English Language Learners Making Sense of Social Issues through A Critical Literacy Cycle

Abstract

This article explores how students engage with social problems in their local community through critical literacy in an English as a foreign language class. Using an interpretive, descriptive qualitative action research approach, the researchers examined the social issues in the students’ environment through observation sheets,questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that critical literacy enhances students’ reading skills by enabling them to actively connect different texts anddetermine whether the messages promote or discourage the marginalization of minority groups. The study showed that raising students’ awareness of social issues empowered them to identify opportunities for change in their local communities. By overcoming personal and collective barriers and speaking out, students were inspired to seek transformative solutions.