Effective Reading Intervention Strategies for Primary Grade Students in Indonesia: A Systematic Review

Indonesia consistently ranks below the global average in international reading literacy assessments like PIRLS and PISA. This decline highlights a critical need for effective educational interventions. Reading is defined as the capacity to understand, use, evaluate, reflect on, and engage with texts. Deficiencies in reading literacy can impact academic success, workforce contributions, and daily life. The Indonesian Ministry of Education has implemented initiatives like the School Literacy Movement and the Merdeka Belajar (Emancipated Curriculum) to foster foundational skills and provide autonomy to schools and teachers in designing interventions. While various reading intervention strategies have been implemented, a systematic review of teacher-led research on their effectiveness has been lacking.

This study employed a systematic literature review with a configurative approach, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The review aimed to document, analyze, and synthesize empirical literature on reading intervention strategies for primary-grade students in Indonesia. The search covered Scopus, ProQuest, and ERIC databases for articles published between 2016 and 2023. Inclusion criteria focused on classroom-based effective reading intervention strategies for Indonesian primary students, peer-reviewed empirical research, published in English, and available in full-text. Out of an initial 410 articles, 13 met the eligibility criteria after a rigorous selection process. The analysis involved descriptive and analytical coding and thematic analysis to identify commonalities and patterns in the data.

The reviewed studies revealed four main categories of effective reading intervention strategies: materials-based, technology-based, instruction-based, and culture-based. Materials-based strategies, represented in three studies, heavily utilize physical tools like pop-up books, big books, wordless picture books, and word trees to engage students. Technology-based strategies, found in three studies, leverage digital educational applications and online platforms for interactive learning, such as GraphoLearn and Android-based educational games. Instruction-based strategies, from five studies, focus on novel instructional deliveries like Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA), PQ4R, and integrated thematic instruction. Culture-based strategies, from two studies, incorporate local wisdom and fables into textbooks and storybooks to make learning relevant and engaging. Most interventions targeted general classroom students, with some focusing on students with identified reading difficulties.

Four key qualities were identified as contributing to the improved reading outcomes: interactivity, relevance, engaging visual design, and gamification. Interactivity manifests in active and collaborative learning activities, and interactive reading materials that facilitate comprehension. Relevance is achieved through strategies that integrate cultural themes, students' experiences, and prior knowledge. Engaging visual design, particularly in materials like picture books and pop-up books, captures attention and aids visualization. Gamification, primarily seen in technology-based interventions, uses game-based elements to encourage sustained engagement and positive attitudes towards reading. These qualities often appear in combination within successful strategies.

The education reforms in Indonesia have empowered teachers to implement diverse reading intervention strategies. The identified categories of strategies—materials-based, technology-based, instruction-based, and culture-based—all contribute to improving reading outcomes, especially when they incorporate interactivity, relevance, engaging visual design, and gamification. This variety and adaptability in strategies align with student-centered approaches and best practices in reading instruction, allowing teachers to tailor interventions to specific student needs and cultural contexts. The findings suggest that a multi-faceted approach, integrating these effective qualities, can significantly enhance reading literacy among primary grade students.

This systematic review synthesized studies on effective reading intervention strategies in Indonesian primary grades, identifying four main types and key qualities (interactivity, relevance, engaging visual design, and gamification) that enhance their effectiveness. Teachers and schools are encouraged to adopt a diverse and adaptive approach, integrating these qualities to create student-centered strategies. Equipping educators with pedagogical skills and autonomy is crucial for implementing effective interventions. Limitations of this review include the exclusion of studies published in Bahasa Indonesia and grey literature, potentially underrepresenting the full scope of interventions. Future research should expand data sources, include higher educational levels, and conduct meta-analytic and longitudinal studies to further explore the impact of these strategies and qualities.