Analysis of Teacher Skills in Increasing Reading Interest of Second Grade Elementary School Students
Keywords:
teacher skills, reading interest, classroom action research, letter cards, elementary schoolAbstract
This study investigates how teacher skills contribute to enhancing reading interest among second-grade students at YPK Klasaman II Elementary School, Sorong City, while identifying the obstacles encountered and the adaptive strategies employed to address them. Employing a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model, the study was conducted over two cycles involving 20 second-grade students. Data were gathered through structured observation, semi-structured interviews, field notes, and documentation. The findings indicate that the implementation of letter card games, group reading activities, hand puppet media, and effort-based reward systems rendered the learning process more engaging and significantly fostered students' reading motivation. Student participation increased from 60% to 85%; the number of students attaining the Minimum Competency Criterion (MCC) rose from 3 to 7; reading anxiety notably diminished; and several students began practicing independent reading at home. Principal challenges, including disparities in reading ability, low self-confidence, and inadequate classroom conditions, were systematically overcome through individual mentoring, differentiated media use, and a supportive pedagogical approach. These results confirm that creative, adaptive, and context-sensitive teacher skills are effective in promoting reading interest at the elementary level.
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