Exploring Students’ Difficulties in Interpretative Reading and Strategy: Among English Education Students at IAIN Curup

Abstract

This study investigates the difficulties faced by English Education students at IAIN Curup in interpretative reading and examines the reading strategies they employ to overcome those challenges. Using a qualitative approach with Miles and Huberman's interactive model comprising data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing the data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five participants. The findings reveal that students consistently struggle with understanding implied meanings, limited vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and pronunciation difficulties, all of which are further compounded by their awareness of English as a foreign language. In response to these challenges, students employ various strategies such as rereading, contextual guessing, deep reading, and AI-assisted translation. However, their strategy use tends to be reactive and inconsistent rather than planned and metacognitive. The strategies are often ineffective due to low motivation, limited metacognitive awareness, and over-reliance on AI tools, which reduces opportunities for developing independent comprehension skills. This study recommends explicit reading strategy instruction particularly inference-making and comprehension monitoring alongside vocabulary development programs and the guided integration of technology in EFL reading classrooms.