Reciprocal Teaching as an Inclusive Literacy Strategy for Slow Learner Students in Indonesian Primary Education

Abstract

This study investigated the implementation of reciprocal teaching to improve expository text reading literacy in a Grade VI inclusive classroom in Indonesian primary education, with particular attention to three students identified as slow learners. A Classroom Action Research (CAR) design following the Kemmis and McTaggart cyclical model was employed across two intervention cycles. Participants consisted of 27 students at SDN 003 Sangatta Utara, Kutai Timur, of whom three (coded MAA, DDG, and VCH) required intensive reading support. Data were collected through a reading literacy test, student activity observation sheets, teacher performance observation sheets, semi-structured interviews, and documentary evidence, and were analyzed using quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative interactive analysis with cross-source triangulation. Results showed that classical mastery increased from 44.44% at baseline to 70.37% after Cycle 1 and 88.89% after Cycle 2, surpassing the 80% success criterion. Mean student learning activity rose from 68.4% to 84.0%, and teacher instructional performance improved from 85.5% to 92.0%. The three slow learner students, whose baseline scores ranged from 52 to 58, all exceeded the minimum competency threshold by the end of Cycle 2, achieving individual gains of 25 to 26 points. These findings indicate that a scaffolding-to-fading instructional sequence within reciprocal teaching can support both whole-class literacy development and the individual progress of slow learner students in an inclusive primary classroom setting.