Improving the Eight Grade Students’ Active Participation and Their Recount Text Reading Comprehension Achievement by Using Composite Pictures in Jember

Abstract

This Classroom Action Research was intended to improve the eighth grade students’ participation and their recount text reading comprehension achievement by using composite picture at SMPN 1 Rambipuji, Jember in the 2017/2018 Academic Year. Based on the preliminary study in the form of interview with the English teacher of SMPN 1 Rambipuji Jember, it was known that the students of class VIII-F had difficulties in comprehending a reading text, because they could not catch the point from the text. Besides, the students also did not participate the classroom actively during the teaching learning process of reading. From the last English test, it was known that only 17 of 34 students who got score at least 75 while the rest did not achieve the passing grade score that was 75. The researcher tried to overcome the problem by using composite picture as the teaching medium in teaching reading a recount text. To get the primary data, the researcher used reading comprehension test and observation in the form of checklist as the data collection methods. The data were analyzed statistically. The action was implemented in one cycle and it was done in three meetings. The results of observation showed that the percentage of students’ participation improved from 72% in meeting 1 to 81% in meeting 2 of cycle 1. It means that the results of the students’ participation in cycle 1 had achieved the criteria of success of this research. Then, related to the reading comprehension achievement test in cycle 1, the result of the students who passed the reading comprehension test was 76% or 26 students of 34 students. This result indicated that the target of this research had achieved in cycle 1. Therefore, the cycle was stopped. Based on the result of this research, it was found that the use of composite picture could improve the students’ reading comprehension achievement as well as their active participation during the teaching learning process of reading comprehension at SMPN 1 Rambipuji Jember in the 2017/2018 academic year. The use of composite picture could help the students to understand the text easily, since the composite picture had much information and also could give an illustration about the story to the students. Therefore, in this research, the researcher suggested the English teacher to use composite picture as the medium in teaching reading in order to make the students motivated in learning reading comprehension.