A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF READING INTEREST BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE EFL STUDENTS AT SMAN 3 KABUPATEN TANGERANG

Authors
  • Estahlia Agustin Ero Tadak

    Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa
    Author
  • Nurhaedah Gailea

    Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa
    Author
  • Eri Rahmawati

    Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa
    Author
Keywords:
Comparative Study, English Foreign Language, Gender Differences, Reading Interest, Senior High School
Abstract
This study investigated the difference in reading interest between male and female students at SMAN 3 Kabupaten Tangerang, examined both as an overall construct and across four dimensions: feelings, attention, willingness, and awareness. A quantitative comparative design with an ex post facto approach was used, as sex was treated as a pre-existing, non-manipulable grouping variable. From a population of 481 eleventh-grade students, a purposive sample of 140 students (70 male, 70 female) was selected from classes taught by the same English teacher to minimize instructional bias. Data were collected using a 19-item Likert-scale questionnaire adapted from Arvianto et al. (2025), validated through expert judgment (95%, very valid) and shown to be highly reliable (Cronbach's Alpha = .884). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality and homogeneity tests, and Independent Sample T-Tests. Results showed no significant difference in overall reading interest between male and female students (M = 59.40, SD = 7.11 vs. M = 57.27, SD = 6.66; t(138) = 1.828, p = .070). However, significant differences emerged at the dimensional level: male students scored significantly higher in feelings (t(138) = 2.257, p = .026) and attention (t(138) = 2.381, p = .019), while willingness and awareness showed no significant differences. Supplementary data also showed that female students most frequently preferred Romance & Drama Fiction (44.3%), whereas male students most frequently preferred Adventure, Sports & Action (35.7%). These findings indicate that sex does not determine reading interest as a whole, but may influence specific affective and cognitive dimensions as well as topic preference, supporting the multidimensional nature of reading interest. Teachers are recommended to design reading materials that sustain both male and female students' focus and emotional engagement during English reading activities.
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Published
2026-09-22
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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF READING INTEREST BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE EFL STUDENTS AT SMAN 3 KABUPATEN TANGERANG. (2026). Sindoro: Cendikia Pendidikan, 18(10). https://journal.cib.institute/index.php/sindoro/article/view/4405

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