Articles

A Correlational Study of Peer Social Support and Student Engagement Among Junior High School Students

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Student engagement is widely regarded as a key determinant of successful learning, yet preliminary observations at a state Islamic junior high school (Madrasah Tsanawiyah) in South Sumatra indicated that students’ affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement had not yet developed optimally. One contextual factor thought to contribute to this pattern is peer social support, given that friendship relationships become increasingly important during early adolescence for meeting the psychological needs of belonging and relatedness. This study aimed to empirically examine the relationship between peer social support and student engagement among seventh- and eighth-grade students. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving 205 students drawn from a population of 500 through simple random sampling based on the Isaac and Michael table at a 95% confidence level. Data were collected using two five-point Likert scales: a Student Engagement Scale developed from the affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement dimensions proposed by Lam et al. (2014), and a Peer Social Support Scale based on the appraisal, tangible, belonging, and self-esteem support dimensions proposed by Cohen and Wills (as cited in Schonfeld, 1991). Data were analyzed using simple linear regression with SPSS version 27. The results revealed a positive and highly significant relationship between peer social support and student engagement (r = 0.329; R Square = 0.108; p = 0.000), with peer support accounting for 10.8% of the variance in engagement. These findings indicate that greater peer social support is associated with higher student engagement, although most of the variance in engagement is explained by factors beyond peer support alone.

Development of Literacy-Based Interactive Learning Media in Improving Critical Thinking Skills of Junior High School Students in Islamic Religious Education

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Critical thinking is very important in learning because it will improve students’ thinking skills in learning practices. So far, critical thinking has not become a culture among students, so there are still students who are passive in the learning process and do not dare to argue or ask questions. Critical thinking skills are the ability to organize themselves in producing interpretation, analysis, and evaluation as well as exposure using evidence, concepts, methodologies, and contextual considerations that are used as the basis for making decisions. Indicators of critical skills, namely: solving problems, making decisions, persuading, analyzing assumptions and conducting scientific research. This study aims to develop literacy-based interactive learning media in improving the critical thinking skills of junior high school students in Islamic religious education subjects that are valid, practical, and effective. Learning media that can support the success of learning activities in improving students’ critical thinking skills must be developed by meeting several criteria, namely valid, practical, and effective. The validity score obtained for each aspect is the media aspect with a percentage of 76.33% and for the material aspect with a percentage of 78.66%, therefore the learning media is declared valid. The average score of the overall learning implementation observation results obtained a percentage of 82.73%. There were 26 students who were complete or around 81.25%, the average score percentage of student activity was 84%, and as many as 92.83% of students gave a positive response. The findings of this study indicate that the development of literacy-based interactive learning media is effective in improving students’ critical thinking skills in Islamic Religious Education subjects. The implication of this research is the need for literacy integration in Islamic learning to help students’ develop a deeper and more critical understanding of the subject matter.