Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension Through Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy (Pals) at Grade XI.C of MA Pondok Pesantren Daarun Nahdhah Thawalib Bangkinang (PPDN-TB)

This research started from the problem that found by the researcher in her own class. She found that the students’ reading comprehension at grade XI.C of MA Pondok Pesantren Daarun Nahdhah Thawalib Bangkinang was still low. Some of students could not reach the minimum criteria of achievement (KKM). Based on this problem, the researcher conducted a research through Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy to solve her problem in teaching. The purposes of this research were to explain to what extent Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy (PALS) could improve students’ reading comprehension and the factors that influence the changes of students’ reading comprehension through Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy (PALS) at grade XI.C of MA Pondok Pesantren Daarun Nahdhah Thawalib Bangkinang. This research was a classroom action research (CAR). It was done in two cycles. In conducting this research, the researcher was helped by a collaborator in designing plan, action, observation, and reflection. The instrumentations of this research were test, observation sheet, field note and interview. The result of this research was analyzed through two techniques. The quantitative data was used to analyze the students’ reading comprehension through reading test. Then, qualitative data was analyzed through the result of observation sheet, field note and interview. It was used to explain the factors that influenced the improvement of students’ reading comprehension through Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy. The finding of this research showed the students’ reading comprehension through Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy had better improved. The improvement could be seen at the result of the test; the students’ average score at the end of cycle 1 was 65.38 of report text and 65.45 of narrative text and improved at the end of cycle 2 was 75.8 of report text and 76.9 of narrative text. The factors that influenced the improvement of students’ reading comprehension were: (1) the students’ willingness to do all of the procedures in Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy (PALS), (2) the tutoring activities in the class, and (3) the teacher’s roles and approach. In conclusion, the application of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategy can better improve the students’ reading comprehension in English at grade XI.C of MA Pondok Pesantren Daarun Nahdhah Thawalib Bangkinang