Enhancing Students’ Reading Comprehension Through the Use of the Story Retelling Technique with the Support of a Story Map

Abstract

This study employed a classroom action research design aimed at exploring the effectiveness of the story retelling technique using a story map to enhance students’ reading comprehension of narrative texts. The participants were 28 eighth-grade students from class VIII D at SMPN 2 Kota Bengkulu. To evaluate students' progress, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The research instruments included reading comprehension tests and an observation checklist. Based on the analysis of students’ scores from narrative reading comprehension tests and interviews with the teacher, the researcher implemented actions over three cycles. Each cycle concluded with an evaluation test. The findings demonstrated a consistent improvement in students’ reading comprehension. The average score in Cycle I was 71.15, which increased to 74.60 in Cycle II, and further improved to 77.60 by the end of Cycle III. The use of the story retelling technique through story mapping effectively enhanced students’ reading comprehension by increasing their motivation and ability to identify story elements. This improvement was also reflected in students’ more positive attitudes during reading lessons, where they showed greater enthusiasm and became more active in engaging with narrative texts.