Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) Approach through REACT strategies on improving the students' critical thinking in writing

Abstract

Limited vocabulary and ideas become the students’ barriers in composing a good writing. The students are struggle to express their thought on essay because they have limited words and ideas. Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) Approach through REACT (Relating, Experiencing, Applying, Cooperating and Transferring) strategies to overcome the issue. This approach helps students think critically and understand the material they are learning by connecting their subject with their lives’ context. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of CTL approach through REACT strategies on developing the students’ writing skill which implemented to the third-grade students of Islamic Senior High School Madani, Indonesia.A quasi- experimental design was employed in this research. The sample of study consisted of 40 students that divided into two groups; 20 students in control group, and 20 students in experimental group. Both groups took pre-test and post-test as data collection, however only the experimental group was treated by using CTL approach through REACT strategies. Furthermore, descriptive statistical analysis (Mean, Standard Deviation, and t-test) used to measure the students’ writing skill. The result showed that there was a statistically significant difference at (α=0.05) between the achievement of the experimental group and that of control group on post-test in favour of the experimental group. The difference implied that the implementation of CTL approach through REACH strategies was effective to improve the students’ writing skill. The Mean score and Standard Deviation for the experimental group on the post-test was (M=4.9, SD=0.43) while that of the control group was (M=3.49, SD=0.25). The researcher proposed some recommendations that Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach through REACT strategies is recommended to be applied in teaching and improving the students’ writing skill to the secondary school.