Nupus, Z. 2025. The use of ECOLA (Extending Concepts Through Language Activities) Technique on Teaching Reading Comprehension of Recount Text at Eighth Grade of SMPN 27 Banjarmasin. Sarjana’s Thesis. English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin. The first advisor: Dr. Novita Triana M.A., and the second advisor: Elsa Rosalina M.Pd.

Keyword: ECOLA Technique, Teaching Reading Comprehension, Recount Text.

Reading is an important skill that plays a very significant role in the students’ learning process. Students must know how to comprehend the reading text because comprehending means being able to grasp its meaning, ideas, and purpose. However, the eighth-grade students at SMPN 27 Banjarmasin have some difficulties with reading comprehension of recount texts, such as identifying the main idea and extracting detailed information from the text. The research problem focused on whether there is a significant difference in the mean scores of reading comprehension achievement between students who are taught recount text using the ECOLA technique and those who are taught recount text using the skimming technique at the eighth grade of SMPN 27 Banjarmasin. This study used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design, employing a pre-test and post-test non-equivalent group. The sample consisted of 48 eighth-grade students selected using a probability sampling technique. The experimental group (VIII-B) included 24 students who were taught using the ECOLA technique, while the control group (VIII-C) also included 24 students who were taught using the Skimming technique. Data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests and independent sample t-tests through SPSS version 26. The results showed a significant difference in the reading comprehension achievement between students who are taught recount text using the ECOLA technique and the students who are taught recount text using the skimming technique at the eighth grade of SMPN 27 Banjarmasin. The increased mean score of the post-test experimental group (20.00) was higher than the control group (9.98). Furthermore, the independent sample t-test showed a p-value of 0.000, which is lower than the significance level of 0.05. Hence, it was suggested for teachers to use ECOLA as an alternative technique for teaching reading because it has proven effective in improving students’ reading comprehension, particularly in identifying the main idea, finding specific information, and the author's comments on recount texts.