Analysis of Cognitive Barriers in Students' Construction of Meaning from Reading Texts

Abstract

This study aims to identify and analyze the level of cognitive barriers experienced by students at MI Muhammadiyah Melikan in constructing meaning from reading texts. This study uses a descriptive quantitative approach with a binary questionnaire (Agree/Disagree) that focuses on three main domains of cognitive barriers: Vocabulary, Working Memory, and Inference. The results of the study on the subjects show that there are three layers of barriers that are hierarchical and reinforce each other. Quantitatively, the most dominant barrier was found in the Vocabulary Aspect (82%), where students had difficulty determining the meaning of sentences due to the presence of unfamiliar words, which theoretically created a large Extrinsic Cognitive Load. This problem is exacerbated by difficulties with Working Memory and Attention (73%), which force students to reread as a compensatory strategy for their failure to retain information. The cumulative impact of these two barriers is evident in advanced comprehension, where 55% of students fail to connect and infer meaning from the text. The conclusion shows that reading effectiveness in this school is fundamentally hampered by linguistic problems and cognitive efficiency. Therefore, interventions focused on strengthening vocabulary and metacognitive training are needed to optimize students' working memory capacity.