Integrating Critical Thinking into EFL Speaking Instruction: A Qualitative Case Study in Indonesian Higher Education

THE INFLUENCE OF DEBATE METHOD TO STUDENTS CRITICAL THINKING IN EFL SETTING: IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

This study aims to analyze the impact of the debate method on the development of critical thinking and speaking skills of first-grade students at an Islamic High School. The research instruments include interviews and observations, with participants divided into two groups, each consisting of three students. Debate is used as a method to train critical thinking and speaking skills, which is believed to foster leadership qualities through students' roles in teams, while transforming students from passive recipients of information into active participants who take responsibility for their learning. Data were collected through interviews, where students were asked questions related to specific topics, as well as observations that monitored students' engagement during the wrong learning process, with these interviews serving as the foundation of qualitative research to explore participants' in-depth understanding. By combining interviews and observations, this study aims to describe the effectiveness of the debate method in the context of active learning. Data analysis was carried out using a structured qualitative framework consisting of three steps: data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. Data condensation helps summarize and filter essential information, while data display visualizes findings to facilitate analysis. The final step, conclusion drawing and verification, generates an in-depth understanding of the impact of the debate method on students' skills. The findings of this study are expected to make a significant contribution to the development of active learning methods, particularly in enhancing students' critical thinking and speaking skills. With a structured approach, this study highlights the importance of the debate method in creating more interactive and meaningful learning experiences for students.

Fostering Students' Critical Thinking Through Literature Circles in EFL Classrooms: A Contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 4

Adapting Literature Circles for Critical Thinking in Indonesian EFL Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study Aligned with SDG 4

Objective: To investigate how Literature Circles can be pedagogically adapted to the Indonesian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context to foster students' critical thinking while accommodating curriculum requirements, students' language proficiency, and classroom learning needs in support of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. Method: A qualitative case study was conducted at an Indonesian senior high school involving one English teacher and twelve eleventh-grade EFL students. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, including lesson plans, students' worksheets, dialogue journals, and learning products. The data were analyzed using coding, categorization, thematic analysis, and triangulation. Results: The findings revealed that Literature Circles were successfully adapted through modifications to instructional procedures, collaborative learning stages, reading materials, and role assignments, including the addition of Text Analyzer and Grammar Pointer roles to align with the Indonesian genre-based curriculum. These adaptations promoted six dimensions of critical thinking interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation, and self-regulation while enhancing students' affective, cognitive, and behavioral engagement in collaborative learning. Novelty: The study proposes a contextualized adaptation model of Literature Circles for Indonesian secondary EFL classrooms, demonstrating how collaborative reading can be integrated with curriculum demands to foster critical thinking, student engagement, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) through student-centered learning.

Adapting Literature Circles to Foster Critical Thinking Skills in Indonesian EFL Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study toward SDG 4

Cultivating Critical Thinking through Literature Circle Activities: A Case Study in the Chinese EFL Classroom

This study aims to address the growing need for critical thinking in the information age, and the documented challenges of fostering critical thinking among Chinese EFL learners who are often constrained by linguistic limitations and a cultural reluctance to challenge authority. Based on a single-case implementation of an adapted literature circle activities model with intermediate English majors at a private Chinese college, and using James Joyce’s “Araby” as the focal text, the researcher intends to determine whether, and through what mechanisms, critical thinking can be developed in this context. Data were collected through classroom video recordings, student work samples, teacher reflective journals, and pre- and post-lesson interviews. The findings indicate marked improvement in five dimensions of critical thinking which are active participation, reasoned discussion, curiosity and confidence, multiple perspectives, and empathetic engagement, and this improvement is attributed to three interacting factors: the intrinsic properties of the literary text, the streamlined four-task circle design, and the teacher’s scaffolding role. Therefore, the case study suggests that adapted literature circle activities can effectively bridge language teaching and intellectual growth to cultivate in students a disposition toward questioning that begins with textual interpretation and extends to self-reflection.

Socratic Questioning Method (SQM) to Enhance Critical Thinking and Reading Engagement in EFL Classroom

EFL students' reading comprehension and critical thinking remain a challenge, especially in boarding school environments that demand independent learning. This research investigates the Socratic Questioning Method (SQM) in an EFL classroom and its effectiveness in improving students’ reading comprehension and critical thinking. The type of this research is Classroom Action Research conducted in two cycles involving planning, acting, observing, and reflecting stages. The participants were 50 eleventh-grade students. The data were collected through reading and critical thinking tests, observations, and questionnaires, then analyzed using descriptive quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings of this research showed a significant improvement in students' performance. The mean score increased from 59.8 (pre-test) to 71.2 (Cycle I) and 83.6 (Cycle II), while mastery level rose from 36% to 90%. Qualitative data also indicated increased student critical thinking through participation, confidence, and analytical thinking during reading activities.