Enhancing Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement by Using Reciprocal Teaching Strategy

Abstract

This classroom action research was intended to enhance the tenth grade students’ reading comprehension achievement by using Reciprocal Teaching Strategy. Based on the preliminary study that conducted by the researcher in the form of interview with the English teacher at SMKN 5 Jember it was known that the tenth MMD 2 grade students had difficulties in reading comprehension since their reading scores were mostly below 75. The students experienced difficulties by using traditional method in reading. They did not have many activities. They just did exercise and translated the text, then discuss it. On the other hand, the students could not get the information from the text because they did not understand about the teacher’s explanation. Here, students were not confident and afraid to ask about what they have not understood yet. Students were lack of confidence. As the conclusion, students have problems dealing with their learning strategy and motivation. Students only can read and translate the text. They rarely practise reading strategies that is usually used to comprehend a text. There were only 14 students who had achieved the standard score, while 21 students got scores below 75. In other words, only 40% students achieved the standard score. Thus the researcher tried to overcome the students’ problem in reading by using Reciprocal Teaching Strategy as a strategy in teaching reading. The data of this research were collected from interview, reading test, observation and documentation. The participants were the tenth MMD 2 grade students of SMKN 5 Jember consisting of 35 students. The researcher chose the tenth of MMD 2 grade students as the research participants because of the consideration that the tenth MMD 2 grade students of SMKN 5 Jember have the lowest score of reading comprehension and have difficulties in comprehending the text. Besides, the tenth MMD 2 grade students had lack of confidence so they become not active during teaching learning process. This research was done in two cycles in which each cycle covered four stages; they are planning, acting, analyzing and reflecting. There are two evaluations of this research namely process evaluation and product evaluation. The process evaluation was intended to know the percentage of the students’ participation. While the product evaluation was intended to measure the students’ reading comprehension achievement after they were given the action. Due to the result of the students’ participation, it was found that the students’ participation was improved. It can be seen in Cycle 1, the percentage of the students who were active was 78.5% while in Cycle 2 was 81.42%. The result of the students’ participation was successful because it was more than 75% of the students were active. Further, the result of the students’ reading comprehension achievement also enhanced in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. It was found that the students’ mean score of reading comprehension test enhanced from 72.17 in the previous reading score to 76 in Cycle 1 and 77 in Cycle 2. Also the percentage of the students who got score at least 75 enhanced from 40% in the previous reading score to 77.14% in Cycle 1 and 80% in Cycle 2. In conclusion, the reading comprehension test result had achieved the target criteria that were expected in this research that was at least 75% of the students achieved the minimum requirement of the standard score that is 75. Based on the explanation above it can be concluded that Reciprocal Teaching Strategy helped the tenth MMD 2 grade students of SMKN 5 Jember to enhance their participation and their reading comprehension achievement.