FROM DIGITAL STORIES TO BETTER READING: ENHANCING EFL STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH LET’S READ ASIA

Abstract

Reading comprehension remains a challenge for many EFL students, particularly when classroom reading activities rely on limited and less varied learning materials. Digital reading resources such as Let’s Read Asia may provide more engaging opportunities for students to interact with narrative texts through stories and visual features. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Let’s Read Asia as a digital reading medium in improving EFL students’ reading comprehension of narrative texts. A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design was employed, involving an experimental class and a control class.  The samples of this study were 31 students of class IX A as the experimental class and 31 students of class IX C as the control class. Data were collected through pre-tests and post-tests using a reading comprehension test as the research instrument. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and an independent-samples t-test to determine the difference in students’ reading comprehension between the two groups. The findings showed that the mean score of the experimental class increased from 66.45 in the pre-test to 76.45 in the post-test. The statistical analysis also revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups, with a significance value of 0.037 (< 0.05). These findings indicate that the use of Let’s Read Asia was effective in supporting students’ comprehension of narrative texts. The findings imply that digital reading media can be integrated into EFL reading instruction to provide more varied, engaging, and enjoyable learning experiences and to support the development of students’ reading comprehension.