Fostering Digital Critical Thinking within the Integrated Approach
Sujarwo – Asdar – Nur Ina Syam – Muhammad Asdam – Sunarlia Limbong
DOI: 10.18355/XL.2026.19.01.01
Abstract
Language proficiency and digital critical thinking—evaluating material, questioning narratives, and conducting reasoned conversations online—are required for EFL students. Philosophy of Education supports critical thinking with ethics, epistemology, and pedagogy. The study aims to investigate how philosophy-based language teaching can be deliberately incorporated into EFL instruction to develop digital critical thinking among Indonesian students. This study used a qualitative analysis of EFL students’ and lecturers’ comments. The study explores how philosophical inquiry—through Socratic questioning, ethical debates, and open-ended discussion—shapes learners’ analytical, ethical, and reflective interaction in digital contexts. Results show that these kinds of approaches improve communicative confidence, increase cognitive participation, and inspire critical assessment of digital content. Students state that they were more conscious of bias, intention, and ethical obligation in online interactions and that their passive consumption has changed to become active reflection. Teachers observed better language use related to moral reasoning and greater awareness of tone and perspective. This study concludes that the need to include philosophical pedagogy in EFL environments extends beyond enhancing linguistic proficiency to cultivate the cognitive and ethical competencies necessary for responsible digital citizenship. This study can be implemented by integrating Philosophy-Based Language Teaching (PBLT) into EFL instruction to improve students' language confidence, digital critical thinking, and ethical awareness as responsible digital citizens.
Key words: Digital critical thinking, Integrated approach, Philosophy-based instruction
Pages: 3-20
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