AN ANALYSIS OF THE ELEVENTH-GRADE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN COMPREHENDING FAIRY TALES AT SMK 1 MUHAMMADIYAH PADANG

Abstrak

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to describe the ability of the eleventh-grade students in comprehending fairy tales at SMK 1 Muhammadiyah Padang in the academic year 2024/2025. The population was 89 students, and 14 students were selected as the sample using a convenience sampling technique. The instrument was a reading comprehension test with 25 short-answer items covering character traits, setting of time and place, and moral messages. The test was scored by two raters and showed a reliability coefficient of 0.72. The findings revealed that the students’ overall comprehension ability was low; 92.86% of students had low ability and only 7.14% had high ability. In character traits, 78.57% had high ability; in identifying setting, 50% had high ability; while in moral messages, 100% of students had low ability. It can be concluded that students’ comprehension of fairy tales was generally low, especially in identifying moral messages. Therefore, teachers are suggested to use varied instructional strategies such as story mapping, guided discussions, and inferential questioning to improve students’ higher-order thinking skills.

Keywords: Reading Comprehension, Fairy Tales, Character Traits, Setting, Moral Message