IMPROVING THE STUDENTS READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH KNOW-WANT-LEARN TECHNIQUE AT ELEVENTH GRADE OF SMA SWASTA HARAPAN BANGSA TANJUNG MORAWA

Abstract

This study is aimed at finding out the impacts of the use of Know-Want- Learn technique in improving the reading comprehension among eleventh grade students of SMA Swasta Harapan Banga Tanjung Morawa in the academic year of 2017/2018. The study was action research in two research cycles. In the study, the researcher collaborated with the English teachers and the students. The data of this study were qualitative in nature supported by quantitative data. Qualitative data were obtained from the results of classroom observation and collaborators’ discussion. Quantitative data were obtained from pre-test and post test results. The instruments for collecting the data were observation guides, interview guides, and the pre-test and post test. The data were in the form of field notes, interview transcripts, and the scores of the students’ pre-test and post test. A t-test was used for the analysis of the quantitative data. The results of the two cycles show that the use of Know-Want-Learn technique is effective to improve the students’ reading comprehension. It is supported by the qualitative data which show that (1) Know-Want-Learn technique can help the teacher to scaffold the students’ comprehension of the text by focusing on the steps before, during, and after reading; (2) Know-Want-Learn technique can help the students to preview the text, assess what they have learned after reading, and attrack their interest in reading; (3) The kind of activities given such as pre-teaching vocabulary, using skimming and scanning, using fix-up strategies, and guessing meaning can help the students to read the text efficiently. The finding is also supported by the quantitative data. The mean of the students’ reading comprehension scores improves from 70.5 in the pre-test to 82.5 in the post-test. According to the t statistic, the difference is significant at p <0.05. From the results above, it can be concluded that the use of Know-Want-Learn technique can improve students’ reading comprehension.