The Use of Articulate Storyline 3 as an Interactive English Learning Media to Improve Reading Comprehension of Junior High School Students

Abstract

Comprehension of English reading materials remains a major challenge for many junior high school students in Indonesia, who are often hindered by limited vocabulary, unfamiliar grammatical structures, and a passive learning environment. A preliminary study at a public junior high school in Jember revealed that students in Class 9E exhibited low levels of engagement and passive participation due to conventional, teacher-centered methods that relied heavily on textbooks and printed worksheets. To address this issue, this study integrated Articulate Storyline 3—an interactive multimedia authoring tool—to enhance classroom dynamics and foster a student-centered reading learning process. Utilizing a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design based on Creswell's (2012) framework, this study was conducted over one cycle consisting of four sessions in the school's computer lab with 28 ninth-grade students. Narrative texts were used as the primary learning material. Primary data were collected through classroom observations conducted collaboratively by three fellow teacher observers and the class's English teacher using a standardized rubric that included four indicators: attention, participation in reading activities, responsiveness, and engagement in discussions. A reading comprehension test was administered during the fourth session to provide additional supporting data. The findings revealed a consistent and measurable improvement in student behavior throughout the learning sessions. The average classroom observation score increased from 2.50 (Partially Engaged) in Session 1 to 3.00 (Active) in Session 2, and reached 3.5 (Very Active) in Session 3. Since the final average score of 3.5 exceeded the established success criterion ($M \ge 3.26$), the primary research objective was achieved within one cycle. Regarding the supporting test in Session 4, raw scores decreased due to student absences and intentional calibration of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy at levels C4 (Analyze) and C5 (Evaluate). However, since this study focused primarily on process engagement, these test variations did not diminish the observed behavioral success. In conclusion, Articulate Storyline 3 effectively transformed reading instruction in Class 9E from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach and met all success criteria within a single cycle.