<![CDATA[This study aimed to investigate English for Specific Purposes (ESP) students’ perceptions of Socratic Questioning (SQ) in reading instruction and to identify the challenges encountered during its implementation. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed involving 30 Management students at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Muhammadiyah Palembang. Quantitative data were collected through a 20-item five-point Likert-scale questionnaire, followed by semi-structured interviews with 10 purposively selected students. Questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while interview data were examined through thematic analysis to explain and elaborate on the quantitative findings. The findings indicated that students generally perceived SQ positively, with 95% agreeing that its implementation had a positive impact on their learning and 80% strongly agreeing that it enhanced their critical thinking skills. In addition, 75% strongly agreed that SQ facilitated deeper understanding of reading texts, while 75% strongly agreed that it improved their participation in academic discussions. The qualitative findings supported these results and revealed that SQ encouraged deeper engagement with texts, critical evaluation of information, justification of interpretations, and connections between reading materials and real-world contexts. However, students initially experienced difficulty responding to open-ended and higher-order questions, while time constraints also emerged as a challenge during classroom discussions. These findings suggest that SQ can serve as an effective dialogic approach for promoting critical thinking, deeper reading comprehension, and active participation in ESP reading instruction. Its successful implementation, however, requires systematic scaffolding, gradual exposure to higher-order questioning, and effective management of classroom discussion time.]]>
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