Reciprocal Teaching as a Catalyst for Cognitive Transformation: Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking Among Indonesian Pre-College Students

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of the Reciprocal Teaching Strategy (RTS) on the reading comprehension abilities and critical thinking skills of Indonesian pre-college students in Kecamatan Ampek Angkek, West Sumatera. Against a national backdrop in which only 6.06% of Indonesian students demonstrate reading proficiency, this study addressed a critical educational need. A sample of 42 students was divided into experimental and control groups. Pre- and post-test instruments assessed both reading comprehension (20 multiple-choice items) and critical thinking (open-ended HOTS items aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy levels C4–C6). Statistical analyses included Shapiro–Wilk normality tests, Levene's homogeneity tests, paired-samples t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). For reading comprehension, the experimental group's mean score increased from 47.75 to 65.50 (t = ?6.427, p < .001), while the control group achieved a mean score of 65.3 compared with 78.5 for the experimental group (t = 4.223, p = .001). For critical thinking, mean scores increased from 48.25 to 64.75 (t = ?7.422, p < .001), with the experimental group outperforming the control group by 11.8 points (t = 5.690, p < .001). Multivariate analysis (MANOVA; Wilks' ? = .018, F = 616.06, p < .001) confirmed a robust and statistically significant effect of RTS on both outcomes simultaneously. These findings provide compelling evidence that RTS is a transformative pedagogical intervention capable of fostering higher-order literacy skills in high-stakes pre-college contexts. The implications for curriculum integration, teacher professional development, and national literacy policy in Indonesia are discussed.