PENERAPAN METODE KWL (KNOW, WANT ТО KNOW, LEARNED) DALAM MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN LITERASI KRITIS PADA SISWA KELAS V SDN INTI PANGI

Abstract
Critical reading skills represent a crucial yet underdeveloped competency among upper
primary students in Indonesia, particularly in Bahasa Indonesia learning. Ineffective
teacher-centered instruction and limited use of structured reading strategies have
contributed to persistently low literacy performance in many elementary classrooms. This
study employed a Classroom Action Research (CAR) design following the Kemmis and
McTaggart spiral model, conducted across two cycles at SDN Inti Pangi, Central Sulawesi.
Participants were 21 fifth-grade students selected purposively based on below-criterion
baseline performance. Data were collected through critical reading tests, structured
observation sheets, questionnaires, and documentation, and analyzed using descriptive
statistics and Miles and Huberman's interactive qualitative model. Classical mastery
improved progressively from 47.62% at baseline to 76.19% after Cycle I, and reached
100% after Cycle II — surpassing the 85% success criterion. The class mean score rose
from 70.14 to 87.24. Student engagement and teacher instructional performance both
reached the "very good" category by Cycle II. The KWL strategy effectively enhanced
students' critical reading competence by activating prior knowledge, fostering
metacognitive inquiry, and promoting reflective consolidation of new learning. These
findings suggest that iterative KWL-based instruction is a practical, low-resource approach
well aligned with the critical thinking and student agency priorities of the Merdeka
Curriculum, offering a replicable model for improving literacy quality in Indonesian
elementary education.