DAMPAK PENGGUNAAN CERITA PENDEK UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PEMAHAMAN MEMBACASISWA DI KELAS SEBELAS SMA NEGERI 2 PALU

This research aimed to determine whether the use of short stories significantly improves the reading comprehension of eleventh-grade students at SMA Negeri 2 Palu. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with two classes: XI E as the experimental group and XI D as the control group, each comprising 30 students. Data were collected through a pre-test and a post-test, utilizing essay and true-orfalse formats. The experimental group received six treatment sessions using short stories, such as “The Smart Deer” and “Malin Kundang,” while the control group was taught using conventional methods. The data analysis revealed that the mean score of the experimental group increased from 83.13 to 92.53, while the control
group increased from 74.27 to 81.13. However, the t-test yielded a t-statistic of 0.21, which was lower than the critical t-table value of 2.002 at the 0.05 significance level. Consequently, the null hypothesis (H_0) was accepted, indicating no
statistically significant difference between the two groups. Interestingly, the N-Gain analysis provided a more nuanced result, showing that the experimental group achieved a medium gain (0.55) compared to the low gain (0.27) of the control
group. The lack of statistical significance was likely influenced by a ceiling effect due to the experimental group's high pre-test baseline and the limited treatment duration. Nevertheless, the study suggests that short stories serve as a valuable supplementary medium that practically enhances students’ proportional improvement, structural engagement, and vocabulary acquisition.