Reading children's stories is the activity of processing reading materials to obtain information about children's stories (fairy tales), which generally aim to entertain, provide benefits, and educate children through the moral messages within them. This study aimed to improve the ability of seventh-grade junior high school students (27 students) in reading children's stories using the PQ4R strategy. The method used was Classroom Action Research with two cycles, following the procedures of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The results showed an improvement in students' abilities. In Cycle I, the lowest score was 40 and the highest was 85, with an average of 60.56. In Cycle II, the lowest score increased to 65 and the highest to 90, with an average of 74.63. Student observation results increased from 71.95% to 96.82%, while researcher observation results increased from 81.94% to 90.28%. In conclusion, the PQ4R strategy can improve the ability to read children's stories and provide good learning motivation. It is recommended that these findings serve as a basis for developing reading instruction theories, increase students' reading interest, and be used as a reference for future researchers.
Membaca cerita anak adalah kegiatan memproses bahan bacaan untuk memperoleh informasi tentang cerita anak (dongeng), yang umumnya bertujuan menghibur atau memberi manfaat serta mendidik anak melalui pesan moral di dalamnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan meningkatkan kemampuan siswa kelas VII SMP (27 siswa) dalam membaca cerita anak dengan strategi PQ4R. Metode yang digunakan adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kelas dengan dua siklus melalui prosedur perencanaan, tindakan, observasi, dan refleksi.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan peningkatan kemampuan siswa. Pada Siklus I, nilai terendah 40 dan tertinggi 85 dengan rata-rata 60,56. Pada Siklus II, nilai terendah naik menjadi 65 dan tertinggi 90 dengan rata-rata 74,63. Hasil observasi siswa meningkat dari 71,95% menjadi 96,82%, sedangkan observasi peneliti meningkat dari 81,94% menjadi 90,28%. Simpulannya, strategi PQ4R dapat meningkatkan kemampuan membaca cerita anak dan memberikan motivasi belajar yang baik. Rekomendasinya, hasil penelitian ini dapat menjadi dasar pengembangan teori pembelajaran membaca, meningkatkan minat baca siswa, serta menjadi referensi bagi peneliti selanjutnya.