IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION ACHIEVEMENT BY USING COMIC STRIPS OF GRADE X-4 STUDENTS OF SMAN 1 KENCONG JEMBER

Abstract

This Classroom Action Research was intended to improve the tenth grade students’ reading comprehension achievement by using comic strips at SMAN 1 Kencong Jember in the 2011/2012 academic year. Based on the preliminary study in the form of interview with the English teacher of SMAN 1 Kencong Jember, it was found that the students of class X-4 had difficulties in comprehending reading texts because they lacked of vocabularies and also were not interested in reading materials. Besides, the students also lacked of participation in the classroom during the reading teaching and learning process. This was proven by their reading scores which showed that there were 18 out of 36 students (50%) who could achieve the minimum score requirement for the English subject,70. The researchers tried to overcome the problem by applying different type material that is comic strips. The data collection methods used reading comprehension test and the observation in the form of checklist to get the primary data. The data were analyzed statistically. The action was implemented in two cycles in order to achieve the objectives of this classroom action research. The first cycle was done in three meetings included the test. The results of the classroom observation showed that 50% in meeting 1 and 64% in meeting 2 of the students were active during the teaching learning process. It showed that there was improvement of the students’ active participation from meeting 1 to meeting 2, but it had not achieved the objective of the research that was 75% or more of the students who were active in reading teaching learning process. In addition, the result of the reading comprehension test in the first cycle had not achieved the criteria of success of the research that was 75% of the students got 70 or higher in the reading comprehension test. The percentage of the students who got score ≥ 70 was only 24 students or 67% out of 36 students. Based on the results of the first cycle above, the second cycle was necessary to be conducted. Some revision had been made to solve the problems found in the first cycle. The classroom observation and reading comprehension test in the second cycle showed an improvement. In the classroom observation, the students’ active participation showed that 78% in meeting 1 and 83% in meeting 2 of the students actively participated in the teaching learning process. So, the result of the observation in meeting 1 and meeting 2 had achieved the objective of the research. In the reading comprehension test, the percentage of the students who got score ≥ 70 in the reading comprehension test was 28 students, or 78% out of 36 students. Based on those results, it can be concluded that the actions in the second cycle were successful because the results of classroom observation and reading comprehension test achieved the objectives of the research. Finally, it can be summarized that the use of comic strips could improve the X-4 students’ reading comprehension achievement and their active participation in the reading teaching learning process at SMAN 1 Kencong Jember.