THE EFFECT OF USING WEBTOON IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION IN NARRATIVE TEXT AT SMPN 3 PRINGSEWU

This study aims to determine whether there is a significant improvement in students' reading comprehension of ninth-grade at SMP Negeri 3 Pringsewu after they are taught using Webtoon media, specifically narrative texts. It answers the research questions raised. This is quantitative research that uses a one-group pre-test and post-test design with a sample of 32 students from class IX-4, selected through cluster random sampling. Data were collected through multiple-choice reading tests with 30 questions given before and after four learning sessions using slice-of-life genre Webtoon. The data were analyzed using a paired sample t -test in SPSS version 26. The results showed an increase in the average score from 61.84 (pre-test) to 84.64 (post-test), an increase of 22.8 points. The highest improvement was found in identifying main idea (87 points/40%), followed by inference (57 points/26%), supporting details (36 points/16%), vocabulary (30 points/14%), and reference (9 points/4%). These results were supported by a t -test t=16.739 > t-table=2.045, sig=0.000 < 0.05, which rejected the null hypothesis. The conclusion of the study states that using Webtoon significantly improves students' reading comprehension in narrative texts, especially in the main idea aspect, due to the visual and interactive elements. However, the reference aspect requires more explicit instructions. These findings indicate that Webtoon can be considered an innovative and effective digital learning medium for teaching reading comprehension in junior high schools, especially for narrative texts. Keywords: digital media, Junior High School students, reading comprehension, Webtoon