Strengthening Interactive Reading Corner In an Effort to Improve Basic Literacy Skills of Grade 3 Students of SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon

In the modern era, information is growing at an extremely rapid rate. Indonesia, as a large country with a large population and considerable potential, requires a holistic improvement of its resources, one of which is literacy. Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute using print or other media in the context of life (Md-ali et al., 2016). Literacy enables individuals to participate fully in society, understand information, communicate effectively and make critical decisions (Ferguson, 2003). However, many primary school students still face barriers in basic literacy, particularly in reading interest and engagement in literacy activities. This study aims to formulate how the interactive reading corner programme can improve the basic literacy skills of grade 3 students at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon. Literacy has a positive impact on social participation, work skills and community contribution (URT, 2017). Literacy in Indonesia is still relatively low. The PISA 2022 results ranked Indonesia 68th out of 81 countries, with reading scores of 371, mathematics scores of 379, and science scores of 398, all of which are below the international average. This is a serious challenge for Indonesia's education system, which aims not only to produce knowledgeable individuals but also those with character, creativity, and positivity. Therefore, education must continuously adjust to dynamic cultural developments (Fitria et al., 2022). Many students have not reached the expected level of basic competence. As an effort, the government launched the National Literacy Movement (Wiedarti & Indonesia. Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education, 2018). Reading has various benefits, including mental stimulation, stress reduction, horizon expansion, vocabulary enrichment, memory improvement, and enhanced critical thinking skills and focus (Patiung, 2016). The literacy programme aims to build a culture of literacy at all levels of society. The movement not only emphasises academics but also integrates literacy in subjects by involving the government, teachers and parents. Clay and Ferguson in MoEC classify literacy into important components, including Basic Literacy, which encompasses reading, writing, counting, listening, and speaking (Wiedarti & Indonesia. Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education, 2018). Basic literacy helps students analyse, calculate, understand information, communicate and describe ideas based on personal inferences. After gaining early literacy at home, students develop basic literacy skills in primary school that go beyond speaking and reading. Literacy skills support students' critical and analytical thinking abilities, enabling them to make informed, independent decisions in everyday life. Piaget (1972) stated that students aged 8-9 years are in the concrete operational stage, able to think logically, classify, understand quantity, and begin to understand other people's perspectives (Septiara et al., 2023). However, data at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon shows that out of 38 students, only 21.05% or 8 students have adequate basic literacy. The remaining 78.95% still need guidance and concrete examples. Even 7 students are not yet fluent readers, hampering the learning process because reading is the foundation of understanding instructions (Suryana et al., 2022). Heward and Orlasky (1984) refer to "specific learning disorders" as psychological barriers to understanding or using language that can affect reading, writing and arithmetic. This does not include children with visual, hearing or economic impairments. Therefore, students need to be identified to determine the cause of their learning difficulties, and cognitive and psychological evaluations are conducted so that educators can design appropriate teaching methods tailored to their needs. Recognising this condition, the school library is crucial as a learning resource to support literacy. Reading interest is closely related to the existence and function of libraries. However, primary school libraries are often limited to serving as storage spaces for books, whereas they should also be a place for educational recreation that sparks students' reading interest (Sulistyo-Basuki, 2022). Therefore, a library promotion strategy is necessary as part of the school education ecosystem (Ernawati, 2022). In response to low literacy skills, SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon developed an interactive reading corner programme. The reading corner is an area in the classroom corner, equipped with books, that serves to extend library services. This programme is part of the School Literacy Movement, which aims to increase access to reading and build reading habits. Reading corners encourage students to become accustomed to reading and increase their interest in the activity. Mantu (2021) refers to reading corners as classroom areas with reading collections that support students' literacy activities. The author concludes that a reading corner is a designated area with easy access to books, supporting student literacy. The programme also incorporates interactive functions, which means that students are not only passively reading, but also actively interacting with the reading materials and their environment. Interactive reading corners are a first and innovative step towards improving student literacy. With creativity and technology, libraries can play an educational and recreational role, encouraging students to participate. This programme aims to shape students' moral character through literacy development, enabling them to become lifelong learners (Fadhli, 2021). Specific objectives include: building a culture of literacy in schools, increasing the literacy capacity of all school members, creating a supportive environment, and providing an inclusive, fun and child-friendly learning space (Rofiq, 2022). Thus, the focus of this research is to answer the problem formulation: How can the interactive reading corner programme help improve the basic literacy skills of students at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon?

The research was conducted at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon, Lembang, West Bandung, during the 2024-2025 school year. SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon is currently in the early stages of implementing the independent curriculum, which marks the first year it has been utilised. This research employs a qualitative approach with descriptive methods, where qualitative research methods are used to study objects in their natural conditions, with researchers acting as the primary instrument. Data collection techniques are carried out through triangulation or a combination of various methods, while data analysis is inductive, namely based on patterns that emerge from the data. Qualitative research focuses more on the in-depth meaning of the phenomena studied rather than attempts to generalise the findings (Sugiyono, 2017). The use of this approach aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness of interactive reading corners as a medium for improving students' basic literacy skills. Data were collected using words, pictures and other visual forms to gain a comprehensive understanding of how learners interact with the reading corner. The instruments used in this study included interviews, observations, and documentary studies. Interviews were conducted with the third-grade teacher, Mrs. Leli Siti Nurlaeli, S.Pd, to obtain perspectives on the management of the interactive reading corner and the challenges encountered during implementation, as well as with the fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Endang Sri Murningsih, S.Pd, who served as the storyteller during storytelling sessions. Observations were conducted in the school environment to examine student involvement in literacy activities in the reading corner, including visit frequency, types of reading materials preferred, and patterns of student interaction with these materials. Documentary studies were conducted by reviewing relevant school documentation, such as student progress reports, reading corner activity records, and school curriculum documents. The subjects in this study were 3 students of SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon, who were the main participants in literacy activities focused on the interactive reading corner. The objective of this study is to improve basic literacy skills through the utilisation of the reading corner, with a focus on relevant aspects of literacy skills, such as reading, comprehension, and the skill of re-expressing the information obtained. Data analysis in this study was conducted using the interactive analysis model of Miles and Huberman (2005), which includes three main stages: (1) data reduction, which is the process of sorting, simplifying, and organising raw data from interviews, observations, and documents to make it more focused on things that are relevant to the research objectives; (2) data display, which is compiling data that has been reduced into tables, matrices, or charts to facilitate interpretation and identification of patterns; and (3) conclusion drawing and verification, which is the process of interpreting the meaning of the data presented and verifying findings through triangulation and re-examination of raw data.

In designing the implementation of the School Literacy Movement (GLS), SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon has prepared various supporting aspects to ensure that the programme runs optimally. These preparations include providing adequate facilities and infrastructure, developing supporting programmes, and providing appropriate and relevant reading materials. Careful planning plays a crucial role in supporting the smooth implementation of the programme, considering that any form of activity will face obstacles if it is not based on systematic and detailed preparation. With structured planning, the implementation of GLS is expected to foster students' interest in reading and support the achievement of educational goals set by the school (Pribadi et al., 2023). Based on research conducted at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon, which involved a sample of 38 students from class 3, this study examined interactive reading corners as a medium for improving fundamental skills. The reading corner programme already exists in most classes, where each class has a designated area for reading and storing reading materials, in addition to supporting learning modules for various subjects. As stated by one of the teachers: "We make it a habit for children to read 15 minutes before learning starts, so that they get used to it and start to like reading." Teachers apply this strategy to instil a love of reading in students. These literacy activities aim to get students used to reading regularly before starting the learning process, so that interest and reading habits can grow and develop sustainably (Yulianti et al., 2021). However, the implementation of the classroom reading corner is less effective because many students have not actively utilised the facility to read outside of learning time, and there is a lack of variety in reading materials. The person in charge of the reading corner in the classroom is the respective class teacher; however, the class teacher often has difficulty allocating special time for reading corner activities. The teacher said that: "We find it difficult to organise a special time for the reading corner, because the class schedule is quite busy and we have to meet the curriculum targets. Moreover, it is a transitional period; children start to learn independently, but their learning hours increase, making it harder. This affects their motivation for additional activities like the reading corner." Initially, learners were accustomed to 34 lesson hours per week, but this has now increased to 40 lesson hours per week. This change presents a challenge for learners, particularly in adapting to a longer learning duration. At this stage, learners are required to make their own decisions, understand the information presented to them, and analyse events. This condition affects learners' motivation to participate in lessons. This transitional stage requires an approach that attracts interest and increases learners' engagement in learning, especially in basic literacy skills Basic literacy skills are important in strengthening basic literacy skills because at this stage, learners begin to develop a deeper understanding of the text, as well as the ability to retell the information they read. This is where the library plays an important role in supporting learners' learning at school. SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon already has a library that functions as a learning support resource. The library is an information centre located within an educational institution and is managed thoroughly by the institution to support the achievement of school goals and education in general (Hermawan et al., 2020). To realise an ideal library, the first step that needs to be taken is to improve the quality of human resources involved in its management. The organisational structure of the library at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon is as follows: The organisational structure of the library at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon consists of 1 supervisor and one librarian. The supervisor, who acts as the main director, is the principal of SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon. She is responsible for the general policy and strategic direction of library development, including supporting the school's literacy programme and ensuring the sustainability of facilities and programmes within the library. The librarian in charge is a school staff member who is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Library and Information Science. The library at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon has several programmes designed to support learners' literacy development and create an engaging learning environment. These programmes include: 1. Mading serve as a medium of communication and information for learners. Here, learners can find a variety of interesting articles, the latest information, and their written works. 2. Literacy habituation every Tuesday. The literacy habituation programme, held every Tuesday, aims to instil the habit of reading among students. This programme is conducted in the school field, involving all students from grades 1 to 6. 3. Habitual reading 15 minutes before learning, learners can explore different types of reading, which in turn can enrich their vocabulary and comprehension. 4. Pojok Baca is an ideal place for learners to gather and share book recommendations, creating positive social interactions and supporting collective literacy development. Before the intervention through the development of an interactive reading corner, the number of visits by learners to the library can be seen in the following table: Table 1. Data on Visits to the Library Before the Development of the Interactive Reading Corner Based on Table 1 above, the average number of students per day during the week preceding the development of the interactive reading corner was 11 students. The reading corner programme in each classroom at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon is designed to introduce and familiarise learners with reading activities from an early age. With a reading corner in the classroom, learners have easy and quick access to various types of books that suit their interests and reading skill levels. To strengthen the programme, the school library took the initiative to create an interactive reading corner. The interactive reading corner is not just a place to read, but also a multifunctional space that integrates various enjoyable and educational literacy activities. Here, students can find various facilities that support active learning. One of them is a regularly scheduled storytelling activity that aims to develop listening and imagination skills, as well as expand learners' vocabulary. Another is the regular screening of educational films using the smartboard, which allows learners to access learning materials in a more visually engaging way. The use of the smartboard takes place in a separate room with an interactive reading corner, designed to create a comfortable and conducive learning atmosphere. The use of this separate space aims to maximise the focus and effectiveness of the teaching and learning process by providing dedicated space for different activities, so that each type of activity can run optimally. Figure 1. Interactive Reading Corner of SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon Based on Figure 1 above, the interactive reading corner features bookshelves stocked with various reading materials, primarily fiction, fairy tales, and folk tales that are engaging for students. In this reading corner, each student can read their favourite books and gather together for storytelling activities. Additionally, there is also TERAS, which stands for Tembok Edukasi Ruang Apresiasi Siswa (Student Appreciation Wall). This wall is designed as a free space for students to display their work, whether in the form of writing, drawings, or other artistic creations. This appreciation wall serves as a place for creative expression without restrictions or selection, allowing every piece of work to be displayed immediately. The freedom to display works on TERAS provides genuine appreciation for students' creativity and initiative, while also strengthening their self-confidence and motivation to continue creating. TERAS also serves as a form of visual communication that enriches the learning environment at school. Through the display of these works, it is hoped that students can inspire one another and share creative ideas. Thus, the interactive reading corner and TERAS create a dynamic learning environment, fostering the development of literacy, creativity, and a sense of pride in their work. At the pre-research stage, observations were made to assess the extent to which the library could attract learners. The results showed that some learners still perceive the library only as a book storage room. The assumption reflects that the promotion and introduction of the library at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon has not been effective. For this reason, several efforts and innovations have been made through the planning of various library programmes. Although some of these programmes have been implemented routinely, their implementation has not achieved the desired results. Therefore, in this study, the initial stage focused on more intensive education, information and promotion of the library to increase students' understanding and interest. A special visit schedule to the library was introduced. In the initial stage of the research, a reading interest test was conducted through interviews with class teachers and learners, as well as thorough observation of the learners. This reading interest test aims to determine the types of reading materials that attract students' attention and are relevant to their learning needs. The data obtained from this interest test is used as a reference in providing reading materials in the interactive reading corner, so that the reading corner can be filled with collections that match the students' interests. The following are excerpts from interviews with class teachers: Librarian: "How did you see the students' interest in reading before you strengthened the reading corner?" Interviewer: "At the beginning of the semester, I noticed that children rarely take their books. They only read when they are told to. But after being asked one by one, it turns out that many actually like to read, as long as the books match their interests." There are differences in reading material preferences among students, particularly between male students (21 students) and female students (17 students). The results of the reading interest test show that male students tend to favour reading materials with themes such as adventure (14 students), superheroes (11 students), space (5 students), natural phenomena (3 students), and earth science (2 students). These themes generally contain elements of action, strength and exploration, which stimulate their imagination and support their aspirations to become strong characters or curious explorers. On the other hand, female learners were more interested in lighter and more meaningful readings, such as fairy tales (7 students), fables (5 students), prophetic stories (3 students), friendship stories (10 students), and legends (4 students) that contain moral values. This type of reading is not only entertaining but also often contains moral messages that can guide in understanding the values of kindness, honesty, friendship, and caring for others. The number of preferences recorded exceeds the total number of male and female students, as some students showed interest in more than one reading category. At this stage, the library serves an educational and recreational function. Based on observations of the reading materials that learners are interested in, the library not only adds to the collection of relevant books according to their interests but also enriches the types of reading that can challenge their curiosity and broaden their horizons. As part of this effort, the library enhances the role of the interactive reading corner as a literacy medium by regularly updating reading materials, ensuring learners always have access to interesting and diverse books. In addition, the library redecorated the reading corner to create a more attractive, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for learners. The new decoration includes the use of cheerful colours, as well as the installation of inspirational educational posters. Table 2. Comparison of Students' Visits to Reading Corners Before and After the Development of Interactive Reading Corners Through Fulfilment of Books Based on Table 2, there was an increase in the number of visits by learners to the reading corner after the intervention, which involved developing an interactive reading corner. Before the development was carried out, the number of students who visited the reading corner in one week was 14 students, or 36.84% of the total 38 learners. After the reading corner was developed to be more interactive, the number of visits increased to 20 students, representing 52.63% of the total. Thus, there was a 15.79% increase in the number of visits. This data shows that changes in design and the addition of relevant reading materials can encourage increased learner participation in literacy activities through the use of reading corners. The second stage is to provide time to implement the storytelling programme. In the implementation of this programme, the library collaborates with guest teachers who are class teachers in other grades, for example, 5thgrade teachers, where the class teacher acts as a storyteller. The storytelling activity is scheduled to take place once a week. It is conducted in an interactive reading corner that has been decorated to make it comfortable and attractive for learners. In each storytelling session, class teachers deliver carefully selected stories, ranging from traditional fairy tales and fables to inspirational stories that convey moral messages. The selection of stories is adjusted to the interests of the learners as well as the learning objectives to be achieved. Storytelling activities are also designed to involve learners actively. Classroom teachers do not only tell stories in a one-way manner, but also invite learners to interact by asking reflective questions related to the story, asking them to guess the storyline, or discussing the character they like the most. This approach aims to encourage learners to think critically and creatively and be more confident in expressing their understanding and opinions. The implementation of the storytelling programme faced a significant challenge, namely the low level of learner participation. Based on preliminary data from the attendance list during storytelling sessions, only about 42.10% (16 out of 38 learners) regularly attend storytelling sessions. The grade 5 teacher said: “During storytelling sessions, only some children are focused. Others are easily distracted, especially if the story is not of their interest." This indicates that learners' interest in listening to stories remains low, and additional strategies are necessary to enhance their engagement. Based on the results of interviews and observations, several factors were identified as contributing to low learner interest, including the lack of attractiveness of the story being told, the limited variety in delivery methods, and the difficulty of maintaining learners' focus over a prolonged period. At around 8-9 years old, children's concentration skills are still in a developmental stage, and they tend to lose focus easily, especially when required to listen passively without engaging in activities that involve movement or interaction. According to Piaget (1972), learners in the concrete operational stage tend to learn better through physical activity, object manipulation, or approaches that involve all the senses, rather than just listening to stories for a long time (Marinda, 2020) . To overcome this difficulty, the librarian and class teacher modified the storytelling programme by adapting the storytelling method and incorporating props that made it easier for learners to follow the story visually. As Figure 2 shows, the teacher used puppets, colourful illustrations, and drew certain scenes on the board to make the story more vivid. Also, incorporating simple gestures, such as hand signals or facial expressions, can make the story more dynamic and engaging for learners. Figure 2. Storytelling using finger puppets Despite the implementation of the storytelling programme, which has been running, and the innovations made, it remains challenging to achieve positive results in increasing learners' interest and basic literacy skills. One of the main obstacles that arises is the lack of interest in actively listening to stories. However, among the 7 learners with learning difficulties, 5 regularly attended storytelling sessions and actively participated in them. Based on this data, it can be concluded that 5 out of 7 learners with learning difficulties were interested in the storytelling method, which successfully motivated them to be more active in listening to stories and participating in the activity. The success of the five learners who actively participated in the storytelling session demonstrates that this method has the potential to increase interest in basic literacy, particularly for learners with a more visual or auditory learning style. Overall, however, the storytelling programme still needs evaluation and innovation to streamline learners' basic literacy development. The third stage of the basic literacy improvement programme in the library involves empowering smartboard technology as an interactive learning tool. Using the smartboard, the library presents a variety of interesting visual media, such as educational videos, interactive presentations and illustrative images that can increase learners' enthusiasm for literacy. Based on the initial observation, 34 learners or 89.47% of learners, showed high interest in the screening of educational films. As said by the teacher: “If you watch educational videos on the smartboard or learning activities that use the smartboard, children are immediately excited. They scramble to answer or mark important parts on the screen.” In the presentation of documentary videos or educational films, learners are not only passive viewers but also actively participate in the learning process. They can be invited to answer questions, mark important information on the screen or even try writing and drawing on the smartboard, which overall stimulates their curiosity and engagement in literacy activities. In the smartboard programme at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon, there are interactive literacy, numeracy, science and social games that can stimulate learners' curiosity. For learners who are building fundamental literacy skills, this technology can help strengthen basic reading skills, recognise new vocabulary and improve comprehension of information in a fun way. However, there are challenges associated with using technology. While smartboards and educational films can capture learners' attention, there is a risk that they will be distracted by other visuals or sounds while using the devices. Additionally, limited library space is another obstacle to implementing technology. With less space, learners often have to sit crammed together, which can create an uncomfortable atmosphere and reduce concentration. Suboptimal smartboard placement exacerbates this situation, as learners who sit too far away from the screen struggle to see the content being displayed clearly. This results in them being unable to fully understand the information being presented, as they lack adequate visual access. A positive outcome of the smartboard programme in the interactive reading corner was that 89.47% of learners were interested in using the technology, as shown by the attendance list of learners who attended the class. In addition, learners with visual learning styles showed significant improvement in their basic literacy. Visual learning style is one of the many approaches recognised in learning theory, where learners understand information more easily through images, graphics and videos. The use of smartboards allows learners to view content in visually appealing formats, such as animations and educational videos, which helps them understand concepts that may be difficult to explain with text alone. Based on the study's results, the impact of developing an interactive reading corner on increasing students' interest in reading was assessed by recording the number of student visits to the library before and after the intervention. The following data shows a significant increase in the frequency of visits, reflecting the positive influence of the interactive reading corner as part of the effort to strengthen the culture of literacy in schools. Table 3. Data on Learners' Visits to the Library After the Development of Interactive Reading Corners Based on Table 3, there was a significant increase in the number of students visiting the library after the development of the interactive reading corner. The average number of daily visits by students increased to 16 students per day, compared to the previous average of only 11 students per day. This result shows the positive impact of developing an interactive reading corner on increasing student participation in literacy activities in the library. Although this study did not use a standardised instrument to measure reading speed or reading comprehension, the interview results showed that two learners from the group of seven students with learning difficulties began to retell the content of the reading coherently and demonstrated reading skills that no longer stuttered or required spelling words one by one. This finding can be interpreted as an early indication of an improvement in reading comprehension skills. These changes may also be influenced by external factors, such as parents' involvement in accompanying children to study at home, teachers' active role in facilitating literacy activities in the classroom and a supportive classroom atmosphere. Therefore, isolating the impact of the interactive reading corner programme is a challenge in interpreting the results of this study.

Based on research at SD Negeri 2 Kayuambon, the implementation of the interactive reading corner programme has had a positive impact on improving the basic literacy skills of third-grade students. Despite challenges such as a lack of interest in reading and limited time for such activities, the library's efforts to update its collection of reading materials and create an attractive reading corner environment have proven effective. The interactive reading corner enhancement programme helps create a learning environment that supports the development of students’ reading skills and comprehension. The use of smartboard technology also increases students’ interest and provides a more engaging learning approach, especially for students with a visual learning style. Visual media can stimulate active student engagement. However, challenges remain, such as some students' difficulty in focusing for long periods and the limited library space that restricts the effective use of technology. Therefore, innovative strategies and creative approaches are necessary to implement the programme, ensuring that all students can actively participate in literacy activities. The success of the programme heavily depends on collaboration between teachers, librarians, and students to create enjoyable and beneficial learning experiences. It is recommended that the development of interactive reading corners be further optimised through the integration of reading assessments, enhancing teachers‘ capacity in managing reading corners, and selecting reading materials that align with students’ interests and abilities. The design of inclusive and attractive reading spaces should also be considered to support students' comfort and concentration. Thus, strengthening basic literacy skills among third-grade students can be achieved optimally, supporting future academic achievements. Further research is recommended to use standardised instruments to objectively measure reading ability and highlight the influence of reading space design, technology use, and learning styles on the effectiveness of interactive reading corners.