ABSTRACT

THE EFFECT OF CONTEXTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING APPROACH

ON STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION
MUHAMAD AZAN
G2Q1 15 034

Contextual teaching and learning is an important breakthrough that provides solution to a

number of of problem in teaching reading particularly lack of students’ understanding and
motivation. The contextual teaching focuses on the use of material that related to the context
of students’ life, full involvement of students, exploration of students’ basic abilities and
teachers’ role as facilitator and motivator.

This paper presents a research to examine whether or there is any significant difference
of reading comprehension between low and high vocabulary achievers taught using CTL
approach and those taught using traditional approach, and To describe the students’
perception toward the use of contextual teaching and learning approach. The participants
consisted of 62 students with high and low vocabulary kowleadge. The participants were
divided into an experimental group (n = 33) and a control group (n = 29). The the research
employed a mixed method (quantititative and qualitative). Standardized reading test and
inferential statistical analysis were employed to measure the difference of reading
comprehension between students using CTL approach and traditional approach. Then semi-
structured interview and intra case analysis were performed to describe students’ perception
toward the use of CTL approach.

Result showed that : (1) there is no sigrnificant difference of reading comprehension between
low achievers taught using CTL approach and those taught using traditional approach; (2)
there is a significant differnce of reading comprehension between high achievers taught using
CTL approach and those taught using traditional approach; (3) in general, the use of CTL
approach in teaching reading was perceived positively by students. The impacts of using this
approach were noticeable on the emergence of students’ fun and motivation to learn reading.
However the use of this approach was not affective enough to improve the reading
comprehension of students with limited vocabularies.

Keywords: Contextual Teaching and Learning, Students Vocabulary knowledge

Reading Comprehension