<![CDATA[Listening comprehension is an essential component of language literacy; however, developing students’ ability to comprehend news texts remains a challenge in Indonesian language education. This study examines the effects of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) oriented toward Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and learning motivation on seventh-grade students’ news text listening skills. A quantitative quasi-experimental design was employed involving 56 seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 10 Tanjungpinang, Indonesia, selected through purposive sampling. The experimental group (n = 28) received PBL integrated with CRT, while the control group (n = 28) received PBL without explicit cultural integration. Data were collected using a learning motivation questionnaire and a news text listening comprehension test. Independent-samples t-tests and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted at a significance level of 0.05. The experimental group achieved significantly higher listening scores than the control group (83.75 vs. 63.75; p < 0.001). Similar differences were observed among students with high motivation (88.25 vs. 65.50) and low motivation (81.88 vs. 56.63). However, no statistically significant interaction was found between instructional approach and learning motivation (F = 0.568; p = 0.457). Integrating CRT into PBL was associated with higher news text listening achievement across both motivation levels. These findings highlight the potential of culturally responsive, problem-based instruction to support listening comprehension in junior secondary education.]]>
