<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze the critical thinking skill profiles of students in renewable energy-related material based on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a foundation for developing sustainability-oriented physics instruction. The study employed a quantitative descriptive approach and involved 33 students from Class XI-2 at SMAN 7 Surabaya, who were selected using purposive sampling. The data were obtained through an essay test designed based on Facione’s five indicators of critical thinking skills namely, interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation and supplemented by interviews with physics teachers. The results of the study indicate that students’ critical thinking skills have not yet developed optimally. The analysis indicator achieved the highest score of 64.55% and was classified as moderate, while the indicators for interpretation (60.61%), inference (55.15%), evaluation (49.29%), and explanation (46.87%) were classified as low. These findings indicate that students are relatively capable of identifying and connecting information, but still struggle to evaluate evidence, draw conclusions based on data, and construct logical scientific arguments. Therefore, ESD-based physics instruction should be designed not only to emphasize conceptual mastery but also to provide learning experiences that foster the ability to analyze, evaluate, and communicate evidence-based reasoning. The results of this study are expected to serve as an empirical foundation for the development of physics instruction that is more contextual and focused on strengthening critical thinking skills.]]>
