Examining Critical Thinking Skills in Reading Tasks of an Indonesian Senior High School English Textbook

Menelaah Keterampilan Berpikir Kritis dalam Tugas Membaca pada Buku Teks Bahasa Inggris Sekolah Menengah Atas di Indonesia

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30983/modalityjournal.v6i01.10705

Keywords:

Bloom's taxonomy, Critical thinking, Textbook analysis, Reading tasks

Abstract

This study examines the cognitive demands and opportunities for critical-thinking engagement in reading-related tasks in Bahasa Inggris untuk Siswa SMA-MA/SMK-MAK Kelas 10, an English textbook for Indonesian senior high school students. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, 540 reading-related tasks across ten chapters were analyzed using Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy to identify the cognitive demands of each task, and the resulting patterns were subsequently interpreted through Facione’s critical-thinking framework. The findings reveal a significant imbalance between lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) and higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Although HOTS-level tasks involving analyzing, evaluating, and creating were found in every chapter, only 59 tasks (10.93%) were classified as HOTS, while most activities emphasized remembering and understanding. In addition, the uneven distribution of HOTS tasks across chapters limited opportunities for students to engage in more analytical and reflective reading activities. This study contributes to EFL textbook evaluation by providing empirical evidence on task characteristics that support critical-thinking engagement and offers implications for the evaluation and development of reading task design.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Kholil, A., Djatmika, & Sumardi. (2026). Examining Critical Thinking Skills in Reading Tasks of an Indonesian Senior High School English Textbook: Menelaah Keterampilan Berpikir Kritis dalam Tugas Membaca pada Buku Teks Bahasa Inggris Sekolah Menengah Atas di Indonesia. Modality Journal: International Journal of Linguistics and Literature, 6(01), 12–29. https://doi.org/10.30983/modalityjournal.v6i01.10705

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Vol. 6 No. 01 (2026): June 2026

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