IMPROVING READING SKILL THROUGH THE USE OF DIRECTED READING-THINKING ACTIVITY (DR-TA) STRATEGY FOR THE EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP NURUL JADID BATAM

Abstract

The objective of this study was to improve the students’ reading skill through the use of DR-TA strategy for the eighth grade students of SMP Nurul Jadid Batam. The data were collected through classroom observations and students and English teacher interviews. The data were in the form of field notes, interview transcripts, and pictures. The research instruments for collecting the data were observation guidelines, interview guidelines, and a c mera. To overcome the problems, some actions were implemented 1) using pictures as learning media in the beginning of the lesson,  and 2) conducting DR-TA strategy. There were two cycles of this study. The results of the first cycle showed that the implementation of the actions did not reach maximum results to improve students’ reading skill. There were some aspects that still needed some improvement. The results of the second cycle showed that the implementation of the actions could improve students’ reading skill. The indicators of success of the implementation of the actions were 1) students were more interested in studying English and 2) students’ reading scores increased from cycle one to cycle two.