra, Indonesia. This region uses the Indonesian language, Minangkabau tradition and follows the matrilineal system. They are led by a headman, administration is done according to custom and ratok bawak is used especially when burying a region headman. However, Hans-Georg Gadamer’s transformation theory found in his book titled Truth and Method (German: Wahrheit und Methode, first edition in 1960) has transformed this ritual into an art capable of influencing its original meaning. Data were collected by observation, interview, documentation, and reconstruction, and were analyzed by interpretative and qualitative descriptive analysis. Results show that though the ratok bawak had expounded the meaning of sadness, solidarity, education, politeness, prestige and discord, the transformed ratok bawak illustrates the meaning of aesthetics, education (norm, tradition, and social), imagination, expressive creativity, creation and appreciation.

This study aims to develop teaching materials for writing short stories based on experience to facilitate students in writing short text. The learning approach offered by researchers is considered appropriate for writing short text material because it can help students to easily express their ideas in writing short stories by linking the material with the context of their daily lives. In addition, experience is the best teacher because from experience one can learn. Experience is a memory that is recorded and stored as a story that forms a filter of perception that ultimately guides behavior. The results of this study indicate that the effectiveness of teaching short story writing lessons based on experiences developed for 7th grade student of junior high school 2 Kejuruan Muda was stated to be more effective than student handbooks. The results of the acquisition of student learning outcomes before and after using teaching materials have increased quite significantly by 8.28. The average score of students before (pretest) using teaching materials learning experiences writing short stories based on experience 74.43 and the average value of post (testing) using teaching materials learning writing short stories based on experience 82.71.

Writing explanation text skills means the ability of students to express ideas, feelings, and experiences to others in writing a language that is good or contextual and true about social, natural and cultural phenomena. In relation to learning to write explanation texts, reasoning skills and socio-economic status of parents need to be considered. This study is aims to know the reasoning skills on writing explanation text skills reviewed by social economic status of parents of VIIIth grade students in junior high school 2 Raya, Simalungun District. This study is conducted by using Ex Post Facto approach. This study shows that there is a significant difference between explanation text writing skills of students who have high reasoning skills and those with low reasoning skills. It means that explanation text writing skills of students who have high reasoning skills are better results than explanation text writing skills of students who have low reasoning skills. The average score of writing skills produced by students having higher reasoning skills is higher than the explanation text writing skills of students who have low reasoning skills, that is 78.8> 73.2. Thus, in explanation text writing learning, students who have high reasoning skills are better results than students who have low reasoning skills.