A Content Analysis of Intensive Reading Activities in the Textbook "English for Nusantara" for Grade VIII Students

Oleh :
Dafa Allana - K2219019 - Fak. KIP

The study employed a qualitative content analysis design. The data source was the English for Nusantara textbook published under the Merdeka Curriculum, while the data consisted of reading activities found throughout the textbook. Data were collected through document analysis and analyzed using intensive reading indicators adapted from relevant reading theories, including identifying main ideas, identifying specific information, understanding vocabulary in context, making inferences, identifying references, understanding text organization, drawing conclusions, and analyzing textual meanings. The findings revealed that the textbook contains various intensive reading activities distributed across all chapters. The most frequently occurring activities were identifying specific information and answering comprehension questions, whereas activities involving higher-level comprehension skills, such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, and analyzing textual meanings, appeared less frequently. The analysis also showed that the intensive reading activities generally support the development of reading comprehension skills by providing opportunities for students to practice both literal and interpretative comprehension. However, the distribution of the activities was not entirely balanced, indicating that some intensive reading skills received greater emphasis than others. Therefore, it can be concluded that the textbook supports intensive reading instruction and contributes to the development of students’ reading comprehension skills, although a more balanced distribution of intensive reading activities would better facilitate comprehensive reading development.