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All Journal English Review: Journal of English Education Indonesian EFL Journal
Sumartono
Doctoral Program of Language Education, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia
Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

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ENHANCING EFL STUDENTS’ RECOGNIZING ASSUMPTION SKILL THROUGH PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN INDONESIAN HIGH SCHOOLS Sumartono; Sri Wuli Fitriati; Sri Wahyuni; Zulfa Sakhiyya
English Review: Journal of English Education Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026)
Publisher : University of Kuningan

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.25134/englishreview.v14i1.123

Abstract

Education plays a pivotal role in fostering higher-order thinking skills that enable learners to navigate complex social and epistemic realities. Within the Indonesian educational reform agenda particularly the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn) curriculum there has been an explicit shift from teacher-centered to student-centered pedagogies that promote inquiry, reasoning, and learner autonomy. This study investigates the impact of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on students’ assumption recognition skills, a critical subcomponent of higher-order thinking essential for argument evaluation and reflective judgment in English language learning. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the research involved senior high school students in Brebes Regency who were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received PBL instruction enriched with scaffolds for identifying and questioning assumptions, while the control group engaged in conventional teacher-led learning. Quantitative data were collected through the Assumption Recognition Subscale of the Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and analyzed using inferential statistics, complemented by qualitative classroom observations to examine facilitation dynamics and discourse patterns. Results revealed that the PBL group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in assumption recognition compared to the control group, indicating that structured inquiry and collaborative reasoning effectively enhance critical subskills. Qualitative findings further suggested that teacher facilitation, peer dialogue, and problem authenticity were key mediators of cognitive engagement. These results highlight the potential of PBL as a pedagogical model that operationalizes the Merdeka Curriculum’s vision of student-centered learning by cultivating reflective, autonomous, and epistemically responsible learners. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for teacher education, curriculum design, and assessment practices aimed at strengthening critical thinking in English language classrooms.
CULTIVATING CRITICAL INFERENCE SKILLS: A PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING MODEL FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Sumartono; Sri Wuli Fitriati; Sri Wahyuni; Zulfa Sakhiyya
Indonesian EFL Journal Vol. 11 No. 3 (2025)
Publisher : University of Kuningan

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.25134/x4derq44

Abstract

In the era of Industry 4.0, the demand for 21st-century competencies such as critical and inferential reasoning has become increasingly essential for educational success and workplace readiness. However, many traditional classroom practices still focus primarily on content delivery rather than developing students’ higher-order thinking skills. Responding to this gap, this study investigates the effect of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach on enhancing students’ inference skills compared with conventional teaching methods. The research was conducted among in-service vocational English teachers participating in the Teacher Professional Education Program. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving control and experimental groups, with data collected through pre-test and post-test assessments. The Shapiro–Wilk test confirmed that the data in both groups were normally distributed at both the pre-test and post-test. The findings revealed that the PBL group demonstrated a significant improvement in inference skills, while the control group showed only marginal progress. This indicates that PBL’s student-centered and inquiry-based framework effectively stimulates reasoning processes through problem identification, hypothesis formulation, evidence-based analysis, and reflective thinking. The authenticity of learning contexts in PBL also fosters deeper cognitive engagement and facilitates the transfer of inference skills to novel situations. Consequently, this study provides empirical support for the implementation of constructivist pedagogies in English language teaching, emphasizing the importance of integrating reasoning-oriented learning strategies to develop learners’ critical and inferential thinking. The implications highlight the need for teacher education programs to systematically incorporate PBL in order to cultivate essential higher-order thinking competencies required in the 21st-century professional landscape.    
Co-Authors Sri Wahyuni Sri Wuli Fitriati Zulfa Sakhiyya