Challenges and School Strategies in Improving Reading Literacy among Elementary School Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59211/mjpjetl.v4i1.249

Keywords:

reading literacy; school strategy; elementary school; School Literacy Movement; reading instruction

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the challenges and school strategies for improving reading literacy among elementary school students in Pangkalan Kerinci District. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, with data collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. Participants included principals, vice principals, and teachers directly involved in literacy programs. The data were analyzed thematically through coding, theme grouping, and interpretation of findings. The results showed that the main challenges in reading literacy included limited variety of reading materials, suboptimal reading time, differences in students’ reading interest, and inconsistent implementation of literacy programs. The strategies implemented by schools included the School Literacy Movement, daily reading habituation, shared reading, group discussions, reading corners, digital media, and collaboration with parents. The findings indicate that structured and contextual literacy strategies can improve students’ engagement, reading comprehension, reading habits, and learning outcomes, particularly in subjects requiring text comprehension. The study concludes that literacy improvement requires principal support, teacher creativity, diverse reading materials, and periodic program evaluation

Article Statistics
0
Abstract Views
0
Total Downloads
0
PDF Downloads
18
References
Jul 21, 2026
Published

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Kemendikbudristek, “Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah Nomor 13 Tahun 2025 tentang Kurikulum Merdeka,” Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Jakarta, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Download/384307/Permendikdasmen-no-13-tahun-2025.pdf

[2] E. Y. Ukumo and A. D. Berlie, “Primary school English teachers’ practice of teaching early grade reading,” Soc. Sci. Humanit. Open, vol. 9, p. 100840, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100840.

[3] P. J. E. Gildore, S. Aryanto, Suharjuddin, E. T. Denatara, and Awiria, “Effective reading intervention strategies for primary grade students in Indonesia: A systematic review,” Cogent Educ., vol. 12, no. 1, p. 2482470, 2025, doi: 10.1080/2331186X.2025.2482470.

[4] F. Andriana and A. Nugraha, “Stratifikasi kognitif dalam asesmen literasi membaca siswa sekolah dasar,” J. Pendidik. Dasar Nas., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 145–157, 2025.

[5] N. Jariyasunant and K. Akasawa, “The challenge of fostering consistent reading habits in children: Insights from a literacy program in Southeast Asia,” Asian Educ. Rev., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 45–59, 2020.

[6] L. Rahmawati and D. N. Sari, “Implementation of the School Literacy Movement at the habituation stage in elementary schools,” ELSE (Elementary Sch. Educ. Journal) J. Pendidik. dan Pembelajaran Sekol. Dasar, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 147–160, 2025, doi: 10.30651/else.v9i2.25884.

[7] M. J. Kowalski, A. J. Elliot, J. C. Guzman, and K. Schuenke-Lucien, “Early literacy skill development and motivation in the low-income context of Haiti,” Int. J. Educ. Res., vol. 113, p. 101972, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101972.

[8] M. Gath, G. Gillon, B. McNeill, and A. Scott, “Evaluating the large-scale implementation of structured literacy teaching in New Zealand: Evidence from the Better Start Literacy Approach,” Int. J. Educ. Res., vol. 129, p. 102510, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102510.

[9] A. Ramadhani, “The effect of big book media on beginning reading skills in elementary students,” Int. J. Learn. Reform. Elem. Educ., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 143–154, 2025, doi: 10.56741/ijlree.v4i02.1014.

[10] I. F. Laily, D. Setiawan, and A. Arifuddin, “The effectiveness of digital media-assisted reciprocal teaching on elementary students’ reading comprehension skills,” JMIE (Journal Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Educ., vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 134–151, 2025, doi: 10.32934/jmie.v9i1.760.

[11] P. D. P. Supriyadi and M. Suswandari, “Literacy relay implementation: Enhancing primary school students’ early reading comprehension,” J. Pemikir. dan Pengemb. Sekol. Dasar, vol. 13, no. 2, 2025, doi: 10.22219/jp2sd.v13i2.40004.

[12] S. Kuswa, S. Sama’, and I. Kuswandi, “Pengaruh Gerakan Literasi Sekolah terhadap Minat Baca Siswa di SDN Brakas II,” J. Educ. Res., vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 504–510, 2025, doi: 10.37985/jer.v6i3.2457.

[13] C. Mesa et al., “The effects of reading and language intervention on literacy skills in children in a remote community: An exploratory randomized controlled trial,” Int. J. Educ. Res., vol. 100, p. 101535, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101535.

[14] J. W. Creswell and J. D. Creswell, Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 5th ed. SAGE Publications, 2018.

[15] S. P. Chand, “Methods of Data Collection in Qualitative Research: Interviews, Focus Groups, Observations, and Document Analysis,” Adv. Educ. Res. Eval., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 303–317, 2025, doi: 10.25082/AERE.2025.01.001.

[16] M. Han and J. Lee, “The use of technology in literacy education: A review of digital tools for enhancing reading skills,” Educ. Inf. Technol., vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 567–580, 2021.

[17] S. Rahman and N. Hidayati, “The effect of literacy programs on students’ reading habits: A case study of elementary schools,” J. Lit. Dev., vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 58–74, 2022.

[18] H. Taufik and A. Damanik, “The effect of dedicated reading time on student literacy development: A longitudinal study,” J. Lit. Educ., vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 133–140, 2020.

Downloads

Published

21-07-2026

Issue

Section

Articles

URN

Similar Articles

1-10 of 127

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)