IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION OF THE EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP PGRI 2 DENPASAR ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023 THROUGH PQRST

Reading is an activity to understand, analyze, and deduce the meaning contained in a text. Moreover, reading comprehension is generally used to measure students' achievement in English, like in the national examination in which reading has a relatively large portion. The result of observation in this research showed that most VIII A students at SMP PGRI 2 Denpasar in the academic year 2022/2023 had a problem with reading comprehension especially identifying general information, specific information, textual meaning, and textual reference. Moreover, the objective of this study was to know whether or not the reading comprehension of the eighth-grade students of SMP PGRI 2 Denpasar 2022/2023 can be improved through the PQRST strategy. Therefore, to achieve the objective of this study, the researcher conducted classroom action research which was done in two cycles. The research instruments consisted of two instruments such as; tests and questionnaires, which were administered to collect the required data. Then, the data were analyzed by comparing the results of the pre-test and post-tests. The data showed there were significant improvements in the subjects' mean scores from the pre-test to the post-tests. The questionnaire was also administered as supporting data at the end of the study. The results showed positive responses from the subjects on the implementation of the PQRST Strategy. Based on the results of the research instruments, it could be concluded that the reading comprehension of the eighth-grade students of SMP PGRI 2 Denpasar in the academic year 2022/2023 could be improved through PQRST Strategy.