THE CORRELATION AMONG STUDENTS' METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS, CRITICAL THINKING AND INTENSIVE READING PERFORMANCE IN ISLAMIC BOARDING HIGH SCHOOLS PADANG LAWAS
ABSTRACT Robiatul Aminah Hasibuan, 2022009. The Correlation among Students’ Metacognitive Awareness, Critical Thinking, and Intensive Reading Performance in Islamic Boarding Highschools Padang Lawas. A Thesis, State Islamic University of Sjech M Djamil Djambek Bukittinggi, 2025. This study aims to investigate the correlation among students’ metacognitive awareness, critical thinking, and intensive reading performance in Islamic Boarding High Schools in Padang Lawas. Preliminary research conducted at MAS Al-Amin Mompang and MAS Ja’fariyah Hutaibus revealed several challenges, including students possessing metacognitive awareness but performing poorly in intensive reading, some students achieving good reading scores yet lacking critical thinking skills, and a general lack of motivation toward reading tasks. These issues highlight the need to understand how metacognitive awareness and critical thinking influence reading comprehension. The study employed a quantitative correlational design, using questionnaires and tests to collect data from 74 students across two schools. Metacognitive awareness was assessed using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), while critical thinking was measured through a structured questionnaire. Intensive reading performance was evaluated using a standardized reading comprehension test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation to determine the relationships among the variables. Findings indicated strong correlation between metacognitive awareness and intensive reading performance, as well as a notable, though weaker, correlation between critical thinking and intensive reading performance. The results suggest that enhancing students’ metacognitive awareness and critical thinking skills can improve their reading comprehension. The study provides insights for educators and curriculum developers on integrating metacognitive and critical thinking training into reading instruction to foster more effective and independent learners.