AN ANALYSIS OF TENTH-GRADE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTIES IN NARRATIVE TEXTS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

This study investigates the reading comprehension difficulties experienced by tenth-grade students in understanding narrative texts at a public senior high school. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of students’ challenges and the factors contributing to those difficulties. Data were collected through classroom observations, analysis of students’ written reading responses, and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that students encounter several recurring problems, including limited vocabulary knowledge, difficulty identifying main ideas and moral values, challenges in making inferences, confusion regarding narrative text structure, and low motivation to read English texts. These difficulties are influenced by both linguistic and psychological factors, as well as by limited exposure to effective reading strategies. The study highlights the importance of explicit vocabulary instruction, guided reading activities, and interactive teaching strategies to support students’ comprehension of narrative texts. The results of this research are expected to provide pedagogical insights for English teachers in addressing students’ reading comprehension difficulties in EFL classrooms.