THE USE OF VISUALIZATION STRATEGY TO IMPROVE STUDENTS READING COMPREHENSION OF THE EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMPN 1 KEDIRI IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023

Reading is the process to obtain meaning or get a message from a text. Preliminary research showed that most VIII C students at SMPN 1 Kediri in the academic year 2022/2023 have problems in reading comprehension, especially in identifying general information, specific information, textual meaning, and textual reference. Moreover, the research objective was to know whether or not the reading comprehension of the eighth-grade students of SMPN 1 Kediri can be improved through Visualization Strategy. Thus, the researcher conducted classroom action research which was done in two cycles to achieve the objective of the study. The research instruments such as tests and questionnaires were administered to collect the required data. The data were then analyzed by comparing the results of the pretest and post-tests which showed there were significant improvements in the subjects’ mean scores 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 the Visualization Strategy. Based on the results of the research instruments, it could be concluded that the reading comprehension of the eighth-grade students of SMPN 1 Kediri in the academic year 2022/2023 can be improved by using Visualization Strategy.