An analysis of fifth-grade students’ reading comprehension and critical reading abilities in Jakarta elementary schools

Abstract

This study analyzes the reading comprehension and critical reading abilities of fifth-grade elementary students in Jakarta. Motivated by the importance of literacy skills that extend beyond literal text understanding to include evaluative and reflective thinking, the research employed a quantitative descriptive approach. Participants were 745 students from 30 purposively selected public elementary schools across Jakarta. Data were collected using a five-item reading test assessing two dimensions: reading comprehension (identifying main ideas, locating supporting details, and recognizing involved parties) and critical reading (proposing alternative solutions and evaluating the most appropriate solution). Responses were scored using a 4 point analytic rubric and converted to a 0 - 100 scale, categorized into high, moderate, and low levels. Findings revealed a noticeable disparity between comprehension and critical reading abilities. Reading comprehension was relatively strong, with 30% of students in the high category and 60% in the moderate category, whereas critical reading performance was lower, with only 25% in the high category and 45% in moderate. Students often successfully understood and summarized texts but struggled to analyze, evaluate, and reason beyond the literal content. These results align with the Active View of Reading framework, highlighting the need to integrate inference-making, evaluative thinking, and reflective strategies in early literacy instruction. The study provides empirical evidence for designing literacy programs that simultaneously foster comprehension and critical literacy, offering implications for curriculum development and instructional practices in Indonesian elementary education.