IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION ACHIEVEMENT

BY USING PROJECT BASED LEARNING STRATEGY TO

THE TENTH GRADE AT MAN 2 PALEMBANG

THESIS PROPOSAL

By:

Mayang Jingga

NIM. 2020205044

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHING SCIENCES

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

UNIVERSITAS ISLAM NEGERI RADEN FATAH PALEMBANG

2023
1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Research

One of the most crucial English language abilities for teaching

and learning, particularly in Indonesia, is reading. It has been observed

that reading passages make up the majority of exam questions.

Arianggi (2014) explained that reading is a crucial step in obtaining

information from written texts or the author's meaning for the reader. It

also serves as the foundation for other language abilities. In order to

respond to the question, students are forced to read more and

understand the text's content. Students can enhance other language

skills and linguistic components by using their reading comprehension.

In addition, according to Blachowicz and Ogle (2017) suggest reading

is crucial. This is a skill that is necessary to learn other disciplines.

Evidently, (Harmer, 2003, as cited in Aida et al, 2022) argued that to

become proficient in the English language's mechanics, encompassing

vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and the approach we take to

compose sentences, paragraphs, and textbooks when the opportunity

presents itself.

The main point of reading is comprehension. The reader's task

is to read the material and extract its main ideas, such as a crucial

lesson. As stated Fitri et al. (2018) explained reading comprehension

involves using thoughts, feelings, skills, or techniques to understand a

text's main ideas. Thorough reading, particularly in English, provides

new knowledge, understanding, and conclusions. However, many

students find reading boring due to difficulties in understanding text

due to its length, complex language, vocabulary, and incomprehensible

content. Developing reading skills can help overcome these challenges

and make reading more enjoyable. Meanwhile, reading environment

and reading-related components make up the external factor. The

structure and complexity of the text are two aspects of reading. The

teacher's preparation before, during, and after class reading sessions

are all part of the reading environment.

Reading is a crucial part of the school curriculum because it is

something that student study practically every day. Ismail et al. (2017)

argued that reading is crucial for academic success since it's one of the

language abilities that's used the most in daily life. Through reading,

students can increase their vocabulary and knowledge base and get

new information. According to Nation (2015) supports reading was

deemed the most crucial language-learning ability. However, students

must understand every significant passage in the book they read in

order to determine its substance and significance to gain accurate

information and expand their knowledge.

Project-oriented different types of texts can be taught using

learning strategies. Narrative text is one of the text types. According to

(Pardiyono, 2007, as cited in Assyahbana, 2019). A narrative book can

amuse and entertain students with a range of experiences in numerous

sequences of occurrences. In this case, incorporating storyboard

materials into a narrative text can help students visualize the story's

substance. There are more general structures (orientation,

complication, resolution, and reorientation) in narrative text than in

other text forms. There are three types of narrative texts: fable, which

is an animal story; legend, which is a myth-like story without any

supporting evidence; and myth, which is a traditional story believed by

the indigenous people.

Some studies tell about Project-based Learning (PBL) strategy

to improve students’ reading comprehension. The research by

Wiratmo et al. (2022) entitled “Improving Students’ Reading

Comprehension Using Project-Based Learning at VIII F Grade of

SMPN 43 Surabaya”. This study aims to investigate if the Project-

Based Learning approach may enhance the reading comprehension of

students in the VIII F grade of SMPN 43 Surabaya. The Classroom

Action Research (CAR) method is used in the research design. The

class consisted of 39 students. There were 19 girls and 20 boys in the

class. The outcome of implementation was reflected by the student's

score. The student' grades rise. Students' achievement in reading notice

texts was greatly enhanced by the Project-Based Learning approach,

which also encouraged students to take an active and creative

approach to learning. Project-Based Learning was effectively used for

teaching, learning, acting, observing, and reflecting. According to the

information above, PBL is a strategy that can enhance comprehension

of student involvement; however, because interviews are not employed

in the data gathering process, the methods are not comprehensive.

Furthermore, research by Ariani (2023) entitled “The Effect of

Project-Based Learning on Reading Comprehension Achievement of

Junior High School Students”. In the context of English language

learning, this study examines how well project-based learning

enhances students' comprehension skills. Reaching high levels of

competency in reading comprehension presents difficulties for many

students. In order to solve this problem, the study investigates how

Project-Based Learning—which uses real-world assignments—affects

students' general cognitive abilities. While the control group

participated in Project-Based Learning (PBL), the experimental group

was instructed in Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR). This study

set out to evaluate, using rigorous statistical analysis, how well

project-based learning fosters students' understanding skills. The

results show that Project-Based Learning raises students'

comprehension levels. These findings imply that Project-Based

Learning is a suggested method for teaching language skills since it

allows students to improve their comprehension skills by working on

real-world projects. The results of this study explain that Project-Based

Learning is the recommended approach to teaching language skills.

But there are shortcomings in the data collection method, researchers

only use pre-test and post-test.

In addition, based on Anam et al. (2023) in their research

entitled “Improving students’ writing ability in short message through

PBL strategy (A Classroom Action Research at 8th Grade Students of

SMPN 43 Surabaya)”. A classroom action research approach was

employed in this study, which featured 31 students from SMPN 43

Surabaya's VIII F class. It was carried out in two cycles, with two

meetings in each cycle, and it involved the following four steps:

planning, carrying out, observing, and reflecting. An assessment test

was given to the students at the conclusion of each cycle to gauge their

progress in crafting succinct statements. An observation sheet,

interviews with the English teacher and students, and test data

collection were all used as research instruments in this study. The

results showed that the application of the Project Based Learning

(PBL) approach improved the students' average test scores and

improved their capacity to compose brief communications.

However obvious from the previous study mentioned above

that not a single study is taught in senior high school. Thus, the

researcher is eager to use the PBL technique to conduct study in MAN

2 Palembang. The problems also happened in MAN 2 Palembang's

tenth grade. The researcher conducted an informal interview with one

English teacher at MAN 2 Palembang as part of a preliminary study.

According to the teachers' explanation, reading texts was the primary

method of instruction for learning English in school. In fact, the tenth-

grade students at MAN 2 Palembang actually have some reading

difficulties. Then lack mastery of vocabulary, miss understanding, and

still translate word to word. In addition, they are not motivated to learn

English and to improve their reading comprehension. They also have

trouble understanding texts and figuring out what the main idea of a

text is. These issues arise because the teaching method or technique is

not engaging enough for the students, which makes them bored while

they are learning English reading skills. As a result, the students'

reading comprehension does not improve. Reading comprehension is

one of the abilities that is tested on a regular basis and requires

students to focus more on understanding the text's substance.

Based on the problems, the researcher will apply the new

technique that has not been used yet in English reading skill at MAN 2

Palembang. In order for readers to make new connections after reading

the problems, comprehension is related to knowledge acquired after

reading. This research aims to determine how differently students

understand English reading texts when adopting Project-Based

Learning methods. PBL suggests these abilities: 1. Critical thinking, 2.

Judicious use of suitable learning resources, 3. Cooperation in small

groups, 4. The use of verbal and written communication skills; 5. The

use of knowledge and intellectual prowess. Then, Arends (2012)

recognized that Project Based Learning helps students solve problems,

exercise critical thought, and gain confidence. For this reason, Aliyu et

al (2020) noted in their findings that PBL was effective in enabling

students to critically locate the perspectives based on the discussion

topic through group interactions.

Depending on the background above, the researcher is

motivated to carry out the research entitled "Improving Reading

Comprehension Achievement by Using Project Based Learning (PBL)

Strategy to the Tenth Grade at MAN 2 Palembang".

1.2 Problems of the Research

2. Is there any significant improvement between the tenth-grade

student at MAN 2 Palembang who are taught by using Project-

Based Learning (PBL) strategy?

3. Is there any significant difference between the tenth-grade student

at MAN 2 Palembang who are taught by using Project Based

Learning (PBL) strategy and those who are not?

1.3 Objectives of the Research

1. To find out the significant improvement between the tenth-grade

students at MAN 2 Palembang who are taught by using PBL

strategy.

2. To find out the significant difference between the tenth-grade

students at MAN 2 Palembang who are taught by using Project

Based-Learning (PBL) strategy and those who are not.

1.4 Significance of the Research

In light of the formulation and goal mentioned above, the research's

significance is explained as follows:

1) Theoritically

It is anticipated that the research's findings will provide readers

with significant insights. The research's findings will provide

valuable insights for students to enhance their approach to reading

instruction, contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the

evolution of reading instruction, and inspire further research in

related areas.

2) Practically

This research expected to provide additional benefits and

information regarding one method to improve reading skills,

namely Project-Based Learning (PBL). For the researcher herself

this research is very valuable experience. When doing this research,

the researchers found out what problem the students faced in

writing. In this research, the researcher also gained a lot of

knowledge that had not been obtained before.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Reading Skills

When engaging with written texts, reading comprehension is a

cognitive capacity that can be put to use. In order to understand a

reading text, one can employ a variety of reading strategies, according

to Derakhshan and Nazari (2015). These include: (a) determining the

text's purpose; (b) applying a bottom-up decoding rule pattern; (c) using

silent reading technique; (d) skimming; (e) scanning; (f) grouping or

semantic mapping; (g) inferring meaning from context; (h) analyzing

vocabulary; and (i) capitalizing discourse markers.

2.2 Teaching Reading Comprehension

The act of transmitting or imparting knowledge is called

teaching. Teaching, as defined Ayua (2017) argued that the practice of

imparting knowledge and honing skills to students at all educational

levels. Furthermore, Kiryakova et al. (2014) defined teaching as the

process of directing, assisting, and overseeing the conditions of

learning so that students might gain knowledge. Students are expected

to have a thorough understanding of the content being taught as well

as broader knowledge as a result of the teaching process (Oleson &

Hora, 2014). When students meet the teacher's desired learning

objectives, that is considered good teaching. The quality and learning

results would both be enhanced by effective instruction (Jalbani,

2014).
 One of the four primary skills that English teachers should

impart to their students is reading. Reading enables the reader to

interpret the text they are reading. Reading is the process of

identifying words, deciphering their meanings, and comprehending the

author's point of view, according to Buehl (2013). Thinking must

come after reading (Santi & Reed, 2015). After decoding text, a reader

will process what they have read and obtain information.

Consequently, reading is a coordinated action that helps the reader to

learn about, characterize, assess, and comprehend the material

(Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2016).

Reading comprehension refers to the capacity to grasp texts

and interpret information appropriately and correctly. As suggested

Elleman and Oslund (2019) reading comprehension refers to the

reader's interaction with the text while taking into account the

peculiarities of the socio-cultural context. Reading with

comprehension entails understanding what has been read. Reading

comprehension is a process in which the reader attempts to generate

meaning by using the brain to think and so gaining information

(Butterfuss et al., 2020). Furthermore, Paris (2014) defined

comprehension as a process in which the reader uses cues in the text to

build meaning, then connects to their own prior knowledge. Knowing

the terminology, identifying the connection between words, and

recognizing the author's purpose are all part of comprehension.

 According to the foregoing statement, teaching reading

comprehension comprises assisting students in understanding what

they read. Teachers can employ any method based on their students’

abilities. The use of comprehension strategies in reading instruction is

critical for making it easier for students to understand reading text and

increasing students' reading comprehension proficiency.

2.3 Reading Comprehension Achievement

The accomplishment of anything by skill and dedication is

called achievement. A student's accomplishment is the outcome of the

abilities they have acquired during the learning process. According to

Gurning and Siregar (2017) standard progress in acquiring measurable

skills and learner knowledge—typically through scheduled instruction,

like training or classroom instruction—is a prevalent sort of

achievement. To sum up, achievement was the outcome of a process

that involved gaining something through experiences or knowledge.

The ability of students to comprehend and evaluate the

information included in a reading text is known as reading

comprehension achievement. Students who can make the connection

between the information and what they already know and then interpret

it correctly are considered to have succeeded in reading comprehension.

as defined by Gilakjani and Sabouri (2016) supports successful

comprehension is the process through which students develop their

 reading abilities by employing ways to track their understanding, boost

their interest in reading, and set objectives for themselves.

2.4 Components of Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension often consists of five elements,

according to Oakhill and Yuill (2013). Determining the main concept,

locating details, recognizing references, drawing conclusions, and

comprehending word meanings are the elements of reading

comprehension (vocabulary). Consequently, the investigator offered the

subsequent rationale:

1) The most important thing to convey in a paragraph or

sentence is the main concept. A summary statement that

incorporates concepts or information from a paragraph is

called the primary idea. It is expected of the reader to

recognize and understand the reading text's primary idea or

theme. While a topic is frequently presented as a phrase, the

core concept is usually expressed as a sentence.

2) Additional information that clarifies, defines, or supports

the main notion is called detail information. Both overt and

covert supporting information is included. Anything that is

stated or expressed in the text clearly is considered explicit.

Furthermore, an implicit statement is one that is made in a

text but is not explicitly stated. Students can locate

 supporting information to address the who, why, when,

where, what, and how questions in the book.

3) Reference. Students are expected to understand the usage of

pronouns in sentences in order to determine the reference.

Pronouns that are typically employed in the text to denote

individuals, locations, or situations.

4) Inference is a critical skill for ensuring a thorough

comprehension of a text. Students are expected to be able to

comprehend the text and draw conclusions from its

assertions when drawing inferences. It is also expected of

readers to practice drawing conclusions by fusing hints

from the text with prior knowledge.

5) Vocabulary. Every time they read, students should be asked

to increase the vocabulary they know, for example, by

looking up new terms in dictionaries and deducing

meanings from context. Students can use the context to

infer general meanings from their work.

2.5 Type of Text

2.5.1 Definition of Text

Depending on Shen (2012) sounds, words, and sentences

are the constituent parts of language. People do not, however,

communicate linguistically using these discrete components.

Humans communicate mostly and exclusively through

combinations of these language components, which are unique

forms of expression in and of themselves. In linguistics, these sets

of language units are referred to as texts. In their Discourse

Analysis, (Brown & Yule, 1983, as cited in Shen, 2012) further

define text as the verbal record of a communicative act.

Based on (Halliday & Hasan, 1976, as cited in Shen, 2012)

defined a text as a unit of language in use. It is not a grammatical

unit like a clause or sentence, nor is it defined by its size.

Constituency, or the assembly of larger units from smaller ones, is

the idea that a text can sometimes be thought of as a super-

sentence, a larger-than-sentence grammatical unit that is connected

to a sentence in the same ways that a sentence is connected to a

clause, a clause to a group, and so on. But this is misleading. A text

is a unique sentence, not just a sentence written on a wider scale. It

could be a monologue, a dialogue, or a poem. It may be anything

from a single proverb to an entire play, from a brief plea for

assistance to a full-day committee meeting as stated (Halliday &

Hasan, 1976, as cited in Shen, 2012). Additionally, they introduced

the idea of texture, which can differentiate between text and non-

text. They contend that texture is necessary for a text to be

semantically coherent. There will be linguistic elements in a

passage that can be recognized as adding to its overall unity and

 texture if it is considered to be a text and consists of multiple

sentences.

2.5.2 Definition of Narrative Text

Based on (Meyers, 2005, as cited in Tamsil et al., 2020)

suggest reading that tells a tale, with either fictitious or factual facts,

is referred to as narrative text. Narrative is one of the most powerful

ways of communicating with others, reading a story enables the

reader to react to a particular event in your life as though it were

their own. Students get a story scheme and can recognize story

grammar parts by reading narratives. In addition, according to

(Klingner, 2007, as cited in Tamsil et al., 2020) argued that we are

aware that there are several processes in text comprehension that

readers need to be proficient in order to successfully comprehend a

narrative text. Furthermore, (Anderson, 2003, as cited in Mahendra

et al., 2014) explained a narrative is a text that entertains or informs

the reader or listener while telling a story. The story spans a dizzying

variety of genres, each of which is found in various media. Narrative

components can be found in myth, legend, fable, tale, novella, epic,

history, tragedy, drama, comedy, mime, paintings (such as

Carpaccio's Saint Ursula), stained glass windows, movies, and comic

books. Moreover, storytelling is a universal art form that has been

practiced from the beginning of human civilization and is present in

all eras and regions. No people have ever lived without it.
 While the plot of a narrative text is left up to the writer, the

story's climax typically occurs in the midst of the narrative.

According to the description given above, a narrative text is one that

tells a story in full with the intention of entertaining readers or

viewers.

2.5.3 Kind of Narrative Text

As defined (Anderson, 2003, as cited in Mahendra et al.,

2014) explained a narrative is a text that entertains or informs the

reader or listener while telling a story. The story spans a dizzying

variety of genres, each of which is found in various media. Narrative

components can be found in myth, legend, fable, tale, novella, epic,

history, tragedy, drama, comedy, mime, paintings (such as

Carpaccio's Saint Ursula), stained glass windows, movies, and comic

books. Narrative writing comes in a variety of forms.

The researcher comes to the conclusion that there are various

forms of narrative texts, including fables, legends, fairy tales,

folktales, and science fiction, based on the description given above.

In addition, the researcher employed legend as a type of narrative

text for the tenth grade at MAN 2 Palembang.

2.5.4 Example of Narrative Text

MALIN KUNDANG

Long time ago, in a small village near the beach in West

Sumatera, lived a woman and her son, named Malin Kundang.

Malin Kundang's father had passed away when he was a baby,

and he had to live hard with his mother. Malin Kundang was a

healthy, diligent, and strong child. He usually went to the sea to

catch fish, and brought it to his mother, or sold it in the town.

One day, when Malin Kundang was sailing as usual, he saw a

merchant's ship which was being raided by a small band of

pirates. With his brave and power, Malin Kundang defeated the

pirates. The merchant was so happy and asked Malin Kundang to

sail with him. Malin Kundang agreed.

Many years later, Malin Kundang became a wealthy

merchant, with a huge ship, loads of trading goods, many ship

crews, and a beautiful wife. In his journey, his ship landed on a

beach. The villagers recognized him, and the news ran fast in the

town: Malin Kundang became a rich man and now he is here. His

mother, in sadness after years of loneliness, ran to the beach to

meet her beloved son again.

When the mother came, Malin Kundang, in front of his well-

dressed wife, his crews and his own glory, denied to meet that

old, poor and dirty woman. For three times she begged Malin

Kundang and for three times yelled at him. At last Malin

Kundang said to her "Enough, old woman! I have never had a

mother like you, a dirty and ugly peasant!" Then he ordered his

crews to set sail.

 Enraged, she cursed Malin Kundang that he would turn into a

stone if he didn't apologize. Malin Kundang just laughed and set

sail. In the quiet sea, suddenly a thunderstorm came. His huge

ship was wrecked and it was too late for Malin Kundang to

apologize. He was thrown by the wave out of his ship, fell on a

small island, and suddenly turned into stone.

The moral value based on the text above is: Don’t rebellious

with our parents, especially mother because she was giving birth

for us.

2.6 The Concept of Project-Based Learning

2.6.1 Definition of Project-Based Learning

One activity in the teaching and learning process designed to

encourage student participation and creativity is called Project-

Based Learning (PBL). because, as a requirement for their study,

they had to create or produce a product. Lumanauw et al. (2022)

state that project-based learning improved students' comprehension

of English reading. PBL is a shift in the focus of the learning

process from teacher-centered to student-centered. Students will

therefore need to actively participate in the learning process,

particularly in reading-related tasks. Ngadiso et al. (2021) claim

that project-based learning may help students become better

writers. Then according to Rofieq et al. (2019) supports Project-

Based Learning increased the students' engagement and enthusiasm

in classroom reading activities.

The government is making efforts to raise the standard of

education in Indonesia in order to create a generation that is

powerful on a global scale. To this goal, a new curriculum

curriculum program is being implemented, which offers more

curriculum so that students can master their skills and

independence more quickly. Based on Sufyadi et al. (2021)

learning is created in autonomous curricula by taking student

development and adaptation needs into account, making learning

more enjoyable and meaningful.

According to Dewi (2022) explained that PBL is a teaching

strategy that involves students in developing, building, and

showcasing products that are used to address issues in the real

world. The PBL (Project Based Learning) approach is frequently

preferred in terms of self-education. Project-based learning has

become a potent instrument for addressing the issues of 21st-

century learning because it incorporates the ideas of critical

thinking, communication, teamwork, and creativity. PBL is a

successful method for fostering the development of 21st-century

abilities like as critical thinking, problem solving, interpersonal

communication, media literacy, cooperation, leadership, and

teamwork, as well as innovation and creativity.

 The Project-based Learning (PBL) learning model is

implemented in six structural stages, which are as follows Wajdi

(2017) Asking questions at the start learning starts with hard

questions that can point students in the direction of the learning

material that will be covered in the project. The ideas of Project-

Based Learning are created to give students practical experience

while instructing them in how to come up with original solutions to

everyday issues. Project-Based Learning, which has several names,

is fundamentally authentic learning based on actual circumstances.

As stated Agustina (2012) explains that Project-Based

Learning is divided into two aspects, each of which is a teaching

and learning strategy. These two aspects are curriculum

development and instructional approach that are concerned with

the development of the students (students' center).

2.6.2 The Method of Project-Based Learning

Depending on Jalinus et al (2017) created and developed the

seven steps of the PBL paradigm. The PBL model comprises seven

stages, the first three of which are primary and the second of which

is divided into seven smaller stages.

A. Primary Stages

The primary stages of a project include skill

competences debriefing, project work, and evaluation.

 Debriefing helps students understand expected outcomes,

motivation, and teaching material. Project work involves real-

world issues and processing, making the work stages relevant

to the learning outcome. Evaluation reveals the achievement

of the learning process and students' competences, making it

a matter for assessment and evaluation.

B. Secondary Stages

a) The formulation of expected learning outcomes involves

teacher-student interaction to explore the relevance of

study materials to real-world situations. Contextual

teaching and learning approach help teachers relate subject

matter content to real-world situations, motivating

students to connect knowledge to their lives. Project-based

learning places real-world tasks at the center, encouraging

students to discuss problems and have high motivation to

solve them.

b) The concept of teaching material involves debriefing

knowledge to students, with teachers instructing and

guiding them in class discussions. Cooperative learning

environments support permanent learning, social and

personal skill development, and achievement. However,

they may cause students to worry about success at all

 stages. A learning model was developed as an instructional

media.

c) Vocational training methods or machine operation are

designed to help students grasp the fundamentals of the

technical or operational machinery of the courses they are

taught, as well as to provide them with practice debriefing

skills prior to them working on project tasks.

Demonstrations and hands-on exercises are two effective

ways to teach technical and operational skills for

machines.

d) Creating the project's motif, the teacher and students

examine and identify real-world issues or concerns that

exist in the communities where the school or college is

located in the early stages of theme design. The necessity

to adjust to a changing reality is the main driver behind

project-based learning (PBL). It is argued that learning

should take precedence over teaching in a classroom

setting.

e) Creating the project proposal at this point involves

creating the project tasks proposal. The availability of

student supplies and school-owned equipment was taken

into account when constructing the project. When

choosing the content, keep the following things in mind:

 1) The material's availability; 2) Its suitability for the

operating circumstances in use; and 3) The material's cost.

f) Putting the project's tasks into practice and working well

in teams allow students to demonstrate their performance

quality and find solutions to project-related issues,

ultimately turning the project's design into a tangible

product. At this point, the teacher's job is to take on the

roles of mentor, tutor, supervisor, and evaluator in order to

enable the students to carry out the learning process by

conducting research and creating work for projects they

are working on. Students follow estimated production

actions when working on projects, prioritizing safety,

working in strong teams, and consulting professors when

issues arise.

g) Project report presentation: Students completed the project

report and gave a seminar at the end of the lesson

explaining the work process and outcomes of the project

tasks. Teachers and students also discussed the

shortcomings in the project implementation process and

the outcomes, and teachers evaluated the students' mastery

of the completed project tasks. Students rated one another

after presenting their own perspectives. They pointed out

errors and recommended that I improve my own

 presentation. Teacher summarized her personal

perspective and the assessors' assessments.

2.7 Storyboard

One of PBL media is storyboard. When filming a movie, TV

show, video, or digital storytelling, scenes or stories are visualized

using this type of graphic organizer, which takes the shape of an image

sequence (Gutierrez, 2014). It is paired with narrative and dialogue

materials. Because it can improve coherence and originality, this

medium is frequently utilized in L2 learning to teach writing,

particularly when outlining a story (Bruce, 2011; Hasan & Wijaya,

2016; Taylor et al., 2021). Due to the assumption that storyboards are

helpful for other skills, the application of storyboards to reading skills

has recently started to be studied.

Numerous studies have shown that storyboarding in reading

classes has benefits. Defined by (Foulsham et al., 2016), readers' eye

concentration and focus when reading comics is identical to that of

reading a full text. It demonstrates how reading comics aloud also

employs a top-down reading technique that enhances understanding on

its own. In addition, research has shown that storyboards can boost

students' reading motivation in addition to their ability to improve

reading comprehension (Abuzaid & Al Kayed, 2020; Foulsham et al.,

2016; Maulida et al., 2017). This is particularly true for beginning

readers who are still having difficulty deciphering the meaning of a

reading text (Naar, 2013). Looked into what happened when

storyboarding was used to analyze a reading text. The findings

demonstrated that when students compared their storyboards, it gave

them inspiration to realize that there are many, effective, and subjective

ways to interpret a book. Moreover, he deduced that this task is

appropriate for visual learners since it demonstrates their command of

text visualization. Because some students who used to storyboard tend

to apply the languages they learn from the activity, the storyboard also

has a connection to language acquisition. As a result, language retention

in students is also improved. As a result, using storyboards as reading

material and storyboarding assignments help with text interpretation.

As technology advances, comic strips for educational reasons

may now be created on a number of storyboard websites. There are

other systems available, but Storyboard and Pixton are the most widely

used ones. When compared to other platforms, these two have a few

advantages. Because they enhance it with a library of different

characters, styles, backdrops, and layouts, they offer tools that let users

construct storyboards without having to start from scratch (Purnomo,

2017). The teacher can monitor and score the students' work using these

websites as well (Cabrera et al., 2018). Therefore, this study also looks

into the degrees of reading comprehension abilities that can be taught

utilizing the storyboard makers in order to determine the amount to

which they are beneficial for improving reading comprehension.

2.8 Previous Related Studies

This research has some connections to earlier studies. The earlier

studies are as follows:

Widiseta & Margana (2016) their research on “Improving

students’ reading comprehension trough Project-Based Learning (PBL)

for grade XI students at SMA N 1 Yogyakarta”. The purpose of this

study is to enhance Grade XI English reading comprehension at SMA N

1 Teladan Yogyakarta through project-based learning during the 2016–

2017 academic year. It focuses on how using project-based learning can

help children become more proficient readers. This research falls under

the category of action research. Through interviews and observations in

the classroom, the qualitative data were gathered. The reading

assessments that the students took in the first and second cycles

provided the quantitative data. The study concluded that the effective

application of PBL in this study increased the students' reading

comprehension based on the qualitative data. They did a good job of

deriving information from the texts.

The aforementioned rationale leads one to the conclusion that

there is a similarity between this study and the prior research,

specifically that both studies employ the PBL technique equally and

that the skills found in both of these studies similarly involve reading

skills. Then, the two studies differ in that the tenth-grade students are

chosen for this study, whereas class eleven students were chosen for the
prior research.

Furthermore Wulandari & Ahmad (2020) on their research “The

Effect of Using Project Based Learning Method on Students’ Writing

Skill”. The purpose of this study was to determine how the Project-

based Learning (PBL) approach affected the second-year writing

abilities of SMAN 2 Tapung Hilir students. This study used an

experimental research design, focusing on two factors. Students' writing

abilities were the dependent variable, and the project-based learning

approach was the independent variable. 61 second-year students at

SMAN 2 Tapung Hilir served as the research sample. Moreover, this

research was divided into two classes. A control class and an

experimental class were present. The researcher used an explanation

text as a writing exam on the students in order to collect the data. Using

the SPSS 22 version software, a paired sample T-test was used to

evaluate the data. According to the results, the df was 29 and the t o was

8.682. Analysis reveals that the null hypothesis (Ho) was rejected and

the alternative hypothesis (Ha) was accepted when the significance r-

table (8.682>0.367) is higher than the t-table. The use of the PBL

approach has a considerable impact on the writing abilities of second-

year students at SMAN 2 Tapung Hilir, it may be determined.

Drawing from the aforementioned rationale, it can be inferred

that there exists a commonality between the prior research and current

study, specifically: both investigations employ the PBL technique and

experimental design. The next distinction between the two studies is

that, although previous research included writing as a skill, it selected

students from class 11 whereas the present study used students from

class 10.

Therefore Anningrum (2020) “The Use of Project-Based

Learning Through Video Vlog to Improve Speaking Skill in Descriptive

Text for the Tenth Grade Students of SMA N 1 Pacangaan”. The Use of

Project Based Learning via Video Vlog to Improve Speaking Skill in

Descriptive Text for SMA N 1 Pecangaan Tenth Grade Students was the

title of this study. The purpose of this study was to determine if

speaking skills in descriptive writing might be improved by using

project-based learning via video vlogs. Pretest-Posttest control group

design was employed in this study as a true experimental design. One

set of people received project-based learning via video vlog instruction

as the experimental group, and another set of people received

projectbased learning via video vlog instruction as the control group.

The 393 students in the tenth grade at SMA N 1 Pecangaan served as

the research's population. The research sample comprised 72 students,

selected using simple random sampling. The experimental group, X-IPA

4, consisted of 36 students, while the control group, X-IPA 3, also

consisted of 36 students. Two variables were used in this study.

Students' ability to talk in a descriptive text was the dependent variable,

while project-based learning through video vlogs was the independent

 variable. An oral exam served as the research tool in this study. The pre-

test and post-test mean scores in the experimental class were 70,11 and

76,83, respectively, higher than the mean scores in the controlled class

(64,83) and (73,00), respectively. The value of the ttest in the post test

was more than the t-table (3.361 > 1.994), according to the t-test, the

researcher discovered. Based on the research's findings and discussion,

the researcher came to the conclusion that SMA N 1 Pecangaan's tenth-

grade students' speaking abilities in descriptive texts may be improved

by using Project-Based Learning.

The reasoning provided above leads one to the conclusion that

this research and earlier research on the subject share several

similarities, particularly the adoption of the PBL technique,

experimental design, and selection of class 10 as the population in both

studies. The distinction between the two studies then lies in the fact that

previous studies selected the speaking skill—that is, descriptive text—

as the text for the earlier research.

In light of the aforementioned justifications, the researcher is

motivated to carry out the research entitled "Improving Reading

Comprehension Achievement by Using Project Based Learning (PBL)

Strategy to the Tenth Grade at MAN 2 Palembang".

2.9 Hypothesis of the Research

H01: There is no improvement between the tenth-grade student at

MAN 2 Palembang who are taught by using PBL strategy.

H⍺1: There is improvement between the tenth-grade student at MAN

2 Palembang who are taught by using PBL strategy.

H02: There is no significant difference between the tenth-grade

student at MAN 2 Palembang who are taught by using PBL

strategy and those who are not.

Hα2: There is significant difference between the tenth-grade student

at MAN 2 Palembang who are taught by using PBL strategy

and those who are not.