during the class. Strategies in reading are needed and they are different among one reader to another and the strategies help students in interpreting and
reacting to the texts. If the reading strategies are not suitable, it is possible that the students
will have difficulties in understanding what they have been read and it means that they are failed to comprehend the texts. That is why strategies in reading,
in this study Directed Reading Thinking Activity, is highly important to maintain the students’ reading comprehension by giving them opportunity to
solve the problems. Anyway, all of the components needed to maintain the students’ reading comprehension deserve to be considered implemented during
the reading class.
D. Formulation of the problem
1. How can Directed Reading Thinking Activity DRTA be used to improve reading comprehension of grade VIII students at SMP N 9
Magelang?
E. Objective of the research
In line with the formulation of the problem, this research aims to improve the students’ reading comprehension abilities of eight grade students in SMPN 9
Magelang through Directed Reading-Thinking Activity DR-TA.
F. Significance of the research
1. The research finding can be implemented by the English teacher of grade VIII at SMPN 9 Magelang to improve the grade VIII
students’ reading comprehension abilities.
2. The research finding can also be used as the model for other teachers as the alternative strategies to improve students’ reading comprehension
abilities. 3. For other researchers who are interested in the similar field, the research
finding can be applied as an input to enrich and enlarge the knowledge of teaching English, especially in improving reading comprehension.
9
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
To strengthen the conceptual framework of the research, this chapter presents supporting theories related to this research. The discussion of this chapter focus on
the review of the theories which are related to this study, review some studies which are relevant to this research, and a conceptual framework which are related
to the problem of this research.
A. Review of theories
Review of the theories discusses the underpinning theories related to the research. The detail explanation of this part is presented as follows.
1. Reading Comprehension
a. Definition of Reading Comprehension
There are a lot of definitions of reading. Linguists give definitions about reading in various ways. They say that reading is the process to get,
to understand, to catch the content of the reading. They also add that reading is a process to understand a written text which means extracting
the required information from it, as efficiently as possible.
Smith 1994:3 defines that reading as seen as a creative and constructive activity having four distinctive and fundamental
characteristics –it is purposeful, selective, anticipatory, and based on
comprehension, all matters where the reader must clearly exercise control.
