ANALYSIS OF COMMON DIFFICULTIES IN TOEFL READING COMPREHENSION - A Case Study on the Second Semester Students of English Study Program - Islamic University of Indragiri Tembilahan

Oct 1, 2026

The study investigates students’ common difficulties in TOEFL Reading Comprehension among second-semester students of the English Study Program at Islamic University of Indragiri Tembilahan. Using a descriptive research design with one variable, the study employed total sampling with a sample size of 23 students and collected data through a test. Results show the most difficult skill is identifying stated detail questions correctly (skill 3, 84%), followed by finding pronoun reference (skill 5, 82%). Additional difficult areas include transition questions (skill 7, 81%) and using context for difficult words (skill 10, 80%). The next difficulty is answering main idea questions correctly (skill 1, 78%).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Keywords

ANALYSIS OF COMMON DIFFICULTIES IN TOEFL READING COMPREHENSION (A Case Study on the Second Semester Students of English Study Program Islamic University of Indragiri) Maizarah Islamic University of Indragiri–Tembilahan [E-mail:](E-mail: maizarah_nurzainal@yahoo.com)[ ](E-mail: maizarah_nurzainal@yahoo.com)[maizarah_nurzainal@yahoo.com](E-mail: maizarah_nurzainal@yahoo.com) Abstract The problem in this study was the students’ common difficulties in TOEFL Reading Comprehension. This study only used one variable. The research method used in this study was descriptive research. The purpose of this study was to know the students’ common difficulties in TOEFL Reading Comprehension in the second semester of English Study Program at the Islamic University of Indragiri Tembilahan. The total of the sample used in this study was 23 students, the technique was used to take the sample is total sampling. In collecting the data, the researcher used a test. After the data has been collected, the result of the test showed that the skills that are considered to be the most difficult ones in TOEFL reading, which is skill 3. This skill is identifying stated detail questions correctly. It is the highest percentage (84%) with the total of the incorrect answer is 210 from 5 items. Then, it is followed by skill 5 (82%) with the total of the incorrect answer is 82 from 2 items, which is finding pronoun reference. It is the second most difficult skill for the students. The third most difficult skill is skill 7. It is responding of transition question achieve 81% with the total of incorrect answers is 81 from 2 items. Next, skill 10 is considered to be the fourth most difficult skill in TOEFL reading comprehension. The questions are about the use of context to give the meaning of the difficult word which is counted 80 % from the total of incorrect answers is 120 from 3 items. Then, the fifth most difficult skill in TOEFL reading comprehension is skill 1, which is consisting the questions about answering main idea questions correctly, students made 78% of the total incorrect answers is 156 from 4 items. Keywords: Common Difficulties, TOEFL Reading Comprehension Abstrak Masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah kesulitan yang sering muncul dalam TOEFL pemahaman bacaan (reading comprehension) . Penelitian ini hanya menggunakan 1 variabel. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah penelitian deskriptif. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kesulitan yang sering muncul dalam TOEFL pemahaman bacaan (reading comprehension) pada siswa semester 2 Program Studi Bahasa Inggris di UNISI Tembilahan. Jumlah sample yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah sebanyak 23 siswa, tehnik pengambilan sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah total sampling. Dalam mengumpulkan data, MAIZARAH 100 peneliti menggunakan tes. Setelah data dikumpulkan, hasil menunjukkan bahwaskil yang paling sulit adalah skil 3 yaitu mengidentifikasi pertanyaan detail, dengan persentase (84%), dengan jumlah jawaban salah adalah 210 dari 5 soal. Selanjutnya adalah skil 5 (82%) dengan jumlah jawaban salah adalah 82, ini adalah menemukan rujukan kata. Skil tersulit ketiga adalah skil 7 (81%), yaitu mengenai soal transisi dengan jumlah jawaban salah adalah 81 dari 2 soal. Kemudian, skil 10 adalah soal tersulit keempat yait mengenai penggunaankonteks dalam mencari kata sulit yaitu mencapai 80% dengan jumlah jawaban salah adalah 120 dari 3 soal. Soal tersulit kelima adalah skil 1, yaitu soal mengenai menjawab ide pokok secara benar, yaitu 78% dengan total jawaban salah adalah 156 dari 4 soal. Kata kunci: Kesulitan Umum, TOEFL Pemahaman Membaca INTRODUCTION English has been recognized as an international language that is more dominantly used in all countries in the world. This language is widely used for many purposes such as in science, technology, politics, education, etc. As stated by Lauder (2008) in Mappiasse (2014:114) that English is being used for technological and

FAQs

What problem does the study address in TOEFL Reading Comprehension?

The study focuses on the students’ common difficulties in TOEFL Reading Comprehension.

What method and sampling technique does the research use?

The research uses descriptive research with one variable and applies total sampling. The sample size is 23 students, and data are collected using a test.

Which TOEFL reading skills are identified as the most difficult for students?

The most difficult skill is skill 3 (identifying stated detail questions correctly) with 84% incorrect answers. It is followed by skill 5 (finding pronoun reference) with 82%, then skill 7 (transition questions) with 81%.

Oct 1, 2026

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