EXTENSIVE READING IN INDONESIAN SCHOOLS: A SUCCESSFUL STORY

Abstract

The low level of literacy of the Indonesian students has become a major nation-wide concern in Indonesia. The 2015 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) result showed that Indonesian students’ literacy level in English was one of the lowest in the world. Gerakan Literasi Nasional (GLN) was established in 2016 as one of the possible solutions to increase the Indonesian students’ literacy level. The extensive reading programs done in the schools and in the universities described here is in line with GLN’s vision and mission, in that the Extensive Reading programs and activities play a tremendous role in the schools’ and communities’ effort to create more established, well-planned actions to increase the students’ literacy level. Therefore, this paper will discuss two objectives: (1) describing steps to establish a successful Extensive Reading program at Indonesian schools and (2) reporting factors that contribute to the success of an extensive reading program. The findings of this research revealed how extensive reading activities supported the success of GLN through the creation of extensive reading programs within and outside the curriculum, and how schools and home literacy culture could be contributing factors to the success of this program.