HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS` READING ABILITY ON ENGLISH SUBJECT

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to determine students’ ability in reading comprehension of recount text at eighth grade of SMP Al-Azhar 53 Baturaja. The method of the study used descriptive qualitative research. The sample of the research consisted of eighth grade students from VIII A and VIII B, totaling 31 students. The researchers delivered try out to non sample which include 30 questions in multiple choice. After the tryout, 25 questions were valid and they were used for gathering the data. Based on the findings, the results of the student scores were as follows: 9 respondents had achieved a very good score (80-100%), 7 respondents had achieved a good score (66-79%), 3 respondents had achieved a fair score (55-65%), 4 respondents had achieved a poor score (41-54%), and 8 respondents had achieved a failing score (00-40%). Based on the mean score (62.9) In this research, it was found that students' reading comprehension of recount texts was fair. This was caused by difficulties faced by the students in three basic parts of recount text: orientation, events, and reorientation and students found that difficult to determine the sequence of events.