The role of transformative learning in the development of higher-order thinking skills in junior high school students: a qualitative study

Fostering Higher-Order Thinking Skills through Deep Learning in EFL Classrooms: A Teacher’s Perspective

The cultivation of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) has emerged as a fundamental priority in modern education, particularly in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. Educational discourse increasingly emphasizes the need for learners to develop analytical, evaluative, and creative capacities that extend beyond the acquisition of linguistic knowledge. Within this framework, deep learning, conceptualized as a pedagogical approach that prioritizes meaningful understanding, inquiry, and active knowledge construction, is widely regarded as an effective pathway for enhancing cognitive engagement. Despite its theoretical appeal, empirical examinations of how deep learning facilitates HOTS in real classroom environments remain relatively scarce, especially when viewed through the lens of teachers’ experiences. This study adopted a qualitative descriptive methodology to investigate the enactment of deep learning practices in an EFL classroom at SMA Negeri 7 Denpasar. Data were obtained through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with an English teacher, and analysis of instructional documents. Thematic analysis was employed to interpret recurring instructional patterns and cognitive processes. The findings reveal that deep learning strategies, including student-centered activities, inquiry-based questioning, collaborative interaction, and contextualized tasks, were associated with the development of HOTS. These results underscore deep learning’s potential to foster cognitively rich and reflective language learning experiences

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

Inquiry-Based Learning in Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills Among Grade 10 Students in Social Studies

Recognizing the persistent challenges students face in analyzing social issues, this study investigated the effectiveness of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) in enhancing the critical thinking skills of Grade 10 students in Social Studies at Camaya-an National High School, Loboc, Bohol during the School Year 2025– 2026. Employing a mixed-methods design, the research integrated quantitative and qualitative approaches to measure both academic performance and students’ learning experiences. The quantitative phase involved pre-test and post-test assessments on three key competencies in Araling Panlipunan 10— globalization, labor issues, and migration—revealing significant improvements in students’ post-test scores, with weighted means ranging from 13.29 to 14.17 and p-values below 0.05. Effect sizes (0.45–0.93) indicated moderate to strong impacts of IBL on student learning. The qualitative findings complemented these results, revealing four major themes: Active Engagement and Curiosity, Analytical and Evaluative Thinking, Collaboration and Communication, and Self- Reflection and Independent Learning. These insights demonstrated that IBL promotes higher-order thinking, collaborative inquiry, and self-directed learning. Overall, the integration of both data sets confirmed that IBL is an effective and learner-centered approach that strengthens students’ mastery of concepts, critical reasoning, and engagement in Social Studies. The study recommends continuous teacher training, administrative support, and curriculum integration of IBL to sustain the development of students’ critical thinking skills.

RESEARCH ARTICLE Developing Critical Thinking, Self-Regulated Learning, and Academic Responsibility among Grade 5 Learners: A Qualitative Exploration of Classroom Practices in Potia Elementary School, Ifugao, Philippines

Quality of Sociology Learning Through Reflection-Embedded STAD Cooperative Learning: An Indonesian Senior High School

Sociology education in secondary schools is expected to develop critical thinking and sociological reasoning, yet instruction often remains teacher-centred and weakly participatory, limiting both the quality of the learning process and the depth of conceptual understanding. This study examined whether embedding a structured cooperative-reflection phase within the Student Teams–Achievement Divisions (STAD) model could improve the process and outcome quality of sociology learning. Using a two-cycle classroom action research design based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model, the intervention was implemented with 40 Grade XI students at a public senior high school in Wajo, Indonesia. Process quality was monitored through structured observation of individual and group engagement, and learning outcomes were assessed through validated end-of-cycle tests; data were analysed using qualitative thematic coding and descriptive statistics, with classical mastery set at 85% as the success criterion. Classical mastery rose from 92.5% in Cycle I to 100% in Cycle II, and the proportion of students reaching the highest achievement band increased from 85% to 97.5%. More notably, observed engagement indicators—question-asking, volunteering, and contributing to peer groups—were initially low in Cycle I and improved after reflection-informed adjustments such as group rotation and stronger scaffolding in Cycle II. The findings suggest that the gains were driven less by raising bare pass rates, which were already high, than by deepening engagement and consolidating understanding through structured reflection. The study contributes a transferable, reflection-embedded variant of STAD for sociology teaching while acknowledging the limits of single-class action research.

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.