ABSTRACT
The objectives of this research were: (1) to know whether SQ3R method can improve the students’ reading comprehension. (2) to describe the implementation of SQ3R method. With regards to the second aim, the research was especially aimed at describing (1) the class situation and (2) the strengths and weaknesses of SQ3R method during the teaching and learning process. The method used in this research was classroom action research. The research was conducted in the Class XI MIA 2 of SMA Batik 1 Surakarta in the academic year 2014/ 2015. There were 42 students of class. The research was conducted two cycles of action research from March to April. Each cycle had five steps: identifying the problem, planning the action, implementing the action, observing the action, and reflecting the action. There are two kinds of data collected in this research: qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were collected using observation, questionnaire and interview, while the quantitative data were collected by using tests (pre-test and post-test). Then the qualitative data were analyzed by assembling the data, coding, comparing the data, building interpretation, and reporting the outcomes. The quantitative data were analyzed by comparing the average score of pre-test and post-test. The research findings show that SQ3R method could improve students’ reading comprehension and classroom situation. It can be seen from the increasing of mean score assessed by the researcher. The mean score increased from pre-test which was 70.76 became 77.33 in cycle I and improved to be 85.33 in cycle II. The improvements of the students’ reading comprehension can be seen from the fact that: (1) students could recognize the main idea of the text; (2) they could find the meaning of the word; (3) they could find the reference; (4) they could identify the explicit information; (5) they could find the implicit information. The improvement of classroom situation can be seen from the fact that: (1) SQ3R method can stimulate the students’ prior knowledge; (2) the students were more focus on the task; (3) they were enjoyed and fun involving in the teaching-learning process; (4) the situation of classroom was more conducive; (5) they were brave to ask when they did not understand the teachers’ explanation; (6) they paid attention to the lesson; and (7) they could be active in the class.
Keywords: action research, SQ3R method, reading comprehension, classroom situation