International Journal Corner of Educational Research

Vol. 2, No. 3, 2024, pp. 98~103

E-ISSN 2962-164X, P-ISSN 2962-8237, DOI: 10.54012/ijcer.v2i3.221  98

The Effect of Using Picture Stories on Students’ Reading

Comprehension in Narrative Text at the Ninth Grade Students
of SMP Negeri 10 Pematangsiantar

Tiara Indah Sari Simangunsong1, Leonita Maria Efipanias Manihuruk2, Novra Melisa P. Hutabarat3
123
University of HKBP Nommensen Pematang Siantar, Indonesia

Article Info ABSTRACT

Article history: This research aims to determine whether the use of picture books has
a big impact on students' ability to read narrative texts. At SMP
Received October 26, 2023
Negeri 10 Pematangsiantar, researchers conducted this research
Revised November 3, 2023
using quantitative methods and a quasi-experimental design
Accepted November 4, 2023
approach. The population of this study was 201 class IX students.
The instruments used to collect data are based on students’ pre-and
Keywords: post-test results. Based on research findings, the average score of the
experimental class on the pre-test and post-test was 54 and 75,
Effect respectively. The average score of the control group was 58.65 on
Picture Stories the pre-test and 65.57 on the post-test as well. The t-test results show
Reading Comprehension (3.7 > 1.677) that the t-test value is greater than the t-table value. H0,
Narrative the null hypothesis, is refuted. Keeping this in mind, it can be said
that picture books play a major role in helping students improve their
reading skills, especially in narrative texts.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license.

Corresponding Author:
Tiara Indah Sari Simangunsong1
University of HKBP Nommensen Pematang Siantar
Email: tiaraindahsari60@gmail.com

1. INTRODUCTION
One of the linguistic skills that pupils should have a firm grasp on is reading. Reading plays a
crucial role in how one engages in communication. People often argue that reading is the means to
open the world because they value reading as a worthwhile pastime. Reading is a fascinating hobby
since it allows people to access various knowledge without leaving their homes. Reading is an
activity in which readers respond to or make sense of a text in light of their prior knowledge,
according to [2], [5]. It implies that reading involves the reader sharing or receiving the writer’s
experiences or ideas. As [11] asserts, reading is a receptive ability, wherein individuals derive
meaning from the words they encounter through reading or listening.
Understanding the reading leads to reading comprehension. According to [13], reading
comprehension is the process of both deriving meaning from written language and creating that
meaning. It implies that learning comprehension is crucial for all readers to do in order to become
good readers. Therefore, reading must be accompanied by interest because a lack of interest is one of
the causes of reading comprehension failure. Reading comprehension instruction and learning can be
more effectively accomplished when pupils are interested in reading since they will focus more on

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Int J Corner of Educ Research E-ISSN 2962-164X, P-ISSN 2962-8237  99

reading materials. The "narrative text" concept encompasses any written work that weaves a
captivating tale, meticulously crafted and artfully resolved. It focuses on individuals who
courageously confront obstacles, hurdles, and life-altering encounters, ultimately culminating in the
triumphant resolution of their arduous trials [14]. Narrative Text is a captivating form of writing that
intricately weaves together tales and events in a meticulous chronology, often embodying the author's
imaginative prowess. Some narratives are even inspired by real-life occurrences, adding an element
of authenticity [3], [12].
The instructor is in charge of carrying out the teaching and learning process according to the
2013 curriculum. Teachers must master one of their core competencies, which is teaching. The ability
of the teacher to instruct through pedagogy is required to support the four skills (writing, reading,
listening, and speaking). So, the topic being taught can be understood and understood by the students.
However, students also participate in the process, so it is not just professors who do. This curriculum
was recently released by the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Education and Culture. The
curriculum itself is called the 2013 Curriculum encourages the development of knowledge, abilities,
and character. Students are expected to comprehend the subject, participate actively in discussions
and presentations, and display discipline and good manners. In the insightful words of [6], the
bottom-up processing approach illuminates the art of reading by emphasizing the significance of
phonemic units. The teaching-learning process in the classroom is made more enjoyable and
engaging by the use of media. A visual tale is one of the various language teaching strategies that
may be used to help pupils read narrative texts more fluently. A visual narrative one of which is a
picture story. Illustrated stories are a unity and work of art between fine literary works with a cartoon
story theme. Picture stories can help readers visualize correctly. According to [7], a picture story is a
series of unique stories that uses pictures to attract the readers, and the text completes it. The picture
are media of part to make the readers more understandable on the text, as highlighted by [10].
Considering the aforementioned factors that contribute to students’ challenges, the
researchers endeavor to discover an instructional approach that can effectively assist ninth grade
students at SMP Negeri 10 Pematangsiantar in comprehending and mastering reading. Media aims to
enhance students’ reading comprehension skills and captivate their attention, ensure knowledge
retention, foster a genuine interest in the subject matter, and demonstrate the applicability of various
concepts, as emphasized by [1].
Based on the explanation above, the researchers are interested in using picture stories as an
effective teaching medium to improve students’ understanding of reading comprehension. The
research will be conducted under the title “‘The Effect of Using Picture Stories on Students’ Reading
Comprehension in Narrative Text at The Ninth Grade Students of SMP Negeri 10 Pematangsiantar.”

2. METHOD
This research employs a quantitative method, specifically an experimental design. The
experimental design allows for a meticulous examination of the impact of deliberately
manipulating one variable on another. As [8] affirms, through experimentation, researchers can
assess the influence of an independent variable on a dependent variable, thereby testing and
validating ideas, practices, or procedures. [8] asserts that the quasi-experimental approach involves
the deliberate assignment, albeit not random, of participants into groups. In order to examine
potential influences on both internal and external validity, this research employs a quasi-
experimental design, incorporating pre-test and post-test to investigate the impact of utilizing
picture stories on the reading comprehension abilities of class IX students at SMP Negeri 10
Pematangsiantar, especially those related to narrative texts. In ensuring a robust investigation, the
samples will be divided into two distinct groups: control and experimental groups. The
experimental group will receive instructions based on picture stories.
In the insightful words of [9], examining the population allows us to comprehensively
understand each individual's essence of a phenomenon or concept. The population is class IX
students at SMP Negeri 10 Pematangsiantar, comprising seven classes totalling 201. The selected
sample, which is a subset of the larger research population, plays a crucial role in this study. As
emphasized by [4], sample represents a chosen group from the population that is to be observed

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100  E-ISSN 2962-164X, P-ISSN 2962-8237

and analyzed. In this particular research, the researchers adopted a purposeful sampling technique,
driven by the desire to select individuals who possess traits or characteristics closely aligned with
those already known within the population. This technique was chosen for its inherent advantages,
notably facilitating the efficient collection of data. Consequently, class (IX-6) was designated as
control group, while class (IX-4) was chosen as an experimental group.
The data collection procedures in this research include:
1. Pre-test
In order to assess the students’ aptitude for comprehending narrative texts, a pre-test
comprising 20 multiple-choice questions was administered. These questions, presented in the
form of narrative text, were accompanied by four options (a, b, c, and d) for each question.

2. Treatment
Samples are processed using picture stories. Students are given treatment with the
following steps: 1) The researchers explain the activities carried out by students and explain
the narrative text to students; 2) Researchers provide more examples of narrative text without
images; 3) Researchers ask students to read then ask for themes to explain it; 4) Researchers
correct students’ answers and find students’ mistakes in reading the questions; 5) Researchers
take student grades according to procedures.

3. Post- Test
Following the administration of treatment, students are presented with post-tests during
their final gathering.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Based on data analysis findings, the researchers discovered that applying picture stories
significantly affected the reading comprehension ability of ninth-grade students of SMP Negeri 10
Pematangsiantar in narrative text. Some of the findings are as follows :

Table 1. Score of the Pre-Test and Post-Test in Experimental Class.

Initial Pre-test (X1) Post-test

No Range
(X2)

1. ARS 50 2500 70 4900 20

2. AL 50 2500 70 4900 20
3. AV 65 4225 80 6400 25
4. AS 40 1600 60 3600 20
5. BT 50 2500 75 5625 25
6. CRH 70 4900 85 7225 15
7. CJP 40 1600 55 3025 25
8. DPP 65 4225 75 5625 10
9. DK 45 2025 60 3600 15
10. FGL 50 2500 75 5625 25
11. GD 55 3025 85 7225 30
12. IN 40 1600 75 5625 35
13. JM 65 4225 80 6400 15
14. KAA 70 4900 90 8100 20
15. KA 60 3600 75 4225 15
16. MSS 60 2025 80 6400 20
17. NR 55 3025 80 6400 25
18. NA 50 2500 75 5625 25
19. PDP 55 3025 70 4900 15

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Int J Corner of Educ Research E-ISSN 2962-164X, P-ISSN 2962-8237  101

20. RAP 60 3600 85 7225 25

21. RN 60 3600 80 6400 20
22. RPD 50 2500 80 6400 30
23. SA 35 1225 50 2500 20
24. SN 60 3600 80 6400 20
25. VAS 50 1600 70 4225 20
26. RDP 75 5625 85 7225 10
X2 =
N=26 580
X1 = 1420 1945
Mean X1=54.61 X2=75

Table 2. Score of the Pre-Test and Post-Test in Control Class.

Initial Names Without using an Picture Stories

No of Students Pre-test (X1) Post-test (X2) Range

1. AJS 55 60 5
2. AR 75 80 5
3. AWF 40 50 10
4. APDG 80 85 5
5. CS 70 75 5
6. DS 55 65 10
7. DAS 50 60 10
8. ECSS 65 70 5
9. FA 65 75 10
10 FNA 50 55 5
11. GD 80 85 5
12. GES 35 40 5
13. IM 60 70 10
14. IHP 60 65 5
15. KNTN 60 70 10
16. MOS 45 50 5
17. MRRD 60 65 5
18. NAA 50 60 10
19. NSP 55 60 5
20. RAT 70 70 0
21. RH 50 55 5
22. RS 65 70 5
23. SBSP 70 75 5
24. SDS 50 60 10
25. TS 75 80 5
26. WA 35 55 20
N=26 X1 = 1525 X2 = 1705
Mean ̅ = 58.65 ̅ = 65.57 6.9

The findings are students scores taught using picture stories as a medium are higher than
students’ scores taught using conventional techniques. This can be proven by the average of the
experimental group at the pre-test was 54.61, the control group at the pre-test was 58.6, and the
average of the control group at the post-test was 65.5. The standard deviation of the experimental
group in the pre-test was 10.3 and 10.5 in the post-test, while the standard deviation of the control

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group in the pre-test was 10.4 and 10.35 in the post-test. It is known that students in the
experimental group obtained higher scores than students in the control group.

Discussion
Researchers conducted research to determine the effect f incorporating story media into
teaching narrative texts. She administered a pre-test and post-test in the form of a multiple-choice
assessment. Following the completion of the post-test, researchers analysed the data using t-test.
The results revealed that students who utilized picture stories achieved significantly higher scores
on post-test (Ʃx2 = 1945), with mean of 75. In contrast, scores of students who did not utilize
picture stories on post-test were lower (Ʃx2=1705), with mean of 65, which is considered average.
Combining pre-test and post-test results effectively demonstrates students’ enhanced reading
comprehension.
Implementing picture stories in the experimental class has significantly developed
students’ abilities to comprehend narrative text. The researchers conducted a thorough analysis by
utilizing a t-test to determine the significant difference in scores between pre-test and post-test. The
resulting t-test value of 3.7 indicates substantial improvement. Furthermore, researchers assessed
the degree of freedom, calculated as (Ne + Nc - 2), resulting in 50. By referring to t-table with 5%
level of significance, the researchers found that the value for the degree of freedom of 50 was
1.677. Upon comparing the t-test value of 3.7 with t-table value of 1.677, it becomes evident that
the Alternative Hypothesis (Ha) is accepted, leading to the rejection of Null Hypothesis (Ho) and
the validation of the theory. In conclusion, the application of picture stories as a teaching medium
has effectively enhanced the performance of ninth-grade students at SMP Negeri 10 Pematang
Siantar in understanding narrative text.
After careful analysis of the data, the researchers have successfully uncovered the solution
to the quandary: the importance of unravelling the effect of picture stories in reading narratives.
The striking disparity in mean scores between experimental (75) and control (65.5) is a compelling
testament to this revelation. By virtue of the t-test surpassing the t-table, specifically 3.7 exceeding
1.677, the researchers have accepted the alternative hypothesis (Ha). Such an outcome, where the t-
test surpasses t-table, indicates the profound influence of picture stories on reading comprehension
of written narratives.

4. CONCLUSION
This research identifies that the application of picture stories as a medium in educational
activities significantly influences ninth-grade students’ ability to understand narrative texts. Even
more so, Students become more engaged in class, grasp the lessons being taught, and have a higher
level of interest thanks to the employment of visual tales in the classroom. According to the data
testing findings, the experimental group’s average pre-test score was 54.61, whereas the control
group’s was 58.6. The pre-test standard deviation for the experimental group was 10.3, and the
post-test standard deviation for that group was 10.5, whereas those for the control group were 10.4
and 10.35, respectively. According to the analytical results at the 5% level of significance, T-test >
T table (3.7 > 1.677). This demonstrates that (Ho) is turned down, but (Ha) is welcomed.

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Tiara Indah Sari Simangunsong