FOSTERING CRITICAL WRITING SKILLS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A STUDY ON INDONESIAN LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Critical writing has become a crucial academic competency in higher education, as it reflects students’ ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize ideas rather than merely reproduce knowledge. This study investigates how Indonesian university students develop critical writing skills and identifies challenges and pedagogical strategies within the local cultural and institutional context. Adopting a mixed-methods case study design, the research involved 60 undergraduate students and three writing instructors at a public university in Indonesia. Data were collected through writing tests, questionnaires, classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis. The findings revealed that students demonstrated significant improvement in structural aspects of writing—such as thesis development, organization, and evidence integration—after receiving genre-based instruction. However, their ability to adopt a critical stance, construct counterarguments, and synthesize multiple perspectives remained limited. Cultural factors, particularly norms of respect for authority and harmony, influenced students’ hesitation to critique sources. Pedagogical practices were also dominated by grammar-focused instruction, with insufficient emphasis on critical literacy activities. The study concludes that fostering critical writing requires a balanced pedagogy integrating genre awareness with critical literacy practices, supported by institutional reforms in curriculum, assessment, and teacher training. Recommendations are offered for students, instructors, universities, and policymakers to strengthen critical writing instruction in Indonesian higher education. By addressing both cultural and pedagogical challenges, this study contributes to the broader discussion on academic literacy and provides pathways for cultivating reflective, independent, and critical Indonesian writers.