A convergent parallel mixed-methods study of peer-mediated creative partnership on critical thinking and reading comprehension among indonesian EFL senior high school students

Journal of Counseling, Education and Society July 23, 2026 Volume 7, Number 1 7 authors

Abstract

This convergent parallel mixed-methods study examined the effect of a six-week, peer-mediated Creative Partnership intervention on the critical thinking and reading comprehension of 32 senior high school EFL students (aged 15–17, intermediate/CEFR B1 proficiency) at a senior high school in East Java, Indonesia, and explored how the intervention reshaped classroom interaction. Quantitative data were collected using a researcher-developed, expert-validated pre-/post-test measuring literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension aligned with Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (Cronbach’s α = .87) and analyzed with a paired-sample t-test and Cohen’s d. Qualitative data classroom observation (Cohen’s κ = .82), semi-structured interviews, and reflective journals were analyzed through the thematic coding procedure of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. Results indicated a statistically significant overall gain in reading comprehension, t(31) = 10.21, p < .001, 95% CI [13.44, 20.14], with a very large effect size (d = 1.81); evaluative comprehension improved the most (36.4%, d = 2.35), followed by inferential (29.4%, d = 2.15) and literal comprehension (19.3%, d = 1.84). Thematic analysis identified four convergent patterns: dialogic co-construction of meaning, emergence of critical and reflective thinking, collaborative creativity and engagement, and the teacher’s repositioning as co-learner. The integration of both strands suggests that structured creative partnership functions as a cognitive, social, and affective scaffold that moves students from literal decoding toward higher-order interpretation. Findings support Creative Partnership as a promising pedagogical model for developing critical thinking and reading comprehension in EFL classrooms, while the single-group, single-site design underscores the need for controlled, multi-site replication before broad claims of effectiveness are warranted.

Authors

  1. Farih Nur Firdaus

    Islamic University of Darul Ulum Lamongan

  2. Daniar Sofeny

    Islamic University of Darul Ulum Lamongan

  3. Buyun Khulel

    Islamic University of Darul Ulum Lamongan

  4. Khoirul Huda

    Islamic University of Darul Ulum Lamongan

  5. Syifa Khuriyatuz Zahro

    Islamic University of Darul Ulum Lamongan

  6. Irmayani Irmayani

    Islamic University of Darul Ulum Lamongan

  7. Anita Dwi Hapsari

    Islamic University of Darul Ulum Lamongan

Keywords

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References

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