Critical Reading Skills among English Department Students at IAIN Langsa.

This study investigates the critical reading skills of English department students at IAIN Langsa from a critical literacy perspective, using a qualitative approach. Conducted between July 20 and 30, 2024, it involved 13 respondents who had taken essential courses in reading. The research employed questionnaires and interviews, guided by Finken and Ennis’s assessment rubric, which focuses on five key indicators: focus, supporting reason, reasoning, organization, and integration. The findings reveal that most students can identify main ideas, supporting reasons, and logical arguments in texts. However, some face challenges in maintaining focus over long texts and analyzing organizational structures. Interviews highlighted strategies used by students, such as summarizing and identifying keywords to aid comprehension. Overall, the study underscores the importance of targeted interventions, such as workshops and guided reading sessions, to address these challenges. It recommends that lecturers focus on improving students’ abilities to maintain concentration, analyze text structures, and integrate multiple perspectives. Future research should explore strategies to enhance critical reading skills further, conduct longitudinal studies to track progress over time, and investigate effective teaching approaches across diverse student populations.