<![CDATA[This study investigated the impact of Socratic Questioning (SQ) on ESP students’ reading comprehension, critical reading skills, and engagement, while also exploring students’ perceptions of its implementation in reading instruction. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed involving 30 ESP students enrolled in an English course at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Muhammadiyah Palembang. Quantitative data were collected using a 20-item reading test assessing reading comprehension and critical reading skills and a 10-item student engagement questionnaire. Qualitative data were obtained through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with 10 selected participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The quantitative findings revealed significant improvements in students’ reading comprehension, critical reading skills, and engagement following the implementation of SQ. The qualitative findings supported these results and revealed three prominent patterns: active meaning construction, evidence-based reasoning, and increased classroom participation. Students became more active and reflective readers by rereading texts, identifying relevant evidence, considering alternative interpretations, and articulating reasoned responses during classroom discussions. The integration of the quantitative and qualitative findings indicates that SQ promotes deeper comprehension and critical engagement by transforming reading into an interactive process of inquiry, dialogue, and evidence-based reasoning.The findings demonstrate the pedagogical potential of SQ for developing comprehension, critical reading, and active engagement in ESP reading instruction. ESP teachers are encouraged to integrate systematic Socratic questioning into reading activities while providing appropriate scaffolding to support students who may initially experience difficulty formulating and responding to higher-order questions. Effective time management is also necessary to balance dialogic discussion with other instructional objectives and ensure that SQ can be implemented sustainably in ESP classrooms.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
