The Use of “Think, Pair, Share” Technique in Teaching Reading Comprehension of Descriptive Text

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Think, Pair, Share technique in teaching reading comprehension of descriptive text to eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 1 Simpang Dua in the academic year 2024/2025. This study uses pre-experimental research design, with the following steps: pre-test, treatment, and post-test. The sample of this research involved 42 students from the eighth grade of SMP Negeri 1 Simpang Dua selected by total random sampling. The tool of this research is a reading comprehension test. The finding showed a significant improvement in students’ scores, and it proved that the Think, Pair, Share technique was effective. Data analysis using paired t-tests showed the significant improvement in students’ reading comprehension abilities, with the t-test value of 10.53 was much higher than the critical t-table value of 1.684 (10.53 > 1.684). This indicates a significant difference between the pre-test and the post-test. Furthermore, the effect size was calculated and showed the value of 1.61; it can be consider that the “Think, Pair, Share” technique had a strong effect in teaching reading comprehension of descriptive text to eighth-grade students of SMP Negeri 1 Simpang Dua in the academic year 2024/2025. These findings suggest that the Think, Pair, Share technique is highly possible to be used as an alternative technique to teach reading comprehension of descriptive text to eighth-grade students of junior high school.