<![CDATA[Critical reading has become essential in EFL contexts, requiring students to engage in higher-order thinking beyond literal comprehension. However, limited attention has been given to how students reflect on and internalize mastery experiences in developing critical reading skills, particularly in Indonesian higher education contexts. This study aims to explore how EFL students reflect on their mastery experiences in critical reading and how these reflections contribute to the development of self-efficacy and reading skills. A qualitative case study was conducted involving ten final-semester students from an English Education program. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that students’ reflections are constructed through three interconnected dimensions: feelings of success, engagement with challenges, and confidence building. These dimensions form a dynamic and recursive process in which mastery experiences are interpreted as meaningful learning episodes. The study also shows that mastery experiences contribute to self-efficacy and critical reading development through a reinforcing cycle of success, persistence, and confidence, supported by reflection and instructional feedback. This study highlights that mastery experience is not merely a performance outcome but a reflective and cyclical process that fosters both cognitive and psychological development, offering important implications for enhancing critical reading instruction in EFL contexts.]]>
