Increasing Students’ Reading Comprehension by Using Top-Down Processing Strategy

This thesis entitled “Applying Top-down Processing Strategy in Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension”. Reading is an importance skill that has to be taught in junior high school. From reading a text, the reader can get many knowledge and information. While, top-down processing strategy is one of strategies that can encourage students’ background knowledge to help them in comprehending their reading. This research aimed at recognizing whether top- down processing strategy increases student’s reading comprehension, and also to finding out students’ obstacles in learning reading comprehension by using Top- down processing strategy. To gain the data, the writer conducted field research at MTsS Al-Manar, by applying three techniques, namely: experimental teaching, test and questionnaire. In choosing the sample the writer used purposive sampling. Based on the purpose of the research that the writer chose the second year students of MTsS Al-Manar as his sample. The result of the research demonstrated that the pre-test and post-test were analyzed by using statistic formula. According to the results of the research, applying top-down processing strategy in teaching reading can improve the second year students of MTsS Al- Manar reading comprehension, it was proved by the post-test score of students that was higher than the pre-test score, it was from 43 to 79. However, in the research process, the writer found this strategy was difficult to apply with unfamiliar material. Next, based on the analysis of questionnaires, it can be concluded that most of students gave positive response about Top-down Processing Strategy. Most of them were pleased to learn reading by using Top- down Processing Strategy. However, there are also the obstacles faced by the students during learning reading by using Top-down Processing Strategy such as lack of vocabularies and unfamiliar materials.