English Review: Journal of English Education
Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026)

CRITICAL PEDAGOGY PRINCIPLES FOR DEMOCRATIC INDONESIAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL EFL CLASSROOMS

Slamet Wahyudi Yulianto (English Education Study Program, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Subang, Indonesia)
Muhammad Anjar Nugraha (English Education Study Program, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Subang, Indonesia)
Anggiana Yulyanti (English Education Study Program, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Subang, Indonesia)
Diki Rosadi (English Education Study Program, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Subang, Indonesia)
Noni Trisna Putri (English Education Study Program, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Subang, Indonesia)
Abdillah Mubarrok Lathief (English Education Study Program, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Subang, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
06 Mar 2026

Abstract

There are two primary objectives of this study. First, investigating how the four Critical Pedagogy (CP) principles, consisting of dialog, problem-posing, praxis, and conscientization, are integrated in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) for the purpose of establishing the more Democratic Classroom (DC) and assisting students’ Critical Thinking (CT) development. Second, uncovering the students’ responses toward the integration and what impact they perceive as a result of it. Participants included 213 eleventh-graders from a public senior high school in Subang, West Java, Indonesia. The data were obtained through questionnaire, interviews, and classroom observations from May until October 2025 and were then analyzed through transcribing, coding, categorizing, interpreting, comparing, and concluding. Findings indicate that CP principles are incorporated through ten specific activities designed to foster a DC atmosphere and enhance CT skills. These activities include involving students in classroom decision-making, presenting relevant learning materials, helping students distinguish facts from opinions, and discussing solutions for controversial social issues. Toward the ten activities, the students respond positively and claim that, they are motivated to participate in co-creating classroom decisions and are facilitated in developing their CT skills, including analysis, open-mindedness, and decision-making. The study suggests that EFL teachers should integrate these ten CP-based activities into their daily pedagogical practices. Additionally, it is recommended for policy-makers to promote and support the incorporation of CP principles in TEFL.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

pub

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

English Review: Journal of English Education (ERJEE) is an open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in English language education, linguistics, applied linguistics, and English literature. The journal provides a platform for interdisciplinary research ...