IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH VISUAL LITERACY USING LOCAL CONTENT COMIC STRIPS

This Classroom Action Research aimed to improve students' reading comprehension through the implementation of visual literacy using local content comic strips and to identify students' responses toward the use of this instructional medium. The study was conducted at SMP Negeri 4 Sampit involving 31 eighth-grade students in the 2025/2026 academic year. The research followed the Kemmis and McTaggart Classroom Action Research model consisting of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting across two cycles. Data were collected through reading comprehension tests, classroom observations, and student questionnaires. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests, while qualitative data were analysed descriptively through data reduction, categorization, and interpretation.
The findings revealed a significant improvement in students' reading comprehension. The mean score increased from 62.45 in the pre-cycle to 73.87 in Cycle I and reached 82.58 in Cycle II. The percentage of students achieving the Minimum Mastery Criterion (KKM) also increased from 29.03% in the pre-cycle to 64.52% in Cycle I and 87.10% in Cycle II. The paired-sample t-test indicated statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05). Qualitative findings showed that students became more engaged, motivated, and active during the learning process. They also responded positively to the use of local content comic strips, reporting that visual elements helped them understand the main ideas, infer information, and interpret narrative texts more effectively.
The study concludes that implementing visual literacy through local content comic strips effectively improves students' reading comprehension and creates a more engaging learning environment. The integration of visual and culturally relevant materials supports students' cognitive processing, increases motivation, and enhances comprehension of narrative texts in the EFL classroom.