THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COOPERATIVE INTEGRATED READING AND COMPOSITION (CIRC) IN TEACHING READING. Ulfah Bunga Tree Wasmad No. Reg 117010007

The CIRC method is potentially improving reading comprehension skill, because the aspect of the CIRC method possibly makes the students exchange the knowledge in learning process. The present classroom action investigation was basically triggered out by the fact that the students under study still faced problem in reading comprehension. In this classroom action study, the teaching and learning processes were divided into two cycles where each cycle consisted of two cycles. The obtained data of the present classroom action study were collected through the administration of pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire which analysed descriptively. The present classroom action study was started with administering IR or pre-test to the subject under study. The results of the data analysis of the pre-test score showed the mean figure of 30,70. The results of the data analysis of the reflection or post test scores in cycle I (post-test1 and post-test 2) showed the increasing mean figures of 46,61 and 57. The results of the data analysis of the reflection or post test scores obtained by the subject under study in cycle II (post-test 1 and post-test2) pointed out the increasing mean figures of 73,23 and 86,76. Compared with the mean figure of IR scores, the mean figure obtained by the subject under study for each session was convincingly much higher than the mean figure of pre test scores. The grand mean figure of the reflection or post test scores obtained by the subject under study in cycle I was 51,80 and in cycle II was 80. There was a significant difference of the grand mean figure between cycle I and cycle II. The difference of the grand mean figure of cycle I and cycle II was 28.2 (80 – 51,80). These findings clearly showed that CIRC could improve the reading comprehension of the eighth grade students of SMPN 1 Lembang. The result of the present classroom action study were in line with the presented research findings, teaching reading comprehension by using CIRC Method gave significant improvement. Key words: Cooperative Learning, Teaching Reading, and Teaching Composition