This research was aimed at improving students‟ participation in reading activity through PQ4R Strategy. The objectives of the research were to describe the implementation of teaching reading by using PQ4R Strategy to X-1 students of SMA Negeri 1 Karangsambung and to describe whether PQ4R Strategy could improve the students participation or not. The research was done at SMA Negeri 1 Karangsambung, in the academic year of 2010/2011; especially class X-1 using an action research. The writer took 28 students as the subject of the research.
In collecting the data, the writer used observation, questionnaire, interview and documentation. In analyzing the data, the writer used some steps; those are reducing the data, presenting the data and verifying the data. The result of the research showed that PQ4R strategy could improve the students‟ participation in reading class. The students accepted and enjoyed the implementation of PQ4R Strategy because they could follow well.
The observation result showed that the average of students‟ participation in Cycle 1 was 29.28 %, and the average of students‟ participation in Cycle 2 was 71.78%. So, the improvement of students‟ participation was 42.49%. It means that there was a significant difference of students‟ achievement after implementation was better than before, the questionnaire result showed that the students gave the positive response toward the reading teaching and learning process using PQ4R Strategy. It showed that 85.61% students‟ answer was “yes”. Then from the interview result there were some students who gave positive response and stated that they felt happy, enthusiastic and motivated in teaching learning process. The results had proved that PQ4R Strategy could improve students‟ participation in reading class.