Using Authentic Materials to Improve Reading Comprehension of the Eighth Grade Students of SMP PGRI Kasihan in the Academic Year of 2015/2016

Abstract

The objective of this research is to improve the eighth grade students’ reading comprehension in SMP PGRI Kasihan Bantul through the use of authentic materials in the academic year of 2015/2016. The research was action research. The subject of the research was the students of VIII-B class. The English teacher, the researcher, and the students of VIII-B class were the team members of the research. The data were obtained through observations and interviews with the students and the English teacher as the collaborator. The data were in the forms of field notes and interview transcripts. To support qualitative data, quantitative data were obtained from the pre-test and the post-test scores. The actions implemented in this research were using authentic materials in the reading activity to improve students’ reading comprehension. The text used in the teaching and learning process of reading were authentic texts of invitations and announcements. The research was conducted in two cycles. Every cycle consisted of some steps; reconnaissance, planning, acting and observing, and reflection. The data validity was obtained by applying democratic validity, outcome validity, process validity, catalytic validity and dialogic validity. The result shows that the implementation of using authentic materials in this study is succesful to improve the students’ reading skill. The indicators of the success of the implementation were that the students showed good comprehension about the text of the given topic. By answer the questions from the researcher, the students showed good motivation in the reading activity. The students were able to practice reading through various given topics. From the result of the scores, it was found that the students’ reading skill improved by the use of authentic materials. There was an improvement between the mean of the pre-test (5.3) and that of the post-test (7.6).