Enhancing tenth graders’ reading comprehension through the fix-up strategy in Indonesian classrooms: a quasi-experimental study

Authors

  • Mirella Angelina Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia
  • Annisa Astrid Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia
  • Husnaini Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.28918/erudita.v6i1.13655

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of the Fix-Up Strategy in enhancing tenth graders’ reading comprehension in Indonesian EFL classrooms. Although metacognitive reading strategies have been widely studied, empirical evidence on the Fix-Up Strategy in Indonesian secondary school contexts remains limited. This study investigates (1) the improvement in students’ reading comprehension after instruction using the Fix-Up Strategy and (2) the difference in reading comprehension achievement between students taught using the Fix-Up Strategy and those receiving conventional instruction. A quantitative quasi-experimental method with a matching-only pretest–posttest control group design was employed. Sixty tenth-grade students in an Indonesian private Islamic senior high school participated in the study. Data were collected using a 40-item multiple-choice reading comprehension test and analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality and homogeneity tests, paired-samples t-tests, and independent-samples t-tests. The results revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group's reading comprehension achievement (p < .001, Cohen’s d = 3.43, indicating a very large effect) and a significant difference in posttest scores between the experimental and control groups (p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.10, indicating a large effect). These results indicate that the Fix-Up Strategy effectively enhances students’ reading comprehension and supports the integration of metacognitive reading strategies into English instruction in Indonesian secondary schools.

Keywords:

Fix-Up strategy, Reading comprehension achievement, Quasi-experimental design, Reading texts

References

Afflerbach, P. (2006). Metacognition and learning : conceptual and methodological considerations. 1, 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-006-6893-0

Ali, Z., Palpanadan, S. T., Asad, M. M., Churi, P., & Namaziandost, E. (2022). Reading approaches practiced in EFL classrooms: a narrative review and research agenda. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 7(28), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00155-4

Amanda, P. S., Damiri, A., & ahyuningsih, S. (2022). Improving Students' Reading Comprehension Through Fix-Up Strategy At The Eleventh Grade Of SMA Negeri 7 Bandar Lampung In The Academic Year Of 2021/2022. Journal of English Education Students (JEES), 4. http://eskripsi.stkippgribl.ac.id/

Awaluddin, M., Kamaruddin, A., Wahyudin, & Kusuma Dewi, A. (2025). The Use of Fix-Up Strategy to Improve Reading Comprehension of the Eleventh Grade Students of Senior High School. Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 13(1), 569–577. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas

Bassett, M., & Macnaught, L. (2025). Embedded approaches to academic literacy development: a systematic review of empirical research about impact. Teaching in Higher Education, 30(5), 1065–1083. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2024.2354280

Binhomran, K., & Altalhab, S. (2023). A systematic review of EFL research on the impact of reading comprehension on students’ vocabulary retention, and the relation between reading and vocabulary size. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 5(3), 146–168. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v5i3.1395

Campbell, D., Shadish, W., & Cook, T. (2002). Experimental and Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. In Experimental and quasi-experimental design for causal inference (Issue 814). https://moodle2.units.it/pluginfile.php/132646/mod_resource/content/1/Estratto_ShadishCookCampbellExperimental2002.pdf

Carrell, P. L., & Eisterhold, J. C. (1983). Schema Theory and ESL Reading Pedagogy. TESOL QUARTERLY, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.2307/3586613

Cham, H., Lee, H., & Migunov, I. (2024). Quasi-experimental designs for causal inference: an overview. Asia Pacific Education Review, 25(3), 611–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-024-09981-2

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (7th ed). SAGE Publications.

Duffy, G. G., & Roehler, L. R. (1986). Improving classroom reading instruction : a decision-making approach. Random House.

Fan, L., Razali, A. B., & Noordin, N. (2026). A Systematic Review on the Relationship between Metacognitive Reading Strategies and English Reading Performance. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 25(5), 439–463. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.5.19

Fraenkel, J. R. ., Wallen, N. E. ., & Hyun, H. H. . (2023). How to design and evaluate education research. McGraw Hill.

Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2019). Teaching and researching reading (2nd ed). Routledge.

Herwanis, D., Zakaria, R., Renaldi, A., & Sari, I. (2021). the Comparison Between Sq5R and Fix–Up Strategy in Reading Comprehension for Efl Secondary Level Learners. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 9(3), 336–343. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v9i3.3845

Hu, T.-C., Sung, Y.-T., Liang, H.-H., Chang, T.-J., & Chou, Y.-T. (2022). Relative Roles of Grammar Knowledge and Vocabulary in the Reading Comprehension of EFL Elementary-School Learners: Direct, Mediating, and Form/Meaning-Distinct Effects. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 827007. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.827007

Kan, T., Noordin, N., & Ismail, L. (2024). Implementation of Metacognitive Reading Strategies to Improve English Reading Ability: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23(7), 368–389. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.7.19

Kim, Y.-S. G., Wolters, A., & Lee, J. (2024). Reading and Writing Relations Are Not Uniform: They Differ by the Linguistic Grain Size, Developmental Phase, and Measurement. Review of Educational Research, 94(3), 311–342. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231178830

Li, D. (2022). A review of academic literacy research development: from 2002 to 2019. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 7(5), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00130-z

Lubis, N. A., Harida, E. S., & Siregar, S. R. (2023). The Effect of the Fix-Up Strategy on Reading Descriptive Text. The 1st International Conference on Educational Theories, Practices, and Research (ICETAR) 2023 “Development of Post-Pandemic Education to Face The Social Era 5.0,” 1.

McLaughlin, M. (2012). Reading comprehension: What every teacher needs to know. The Reading Teacher, 65(7), 432–440. https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.01064

Muhassin, M., Annisa, J., & Hidayati, D. A. (2021). The Impact of Fix Up Strategy on Indonesian EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension. International Journal of Instruction, 14(2), 253–270. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14215a

Nation, I. S. P. (2017). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (2nd ed). Cambridge University Press.

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1987). Psychometric Theory. In Publisher: McGraw-Hill (3rd ed). McGraw-Hill.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023). PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education. In Factsheets: Vol. I. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1787/53f23881-en

Pahrizal, N., Vintoni, A., Sotlikova, R., & Ya’kub, H. Z. H. (2025). Metacognitive Reading Strategies and Their Impact on Comprehension: Insights from Rural EFL Learners. Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE), 7(1), 18–36. https://doi.org/10.23917/ijolae.v7i1.23908

Peng, P., Wang, W., Filderman, M. J., Zhang, W., & Lin, L. (2024). The Active Ingredient in Reading Comprehension Strategy Intervention for Struggling Readers: A Bayesian Network Meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 94(2), 228–267. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231171345

Risti, I. S., & Irawati, H. (2022). Effect of problem-based learning on metacognitive and higher thinking ability in high school biology: A study of the literature. Atrium Pendidikan Biologi, 7(2), 97–113. http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/students/index.php/pbio

Rusmiati, R., Irnasari, I., & Akmal, S. (2022). Does the Fix-Up Strategy Affect Indonesian EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension? Lingua Didaktika, 16(2), 214–225. https://doi.org/10.24036/ld.v16i2.120014

Schmitt, N., Dunn, K., O’Sullivan, B., Anthony, L., & Kremmel, B. (2021). Introducing Knowledge-based Vocabulary Lists (KVL). TESOL Journal, 12(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/https://doi. org/10.1002/tesj.622

Smith, R., Snow, P. C., Serry, T. A., & Hammond, L. (2021). The Role of Background Knowledge in Reading Comprehension: A Critical Review. Reading Psychology, 42(3), 214–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2021.1888348

Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53–55. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd

Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. In The Autodesk Foundation (Vol. 94903, Issue 415).

Ulfah, T., & Jannah, R. (2022). Research on second-grade students' reading comprehension through the implementation of a fix-up options strategy. English Education Journal, 13(2), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.24815/eej.v13i2.25581

Vettori, G., Casado Ledesma, L., Tesone, S., & Tarchi, C. (2024). Key language, cognitive, and higher-order skills for L2 reading comprehension of expository texts in English as foreign language students: a systematic review. In Reading and Writing (Vol. 37, Issue 9). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10479-3

Wahyuni, A. B., Baharudin, & Lufia. (2024). The impact of fix-up strategy to improve reading comprehension on the junior high school setting in Indonesia. English Education Journal, 10. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55340/e2j.v10i1.1561

Yuliana, & Sutramakdalena, K. (2023). The Effectiveness of Using the Fix-Up Strategy To Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension. Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia (PJPI), 1(3), 527–540. https://doi.org/10.61930/pjpi.v1i3

Published

2026-05-31

Article Statistics

89 Views
0 Downloads

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Enhancing tenth graders’ reading comprehension through the fix-up strategy in Indonesian classrooms: a quasi-experimental study. (2026). Erudita: Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.28918/erudita.v6i1.13655