The effect of reading-concept mapping-reciprocal teaching on students’ communication skills

Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn) Vol. 19, No. 1, February 2025, pp. 158~168 ISSN: 2089-9823 DOI: 10.11591/edulearn.v19i1.21765  158 The effect of reading-concept mapping-reciprocal teaching on students’ communication skills Mar’atus Sholihah1,2, Siti Zubaidah1, Susriyati Mahanal1, Dwi Listyorini1 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia 2 Department of Biology Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Islam Balitar, Blitar, Indonesia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Communication skills are one of the abilities required for 21st-century learning. Students must consider communication skills in learning because they can guide students in conveying ideas effectively and interacting and collaborating with others. This study aimed to investigate the online readingconcept mapping-reciprocal teaching (REMAP-RT) learning model on students' oral and writing communication skills. The pretest-posttest control group design was employed in this study with three Biology Education Study Program classes at the State Islamic University in Tulungagung, Indonesia. This study included 89 students separated into three classrooms, each learning using one of three methods: i) REMAP-RT, ii) reciprocal teaching (RT), and iii) discussion-presentation. A questionnaire was used to assess students' oral and written communication skills. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare differences in communication skills among the three treatment groups based on the questionnaire responses. The research findings revealed that students' oral and writing communication abilities improved across the board, with students in the REMAP-RT class showing the most substantial increase. This result of the research suggests that REMAP-RT improves students' oral and written communication skills in online learning. Received Jan 19, 2024 Revised Mar 22, 2024 Accepted Mar 27, 2024 Keywords: Concept mapping Oral communication Reading Reciprocal teaching Written communication This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. Corresponding Author: Siti Zubaidah Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang 65145 Malang, Indonesia Email: 1. INTRODUCTION Communication skills are paramount in education, as they play a pivotal role in facilitating the attainment of learning objectives [1], [2]. These skills are instrumental in equipping students with the necessary tools to thrive in their future professional endeavors [3], [4]. At tertiary institutions, students can effectively communicate their ideas, information, and perspectives through oral and written means. Communication skills enable students to engage in meaningful exchanges with others, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of their thoughts [5], [6]. Practical communication skills are essential to facilitate interaction and foster collaboration [6]. College students must exercise communication skills in various places to avoid misunderstandings and problems [6]. Strong communication skills can be a provision for college students to enter the world of work [3], as most occupations necessitate interpersonal engagement [7]. Hence, cultivating oral and written communication skills is vital in formulating the contemporary educational curriculum for the 21st-century [3], [8]. Previous research has effectively demonstrated the significance of acquiring communication skills. However, there is a tendency to overlook the development of these skills in educational settings, resulting in Journal homepage: http://edulearn.intelektual.org J Edu & Learn ISSN: 2089-9823  159 university students needing more proficiency in their execution [9]. An illustrative instance can be found in the study conducted by Hayat et al. [10], which revealed that the lifelong learning profile of students in Indonesia remained relatively deficient, particularly in terms of communication skills. Multiple factors might contribute to a decrease in student participation during classroom discussion activities [11]. Student engagement in exchanging ideas and opinions could have been much better, resulting in a learning process primarily focusing on knowledge transfer [11]. The findings of a separate study indicated that preservice biology teachers exhibited weaknesses in their verbal and nonverbal communication skills [12]. The study found that the teachers demonstrated subpar performance across various aspects of communication skills, including but not limited to questioning, responding to questions, delivering oral presentations, engaging in group interactions, and presenting ideas in a classroom setting [12]. According to research, the achievement of communication skills tends to be low due to students' passive activities, and lack of interest in reading. Therefore, educators should focus on enhancing college students’ communication skills. Educators can enhance students’ communication skills by implementing structured learning designs, whether online or offline. Many online learning platforms have incorporated features to facilitate oral and written communication activities. However, it is worth noting that these platforms need to demonstrate sufficient efficacy in supporting effective communication [13]. According to scholarly research, implementing well-structured online learning programs in the classroom can enhance students’ communication skills [13]. Besides, developing students’ communication skills can be facilitated by creating a social environment that enables them to interact and communicate with their peers or educators [14]. This social environment can facilitate the exchange of ideas, thoughts, and information among students, thereby enhancing learning efficiency through communication media [14], [15]. Hence, educators must devise instructional frameworks facilitating student engagement and communication with peers and instructors via accessible communication functionalities. An instructional approach that has the potential to support this process is online-based cooperative learning. Cooperative learning has been recognized as a pedagogical tool that can positively influence students’ communication skills [16]. Cooperative learning designs allow students to engage in interactive collaboration, collective problem-solving, substantive discourse, and mutual support, thereby fostering shared objectives within a group setting [17]. Communication and interaction among group members are crucial factors for success in cooperative learning [18]. This instructional framework aims to enhance student's abilities to effectively communicate and collaborate with their peers while working on learning assignments [16]. One potential cooperative learning model that can enhance college students' communication skills is reading-concept mapping-reciprocal teaching (REMAP-RT). The REMAP-RT learning model comprises several (...truncated)