(Unila: The Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) of the University of Lampung (Unila) held an open doctoral promotion examination for Yasinta Mahendra with a dissertation entitled “Humanistic-Based Analytical-Synthetic Structure Assisted by Multimedia to Increase Elementary School Students’ Interest in Learning”, on Friday, January 9, 2026, at K Hall of FKIP Unila.
The doctoral promotion session was opened by Prof. Dr. Sunyono, M.Si., as the Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Alumni as the representative of the head of the examination team, Prof.
Hasan Hariri, S.Pd., MBA, Ph.D., as the examination secretary, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Fuad, M.Hum., as the Promoter, Dr. Dina Maulina, M.Si., as the Co-Promoter.
Also present were Dr. Riswandi, M.Pd., and Dr. Rangga Firdaus, S.Kom., M.Kom as internal examiners, and Prof. Dr. Ade Hikmat, M.Pd., as external examiner. This study reveals that reading interest among elementary school students in Indonesia is still relatively low.
The results of the 2018 PISA (OECD, 2019) showed that Indonesian students’ reading ability was below the international average, while UNESCO (2022) recorded a reading interest index of only 0.01 percent.
Findings from North Lampung Regency in 2023 corroborate this data: of 351 second-grade elementary school students, only 164 showed an interest in reading, while the remaining 187 showed no interest. This finding aligns with national and international research.
“These data show the need for more engaging learning innovations to increase elementary school students’ interest in reading,” he said.
This study aims to develop and analyze the effectiveness of a multimedia-assisted,
humanistic-based Synthetic Analytical Structure (SAS) method in increasing elementary school students’ reading interest. This method was developed through the stages of needs analysis, design, expert validation, revision, and initial classroom trials.
In this study, reading interest is understood as a learning process involving student attention, engagement, and motivation, not simply the ability to read text. A humanistic approach and the use of multimedia position students as active subjects participants in reading instructions.
Through her research, Yasinta Mahendra offers a multimedia-assisted humanistic-based SAS method as an alternative for early reading instruction that is effective and relevant to the needs of elementary school students.
It is hoped that the multimedia-assisted humanistic SAS method can serve as a reference for educators, educational units, and educational policymakers in developing more humanistic,
contextual, and effective early reading instruction to increase elementary school students’ interest in reading. [Muzamil Kakar]
