PENERAPAN MODEL DISCOVERY LEARNING UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEAKTIFAN SISWA KELAS VII SMP NEGERI 23 MALANG PADA MATERI TEKS SURAT

Abstract

A This study originated from concerns regarding the low level of student engagement among seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 23 Malang during Indonesian language lessons, particularly in learning letter text materials. In classroom activities, students tended to be passive, hesitant to express their opinions, and lacked enthusiasm during group discussions and presentations. These conditions highlighted the need for a learning model capable of stimulating students’ curiosity and active participation. Therefore, this research was conducted to examine how the Discovery Learning model could improve students’ learning engagement in the subject matter. The study employed Classroom Action Research (CAR), which was carried out in two cycles. Each cycle consisted of four main stages: planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. The subjects of the study were seventh-grade students of SMP Negeri 23 Malang in the 2025/2026 academic year. Data were collected through direct observation, documentation, student activity observation sheets, and students’ presentation performances. The research focused on students’ participation in discussions, courage to ask questions, confidence in expressing opinions, teamwork, and classroom presentation performance. Interestingly, the findings revealed that the implementation of the Discovery Learning model brought significant positive changes. In the first cycle, students gradually began to participate in discussions and presentations, although passive behavior was still observed in several parts of the classroom. In the second cycle, however, the classroom atmosphere became far more active and dynamic. Students appeared more confident in expressing ideas, worked together more effectively, and delivered group presentations with greater confidence and flexibility. In conclusion, the Discovery Learning model proved to be a highly effective alternative for revitalizing Indonesian language learning, particularly in teaching letter text materials.