Tesis

Improving junior high school students’ narrative reading comprehension using contextual teaching and learning (CTL) / Vina Vania Suhartawan

Abstrak
Reading comprehension plays an important role in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning particularly for junior high school students who need to master various types of texts. Narrative reading comprehension is essential for developing students comprehension to understand stories analyze literary elements and make meaningful connections between texts and their personal experiences. However narrative texts such as folktales and other stories present unique challenges due to the use of literary devices figurative language and the need to understand character motivations plot development and cultural contexts. Based on preliminary observations conducted at SMP Negeri 6 Arso Keerom Regency Papua significant challenges in narrative reading comprehension were found through interviews with English teachers and classroom observations. The English teacher reported that ninth-grade students had difficulty understanding narrative texts particularly because the folktales used were culturally distant from their background and daily experiences. Consequently students had not met the Minimum Graduation Criteria standards for narrative text comprehension. Classroom observations revealed that students struggled with unfamiliar vocabulary complex sentence structures and cultural references that were distant from their lived experiences. This situation highlights a critical gap between learning materials and students cultural experiences. Content familiarity mdash the extent to which readers are acquainted with the subject matter context or themes present in a text mdash plays a significant role in comprehension success. When students encounter reading materials that align with their cultural background and daily experiences their comprehension and engagement tend to improve significantly. Moreover culturally relevant materials foster a sense of belonging and identity in the educational process. When learning materials reflect students cultural heritage it boosts their self-esteem and motivation to engage with the material. The Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach offers a promising solution to these challenges. CTL is a student-centered instructional strategy that emphasizes connecting learning materials to real-life contexts experiences and cultural backgrounds. Grounded in constructivist learning theory CTL posits that learners actively construct knowledge by linking new information to their prior experiences and existing knowledge frameworks. The CTL approach incorporates seven key principles constructivism inquiry questioning learning community modeling reflection and authentic assessment. Folktales present unique opportunities for CTL implementation because they are inherently engaging and culturally familiar to students. These traditional stories contain rich narrative elements such as well-developed characters engaging plots and meaningful themes that serve as excellent materials for developing reading comprehension skills. The moral lessons embedded in folktales provide opportunities for critical thinking and reflection while their familiar cultural context reduces cognitive load allowing students to focus on developing comprehension skills. This study aims to investigate the utilization of the CTL approach combined with local Senggi folktales to improve English reading skills related to narrative texts among grade 9 students in SMP Negeri 6 Arso Keerom Regency Papua. The cyclical nature of the CAR design will enable continuous reflection adjustment and improvement of the intervention based on ongoing data collection and analysis. This study employed a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design conducted at SMP Negeri 6 Arso with 22 ninth-grade students as subjects consisting of 12 male and 10 female students. The research was conducted in three cycles each cycle consists of three meetings using different Senggi folktales to teach different aspects of the four 2013 curriculum indicators. Implementation was conducted through three progressive scaffolding innovations graphic organizers (Cycle I) vocabulary flashcards (Cycle II) and Blooket technology (Cycle III). Implementation followed CTL principles constructivism questioning inquiry modeling learning community reflection and authentic assessment integrating Senggi folktales as culturally relevant learning materials. The results of the quantitative analysis of this study showed an extraordinary transformation in student achievement. In the pre-cycle test no students (0%) achieved the Minimum Completeness Criteria (KKM) with a class average of 46.82. After implementing three cycles 17 students (77.3%) achieved the KKM with a class average of 83.18 showing a total improvement of 36.36 points. Analysis per indicator showed that social function improved from 34.1% to 83.4% ( 49.3%) moral messages from 25.8% to 82.7% ( 56.9%) linguistic elements from 56.1% to 81.8% ( 25.7%) and text structure from 68.2% to 84.8% ( 16.6%). Individual transformation was also remarkable with several students experiencing dramatic improvements such as FS (20 rarr 90 points) and CDY (50 rarr 100 points) demonstrating that this approach is effective for various student comprehension levels. The improvement achieved by students is assumed to be due to three phases within the CTL model namely constructivism inquiry and learning community activities integrated with local Senggi folktales. The constructivism phase allowed students to build understanding through connections with their cultural experiences. The inquiry phase developed naturally because Senggi folktales contain symbolism and implicit meanings that encourage students to explore deeper. The learning community phase was facilitated through group discussions and sharing diverse perspectives about culturally familiar stories. Moreover students in the class that implemented CTL with local Senggi folktales considered the implementation of this learning model to be positive. Students responded that the implementation of CTL could enhance their learning in three aspects meaningfulness (how the implementation of the learning model could provide meaningful learning for students) competence (how the implementation of the learning model could improve students abilities) and impact (how the implementation of the learning model could make a difference in students participation and interaction in the classroom). All students (100%) showed high enthusiasm for local folktales and showed positive responses to the implemented learning method. Technology implementation through Blooket games was strategically integrated within the CTL framework demonstrating how technology can enhance rather than replace human-centered pedagogical approaches. This technology served specific educational purposes while maintaining focus on cultural connections and academic objectives. Group cooperation reached an excellent level indicating optimal collaborative learning implementation. Based on the findings of this study the integration of the CTL approach with local Senggi folktales can dramatically improve the narrative reading comprehension of ninth-grade students at SMP Negeri 6 Arso. Systematic implementation helps students understand the four 2013 curriculum indicators through meaningful cultural connections between their heritage and academic learning. For better implementation in the future teachers are advised to understand and adjust the three phases of CTL learning choose learning platforms familiar to both students and teachers wisely select media used to deliver materials include interactive activities in learning phases and choose activities to be integrated into classroom activities. For future research it is recommended to explore students perceptions through interview methods to gain deeper understanding conduct longitudinal studies for long-term retention investigation and expand research to other language skills such as writing speaking and listening.

Informasi Detail

DDC

Rt 420.84 SUH i

Prodi

Universitas Negeri Malang. Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, 2025.

Deskripsi Fisik

xix, 210 lembar : ilus. ; 30 cm

Bahasa

No Reg

00820/RT/25

Edisi

Tesis (Pascasarjana)--Universitas Negeri Malang. 2025

Subjek

1. BAHASA INGGRIS - MEMBACA
2. ENGLISH - READING

Pembimbing

1. Dra. Nunung Suryati, M.ed., Ph.d; Dr. Ahmad Heki Sujiatmoko, M.pd

Lampiran Berkas