<![CDATA[Abstract: This study maps junior high school students’ creative reading competence in nonliterary texts using the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy and explains the classroom conditions accompanying their achievement. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. The quantitative phase involved 120 seventh-grade students who completed a 40-item multiple-choice test representing four SOLO levels: unistructural, multistructural, relational, and extended abstract. The qualitative phase involved six Indonesian language teachers and 12 students selected according to variations in test performance. Qualitative data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of instructional documents. The mean test score was 23.8 out of 40; 45% of students were in the moderate category and 35% in the low category. Achievement declined from 85.0% at the unistructural level and 71.5% at the multistructural level to 41.0% at the relational level and 12.0% at the extended abstract level. Qualitative findings indicated that instruction remained focused on locating information and summarizing, while open-ended questions, multimodal texts, concept application, and psychologically safe opportunities to express alternative ideas were limited. Creative reading should therefore be developed progressively by treating literal comprehension as a foundation for connecting, interpreting, applying, and revising ideas. Keywords: creative reading; nonliterary texts; SOLO taxonomy; junior high school; reading literacy]]>
