Phenomenological Insights Into Debate Based TBLT for Improving EFL Students’ HOTS

Cicih   Nuraeni; Sri   Setyarini; Pupung   Purnawarman

doi:10.31849/9yrvye14

Authors

Cicih Nuraeni Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
Sri Setyarini Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
Pupung Purnawarman Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31849/9yrvye14

Keywords:

Critical reasoning, Debate pedagogy, EFL university students, HOTS, TBLT

Abstract

In rapidly evolving 21st-century EFL education, fostering higher-order thinking skills has become a critical priority, yet many classrooms continue to rely on traditional, teacher-centered practices that offer limited cognitive challenge and minimal opportunities for analytical engagement. Addressing this pedagogical gap, the present study investigates how Task-Based Language Teaching empowered through debate activities can serve as an integrative pathway for enhancing learners’ HOTS within an EFL setting. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data were generated through in depth semi structured interviews that elicited the lecturer’s narratives about task design, classroom enactment, and perceived learning outcomes. The interview transcript was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six phase thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in strategies, challenges, and perceived impacts. The findings reveal that carefully scaffolded debate cycles, explicit modeling of argument structures, and sustained language support help students move from surface level participation toward more analytic reasoning, improved fluency, and greater confidence. At the same time, the lecturer reports constraints related to time, uneven language proficiency, and the need for institutional support. Overall, the study demonstrates that debate based TBLT can function as a powerful pedagogical space for integrating language development with higher order thinking. The results contribute phenomenological insights into lecturer agency in shaping cognitively challenging EFL tasks and offer implications for curriculum design, teacher professional development, and policy initiatives that seek to align EFL teaching with global demands for critical, reflective, and socially responsive graduates.

Author Biographies

Cicih Nuraeni, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Cicih Nuraeni is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Language and Literature Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia, and a lecturer at Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika. Her research interests focus on Teaching English as a Foreign Language, technology enhanced language teaching and learning, and the development of Higher Order Thinking Skills in EFL classrooms. She is actively involved in research and publication that explore how digital tools can foster more reflective and cognitively demanding language learning.
Sri Setyarini, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Sri Setyarini is an English Education Professor at the Faculty of Language and Literature Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia. Her scholarly work centers on Applied Linguistics, literacy education, metacognition, and the promotion of Higher Order Thinking Skills in language learning. She has contributed extensively to research and publications that strengthen students’ critical literacy and awareness, and she regularly supervises and mentors research projects that integrate HOTS oriented pedagogy in diverse educational contexts.
Pupung Purnawarman, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Pupung Purnawarman holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Instructional Design and Technology Education and is a lecturer in the English Language Education Study Program at the Faculty of Language and Literature Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung. His research interests cover English language teaching, writing and feedback, instructional design, and educational technology, with a particular emphasis on designing effective and innovative teaching approaches for English language learners.

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