Portrait of Critical Thinking Disposition among English Education Freshmen: Implication to Teaching Syllabus Design
Keywords:
critical thinking disposition, English education, freshmen, teaching syllabus design
Abstract
The disposition of students to engage in critical thinking is an essential requirement for developing critical thinking skills and significantly impacts their competency in critical thinking. However, the practice of critical thinking is hardly included into educational institutions. Consequently, this study is conducted to determine the portrait of critical thinking disposition among English education freshmen at a state university in Banten, Indonesia. The findings of this study will serve as the foundation for developing teaching syllabus in all subjects in English department. This study utilized descriptive qualitative method to analyze the characteristics of critical thinking disposition among first-year English education students. The study sample comprised of first-semester students who were currently enrolled in the English Education Department comprising 110 first-year students. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) assessment, developed by Facione in 2011, was employed to gather data regarding students’ disposition towards critical thinking. The research findings indicate that, on the whole, English education freshmen possess a favorable disposition towards critical thinking, as 48.18% of the students fall into the positive category of essential thinking ability, followed by 44.52% exhibiting a strong CTD. Meanwhile, 7.3% of the student respondents show an ambivalent CTD. Further, while the top three CTD indicators among the freshmen are truth-seeking, open-mindedness, and analyticity, the bottom three indicators of their critical thinking disposition comprise inquisitiveness, maturity of judgement, and self-confidence. The results suggest that the students are familiar enough in solving problems or seeking truth from diverse points of views, but lack of desire and bravery for learning to process own reasoning and making decisions. Integrating the latest findings into the structure and implementation of the English education syllabus has the potential to enhance students' disposition towards critical thinking, thereby impacting their long-term ability to think critically.
References
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Arnott, S. (2018). Evidence beyond the rules: a critical thinking approach to teaching evidence law to undergraduate students. Journal Scholarship Teaching Learning, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v18i4.22812
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Boso, C. M., van der Merwe, A. S., & Gross, J. (2021). Critical thinking disposition of nursing students: a quantitative investigation. Nurse education in practice, 55, 103167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103167
Dastyari, A., Zarei Matin, H., Danaeefard, H., Yazdani, H., & Babashahi, J. (2021). Exploring the Students’ Critical Thinking Disposition (Case study: Farabi Campus Students, University of Tehran). Public Management Researches, 14(51), 65–93. https://doi.org/10.22111/JMR.2021.32722.4926
Din, M. (2020). Evaluating university students’ critical thinking ability as reflected in their critical reading skill: A study at bachelor level in Pakistan. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 35, 100627.
Ding, X. W. (2016). The Effect of WeChat-assisted Problem-based Learning on the Critical Thinking Disposition of EFL Learners. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 11(12), pp. 23–29. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v11i12.5927
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Facione, P. A., & Facione, N. C. (1993). Profiling critical thinking dispositions. Assessment Update, 5(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1002/au.3650050202
Fitriani, H., Asy’Ari, M., Zubaidah, S., & Mahanal, S. (2018). Critical Thinking Disposition of Prospective Science Teachers at IKIP Mataram, Indonesia. Journal of Englishs: Conference Series, 1108(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1108/1/012091
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Hasan, A., & Noor, H. (2024). Correlation Between Emotional Intelligence and Critical Thinking Disposition Among Undergraduate Saudi Nursing Students. SAGE Open Nursing, 10, 23779608241296069.
Heard, J., Scoular, C., Duckworth, D., Ramalingam, D., & Teo, I. (2020). Critical thinking: Skill development framework. Australian Council for Educational Research.
Indah, R. N., Toyyibah, T., Budhiningrum, A. S., & Afifi, N. (2022). The research competence, critical thinking skills and digital literacy of Indonesian EFL students. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 13(2), 315-324.
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Kadri, K., Mansor, A. N., & Nor, M. Y. M. (2021). Principal and Teacher Leadership Competencies and 21st Century Teacher Learning and Facilitating Practices: Instrument Development and Demographic Analysis. Creative Education, 12(09), 2196–2215. https://doi.org/10.4236/CE.2021.129168
Kaya, H., ?enyuva, E., & Bodur, G. (2017). Developing critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence of nursing students: a longitudinal research. Nurse Education Today, 48, 72–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NEDT.2016.09.011
Larenas, C., Arancibia Ponce, M., & Castro Freire, A. (2024). Measurement and analysis of critical thinking disposition towards English language learning among secondary school students. Revista Innovaciones Educativas, 26(40), 7-25.
Liang, W., & Fung, D. (2021). Fostering critical thinking in English-as-a-second-language classrooms: Challenges and opportunities. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 39, 100769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100769
Lint, A. H. (2013). E-Learning Student Perceptions on Scholarly Persistence in the 21st Century with Social Media in Higher Education. Creative Education, 04(11), 718–725. https://doi.org/10.4236/CE.2013.411102
Liu, Y., & Pásztor, A. (2023). Moderated mediating effects of gender among the components of critical thinking disposition in undergraduate students. Heliyon, 9(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14664
Manshaee, G., Dastnaee, T. M., Seidi, A., & Davoodi, A. (2014). Comparison of critical thinking in students Interested and uninterested in learning a second language. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(4). 793-799https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.4.4.792-799
Morais, E. P. I. J. |?;, Lopes, E., Silva, J., Dominguez, H., Payan-Carreira, C., Imaginário, R., & Santos, C. J. (2023). Dispositions toward Critical Thinking in Portuguese Undergraduate Students. Educational Process: International Journal, 12(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2023.121.2
Morris, R. J., Gorham-Rowan, M. M., Robinson Ph.D., J. H., & Scholz, K. (2018). Assessing and teaching critical thinking in communication science and disorders. Teach Learn Commun Sci Dsord, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.30707/tlcsd2.1morris
Ng, S.-Y., & Cheung, K. (2022). Critical Thinking Cognitive Skills and Their Associated Factors in Chinese Community College Students in Hong Kong. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031127
Ordem, E. (2017). Developing critical-thinking dispositions in a listening/speaking class. English Language Teaching, 10(1), 50-55.
Peter A, F. (2015). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. Insight assessment. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 1(1), 5–8.
Rauscher, W., & Badenhorst, H. (2021). Thinking critically about critical thinking dispositions in technology education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 31(3), 465-488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-020-09564-3
Saputri, M. R. A., Indah, R. N., & Rasyid, F. (2022). Debate, critical thinking disposition, and self-confidence: Do they contribute to speaking proficiency? Premise: Journal of English Education and Applied Linguistics, 11(1), 189-207. https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v11i1.4533
Singh, C. K. S., & Marappan, P. (2020). A review of research on the importance of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in teaching english language. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(8), 740-747. https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.07.01
Sjöblom, K., Lammassaari, H., Hietajärvi, L., Mälkki, K., & Lonka, K. (2019). Training in 21st Century Working Life Skills: How to Support Productivity and Well-Being in Multi-Locational Knowledge Work. Creative Education, 10(10), 2283–2309. https://doi.org/10.4236/CE.2019.1010164
Sk, S., & Halder, S. (2020). Critical thinking disposition of undergraduate students in relation to emotional intelligence: Gender as a moderator. Heliyon, 6(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05477
Sudarisman, S. (2015). Memahami hakikat dan karakteristik pembelajaran biologi dalam upaya menjawab tantangan abad 21 serta optimalisasi implementasi Kurikulum 2013. Florea?: Jurnal Biologi dan Pembelajarannya, 2(1), 29–35. http://e-journal.unipma.ac.id/index.php/JF/article/view/403
Syarifah, T. J., Usodo, B., & Riyadi. (2019). Student’s critical thinking ability with higher order thinking skills (HOTS) question based on self-efficacy. Journal of Englishs: Conference Series, 1265(1), 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1265/1/012013
Tasgin, A., & Dilek, C. (2023). The mediating role of critical thinking dispositions between secondary school student's self-efficacy and problem-solving skills. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 50, 101400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101400
Tidar, U., & Kapten Suparman No, J. (2019). Developing Pre-service English Teachers’ Critical Thinking by Using Academic Journal Writing 4.0. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 3(2), 117–123. https://doi.org/10.31002/METATHESIS.V3I2.1859
Wale, B. D., & Bishaw, K. S. (2020). Effects of using inquiry-based learning on EFL students’ critical thinking skills. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 5, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00090-2
Yuan, R., Yang, M., & Lee, I. (2021). Preparing pre-service language teachers to teach critical thinking: Can overseas field school experience make a difference? Thinking Skills and Creativity, 40, 100832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100832
Allen, D. D., & Toth-Cohen, S. (2019). Use of case studies to promote critical thinking in occupational therapy students. Journal of Occupational Therapy Edition, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2019.030309
Arnott, S. (2018). Evidence beyond the rules: a critical thinking approach to teaching evidence law to undergraduate students. Journal Scholarship Teaching Learning, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v18i4.22812
Atalay, N., Dilek, ?., & Boyac?, B. (2019). Slowmation Application in Development of Learning and Innovation Skills of Students in Science Course. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 11(5), 507–518. https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2019553347
Barta, A., Fodor, L. A., Tamas, B., & Szamoskozi, I. (2022). The development of students critical thinking abilities and dispositions through the concept mapping learning method – A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100481
Boonsathirakul, J., & Kerdsomboon, C. (2021). The Investigation of Critical Thinking Disposition among Kasetsart University Students. Higher Education Studies, 11(2), 224. https://doi.org/10.5539/HES.V11N2P224
Boso, C. M., van der Merwe, A. S., & Gross, J. (2021). Critical thinking disposition of nursing students: a quantitative investigation. Nurse education in practice, 55, 103167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103167
Dastyari, A., Zarei Matin, H., Danaeefard, H., Yazdani, H., & Babashahi, J. (2021). Exploring the Students’ Critical Thinking Disposition (Case study: Farabi Campus Students, University of Tehran). Public Management Researches, 14(51), 65–93. https://doi.org/10.22111/JMR.2021.32722.4926
Din, M. (2020). Evaluating university students’ critical thinking ability as reflected in their critical reading skill: A study at bachelor level in Pakistan. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 35, 100627.
Ding, X. W. (2016). The Effect of WeChat-assisted Problem-based Learning on the Critical Thinking Disposition of EFL Learners. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 11(12), pp. 23–29. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v11i12.5927
Dissen, A. (2023). A critical issue: assessing the critical thinking skills and dispositions of undergraduate health science students. Discover Education, 2(1), 2023. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/S44217-023-00044-
Ennis, R. H. (1996). Critical Thinking Dispositions: Their Nature and Assessability. Informal Logic, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.22329/IL.V18I2.2378
Facione, P. A. (2000). The Disposition Toward Critical Thinking: Its Character, Measurement, and Relationship to Critical Thinking Skill. Informal Logic, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.22329/IL.V20I1.2254
Facione, P. A. (2011). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. The California Academic Press.
Facione, P. A., & Facione, N. C. (1993). Profiling critical thinking dispositions. Assessment Update, 5(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1002/au.3650050202
Fitriani, H., Asy’Ari, M., Zubaidah, S., & Mahanal, S. (2018). Critical Thinking Disposition of Prospective Science Teachers at IKIP Mataram, Indonesia. Journal of Englishs: Conference Series, 1108(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1108/1/012091
Giancarlo, C. A., & Facione, P. A. (2001). A Look Across Four Years at the Disposition Toward Critical Thinking Among Undergraduate Students. The Journal of General Education, 50(1), 29–55. https://doi.org/10.1353/JGE.2001.0004
Hasan, A., & Noor, H. (2024). Correlation Between Emotional Intelligence and Critical Thinking Disposition Among Undergraduate Saudi Nursing Students. SAGE Open Nursing, 10, 23779608241296069.
Heard, J., Scoular, C., Duckworth, D., Ramalingam, D., & Teo, I. (2020). Critical thinking: Skill development framework. Australian Council for Educational Research.
Indah, R. N., Toyyibah, T., Budhiningrum, A. S., & Afifi, N. (2022). The research competence, critical thinking skills and digital literacy of Indonesian EFL students. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 13(2), 315-324.
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. (2020). Standards for technological and engineering literacy: The role of technology and engineering in STEM education. https://www. iteea.org/STEL.aspx
Janse van Rensburg, J., & Rauscher, W. (2022). Strategies for fostering critical thinking dispositions in the technology classroom. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 32(4), 2151-2171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09690-6
Kadri, K., Mansor, A. N., & Nor, M. Y. M. (2021). Principal and Teacher Leadership Competencies and 21st Century Teacher Learning and Facilitating Practices: Instrument Development and Demographic Analysis. Creative Education, 12(09), 2196–2215. https://doi.org/10.4236/CE.2021.129168
Kaya, H., ?enyuva, E., & Bodur, G. (2017). Developing critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence of nursing students: a longitudinal research. Nurse Education Today, 48, 72–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NEDT.2016.09.011
Larenas, C., Arancibia Ponce, M., & Castro Freire, A. (2024). Measurement and analysis of critical thinking disposition towards English language learning among secondary school students. Revista Innovaciones Educativas, 26(40), 7-25.
Liang, W., & Fung, D. (2021). Fostering critical thinking in English-as-a-second-language classrooms: Challenges and opportunities. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 39, 100769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100769
Lint, A. H. (2013). E-Learning Student Perceptions on Scholarly Persistence in the 21st Century with Social Media in Higher Education. Creative Education, 04(11), 718–725. https://doi.org/10.4236/CE.2013.411102
Liu, Y., & Pásztor, A. (2023). Moderated mediating effects of gender among the components of critical thinking disposition in undergraduate students. Heliyon, 9(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14664
Manshaee, G., Dastnaee, T. M., Seidi, A., & Davoodi, A. (2014). Comparison of critical thinking in students Interested and uninterested in learning a second language. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(4). 793-799https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.4.4.792-799
Morais, E. P. I. J. |?;, Lopes, E., Silva, J., Dominguez, H., Payan-Carreira, C., Imaginário, R., & Santos, C. J. (2023). Dispositions toward Critical Thinking in Portuguese Undergraduate Students. Educational Process: International Journal, 12(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2023.121.2
Morris, R. J., Gorham-Rowan, M. M., Robinson Ph.D., J. H., & Scholz, K. (2018). Assessing and teaching critical thinking in communication science and disorders. Teach Learn Commun Sci Dsord, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.30707/tlcsd2.1morris
Ng, S.-Y., & Cheung, K. (2022). Critical Thinking Cognitive Skills and Their Associated Factors in Chinese Community College Students in Hong Kong. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031127
Ordem, E. (2017). Developing critical-thinking dispositions in a listening/speaking class. English Language Teaching, 10(1), 50-55.
Peter A, F. (2015). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. Insight assessment. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 1(1), 5–8.
Rauscher, W., & Badenhorst, H. (2021). Thinking critically about critical thinking dispositions in technology education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 31(3), 465-488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-020-09564-3
Saputri, M. R. A., Indah, R. N., & Rasyid, F. (2022). Debate, critical thinking disposition, and self-confidence: Do they contribute to speaking proficiency? Premise: Journal of English Education and Applied Linguistics, 11(1), 189-207. https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v11i1.4533
Singh, C. K. S., & Marappan, P. (2020). A review of research on the importance of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in teaching english language. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(8), 740-747. https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.07.01
Sjöblom, K., Lammassaari, H., Hietajärvi, L., Mälkki, K., & Lonka, K. (2019). Training in 21st Century Working Life Skills: How to Support Productivity and Well-Being in Multi-Locational Knowledge Work. Creative Education, 10(10), 2283–2309. https://doi.org/10.4236/CE.2019.1010164
Sk, S., & Halder, S. (2020). Critical thinking disposition of undergraduate students in relation to emotional intelligence: Gender as a moderator. Heliyon, 6(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05477
Sudarisman, S. (2015). Memahami hakikat dan karakteristik pembelajaran biologi dalam upaya menjawab tantangan abad 21 serta optimalisasi implementasi Kurikulum 2013. Florea?: Jurnal Biologi dan Pembelajarannya, 2(1), 29–35. http://e-journal.unipma.ac.id/index.php/JF/article/view/403
Syarifah, T. J., Usodo, B., & Riyadi. (2019). Student’s critical thinking ability with higher order thinking skills (HOTS) question based on self-efficacy. Journal of Englishs: Conference Series, 1265(1), 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1265/1/012013
Tasgin, A., & Dilek, C. (2023). The mediating role of critical thinking dispositions between secondary school student's self-efficacy and problem-solving skills. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 50, 101400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101400
Tidar, U., & Kapten Suparman No, J. (2019). Developing Pre-service English Teachers’ Critical Thinking by Using Academic Journal Writing 4.0. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 3(2), 117–123. https://doi.org/10.31002/METATHESIS.V3I2.1859
Wale, B. D., & Bishaw, K. S. (2020). Effects of using inquiry-based learning on EFL students’ critical thinking skills. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 5, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00090-2
Yuan, R., Yang, M., & Lee, I. (2021). Preparing pre-service language teachers to teach critical thinking: Can overseas field school experience make a difference? Thinking Skills and Creativity, 40, 100832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100832
Published
2025-11-01
How to Cite
Wijayanti, M., & Rima, R. (2025). Portrait of Critical Thinking Disposition among English Education Freshmen: Implication to Teaching Syllabus Design. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics, 10(2), 287-300. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v10i2.950
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