EFL Students' Engagement and Reading Comprehension in Fantasy Literature Through a Reader-Response Approach A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This qualitative multi-site case study examines the Reader-Response Approach (RRA) using Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to address language anxiety and enhance reading comprehension among tenth-grade EFL students at SMAN 12 and SMAN 3 South Tangerang. Framed by Rosenblatt’s Transactional Theory, Iser’s Reader-Text Interaction, Schema Theory, and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, data were gathered from 12 students and two teachers through observations, response journals, and semi-structured interviews. Findings show that RRA reduces language anxiety, drives a shift from efferent to aesthetic reading, and elevates comprehension from literal recall to inferential and evaluative levels (HOTS). Despite challenges in time demands and vocabulary gaps, RRA effectively fosters critical and emotionally engaged literacy.