Enhancing the Eighth Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement by Using Reap (Read, Encode, Annotate, Ponder) Strategy

Abstract

This classroom action research was intended to enhance the eighth grade students’ reading comprehension achievement by using REAP (Read, Encode, Annotate, Ponder) Strategy. Based on the preliminary study that conducted by the researcher in the form of interview with the English teacher at SMPN 2 Puger, it was known the students of VIII-A had difficulties in reading comprehension. The students of VIII-A could not get the idea from the text and they could not get the information from the text because they did not understand about the teacher’s explanation. Based on the result of documentation from SMPN 2 Puger, there were only 11 students who achieved the standard score that was 75, while 28 students got scores below 75. In other words, only 28.2% students achieved the standard score. Thus the researcher tried to overcome the students’ problem in reading by using REAP (Read, Encode, Annotate, Ponder) 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 VIII-A grade students of SMPN 2 Puger consisting of 39 students. The researcher chose the students of the VIII-A grade as the research participants because of the consideration that the students of the VIII-A grade of SMPN 2 puger had difficulties in comprehending the text and had the lowest score of reading comprehension. This research was done in two cycles in which each cycle covered four stages; they are planning, acting, observing 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. 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 improved. It can be seen in Cycle 1, the percentage of the students who were active was 78.2% while in Cycle 2 was 80.76%. 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 79.41 in the previous reading score to 79.74 in Cycle 1 and 81.67 in Cycle 2. Also the percentage of the students who got score at least 75 enhanced from 28.2% in the previous reading score to 76.92% in Cycle 1 and 82.05% in Cycle 2. In conclusion, the reading comprehension test result had achieved the target criteria that were expected in this research that was the mean score of the students was more than 75 and at least 75% of the students achieved the minimum requirement of the standard score that was 75. Based on the explanation above it can be concluded that REAP (Read, Encode, Annotate, Ponder) Strategy helped the eighth grade (VIII-A) students of SMPN 2 Puger to enhance their participation and their reading comprehension achievement.