Abstrak


Students Perceptions of Critical Thinking in Academic Writing Course and Their Learning Practices (A Case Study)


Oleh :
Surtika - K2214050 - Fak. KIP

The notion of critical thinking is an unfamiliar matter for Indonesian students. Even though the term itself is not alien, it is only in recent years that students are introduced to the idea. In order to gain an insight towards students’ view of critical thinking, this study is conducted. The focuses are at describing students’ perceptions about critical thinking being implemented in an academic writing course setting and investigating their learning practices.

This study was conducted through descriptive case study research method. The subject of the research is undergraduate students under English Education Department of a university in Surakarta. Five students were invited to interview session. Research data were gathered by means of observation, questionnaire administration, and interview. They were categorised and analysed in accordance of themes.

Through the findings of the research, it is highlighted that the students perceive the notion of critical thinking well despite lacking proper experience. However, they are also uncertain and found to not quite ready to be engaged in its activities. Thus, they meet some difficulties in their learning practices. Two of them that the students equally find problematic are on finding and evaluating theories and supporting evidences. Nonetheless, the students are able to gain some improvements. Further investigation, however, is encouraged in order to know whether students in broader setting perceive similar result as this study.