The Effectiveness of Wattpad as Media in Teaching Reading Comprehension of Narrative Text
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52760/jadila.v5i4.824Keywords:
Wattpad, Reading Comprehension, Narrative Text, legend- localAbstract
This study investigates whether Wattpad is effective as a tool for teaching narrative text reading comprehension to tenth-grade students at SMAN 2 Indramayu in the 2024-2025 academic year. Reading comprehension is a complex and often difficult skill, especially for those learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), who often struggle with new vocabulary and uninteresting material. Therefore, this study uses Wattpad, a digital platform that offers a variety of narrative stories, especially local legends from Indramayu, to spark interest and improve students' reading comprehension. A quantitative method with a one-group pre-test and post-test pre-experimental design was used in this study. The sample consisted of 40 tenth-grade students from class X-10, selected purposefully. The results showed a marked improvement in students' reading comprehension scores after using Wattpad. The average pre-test score, initially 60, increased to 92 on the post-test, with an average N-Gain of 0.78, indicating a significant improvement in reading comprehension ability. A t-test showed a significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), which confirms that Wattpad is effective in improving students' narrative text reading comprehension. Wattpad offers great potential as an engaging and effective learning medium, especially in developing narrative reading skills in the context of learning English as a Foreign Language, where students often face difficulties in understanding narrative texts due to limited vocabulary or lack of interest in the material presented. Through this platform, students can access a variety of narrative stories, including local legends relevant to their culture, thereby increasing their engagement and understanding of the learning material. This research not only provides empirical evidence of Wattpad's effectiveness in improving students' reading comprehension but also makes significant theoretical and practical contributions to the development of more innovative and relevant reading learning strategies, integrating technology and local cultural content to create a more meaningful and effective learning experience for students. In short, this study proves that Wattpad is an effective medium for improving students' reading comprehension in narrative texts.
Keywords: Wattpad, Reading Comprehension, Narrative Text, legenda local
Downloads
References
Ahmada, A. (2019). The Effectiveness Of Jigsaw Learning Model In Teaching Reading Comprehension On Narrative Text. In Online) Terakreditasi Nasional. SK: Vol. X. Cetak.
Anderson, R., Hiebert, E., Scott, J., & Wilkinson, I. (1985).Becoming a nation of readers: Thereport of the commission on reading. Washington, DC: National Institute of Education and the Center for the Study of Reading.
Anderson, M., & Anderson, K. (1997). Text types in English 2. South Yarra: Macmillan Education Australia.
Anggitasari, M., Tarwana, W., & Febriani, R. B. (n.d.). Publisher: Yayasan Karinosseff Muda Indonesia Volume. https://ejournal.karinosseff.org/index.php/jadila/
Apuke, O. D. (2017). Quantitative Research Methods: A Synopsis Approach. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 6(11), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.12816/0040336
Aytan, T. (2017). Evaluation of Electronic Writing Experiences of Turkish Teacher Candidates at WATTPAD Environment. Higher Education Studies, 7(4), 1. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v7n4p1
Bal, M. (2018). Reading and Writing Experiences of Middle School Students in the Digital Age: Wattpad Sample. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 6(2), 89. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.6n.2p.89
Bamford, J., & Day, R. R. (2005). TESL-EJ 9.2 -- Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language.
Carver, R. P. (1990). Reading rate: A review of research and theory. New York: Academic Press.
Creswell, J. W., Shope, R., Clark, V. L. P., & Green, D. O. (2006). Spring 2006 How Interpretive Qualitative Research Extends Mixed Methods Research. In RESEARCH IN THE SCHOOLS Mid-South Educational Research Association (Vol. 13, Issue 1).
Dwi Arimbi, G., Daulay, E., & Inggris, T. B. (2024). The Effectiveness of Using Wattpad Application to Increase Students’ Reading Skills. Jurnal Simki Pedagogia, 7(2), 470–480. https://jiped.org/index.php/JSP
Eisenberg, M. B. (2010). Information literacy: essential skills for the information age. Journal of Library & Information Technology, 28(2), 39-47.
Elley, W. B. (1991). Acquiring literacy in a second language: The effect of book- based programs. Language Learning, 41, 375–411. doi: 10.1111/j.1467- 1770.1991.tb00611
Elley, W. B. (2000). The potential of book floods for raising literacy levels. International Review of Education, 46, 233–255. doi: 10.1023/A:1004086618679
Fatrisna Yuniar, R., Widiati, U., & Astuti, U. P. (n.d.). The Effect of Using Wattpad on Process-Genre Approach towards Writing Achievement in Tertiary Level. http://journal.um.ac.id/index.php/jptpp/
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2011). Teaching and researching reading (2nd ed.).
Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Kardiansyah, M. Y. (2019). Wattpad as a story-sharing website Is it a field of literary production? 3.
Komang Widiasmara, I. (2023). Using Wattpad as a Media to Foster Better Literacy Skills: Extensive Reading and Creative Writing. Journal of Linguistics, Literacy, and Pedagogy, 2(2), 118–125. https://jurnal.untirta.ac.id/index.php/JLLP
Liu, I.-F., & Ko, H.-W. (2016). The Relationship Among Ict Skills, Traditional Reading Skills And Online Reading Ability.
Mustopa, R. A., Damaianti, V. S., Mulyati, Y., & Anshori, D. S. (2024a). Investigating Senior High School Students’ Metacognition in Indonesian Learning Reading Comprehension: Does it Have a Positive Impact? International Journal of Language Education, 8(2), 322–342. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v8i2.64112
Mustopa, R. A., Damaianti, V. S., Mulyati, Y., & Anshori, D. S. (2024b). Investigating Senior High School Students’ Metacognition in Indonesian Learning Reading Comprehension: Does it Have a Positive Impact? International Journal of Language Education, 8(2), 322–342. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v8i2.64112
Nasrollahi, M. A., Krishnasamy, K. N., & Noor, N. M. (2015). Identifying the Critical Reading Strategies Employed by Iranian EFL Learners. In International J. Soc. Sci. & Education (Vol. 5).
Nunan, D. (1992). Research Methods in Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.
Nurdiana, S., Sudirman, S., Laaribi, M., & Chuyen, N. T. H. (2023). Applying Wattpad Platform as an Instruction Medium to Improve Reading Skills Viewed from Reading Strategies. Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 3(1), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v3i1.999
Patel, M. F. ., & Jain, P. M. . (2008). English language teaching : (methods, tools & techniques). Sunrise Publishers & Distributors.
Permatasari, I., Wijayanto, A., & Kristina, D. (2020). Extensive Reading on Wattpad and Its Benefits to Students’ English Skills: Students’ Perceptions. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 3(4), 518–530. https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v3i4.11714
Qrqez, M., & Rashid, R. (2017). Reading Comprehension Difficulties among EFL Learners: The Case of First and Second -Year Students at Yarmouk University in Jordan. Arab World English Journal, 8(3), 421–431. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no3.27
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2002). Longman dictionary of language teaching & applied linguistics (3rd ed.). London: Pearson Education.
Rokha, I. (n.d.). Using Wattpad Application to Improve Isti Rokha using wattpad application to improve the recount text writing skill of the tenth graders of sma n 3 temanggung in the school year of 2018/2019.
Rukun, I. R. (2019). Using Wattpad Application to Improve the Recount Text Writing Skill of the Tenth Graders of SMA N 3 Temanggung in the School Year of 2018/2019. Journal of Research on Applied Linguistics, Language, and Language Teaching, 2(1), 52–57. https://doi.org/10.31002/jrlt.v2i1.398
Saputra, J. (2020). Enhancing The Reading Comprehension Of Students In Narrative Text Using Story Face Strategy. In Indonesian Journal of Instructional Media and Model (Vol. 2, Issue 2). www.journal.univetbantara.ac.id/index.php/ijimm
Sari, N., Harmayanthi, V. Y., Stkip, R. D., & Negara, K. (2019). Prosiding Seminar Nasional Pendidikan STKIP Kusuma Negara Enhancing Students’ Writing Ability using Wattpad.
Setyo Budiwanto, D., & Kes, M. (2017). Metode statistika sukriyadi. (n.d.).
Suhaeni, N. (2023). The effectiveness of using Wattpad to improve students’ writing skills and critical thinking skills: A phenomenological approach. JLLANS, 1, 16–19.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Gina Larasaty, Fani Febriliana, Atikah Wati
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
_1.png)
