ABSTRACT

Agustina, Yusria Fika. 2025. Comic Strips to Enhance Students Reading Comprehension of Narrative Text at Eighth Grade of SMPN 10 Banjarmasin. SARJANA’S THESIS, English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin.

The first advisor: Dr. Rina Listia, M.Pd., the second advisor: Raisa Fadilla, M.Pd.

Keywords: Comic Strips, Reading Comprehension, Narrative Text

The integration of visual media in reading instruction is considered as supportive approach to enhance students’ reading achievement and engagement with narrative texts. Among several forms, comic strips combine images and concise dialogues that provide contextual support, reduce cognitive load, and enhance comprehension. Although promising, comic strips are seldom used in formal English classrooms. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate their contribution to students’ reading achievement in narrative texts.

A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design was employed. The participants were 60 eighth-grade students of SMPN 10 Banjarmasin, with 56 students analyzed after excluding four with intellectual disabilities. The experimental group (VIII-C) was taught using comic strips, while the control group (VIII-D) learned through picture series as a comparison. Data were obtained from pre-tests and post-tests consisting of 40 multiple-choice questions, and analyzed using parametric statistical tests through SPSS version 30.

The paired sample t-test for the experimental group indicated a significance value of <0.001 and a t-value of 15.635, exceeding the t-table of 2.052. Furthermore, the independent sample t-test showed a significance value of <0.001 and a t-value of 3.994, surpassing the t-table of 2.009 (df = 54). These results indicate a statistically significant enhancement in the experimental group compared to the control group. In conclusion, the integration of comic strips positively affects students’ reading achievement in narrative texts. Teachers are therefore encouraged to apply comic strips in English reading classes to create engaging, contextualized, and effective learning experiences.