The Influence of Reading Intensity on the Ability to Identify Main Ideas in Expository Texts Among Eighth-Grade Students
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Abstract
The ability to identify the main idea in an expository text is one of the essential skills in reading comprehension, which plays a crucial role in learning the Indonesian language. However, in practice, many students still struggle to recognize the main ideas of a paragraph, particularly in expository texts. One of the suspected factors affecting this ability is reading intensity. Higher reading intensity is believed to improve students’ analytical skills in processing reading content, including identifying main ideas. This study aims to investigate the influence of reading intensity on the ability to identify main ideas in expository texts among eighth-grade students of SMP Negeri 1 Ulupungkut, Mandailing Natal Regency, during the 2025–2026 academic year. This research employed a quantitative approach with a descriptive correlational method. The population of the study consisted of all eighth-grade students, with a total sample of 30 students. Data were collected using a questionnaire to measure reading intensity and an essay test to assess the ability to identify main ideas in expository texts. The data were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation formula. The results showed a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.500. This value exceeds the critical values of the correlation table at the 5% significance level (0.361) and 1% level (0.463), with a degree of freedom (df) of 28. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a significant relationship between reading intensity and the ability to identify main ideas. Based on the interpretation of the correlation coefficient, the relationship between the two variables falls into the moderate category. The contribution of reading intensity to the ability to identify main ideas is 25%, while the remaining 75% is influenced by other factors. These findings indicate that the higher the reading intensity of students, the better their ability to identify the main ideas in expository texts
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