vi ABSTRACT FEIMMY PEBRIA UTHAMI, 2021, Improving Students‟ Motivation and Ability in Comprehending Descriptive Texts by Using Silent Card Shuffle Strategy (SCSS) at The Eighth Grade Students of MTsN 3 Kerinci. A Thesis in Departement Of English Faculty Of Tarbiyah and Teahcher Training IAIN Kerinci. The first advisor,Dr. Daflizar, S.Pd, MA the second advisor Heri Mudra, M.Pd Based on the preliminary observation at Class VIII A of MTsN 3 Kerinci, the problems related to the students‟ motivation and ability in comprehending descriptive texts were identified. The first problem was related to the teaching technique that the teacher used in the classroom. The English lesson lacked variation of learning activities. The activities mostly focused on books or Student Worksheets or Lembar Kerja Siswa(LKS). After getting the explanation, the students were asked to complete the exercises. Most of the learning materials were taken from books. The second problem was related to the learning media. The teaching activities lacked the use of media, whereas the variation of media was important in gaining the students‟ motivation to comprehending descriptive texts.. In this research, the focus was on improving students‟ motivation and ability in comprehending descriptive texts by using silent card shuffle strategy (SCSS) at The Eighth Grade Students of MTsN 3 Kerinci. The participants of this research were the English teacher and the Eighth Grade Students of MTsN 3 Kerinci. Based on the results, the researcher draws several conclusions as follow: From the qualitative data, the results show that the implementation of SCSS could make improve students‟ motivation and ability in comprehending descriptive texts. The teaching activities become more well-planned and structured. Besides, SCSS provided the opportunities for the students to work in groups. From the group work activities, the students could build their cooperation and participation in the learning activities. They enjoyed learning more by working in groups. Furthermore, the use of cards could facilitate the students to understand the texts. The students also got easier to understand the texts by using the pictures which were used in the cards and in the reading exercises. They could get visual images about the story plot of the texts. The students were more engaged when they were joining the games. Silent card shuffle games were done in the form of group competition. The students could actively participate in those activities. In addition, various reading exercises were given to the students. It could give opportunities for the students to develop their reading skills.
