“The Effect of Applying The Herringbone Technique on Students’ Reading Comprehension of Cultural Heritage Expository Texts”

Abstract

Reading comprehension is an essential skill that enables students to understand and analyze written texts effectively. Expository texts, which present factual and logical information, often pose challenges for students due to their complex structure. The Herringbone Technique offers a visual strategy that helps students identify the main idea and supporting details by answering six guiding questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. This technique supports students’ understanding of expository texts, by organizing information in a clear and structured way through steps such as selecting the text, preparing the diagram, guiding reading with 5W+1H, filling in the diagram, summarizing the content, and discussing the findings. This research investigated the effect of applying the Herringbone Technique on the tenth-grade students’ reading comprehension in cultural heritage expository texts at a senior high school in Bondowoso. Using purposive sampling, two classes were selected based on their final exam scores and school recommendations, then assigned as the experimental and control groups. The study used a quasi-experimental post-test-only design, where both groups received two sessions of instruction, one with the Herringbone Technique and the other with a conventional technique. After the treatment, a reading comprehension post-test was administered to both groups. The students’ post-test scores served as the primary data to determine the effectiveness of the technique. The post-test analysis revealed that the experimental group taught using the Herringbone Technique scored higher (M = 79.75) than the control group (M = 69.29). Using an independent sample t-test in SPSS, the Sig. (2-tailed) value was 0.048, which is below 0.05, indicating a statistically significant difference between the two groups. This result led to the rejection of the null hypothesis and acceptance of the alternative hypothesis. Thus, it can be concluded that applying the Herringbone Technique significantly improved students’ reading comprehension of cultural heritage expository texts. Since the Herringbone Technique has a positive impact on students' reading comprehension, it could be conclude that this technique is more effective than conventional technique, making it a valuable technique to foster students’ critical and analytical thinking in reading. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to use the Herringbone Technique as an alternative strategy to help students engage more actively with reading materials. Students are also advised to practice this technique to enhance their ability in comprehending texts. Future researchers may further explore its application across different educational levels, research designs, and even other language skills like writing.