Poetry writing as a counseling intervention to enhance self-talk ability among junior high school students

This study aims to test the effectiveness of writing poetry as a counseling intervention in improving self-talk skills in junior high school students. The study used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design. The research subjects consisted of 30 students divided into an experimental group and a control group. The instrument used was a self-talk ability questionnaire that had been tested for validity and reliability. Data were collected through pre-test and post-test, then analyzed using paired sample t-test, independent sample t-test, and N-Gain and effect size (Cohen's d) calculations. The results showed a significant increase in self-talk skills in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The N-Gain value in the experimental group was high, while the control group was low. Furthermore, the effect size value was large (d = 0.82), indicating that the intervention had a strong impact. These findings suggest that poetry writing is an effective medium for emotional expression and self-reflection, supporting changes in students' mindsets. Therefore, poetry writing can be used as an alternative strategy in guidance and counseling services to improve students' self-talk skills in a more adaptive and constructive manner.