The Effect of Manhwa on Reading Comprehension of Eighth-Grade Students
Abstract
This research aims to find out whether there is any effect of using manhwa on the reading comprehension of eighth-grade students. This study is a quantitative research using pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-test and post-test. The sample consists of 18 students from class VIII, selected using purposive sampling. The data were collected through a multiple-choice reading test consisting of 20 items based on narrative texts. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0. The findings show that the students’ mean score increased from 51.39 in the pre-test to 86.67 in the post-test. The result of the t-test is higher than the t-table (6.889 > 2.109). Therefore, the researcher concludes that there is a significant effect of using manhwa as a learning medium on the reading comprehension of eighth-grade students at SMP Kosgoro Sragi.
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Arikunto, S. (2006). Research management. Rineka Cipta.
Arikunto, S. (2010). Research procedures: A practical approach. Rineka Cipta.
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). Longman.
Choi, S. (2021). Digital evolution: The rise of webtoons in the global market. Korean Media Publishers.
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2013). Teaching and researching reading (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Grellet, F. (1999). Developing reading skills: A practical guide to reading comprehension exercises. Cambridge University Press.
Hadi, S. (2021). The effect of using manga on reading comprehension in high school students: A case study at SMK Karya Mandiri in academic year 2020/2021. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 14(2), 23–34.
Hamouda, A. (2013). Listening comprehension problems: A case study of students at the Department of English, King Saud University. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 2(2), 113–155.
Ismail, M. H. (2017). Understanding reading as a continuous process. Journal of Language Studies, 12(3), 45–60.
Kim, J. (2022). From manga to manhwa: The evolution of Korean comics. Global Comics Press.
Korte, J., & Smith, L. (2022). Understanding narrative texts: An introduction to narrative theory. Oxford University Press.
Kurniawan, A. (2024). The impact of digital comics on English reading comprehension of secondary school students. Journal of Literacy and Language Studies, 19(1), 78–91.
Kusumawanti, K., & Bharati, D. A. L. (2018). The role of reading in English language learning. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 5(1), 24–37.
Kwon, H., & Park, Y. (2019). Artistic styles and reading directions: Comparing manhwa and manga. Journal of Asian Graphic Arts, 15(2), 123–135.
Lee, J. (2020). The world of manhwa: An introduction to Korean comics. Korea Comics Institute.
McCormick, C. (2024). The essentials of narrative writing: Crafting stories that engage. Cambridge University Press.
Nurhana, L. (2014). The role of reading in language development. Linguistics Journal, 8(2), 85–99.
Oberholzer, M. (2005). Reading comprehension: A study of secondary school students. South African Journal of Education, 25(1), 48–55.
Programme, U. N. D. (2021). Human development report. United Nations Development Programme.
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2010). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics (4th ed.). Routledge.
Robins, R. H., & Crystal, D. (2018). A short history of linguistics. Routledge.
Safitri, D. (2020). Strategies and factors influencing reading comprehension. Language Education Review, 15(1), 23–37.
Sari, R. (2022). The effect of comic books on reading comprehension among junior high school students. International Journal of Educational Innovation, 17(4), 45–60.
Snow, C. E. (2002). Reading for understanding: Toward an R&D program in reading comprehension. RAND Corporation.
Souhila, M. (2009). Teaching reading comprehension in EFL classrooms: Strategies and techniques. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 4(4), 535–542.
Sugiyono. (2015). Educational research methods. Alfabeta.
Sullivan, P., & Brown, T. (2021). Narrative texts and their structures: A comprehensive guide. Pearson Education.
Sunggingwati, D., & Nguyen, H. T. (2013). Challenges in learning English reading: An Indonesian perspective. Asian EFL Journal, 15(4), 98–116.
Townend, J. (2003). Understanding reading comprehension. Cambridge University Press.
Yaongyi. (2018). True beauty. LINE Webtoon. LINE Webtoon
Yoon, A. (2024). Manhwa in the global entertainment industry: Success stories and trends. International Journal of Comic Studies, 8(1), 45–59.
Authors
Wahyudi, W. J., Inayah, A., & Lestari, S. D. (2026). The Effect of Manhwa on Reading Comprehension of Eighth-Grade Students. At- Ta’lim : Jurnal Pendidikan, 12(2), 182–189. https://doi.org/10.55210/attalim.v12i2.2472
Copyright (c) 2026 Widiyang Joko Wahyudi, Arin Inayah, Sutami Dwi Lestari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.