THE USE OF RAP STRATEGY TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION OF THE EIGHTHGRADE STUDENTS OF SMPN 2 KUTA UTARA IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2021/2022

Reading is a process of getting information and understanding the message of printed materials. Preliminary research showed that most of the eighth-grade students of SMPN 2 Kuta Utara in academic year 2021/2022 faced problems in reading comprehension especially identifying general information, specific information, textual meaning, and textual reference. Moreover, the research objective was to know whether reading comprehension of the eighth-grade students of SMPN 2 Kuta Utara can be improved through Read-Ask-Put (RAP) strategy. Thus, to achieve the objective, the researcher conducted classroom action research which was done in two cycles. The research instruments, tests and questionnaire, were administered to collect the required data. The data were then analyzed by comparing the results of the pre-test and post-tests which showed there were significant improvements of the subjects’ mean score from the pre-test to post-tests. As the supporting data, the questionnaire was also administered at the end of the last cycle and the results showed positive responses on the implementation of RAP strategy. Based on the research findings, it could be concluded that reading comprehension of the eighth-grade students of SMPN 2 Kuta Utara in academic year 2021/2022 can be improved through RAP strategy.