Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking Skills through the Implementation of QAR Strategy at SMA PGRI Dobo

Abstract

The ability to comprehend English text and to think critically in the learning process is important for students in English as Foreign Language (EFL) context. However, it is a common phenomenon faced by the teachers in the teaching and learning process that those two essential abilities are still becoming students' problems in Indonesia, especially in Dobo, Aru Island Regency. In fact, the use of inappropriate teaching strategy is one of the main causes of the problems. This classroom action research aims to overcome the problems by implementing the Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy. In its implementation, this research employed two cycles with four meetings on each cycle. The research subjects were 36 students of eleventh grade on the science program. The data are in the form of qualitative and quantitative data. The result of this research found that; 1) after the implementation of the QAR strategy, the students' reading comprehension was improved, 2) their critical thinking skills were also improved although only to the level of analyzing (C4) in blooms' taxonomy.