<![CDATA[Critical thinking is a key competency in twenty-first-century education and a central goal of Indonesia’s Kurikulum Merdeka through Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). In EFL reading, students are expected to interpret, analyze, evaluate, and infer information beyond literal comprehension. However, empirical evidence regarding students’ critical thinking skills in EFL reading under Kurikulum Merdeka remains limited. This study aimed to describe the critical thinking level of eighth-grade students at SMPN 2 Bukittinggi in English reading based on four Facione (1990) indicators: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference. A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted involving 90 students selected through cluster random sampling from a population of 279 eighth-grade students in the 2025/2026 academic year. Data were collected using a validated 20-item multiple-choice reading test based on recount and narrative texts. The instrument demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.726). The findings showed that students’ overall critical thinking skills were at a Moderate level (M = 45.06%, SD = 28.71%), with 56.67% classified as Moderate, 30.00% High, and 13.33% Low. All indicators were at the Moderate level, with Inference scoring highest (48.61%) and Analysis lowest (41.85%). These findings highlight a gap between Kurikulum Merdeka’s HOTS expectations and students’ demonstrated performance, emphasizing the need for explicit, HOTS-oriented EFL reading instruction.]]>
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