The Effectiveness of Whatsapp in Teaching Reading in SMP Muhammadiyah Purwareja Klampok

Abstract

In this global era, technological development gives an impact on every aspect of human life. The growth of technology improves the way people connect. It causes much growth up of social media that allows us to communicate with a much broader group of people in long-distanceOne of the most popular social media which are used by Indonesian people is WhatsApp. WhatsApp is one of the effective applications that used to online interact with other people. It is so simple and easy to use, we can use WhatsApp wherever and whenever just by mobile phones. Besides sending text messages, WhatsApp also allows the users to share various files, such as images, sound, video files, and location, and it can make a group chat. It is so easy to be used as a learning medium in online learning. The aim of this study was to find out about the effectiveness of use WhatsApp by the teacher in teaching reading skills in junior high school. This research was qualitative. The subjects of this research were students of eighth grade A and B at SMP Muhammadiyah Purwareja Klampok. In collecting the data, the researcher was interviewing the teacher about the use of WhatsApp media in teaching reading, and students were given a questionnaire to report their experience about the effectiveness of WhatsApp in developing their reading skills. Findings from interviews result, the teacher stated that 80% of students’ score of tasks and tests are correct, and students’ responses to the questionnaire revealed that WhatsApp media was very effective in developing their reading skills. It can be inferred that using WhatsApp as a medium in teaching reading comprehension in eighth grade at SMP Muhammadiyah Purwareja Klampok is very effective to improve students reading skills because WhatsApp is very easy and affordable for students to use.