Challenging in Solving Students’ Reading Capability to Find their Voice in the Era of Society 4.0: Empirical Evidence from Rural Area of Indonesia

Abstract:

The main task of education is to prepare students to be able to face their future critically and creatively. For this reason, the world of education needs to equip students with several competencies. This study describes the critical literacy competencies of junior high school students in Barito Kuala Regency, South Kalimantan, Indonesia . This study used a quantitative-qualitative approach with students from 2 junior high schools as samples. The results of the study showed that the critical literacy competencies of students were still relatively low and very low with an average of 55.10 and 49.26. Meanwhile, the implementation of learning was still too stressed on the text structure, and they had not understood the text and used it as part of life in society. Library resources were still minimal. In the library, there were many textbooks available, but still insufficient for newspapers, magazines, and supporting reading books.