IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN READING
COMPREHENSION THROUGH PREVIEW, QUESTION,
READ, REFLECT, RECITE, AND REVIEW (PQ4R)
*Mediana Manalu
** Drs.Bachtiar,M.Pd
Abstract
This study concerned on improving students’ achievement in readaing comprehension
narrative text through preview, question, read, reflect, recite, and review (PQ4R) technique.
This study was limited on the second year junior high school students’ achievement in
reading comprehension after teaching by applying preview,question, read, reflect, recite, and
review ( PQ4R).The objective of this study was to find out the improvement of students,
achievement on reading comprehension through PQ4R technique.The subject of the study
was VIII-1 students of SMP N 4 Pagaran. The numbers of the students were 35. The
techniques for data analysis were quantitative dataand qualitative data.In analyzing the
quantitative data, the mean of the students’ score for the test I cycle I was 53.62, the mean
score of test II in cycle II was 73.28, the mean of test III in cycle II was 75.65. The
conclusion is that PQ4R can improve the students’ achievement in reading comprehension
narrative text.
Keywords: Reading, Reading Test, Classroom Action Research.
Introduction
Backgrouund of the study
Approximately 80 per cent of the world’s population is reported to be able to read.An
unknown percentage of these readers is also able to read, at varying ability levels, in one or
more additional language.The role of reading in society is actually quite complex, so a few
comments are needed to situate the role of reading and student learning. Language is basic
form of communication. By using language , human beings can narrate and share their
experience to others and tell some information to the others. Language is a tool used by
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human beings to communicate to the others. So, language is an important thing and cannot be
separated from human life. One of the skills in language so the people can communicate to
the other is reading.
Reading is one of the four skills in language and one of the most important skills in
learning besides listening, speaking, and writing. Reading is an essential skill for all students
at all levels. Reading is important because it can help the student to gain information such as
general knowledge which is needed to insure the continuing personal growth and adapt the
change in the world.
Reading for comprehension is not of course an easy task , especially for senior hight
school students. Hence, students must possess interpretation ability to the meaning of the
words, expression and sentences.
Moreover , based on the writer’ experinece
in Teaching Training
Practice(PPL) T the writer observed that most students of Junior High School where the
writer interviewed the students, they told her that it happened because of some factor. The
learning is the teacher oriented.Commonly teacher taught reading comprehension by using
translation method too.
PQ4R is an acronym for Preview, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite, and Review.
Considering the condition preview mention , the writer offers to apply Preview, Question,
Read, Reflect,Recite and Riview (PQ4R) method to overcome or improve the problems. One
part of the elaboration strategy. This strategy used to help studentsto remember what they
have read and this strategy also can help the students in learning process about reading
activities. This strategy will improve the student's reading comprehension. It also may
improve recall of facts by as much as 70%.
PQ4R was conducted by many researchers on their
action research and
experimental. An action research was done by Meilissa in 2012. Meilissa applied PQ4R
terhadap hasil belajar siswa pada materi pokok sistem indera for eleventh graders.PQ4R very
good to apply because it is suitable to use for the teaching of knowledge in form of concepts,
definitions, rules, and knowledge application in daily life.It can help the students that has the
low ability to memorize the lesson.It easy to apply in all levels of education.It can help
students to improve their skills in the process of asking questions and to communicate their
knowledge.It can rise the lessons in spready.
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By using PQ4R method can improve the students reading ability because, it will help
students to understand the text easily and well.PQ4R is one of the good strategy that can help
students to understand and to remember the material that they have read (Thomas and
Robinson (1972).Therefore, in learning reading comprehension, both teacher and students
can be more active to express their idea or opinion. In this case , PQ4R method can give good
solution for teacher and students to get the education succesfull.As an expectation, by
applying this method can help students in comprehending and understanding the text and
students are able to focus more on reading comprehension easily and well.
Research Question
Is students’ achievement in reading comprehension significantly improved if they are
taught by using PQ4R strategy?
Conceptual Framework
Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication and of sharing information
and ideas. Reading is incidentally visual.More information contributed by the reader than by
the print on the page.
Reading is a basic life skill. It is a cornerstone for a child's success in school, and,
indeed, throughout life. Without the ability to read well, opportunities for personal fulfillment
and job success inevitably will be lost.
The main purpose of reading irs to connect the ideas on the page to what already
know. If we don’t knowanything about a subject then pouring words of text into our mind is
like pouring water into hand. When we begin to read , we actually have a number of initial
decisions to make, and we usually make decissions very quickly, almost unconsciously in
most cases.
Based on definitions above, it can be concluded that reading is an interactive and a
thinking process of transferring printed letters into meaning in order to communicate certain
message between the writer and the reader. In reading actively a reader brings her or his
background knowledge, emotion, and experience to construct his or her idea in understanding
the meaning of the text.
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The Purpose of Reading
The main purpose of reading irs to connect the ideas on the page to what already
know. If we don’t knowanything about a subject then pouring words of text into our mind is
like pouring water into hand. When we begin to read , we actually have a number of initial
decisions to make, and we usually make decissions very quickly, almost unconsciously in
most cases.
Before reading text, the readers or students must determine their reading
purpose.According to Grabe and Stoller (2002:11-16), there are four main purposes for
reading, namely:
a. Reading to search a simple information and reading to skim.
b. Reading to learn from text
c. Reading to integrate information, write and critique texts
d. Reading for general comprehension.
Level in Reading Comprehension
Level of comprehension refers to the degree in which a reader can be categorized as
good as poor readers, proficiency or less proficiency readers. It means that how far the
students understand the information gotten from the text and which level that has been
achieved. Burns(1984:177) divides comprehension into four levels, namely literal,
inferential,critical and creative comprehension.
a. Literal Comprehension
Literal comprehension is refers to the ability to understand what stated by the writer
or taking the idea and facts that are directly stated on the printed page. The basic of literal
comprehension is recognizing stated main idea, detailed, cause-effect, and sequence.
Mastering of the basic of literal comprehension, can be done through understanding of
vocabulary, sentence meaning and paragraph meaning.The literal levels is the easiest level of
reading comprehension because a reader is not required to go beyond what the actually said.
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In this level, the readers know the word meaning , able to paraphrase or recallof
details directly in own words.
b. Inferential Comprehension
Inferential comprehension refers to the ability to go beyond what is stated directly , to
understand what the writer means by looking for the inside meaning.Readers identify and
derive ideas and meaning from a text they are explicitly stated. It can be said that inferential
comprehension is the ability to get infrence or implied meaning from the text.
In this level, the readers is able to infer factual information, main idea comparison,
cause effects relationship which is not explicitly stated in the passage.
c. Critical Comprehension
Critical comprehension refersto the ability to make analysis, evaluation , judgment
and personal reacting about the ideas of information that writers offers in a passage. It
requires a higher dehgreeaf skill development and perception. In critical reading , readers
evaluate written material; compare the ideas found in the material with his/her previous
knowledge and draw conclusion appropiately. In other words , the reader compares
hisprevious experience to the element of the new material of the passage.
d. Creative Comprehension
Creative comprehension refers to the ability of reader to use his/her imagination when
reading the passage. Skills for creative reading comprehension include the understanding
cause-effect relationship on a story solving problem and producing the creations.
In this level, the readerable to product a new idea , develop his new insight through
the reading materials.
Methodology
The research was conducted by using action research. Action research is an action
discipline by enquiry in which a personal attempt at understanding while engages in a process
of improvement and reform (Hopkins, 1993:44). According to Rapport as quoted by Hopkins
(1993) says that action research aims to contribute both to the practical concerns of people in
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an immediate problematic situation and the goals of social science by join collaboration
within a mutually acceptable ethical framework. In other words, action research can result
the improvement of the student’s skill. That’s why the researcher was conducted classroom
action research.
This study applied quantitative and qualitative data. The qualitative data was taken from
diary notes, observation sheet, interview and questionnaire sheet to describe the improvement
of reading ability. The quantitative data was taken from students’ test reading in class. The
mean of the students’ score for each cycle was obtained using the application of the following
formula:
x


Where:
x
100%
N
x

= the mean of the students
Σx = the total of score
N = the number of the students
Result and Discussion
The data was taken from the students of SMP N 1 PAGARAN in class VIII-1. The
numbers of students were 35 and the researcher took all of students in one class. The data
were analyzed qualitatively which included diary notes, observation sheets, interview and
questionnaire sheets and quantitatively which included the students’ reading test.
The research had been done for three weeks within two cycles. The first meeting was
done to conduct the test I cycle I. The second, third and the fourth meeting were done to
conduct the cycle II. The fifth and sixth were done to conduct the second cycle too,
questionnaire sheets and interviewed. So, totally there were six meetings in this research.
PQ4R strategy was applied in teaching reading class.
The minimum competences criteria (Kriteria Ketuntasan Minimal) in SMP N 4
Pagaran was 70.To categorize the number ofmaster student, the following formula was
applied:
6
P
R
x100%
T
P1 
7
x100% = 20%
35
P2 
27
x100% = 77.14%
35
P3 = 94.28 %
In the test I of cycle I, there was 20% (7 students) who got point up to 70 . In the test
II of cycle II, there was 77.14%( 27 students) who got point up to 70.In the test III of cycle II,
there was 94.28 % (33 students) who got point up to 70 . The improvement from the test I to
test II was 57.14% and the improvement from test II to test III was 17.14. In the test I to test
III, there was an improvement about 74.28 %. In the last test incycle II, there were 3 students
who didn’t get point up to 70 . It happened bacause they had low motivation and less
enthusiastic in learning process.
Conclusion and Suggestions
Conclusion
After analyzing the data, it is found out that the students’ reading achievement
improved from the test I cycle I into the cycle II test III. It means that there was an
improvement toward students’ reading achievement by applying PQ4R technique. It was
shown from the improvement of the mean of the students score namely the mean of the cycle
I test was 53.62, and the mean of the cycle II test was 73.28. It can be stated that the score
continuously improved from test I cycle I to cycle II test. Therefore, it could be concluded
that PQ4R Technique can improve students’achievement in reading comprehension. Beside
the mean of the score, there was percentage of the students who got the score above 70. In the
cycle I test was 20.00% (7 students) and in cycle II test was 77,14% (27students). It means
that there was an improvement of the students in their reading comprehension about 57.14%
compared with the first test and for the second test.
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Suggestions
The result of this study shows that the uses of PQ4R technique could enlarge or
improve the students’ achievement in reading comprehension in narrative text. The following
suggestions are offered:
1. For the English teacher; is better to use PQ4R technique since it could
make teaching and learningprocess more interesting and enjoyable.
2. For the students; it is suggested that they study more and active in teaching
learning process using PQ4R technique.
3. For all the readers and the other researcher ;it is suggested to develop the
related technique to make this study better
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Refrence
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Pokok Sistem Indera kelas XI IPA 2 SMA N 21 Medan T.P
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Brown, Douglas. 2003. Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom
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Grabe, William & Stoller, L Fredrica. 2002. Teaching and Researching
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Hopkins, David.1998. A Teacher’s Guide To Classroom Research.
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ARTIKEL
IMPROVINGSTUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN READING
COMPREHENSION THROUGH PREVIEW,QUESTION,
READ,REFLECT, RECITE, AND REVIEW (PQ4R)
Disusun dan Diajukan oleh :
Mediana Manalu
NIM. 209421032
Telah Diverifikasi dan Dinyatakan Memenuhi Syarat
untuk diunggah pada jurnal online
Medan,
Februari 2014
Menyetujui :
Editor Artikel
Dra. Masitowarni Siregar, M. Ed.
NIP. 19671102 199303 2 001
Pembimbing Skripsi
Drs.Bachtiar,M.Pd
NIP. 19520501 198001 1 002
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