THE IMPLEMENTATION OF KWL (KNOW, WANT TO KNOW, AND LEARNED) TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

This study focused on enhancing students’ reading comprehension through the implementation of K-W-L (know, want to know, and learned) strategy at the secondary level. The purpose of K-W-L strategy is to offer construction for stimulating and building students’ schemata, to create a determination of their reading, and to conclude what they acknowledged before. This research applied Classroom Action Research based on the model suggested by Taggart and Kemmis (1998), consisting of five stages: preliminary study, planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The students were asked what they know about the topic, what they wanted to know about the topic and then what they learned from the text after they had read the written text. Based on the findings of the study, this K-W-L strategy trained students to be brave to present in front of the class to share their ideas with their friends, and it also assured other students to keep on listening and appreciating their friends’ comprehension of the text being studied. It is, therefore, strongly suggested that the English teachers at Junior High School use the K-W-L strategy to improve students’ reading comprehension.


INTRODUCTION
English is the language of science and education, and mastery of the English language will give students greater access to knowledge because they can read it. Reading involves both the reader's literacy context and the ability to make cognitive and affective leaps based on a synthesis of old and new information. By reading, people get more skills to increase their knowledge, and people can learn about the process too. Kinzer and Leu (1997) argued that reading is a developmental, interactive, and global process that involves learned skills. This process, in particular, combines and can be influenced positively and negatively by internal and external nonlinguistic variables or factors. Tarigan (2008) stated that reading is a process carried out by a reader to obtain a message expressed by a writer through words that can be seen and comprehended by readers. The purpose of reading is to achieve an optimal level of understanding of meaning because this activity provides many advantages for someone to get more information after reading.
They can share the information obtained from reading with others, and this information can enrich their knowledge. Students must understand the text to find out its meaning. By understanding the text, they can achieve the correct information and knowledge.
Reading has a different meaning from understanding; for example, a student said that he could not understand the meaning of the text; it implied that he or she does not read. However, he or she decodes written signs into a verbal language (Ur, 2012). In other words, reading comprehension could be defined as the understanding process of messages written in the text related to readers' previous knowledge and experience and mental images in the retention of the text (Kintsch, 1980). Reading is fundamentally an act of constructing meaning from messages carried through written signs. As the procedure, the reader assimilates or related evidence, messages in script with the information or familiarity of the reader.
Besides, another definition of comprehension is the action of constructing logic of words, sentences and associated text. Also, the understanding of text comes from the interaction between the written words and how they activate knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical of knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand the provided passage by teachers (Pang et al, 2003). Thus, we may say that reading comprehension is the progression of 24-31 http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee | DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v7i1.15541 P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license making sense of a particular text. In other words, the final objective is to gain a complete appreciation of what is designated in the text rather than to obtain meaning from lonely words or sentences without context in the paragraphs or surrounding sentences.
The common fact in Indonesia is that most students undergo low mastery of English competence as EFL, especially comprehension of reading written texts. They often found themselves fail when they read English texts and become underachievers in this subject. It happens because they get direct learning to do exercises only on textbooks in class, do not have enough reading time freely outside the classroom. Indeed, this condition often makes them frustrated with getting monotonous learning activities. The literary problem in Indonesia, especially in comprehending written texts, independent reading or reading interest and reading habits, cannot be solved simply by providing courses offered as intra-curriculum. However, it demands activities and strategies that ultimately promote students' reading interest and habit. That is why, researches on reading comprehension are highly recommended because of the low proficiency in English reading as a foreign language (EFL) due to several factors, more specifically, learning strategies that are still teacher-centred and content-oriented (Jacobs & Renandya, 2015). Also, teachers are suggested to apply some various models and strategies that give language experience and enthusiasm for language learners (Alshumaimeri, 2017).
By applying these strategies, learners may grow self-governing abilities in grasping, comprising and knowing the meaning of the targeted passage. K-W-L strategy assists learners to involve with texts in thoughtful and determined behaviours. In the first phase K (Know), learners activate schemata. The next steps are that learners predict what additional information they are likely to need W (Want to Know), develop a plan to meet that evidence and the last phase L (Learned), reproduce the new knowledge created or recovered the executed plan (Paris, 1987).
Besides, this strategy may also promote the students' intellectual activation in their reading process (Ogle, 1986), even it contributes them to explore things, to gaze and to make them recite what they read. As students established their determination for reading, they are more driven and vigorous readers. We may take granted that every student has a schema, or framework for how they view the world. Retrieving a student's previous

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http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee | DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v7i1.15541 P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license knowledge is the first step in assimilating new notions into their current representation. K-W-L help learners to achieve contextual knowledge and offer an occasion for students to set their educational purposes. This strategy determines to offer construction for initiating and edifying prior knowledge, establishing a drive for reading and summarizing what they learnt. The strategy can assist students in reproducing and appraising their learning familiarity, as well as serve as a useful valuation device for instructors.
The method of K-W-L strategy comprises three phases; first, teachers provide learners with the chance to breakthrough activities and list the ideas in the K items and specifies that they already distinguish about a topic. Then, they appraise the topic over and deliberate what they need to see. Next, learners list these matters in the W section of the graph. Items should be listed as inquiry statements. The last, as they read or after they read, students enhance facts that they have erudite while reading. They list these items in the L section of the diagram.
Based on the previous illustration in the paragraph above, it shows that this research was done to assist learners in exploring their comprehension of descriptive texts which makes this study differ from other previous studies. Wahyuni (2014) conducted a study on using K-W-L technique for narrative texts. She found that the students were enthusiastic in learning reading comprehension, and also they seemed to understand the texts easily. Also, their reading comprehension competence got better. Astiti (2014) also researched improving reading comprehension through K-W-L strategy focusing on story series. The result showed that that the use of K-W-L was made students interested and helped them in comprehending the reading text well. Thus, this research was designed to investigate how K-W-L strategy could improve students' reading comprehension, specifically on descriptive texts.

METHOD
Classroom Action Research design by Taggart and Kemmis (1998)  The data of this study were taken from the eighth-grade students of MTs Jawharot Al Muzakky Sukosari Gondanglegi. There were two kinds of data, namely, qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were gained through giving questionnaire and doing observation during the teaching and learning process; the English teacher acted as a collaborator helping the researchers to observe the students during the implementation stage. There were 10 points to be observed. They were: 1) Students' preparation themselves to learn the lesson; 2) Students' attention and response when teachers question or call; 3) Students' attention to the explanation about a descriptive text as the topic in reading texts; 4) Students' attention when the teacher is explaining the material or topics; 5) Students' attention to the enforcement of reading descriptive texts using the K-W-L strategy; 6) Students' involvement in asking the questions; 7) Students' enthusiasm when the teachers answer and give an opinion; 8) Students' chance to ask the questions; 9) Students' enthusiasm responding to the answers; 10) Students' conclusions of the material or topic being discussed.
The quantitative data were gathered from a reading comprehension test of multiple-choice questions. The test was given at the end of cycle 1 to know whether there is an improvement in students reading comprehension or not. The researchers did some steps in collecting the data: first, the researchers did a preliminary study or observation. Second, the researchers design the first cycle and take a field note on what is happening during this cycle. Third, the researchers gave a post-test and questionnaire to the students at the last meeting of cycle 1. Data analysis is also an important aspect that is why the researchers used the formula of the average score of each student.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Findings
In the preliminary study, the researchers observed that the teacher was mostly attentive on textbooks during the classroom activities. The teaching media were not accessible as students did reading activities; they read the text stridently after the teacher. Some students appeared to be uninterested and not excited to get intricate learning process. From the teacher's grade record, the researchers got the data that eighteen students did not pass the minimum criteria of success (KKM) as their mean scores The average score, as shown in Table 2 above, was 70.16. Four students or 18% of students passed the minimum criteria of success, and 18 of 22 students got score less than the minimum criteria of success.
After the researchers found out the student's problem in reading, especially in reading descriptive text, the researchers chose to use the K-W-L strategy to teach reading. The researchers believed that the K-W-L strategy helps the students to learn reading in a much fun way. The researchers then gave a reading test at the end of cycle 1 to know the students' improvement in reading. The researchers calculated the mean score of the reading test by using the following formula: The researchers found out that the mean score of reading post-test 1 was 91.36. Meanwhile, the students mean score of the reading test before being taught by KWL strategy was 70.16. This means that there is an improvement in students reading comprehension test after being taught by KWL strategy.
The second step is to know the percentage of students who pass the KKM which showed that 90.90 % of students passed the passing grade in the cycle I. It means that 20 students passed the passing grade, and two students are enough the KKM in cycle 1. It means the criteria for success has been achieved.

Discussion
Based on the result of this study, it is proved that the K-W-L strategy improved students' reading comprehension of descriptive text. Furthermore, the different score of preliminary study and the reading test after using the K-W-L strategy also showed that the K-W-L strategy was sufficient to improve students' reading comprehension. The mean score of the preliminary study was 70.18, while the mean score of the reading test was 91.36, which mean that it was higher than the mean score of the preliminary study.
It can be summarized that this strategy enhanced students' reading comprehension in descriptive texts. According to Hamdan (2014), K-W-L plus technique was useful and practical for students in improving their reading experiences. They accomplished more in summarizing reading passages, drawing the main ideas, and comprehending the text. Applying the K-W-L strategy in teaching reading comprehension made the students grasp the text well.
During the teaching and learning process, this strategy made students more courageous to present ideas and knowledge from what they have read in front of the class. They were not terrified to share their ideas or views with their friends. The other students also kept on listening when their friends were expressing their understanding of the text being studied.
The students were asked what they knew about the topic, what they wanted to know about the topic, and eventually learned something from the text after they had read the passage. They felt proud of themselves as they wrote what they knew, what they wanted to know, and what they had learned and then all of them were given a chance to stick a letter on the whiteboard.
Based on the observation result, the researchers conducted all of preteaching such as salutation, checking students' attendance, reviewing the preceding lesson. It was essential to do because the entirely pre-teaching would give a positive approach which influenced gaining a good teaching and learning process. All the data were taken from students' reading test score, observation checklist and also field notes. Also, the students show positive attitude when they were taught by using K-W-L strategy. The students were observed in daily meetings with a collaborator. It was found that they are more motivated and engage actively in the teaching and learning process.
The result of the students' reading test is also improved in cycle 1. There were 22 students in the class. About 90.9% of students were successful and got a score above 75, and 9% of students got 75. It means that all of the success and did not need the next cycle. There were about 18-20 students who answered the question, discussed the material, and involved enthusiastically on the teachinglearning process. In comparison, for the students who asked the question, there were about 18-20 students. So, it could be concluded that it was done successfully.
The result of researchers' observation during the implementation process showed that students like to read the descriptive text, paid attention to the teaching-learning activities and the condition of the class was very conducive in the discussion section. Most students gave active participation in the discussion section and paid attention to the explanation given by the researchers. They were also very active to ask questions if they did not understand that made them understand better the material given by the teacher, and that is why their reading comprehension increased. The teacher and the researchers concluded that the student's reading comprehension was better after the treatment than before the treatment.
Based on the discussion of the research result above, K-W-L strategy can be used as an appropriate strategy in teaching and learning reading since it helps students to be active scholars while they read (Ogle, 1986). It gives them specific information to look for and makes them replicate what they have read. When students set their determinations for reading, they are more inspired and vigorous as readers. Each student's prior knowledge is the first step in assimilating new concepts into their existing background of knowledge. It also helps to stimulate background knowledge and offers a chance for students to set their own learning definitive goal.

CONCLUSION
This K-W-L technique promotes students' ultimate goal in reading text because students were instructed to fill the W column with the things they want to know about the topic given. By filling the column, the students have set their reasons unconsciously why they should read the provided text. Fulfilling the column is also beneficial to assist the students' understanding of the reading text. The students were required to fill in the K column with the information they have already grasped about the topic. In the W activities, students were instructed to write any information they wanted to know about the topic. It can be concluded that using K-W-L strategy can boost students' reading comprehension in descriptive text.

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http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee | DOI: http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v7i1.15541 P-ISSN: 2356-1777, E-ISSN: 2443-0390 | This is an open access article under CC-BY-SA license They could reach the targeted standard of success because they felt that this strategy was interesting for them. As proof, the result of students' reading test improved. There were 22 students on the class, in cycle I and after given the reading test there were about 90.9% of successful students and got above 75, and 9% of students got 75, mean that all of them was successful and did not need next cycle.
Moreover, in the teaching and learning activity by using K-W-L strategy as a strategy for teachinglearning, all of the students had full participation. For each meeting, they were more enthusiastic and active involvement in the English teaching and learning process conducted by the researchers. Based on the finding in previous chapters, many students were active in having interaction with other students in every meeting.
This study assured teachers that K-W-L strategy could also empower students' involvement in the teachinglearning process, made students engaged and interested in reading activities. This strategy led the students to use their prior knowledge as well as set their purposes, find their curiosity about the text. This strategy implies that the students' prior knowledge of the reading text is similarly needed. It requires the students to use their prior knowledge in filling the K column. K-W-L finally enables the teacher to create an exciting lesson. The last suggestion is to apply K-W-L, and the teacher may create a lesson plan, project, and even task that create students' appreciation, provision and interest.