The Effectiveness of Using Webtoon applications In Teaching Reading Comprehension at The Eighth Grade of Smp Negeri 11 Mataram

: Reading is an essential skill in the English language as it significantly impacts learning and facilitates the exploration of information. It enables us to acquire new knowledge, and broaden our perspectives, Grabe & Stoller (2013) contend that reading is a complex and dynamic process that involves considering, understanding, translating, analyzing, and discovering knowledge. Students often encounter multiple challenges when learning reading comprehension, such as limited vocabulary, inadequate time to comprehend the material, and disinterest in the teaching methods employed by educators, so this study aimed to investigate whether the use of a webtoon application as a medium has a significant effect on the achievement scores of second-grade students in literal reading comprehension. The research method used in this study is quantitative, and the researcher conducted a quasi-experimental study to investigate the impact of using Webtoon media in the teaching process. The treatment provided to the experimental group, which received instruction with the use of Webtoon media, while the control group did not receive any special treatment. The results of the study indicated that there was a noticeable difference in the pre-test and post-test scores, with an increase in the mean score from 60.46 to 73.86. Therefore, it was found that webtoon application is effective in teaching reading to improve reading skills, especially students' reading comprehension. The significant effect implies that when the material was presented through the Webtoon application, students became more engrossed in the content, leading to better comprehension of the text.


INTRODUCTION
Students often encounter multiple challenges when learning reading comprehension, such as limited vocabulary, inadequate time to comprehend the material, and disinterest in the teaching methods employed by educators. In interviews with teachers and students at SMP Negeri 11 Mataram, it was found that the teaching strategy used by the teacher was uninspiring, particularly when teaching reading skills. Consequently, many students faced challenges in understanding English texts, particularly when identifying the main ideas and meanings. Many students' assignments received scores below the curriculum standards or KKM (minimum completion criteria) because they provided random answers to questions without understanding how to identify the main ideas and meanings of the text.
Several studies have indicated that reading difficulties among students are due to a variety of factors. According to research conducted by Ratri (2015), second-grade students in Indonesia struggle to identify the main objective of texts and differentiate between implicit and explicit meaning. Moreover, Yahya et al. (2017) found that Indonesian students experience a lack of motivation in their studies and face challenges in finding appropriate reading materials, primarily due to the absence of media technology integration in the teaching and learning processes. Sujana (2012) suggests that English teaching should be active, creative, and enjoyable for all levels of learners to improve their English proficiency. Different media, such as images, flashcards, and applications, can effectively facilitate the learning process. The Webtoon Application is an example of an application that offers several useful features that can support English language learning. ISSN (Print): 2502-7069;ISSN (Online): 2620-8326 Using the Webtoon Application as a supplemental tool in class may spark students' interest in reading. By utilizing Webtoon applications, students' reading skills can potentially be enhanced. The use of pictures within the application can aid in comprehension and facilitate reading. The diverse and engaging content provided by these applications not only fosters student interest, but also boosts motivation to read.
Research conducted by Arroyani (2010), Putri (2018), Juniarto (2019), Puspitasari (2017), andRoslidah (2017) has shown that the use of Webtoon applications as a reading medium can enhance students' reading motivation, improve their reading comprehension skills, and increase their interest in reading. Based on these findings, this study aims to investigate whether the use of Webtoon applications in teaching English reading comprehension can improve the reading ability of eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 11 Mataram. The study aims to address the problem of students struggling to understand the content of their reading materials.

METHODS
The research method used in this study is quantitative, and the researcher conducted a quasi-experimental study. Creswell (2014) conducted a study that involved selecting participants for an experimental group (A) and a control group (C). Both groups underwent pretests and post-tests, but only the experimental group received treatment while the control group did not. The study examines the impact of Webtoon media, which is the independent variable, on students' reading comprehension abilities when reading text, which is the dependent variable.
In this study, the population consists of four classes in the eighth grade of SMP Negeri 11 Mataram, comprising a total of 110 students and 56 students wereIselected as a sample and divided into four classes.IOne of the classes, VIII A, was chosen asIthe experimentalIgroup, WhileIanother class, VIII C, wasIselected as the controlIgroup.
The reading tests used in this study consisted of two separate tests, both of which had undergone validity and reliability testing in prior studies. The first examination is an essay test comprising ten queries related to narrative text. The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate students' ability to identify the main idea and supporting details, TheIsecondItest isIpair words, This test aims to evaluate the students' proficiency inIvocabulary, specifically in understanding word meanings.
The study began by administering a pretest to both the experimental and control groups. Following this, the experimental group was taught reading comprehension using Webtoon media in a subsequent session, while the control group did not receive any specialized instruction. The use of the Webtoon application took place during learning activities in the experimental group. A post-test will be conducted for both groups during the last meeting to assess learning outcomes.
The purpose of the test is to obtain objective data on students' progress in learning reading comprehension with the help of Webtoon. Before proceeding with the analysis, the researcher conducted a preliminary test to ensure the data met the assumptions of normality and homogeneity then the researcher will be conducted statistical analysis on the data using SPSS, employing both a paired sample t-test and an independent sample t-test. The researcher evaluated the students' literal reading comprehension by analyzing their pre-testIand post-test scores. Based on the results of the students' reading abilities between the experimental and control classes, it was observed that the students in the experimental class showed a greater interest and comprehension of the learning process after using Webtoon applications, resulting in experimantal class scores compared to the control class scores. The mean score for the entire experimental class was found to be 73.86, and in the control class was found to be 60,39, it is indicating that the experimental class outperformed the control class. These findings suggest that the use of Webtoon media significantly improved students' reading skills, as demonstrated by the progress in scores from the pre-test to post-test. The data in the Table shows the performance scores of a group of 28 students before and after being taugh using Webtoon as a treatment. The pre-test mean score was 60.46. The post-test mean score was 73.86, after analyzing the mean scores of the pre-test and post-test, it is evident that they are not equal. The results indicate that the average score of the posttest is greater than the pre-test score. Therefore, it can be concluded that there has been an improvement in the scores, and the increase is statistically significant.

Prerequisite Test
1. The Test of Normality using Kolmogorov-Smirnov. The  According to the Table provided, each of the data sets has a significance (sig) value greater than 0.05. the researcher reject the null hypothesis (HO) and accept the alternative hypothesis (Ha).
Therefore, it can be interpreted that the data is homogeneous.  Table 4 displays the results of a paired sample t-test used to conduct a comparative analysis. Santoso (2014), proposed decision making guidelines for paired sample t-tests based on the significance value (Sig.) presented in the SPSS output. Depend on the Paired Samples Test results Table, the (2-tailed) value is 0.001, which is less than the significance level of 0.05. This means that the null hypothesis (HO) is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted. Thus, it can conclude that thereIis a statistically significant difference between the Pre Test and Post Test learning outcomes. It means that using Webtoons has an effect on the reading skills of second-grade students in SMPN 11 Mataram. The output Table 5 Shows that the Sig value (2-tailed) is 0.001, which is less than the significance level of 0.05. Therefore, based on the decision-making criteria for independent sample t-tests (Sujarweni, 2014), the null hypothesis (HO) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted. This implies that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean student learning outcomes of the experimental and control class.

Independent Sample Test
As for decision-making based on the comparison of the t-count value with the t-Table in the independent sample t test, Based on the results presented in Table. 5, the t-count is calculated to be 4.956 with 54 degrees of freedom. The t-count is then compared to the t-Table value at a significance level of 5% (0.05), which is found to be 1.674. As the t-count is greater than the t- Table value at the 5% level, it can be inferred that the null hypothesis (H0) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted (Sarwono, 2015). Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of Webtoons hasoa significant effect on the reading skills of secondgrade students at SMPN 11 Mataram.

Testing Hypotheses
From the data analysis it could be identify that: 1. If t-count > t- Table, Ha is accepted, Ho is rejected. This implies significant difference in the eighth-grade students' reading test scores at SMPN 11 Mataram before and after being taught using Webtoon. 2. If the t-count < t- Table, H0 is accepted and Ha is rejected, indicating there is no significant difference in the eighth-grade students' reading test scores at SMPN 11 Mataram before and after being taught using Webtoon. (Santoso, 2014) The researcher conducted a study on the effects of Webtoon on the reading test scores of second-grade students at SMP 11 Mataram. Before using the application, the mean total reading test score of 28 students was 60.46. After receiving the treatment, the mean score increased to 73.86, indicating a significant improvement in the students' performance.
To verify the significance of this improvement, the researcher conducted a t-test with a significance level of 0.05Iand degrees of freedom (df) = 27 (28-1). According to the t- Table, the value for this test was 1.703. The researcher obtained a t-test value of 7.860 from the calculation. As the t-test value obtained is greater thanItheIt-Table value (7.860 > 1.703), the null hypothesis (H0) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted. Therefore, itIcan be concluded that the use of Webtoon as a medium in the teaching process significantly improves the reading comprehension ability of second-grade students at SMP 11 Mataram.

Discussion
This study aimed to investigate whether the use of a webtoon application as a medium has a significant effect on the achievement scores of second-grade students in literal reading comprehension. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the group that used the webtoon and the group that did not. The pre-test and post-test scores of both groups were analyzed, and it was found that the mean score of the experimental group's pre test is 60, and the mean score of the post-test was 73. In contrast, the mean score of the control group's pre-test was 58, and the mean score of the posttest was 60. The control group was required to read and comprehend texts from a book, while theIexperimental group was asked to read a story and comprehend it based on the webtoon stories and features.
According to the study, teaching through Webtoon showed a significant improvementIin student achievement in reading comprehension. The results of the study, indicated that there was a significant difference in the pre-test and posttest scores, with an increase in the mean score from 60.46 to 73.86. The Paired Samples Test was conducted to determine the significance of this change, which a t-count of 7.860 and a t-Table of 1.703. Since the t-count is greater than the t-Table, the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted, and the null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. Therefore, the study concludes that there is a significant difference in the reading comprehension achievement of second-grade students of SMPN 11 Mataram in the academic year 2022/2023 before and after using Webtoon.
Research conducted by Arroyani (2010), Putri (2018), Juniarto (2019), Puspitasari (2017), andRoslidah (2017) has shown that the use of Webtoon applications as a reading medium can enhance students' reading motivation, improve their reading comprehension skills, and increase their interest in reading. The Webtoon application can be a usefull tool forIteachers to enhance reading comprehension skills among students. By knowing how to use Webtoon effectively and connecting students to the virtual classroom, teachers can leverage the benefits of this innovative media. For instance, Webtoon's features can help teachers to engage students and encourage them to read using their digital devices during their free time. This approach allows for a more flexible learning process that extends beyond the traditional classroom setting. For students, Webtoon can offer a new and exciting way to learn through digital and virtual.
Webtoon applications can have great educational value in the learning process, according to Sudjana and Rivai (2007). They can generate student interest, improve teaching effectiveness, increase engagement in learning, and enhance appreciation. However, it is important to ensure that the content of Webtoons used in education is appropriate. In addition, comics used for teaching are specifically designed to suit the intended purpose and materials being taught. They utilize a comic narrative in the form of cartoons, which are preferred by students. The illustrations in the comics serve as visual aids for the presented story and correspond to the covered material. The storyline is conveyed through the conversationsoofotheIcharacters inIthe comic, and is presented in parts rather than in its entirety.

CONCLUSION
Based on the results of the study conducted by the researcher, it was found that webtoon application is effective in teaching reading to improve reading skills, especially students' reading comprehension. The significant effect implies that when the material was presented through the Webtoon application, students became more engrossed in the content, leading to better comprehension of the text. The pre-test score was recorded as 60.46, while the post-test score was 73.86, indicating that the students who received instruction through the Webtoon application scored higher than those who did not. Based on the evidence from the statistical analyst, it has been demonstrated that utilizing Webtoon as a teaching tool for reading has an impact on the reading proficiency of second-grade students at SMPN 11 Mataram. This impact is observed to be significantly different from those who were not taught using Webtoon.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thank you to advisor I, advisor II, and the examining lecturers who provided guidance and input for completing this research. I also extend my gratitude to the students of SMPN 11 who willingly helped in collecting data and information, making this research more valid. Furthermore, I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this research to ensure it was completed properly. With the support provided, this research was completed on time, and the findings can be published as additional knowledge for readers.