IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION USING WEBQUEST

This action research is aimed at: (1) identifying whether and to what extent WebQuest improves reading comprehension of class IXA students at SMP N 5 Surakarta, including: a) finding the main idea, b) finding the supporting idea, c) finding the meaning of words, d) finding the reference and e) finding the detail information; (2) describing the class climate when WebQuest used in the reading class. The research findings showed that it could improve students’ reading comprehension and class climate. Related to the improvement of students’ reading skill, they found it easier to find the main idea, supporting idea, meaning of words, reference, and detail information. Related to the class climate, there are many improvements of students’ attitude; they are more confident and active, paying attention when one of the other student read the text aloud, actively engaged in the reading group activities, and focus on the lesson. From those findings, it can be concluded that WebQuest can improve both students’ reading comprehension and class climate. Keywords: reading comprehension, webquest, action researc