The Effect of Mind Mapping Strategies on Students’ Critical Thinking Skills and Writing Performance in Analytical Exposition Writing at a Vocational High School
Abstract
Indonesia’s Kurikulum Merdeka emphasizes 21st-century competencies, particularly critical thinking and communication, yet many vocational high school students still struggle to produce analytical, well-organized English texts. This study examined the effect of mind mapping strategies on students’ critical thinking skills and writing performance in analytical exposition writing at a vocational high school, and explored students’ perceptions of the strategy. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed. The quantitative phase used a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pretest–posttest design with 34 eleventh-grade students (17 experimental, 17 control) selected through cluster random sampling; the experimental group received mind mapping instruction while the control group received conventional instruction. Data from writing tests were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality and homogeneity tests, paired and independent sample t-tests, and effect size analysis in SPSS, while semi-structured interview data were analyzed thematically. The paired sample t-test showed significant improvement in the experimental group’s critical thinking (p < .001) and writing performance (p < .001), whereas the control group showed no significant change. Effect size analysis indicated a medium effect on critical thinking (Cohen’s d = 0.66) and a large effect on writing performance (d = 1.60). Thematic analysis revealed that students perceived mind mapping positively: keywords and idea branches helped them generate and organize ideas, structure the thesis–arguments–reiteration pattern, and reason more logically, although vocabulary and sentence construction remained challenges. The findings indicate that mind mapping functions as an effective pre-writing strategy supporting higher-order thinking and writing development in vocational EFL classrooms. Teachers are encouraged to adopt it as an alternative instructional approach aligned with student-centered learning.