IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY OF THE EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP N 4 SINGARAJA BY USING DIRECTED READING THINKING ACTIVITY (DRTA) STRATEGY IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016

Abstract

Abstrak Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk meningkatkan pemahaman membaca siswa kelas 8 di SMP N 4 Singaraja dengan menggunakan strategi DRTA. Observasi awal menunjukkan bahwa murid kelas VIIIB3 memiliki kompetensi yang rendah dalam pemahaman membaca. Subyek dari penelitian ini adalah 36 siswa. Untuk menemukan hasil dari pelaksanaan strategi DRTA terhadap pemahaman membaca siswa, peneliti menggunakan penelitian tindakan kelas (PTK) sebagai metode penelitian. Dalam penelitian ini, ada dua cycle yang dilaksanakan dalam kelas. Setiap cycle terdiri dari empat aktivitas, yaitu perencanaan, aksi, observasi, dan refleksi. Untuk mendapatkan dan menganalisis data, peneliti menggunakan hasil dari observasi awal, evaluasi dari cycle I dan II, buku harian peneliti, dan kuesioner. Respon siswa bagus terhadap strategi ini. Mereka mengatakan bahwa mereka menyukai kelas membaca karena strategi ini membantu mereka dalam mengetahui konten teks. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan strategi DRTA mampu meningkatkan pemahaman membaca siswa. Hasil dari tes mean siswa bisa dijelaskan sebagai berikut: Dalam pre-observasi, skor mean siswa adalah 69.28. Dalam cycle I, skor mean dari siswa meningkat menjadi 75.22. Setelah cycle I dilakukan, skor mean siswa meningkat lagi menjadi 84.06. Dari hasil tersebut, bisa disimpulkan bahwa pelaksanaan strategi Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) bisa meningkatkan pemahaman membaca siswa kelas VIIIB3 di SMP N 4 Singaraja.
Kata Kunci : Kata Kunci: Membaca, pemahaman membaca, strategi DRTA

This study was conducted in order to improve the reading comprehension of the eighth grade students of SMP N 4 Singaraja by using DRTA strategy. The preliminary observation showed that students of VIIIB3 had low competency in reading comprehension. The subjects of this study were 36 students. In order to find out the result of the implementation of DRTA strategy toward students’ reading comprehension, the researcher used classroom action research (CAR) as the research method. In this study, there were two cycles conducted in classroom. Each cycle consisted of four activities, namely planning, action, observation, and reflection. To obtain and also analyze the data, the researcher used the result of pre-observation, evaluation in cycle I and II, researcher’s diary, and questionnaire. The students’ responses were good toward this strategy. They stated that they liked in having reading class because this strategy helped them in understanding the content of texts. This study showed that the use of DRTA strategy could improve the students’ reading comprehension. The result of the mean test of students can be stated as follows: In pre-observation, the students’ mean score was 69.28. In cycle I, the mean score of the students increased into 75.22. After the second cycle had been conducted, the students’ mean score increased again into 84.06. From the result, it can be concluded that the implementation of Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy could improve reading competency of VIIIB3 students in SMP N 4 Singaraja.
keyword : Reading, reading comprehension, DRTA strategy