COMIC STRIP IMPROVE THE STUDENT’S READING COMPREHENSION IN TEACHING ENGLISH

Dwi Setiyawan  
(1507042027)

Reading comprehension skill can be increased through visual tools. Visual tools help the student’s visual thinking and learning. Visual tools are consisted of graphic organizers, picture, cartoon, comic, or 3D visual and etc. Visual learning and thinking can help students make the good connections between characters and plot and help them to think critically and creatively in their analysis of themes.According to the National Education Association, adolescents move from concrete to abstract thinking with skills in deductive reasoning, problem solving and generalizing, and placing implications on instructors’ teaching strategies. In the article “Brain Development in Young Adolescents,” Pete Lorain recommends that middle school teachers help students practice and exercise critical thinking with “graphic organizers to assist in visualizing problem solving.Visual tools are effective in improving students’ reading comprehension. It increases the amount of cognitive information the brain can absorb as it enables working memory and other key brain operations devoted to learning new material.

One of the visual tools is comic strip. A comic strip can be defined as “a series of pictures inside boxes that tell a story” (Liu, 2004: 229)²¹. As one of these studies, Wright & Sherman (1994) identified the features of comic strips that make them anideal medium for reading and English courses. In their paper, the researchers analyzed the readability (interest,availability, suitability, comprehensibility, and flexibility) of comic strips for teachers andstudents based on therelevant literature. The authors suggested that comic strips can be used effectively to build reading skills in athree-step model in the language classrooms.

         Comic is very interesting, especially for children. In Indonesia, the children like read comic. They prefer comic than novel or fiction story without picture. Comic is simply to understand. It shows the characteristic of actor in the story. Comic is be able to stimulate their motivation to read something. The writer has done the survey at junior high school in seventh grade. The writer is curious about the connection between comic and their motivation to read. The writer did interviewing and observation to the student about their favorite with the comic. The writer also asked the questionnaire to the student for supporting data. The result is around 90 percent they are like comic. Most of them said that the comic is more interesting than the textbook. It is supporting that the student need different material in case how the material is going to be presented. In this condition, the writer guess the comic strip can help the student to read, especially for their reading comprehension. As we know that the English language in Indonesia is a foreign language. It is mean that the English language is as added language in curriculum. But the possession of English language in the world is very important, the needed of English language in Indonesia is greatly increased. The problem is the English language is still difficult to learn at some region in Indonesia. To mastering the language, we need to learn how to speak, listen, read and write the language. In this research, the writer concern about the reading, especially in reading comprehension. Because through reading, the student can increase their language ability. But their motivation to read is also being a serious problem. In case, the comic can help them to stimulate their reading comprehension.

References

Edward &Haris. Teaching Reading In Today’s Elementary School. (New Jersey: Hough to Mifflin Comp. Inc. 1986)

Johnson, Andrew. P. Teaching Reading and Writing. ( England : Library of Congres. 2008) p. 3

Ali. The Effect of Comic Strips on Reading Comprehension. (Turkey : AnadoluUniversty. 2013).

Daryanto.Media Pembelajaran :Peranannya Sangat Penting Dalam Mencapai Tujuan Pembelajaran. (Yogyakarta:Gava Media, 2010) p.128

McNiff, Jean Whitehead.Action Research: Principles and Practice, Second Edition. (London : Oxford University. 2002)

Liu, J. Effect comic strip on L2 learner’s reading comprehension. (TESOL Quaterly. 2004) p.229

Sari, DwiPuspita. PeningkatanKeterampilanMembacaNarasidengan Media KomikBukupadaSiswaKelas XB SMK N1. (Lampung : STAIN. 2010)

Williams, N. The comic book as course book: why and how. (Long Beach: ERIC Document. 1995)

Wright, G & Sherman, R. What is black and white and read all over? (Reading Improvement. 1994)

Wright, G & Sherman, R. Let’s create a comic strip. (Reading Improvement. 1999)