ENHANCING STUDENTS' READING COMPREHENSION WITH THE RECIPROCAL TEACHING STRATEGY AT MTs NEGERI TARAKAN
This study aims to improve the reading comprehension skills of eighth-grade students at MTs Negeri Tarakan through the application of the Reciprocal Teaching Strategy. This study was a Classroom Action Research (CAR) conducted in two cycles, consisting of four meetings in each cycle. The research subjects were 32 eighth-grade students of MTs Negeri Tarakan in the 2024/2025 academic year. Data were collected through reading comprehension tests, observation sheets of teacher and student activities, and documentation. The results revealed an increase in students' reading comprehension skills after the implementation of the Reciprocal Teaching Strategy. The average score of students in cycle I was 68, with 56% of students achieving the Minimum Completion Criteria (KKM) of 70. In cycle Il, the average score increased to 77 with 81% of students achieving the KKM. Also, student and teacher activities during the learning process improved from the "fair" category to "good." The indicator that had the highest increase in both cycles was specific information, showing that students were increasingly able to find detailed information in the text after the implementation of this strategy. Therefore, it can be concluded that the implementation of the Reciprocal Teaching Strategy is effective in improving students' reading comprehension skills in recount texts and encouraging the active involvement of students and teachers in the English learning process in the classroom.