Abstrak
This research aimed to determine the effect of implementing English-language Webtoons on the reading interest and reading ability of 11th-grade nursing students at SMK Kesehatan Kaltara Tarakan. This research employed a quantitative approach with a pre-experimental design in the form of a One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The research sample included 22 students selected using purposive sampling. The research instruments consisted of a reading interest questionnaire with 15 statements using a Likert scale and a reading ability test comprising 20 multiple-choice questions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, a paired-sample t-test for normally distributed data, the Wilcoxon test for non-normally distributed data, and N-gain calculations. The results showed an increase in reading interest following the implementation of the Webtoon Trauma Center. The mean reading interest score increased from 53.48 on the pretest to 68.71 on the posttest, with a mean difference of 15.23. The results of the paired-sample t-test showed a significance value of 0.000 (p 0.05), indicating a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores. Reading ability also improved, with the mean score rising from 36.36 to 68.64. Improvements were observed in five reading skill indicators: finding factual information, identifying the main idea, understanding vocabulary, identifying references, and making inferences. Therefore, the implementation of the Webtoon Trauma Center could support improvements in students' interest and reading skills in English language learning, especially when accompanied by vocabulary support, structured reading activities, guidance, and appropriate classroom management.