Bridging the Gap in Learning: Differentiated Learning to Enhance the Students' Reading Comprehension of Explanatory Texts and Writing Skills

Abstract

Text-based language learning in senior high school aims to introduce students to different kinds of text: fiction and non-fiction. The teaching of an explanation text as a non-fiction text aims to make students understand and be able to write it. Teachers can use various techniques to achieve the goals, such as differentiated instruction during the teaching process. This research scrutinizes how differentiated instruction helps students enhance their understanding and writing skills in explanation texts, particularly for students of junior high school level. Employing a pre-experimental One-Group Pretest-Posttest design, the data in this research were collected using observations, surveys, and tests. The data analysis compared the pre-test and post-test results with some criteria and percentages. The result shows an improvement in the student's understanding of explanatory texts, with an average score of 60,67 to 87,00 and a percentage of 60%. This study is expected to shed light on the teacher's use of differentiated instruction in teaching various kinds of text in formal and informal contexts.