ENGAGING READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH DIRECTED READING THINKING ACTIVITY (DRTA) Of EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS AT SMP N 7 TEMPUNAK

Kressinsia Anjelya. 2026, Engaging Reading Comprehension Through Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) of Eighth Grade Students At SMP N 7 Tempunak Thesis. English Language Education Study Program at STKIP Persada Khatulistiwa Sintang. Advisor I : Sijono, M.Pd, Advisor II Tuti, M.Pd.

Keywords :Classroom Action Research, descriptive text, DRTA, reading comprehension

Reading comprehension is an important skill in learning English because it helps students obtain information and understand various types of texts. However, eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 7 Tempunak still experienced difficulties in understanding reading texts, particularly in identifying the main idea, understanding detailed information, making inferences, and understanding unfamiliar vocabulary. In addition, their participation during the teaching and learning process was low. This research aimed to investigate the improvement of students' participation and reading comprehension through the implementation of the Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy at SMP Negeri 7 Tempunak. The research employed Classroom Action Research (CAR), consisting of two cycles with two meetings in each cycle. The data were collected through observation, reading comprehension tests, interviews, and documentation using observation checklists, field notes, interview guidelines, reading comprehension tests, and video recordings. The data were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings showed that the implementation of the DRTA strategy successfully improved both students' participation and readingcomprehension. The students became more actively involved in learning activities through predicting, reading, verifying, and discussing the texts. They also showed their improvement in identifying the main idea, finding specific information, making inferences, and understanding unfamiliar vocabulary. The students perceived the DRTA strategy as enjoyable and engaging because it helped them stay focused and understand the texts through the use of pictures and titles. The findings imply that the implementation of DRTA can create a more active, interactive, and student-centered reading environment, encourage active student participation, and support the development of reading comprehension. It is expected that this research can serve as a useful reference for English teachers in choosing an alternative strategy for teaching reading comprehension andencourage students to become more active and engaged in learning English.