This study aims to find out: (1) differences in the increase in learning outcomes of news text writing skills between low and high motivated students taught with contextual and conventional learning; and (2) the effect of learning approaches and learning motivation on news text writing skills. This study was a quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent control group design. The population in this study were all students of class XII Islamic Senior High School 1Pekanbaru, with the total number of 331 students. Cluster sampling technique was used.Thirty students in each class XII MIA 1 was used as the experimental class and class XII MIA 3 as the control class. Based on the data analysis, the results revealed at the 95% level of confidence that: (1) Students’ news text writing skill taught using a contextual approach is significantly higher than the students taught using conventional approaches because when learning using a contextual approach students are seen to respond well (2) the increase in low motivated students news text writing skills was significantly higher than students who were taught using conventional approaches because with the contextual approach students can understand learning well (3) the increase in high motivated students news text writing skills was significantly higher than students who were taught using conventional approaches because with the contextual approach students can understand learning well because high motivated students were s more active when they were taught using contextual approach, and (4) there is an interaction between learning approaches and student motivation in influencing the writing skills of Year 12 students because motivation to learn can determine the success in student writing skills. Thus the contextual approach can be used as an appropriate learning approach to improve students’ writing ability.
Keywords: writing skills, motivation, writing news texts, contextual approaches