Increasing Increasing Reading Interest of 5-6 Year Old Children with Storytelling Method at Tk Melati Simokerto

Reading Interest, Storytelling, Early Childhood, Classroom Action Research, Kindergarten Melati Simokerto

Abstract

This research aims to determine the extent of the increase in reading interest of 5-6 year old children through the application of the storytelling method at Melati Simokerto Kindergarten. This research uses a Classroom Action Research (CAR) approach which was carried out in two cycles. Each cycle consisted of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. The subjects in this study were children in group B, totaling 13 children. Data was obtained through observation of children's activities during storytelling activities, field notes, and documentation. In the first cycle, children's reading interest was still categorized as initial; children began to be interested in listening to stories and recognizing characters, but not all children were actively involved. In the second cycle, after improvements were made by giving children the freedom to choose the storybook to be read with mutual agreement, a significant increase occurred. Children showed better attention, actively answered questions, and were able to retell the content of the story. Visible changes included increased listening skills, understanding of story content, and the emergence of an interest in reading books independently. An important finding in this research is that if children are given the freedom to choose their own storybooks with mutual agreement, it can foster children's reading interest. The implications of this research indicate that storytelling can be used as a fun and meaningful learning strategy in fostering a culture of literacy in early childhood.