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.
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.
Differentiated instruction has been positioned as a cornerstone strategy within Indonesia's Independent Curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka) for accommodating learner diversity and fostering higher-order thinking skills, yet empirical evidence on its implementation in elementary Indonesian language learning remains limited. This descriptive qualitative study examined the implementation of differentiated instruction, students' critical thinking skills, and associated teacher challenges in a Grade V class (n = 26) at SD Negeri 20 Palu. Data were collected through structured observation checklists, semi-structured teacher interviews, and documentation, then analyzed using Miles et al.'s (2014) interactive model. Findings revealed that 90% of observed differentiation indicators were implemented, encompassing student needs mapping, varied instructional methods, tiered resources and assessment, and technology use; however, structured collaborative learning was absent in observed practice despite being reported by the teacher. Students' critical thinking skills showed progressive development across three topics (number writing: 56.73%; command sentences: 65.38%; scanning reading: 75.00%), with higher-order indicators, particularly drawing conclusions, consistently weaker than surface-level explanatory skills. Principal implementation challenges included time constraints, materials adaptation demands, limited learning resources, and absence of formal professional development in differentiated instruction. These findings extend existing literature by demonstrating that partial but meaningful differentiation, even without formal teacher training, generates measurable critical thinking gains, while confirming a theory-practice gap in collaborative learning common across resource-constrained contexts globally. Sustained professional development and structured institutional support are recommended to strengthen differentiated instruction practice.
Project-Based Learning (PBL) has gained substantial empirical support as an instructional model capable of fostering student engagement, higher-order thinking, and authentic communicative competence, yet its systematic adoption in Bahasa Indonesia instruction at the senior secondary level remains limited. This study conducted a comprehensive needs analysis to map the conditions, gaps, and stakeholder requirements preceding PBL implementation in Bahasa Indonesia classrooms at SMA Pembangunan Padang, West Sumatera, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative descriptive design with a needs analysis framework, data were collected from three Bahasa Indonesia teachers, sixty students from Grades X and XI, and one school principal through in-depth interviews, unstructured classroom observation, a needs analysis questionnaire, and a focus group discussion. Data analysis followed Miles et al.'s interactive model, with trustworthiness established through source and method triangulation. Findings reveal four interconnected dimensions of need: teachers require subject-specific PBL implementation guidance and sustained professional development; students demonstrate strong preferences for contextual, collaborative, and product-oriented learning experiences; the school's infrastructure provides an adequate but improvable baseline; and the existing assessment system is structurally misaligned with the holistic evaluation demands of PBL. These findings collectively indicate that PBL adoption at SMA Pembangunan Padang is motivationally feasible but requires coordinated reform across pedagogy, assessment design, and institutional support. The study contributes a multi-dimensional needs analysis framework applicable to Bahasa Indonesia instruction within the Merdeka Curriculum context.