The Effect of the Think-Talk-Write Model on the Explanatory Text Writing Ability of Eighth-Grade Student at SMP YLPI Perhentian Marpoyan

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effect of the Think Talk Write (TTW) learning model on the explanatory text writing skills of eighth-grade students at SMP YLPI Perhentian Marpoyan. The problem examined in this study is the students’ limited ability to explain a phenomenon coherently through cause-and-effect relationships in written form. This quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental design with a two-group pretest–posttest design. The study population consisted of 75 students from three classes. The sample was selected using purposive sampling and consisted of two intact classes, each comprising 25 students: the experimental class (TTW) and the control class (conventional learning), resulting in a total sample of 50 students. Data were collected through explanatory text writing tests assessed using a rubric covering content, text structure, and linguistic features. The data were then analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, Levene’s test, an independent-samples t-test, and simple linear regression. The mean score of the experimental class increased from 64.04 to 75.32, while the mean score of the control class increased from 64.12 to 68.04. The posttest data were normally distributed and homogeneous. The t-test yielded t = 2.011 (df = 48), with a significance value of 0.050, while the regression test yielded F = 4.044 (significance value = 0.050) with R² = 0.078. Based on the decision criterion used in this study (significance d” 0.05), the null hypothesis was rejected. Therefore, the TTW model affects students’ explanatory text writing skills, although its contribution is relatively small (7.8%) and its significance level is at the threshold. The TTW model can be used as an alternative approach to teaching explanatory text writing.