THE INFLUENCE OF NARRATIVE ENGLISH SHORT STORIES AS A LEARNING MEDIUM TO DEVELOP STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION AT THE TENTH GRADE SMA NEGERI 2 SUNGAI RAYA

Abstract

Sheca Rianda Muni Syahrani, 12117038. The Influence of Narrative English Short Stories as a Learning Medium to Develop Students’ Reading Comprehension at Tenth Grade SMA Negeri 2 Sungai Raya in the 2024/2025 Academic Year. Thesis (S1) English Tadris Study Program (TBI). Teacher Training and Tarbiyah Faculty (FTIK) Pontianak State Islamic Institute (IAIN), Year 2025. This research aims to determine whether the use of narrative short stories as a learning medium can significantly improve students’ reading comprehension. Specifically, the research was conducted to identify students’ reading comprehension ability before and after being taught through narrative short stories, and measure whether there is a significant difference in students’ achievement after the treatment. The research applied a quantitative approach with a pre-experimental method, using a one-group pre-test and post-test design. The population of this study was all tenth-grade students at SMA Negeri 2 Sungai Raya, with the sample selected based on specific criteria, namely class X-G, which consists of 36 students. The data of this study was collected through tests and then analyzed using SPSS version 26. The findings show a significant improvement in students’ reading comprehension. The average score increased from 47.69 on the pre-test to 81.67 on the post-test, indicating substantial progress. The Shapiro-Wilk normality test yielded Sig. values of 0.131 (pre-test) and 0.165 (post-test), both > 0.05, confirming normal distribution. The paired sample t-test showed a significant difference with Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.000 < 0.05. In addition, all items were valid (r-count > r-table 0.329), and the reliability test with Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.768 indicated that the instrument was reliable and consistent. These findings confirm that using narrative short stories not only makes the learning process more interactive but also effectively improves students’ understanding of text structure, contextual meaning, and inference skills. Therefore, it can be concluded that narrative short stories have a positive and significant impact on students’ reading comprehension and are recommended as an effective learning medium in English classrooms.