Portrait of Critical Literacy Skills of New Students of the Universitas Muhammadiyah Kolaka Utara in the Academic Year 2025/2026

Abstract

This study described the level of critical literacy ability of first-year students of the Universitas Muhammadiyah Kolaka Utara (UMKOTA) in the academic year 2025/2026. Critical literacy is seen as an important competency in 21st-century higher education because it plays a role in shaping reflective, analytical, and transformative thinking skills. This study used a quantitative descriptive design involving 154 students from three faculties as respondents, who were selected through proportional stratified random sampling technique from a population of 250 students. The research instrument uses the Critical Literacy Skills Questionnaire (CLSQ) adapted from the framework of Luke and Freebody, covering four dimensions: understanding, interpretation, evaluation, and reflection. Data analysis was carried out with descriptive statistics using SPSS 26. The results showed an overall average score of 3.42 (medium category), with the highest dimension in comprehension (3.65) and lowest in reflection (3.25). These findings show that UMKOTA students are quite capable of understanding the text, but are still weak in evaluating and reflecting on the social and ideological meaning of information. The novelty of this research lies in the initial empirical mapping of students’ critical literacy skills in Muhammadiyah universities based on the values of Progressive Islam. The practical implication is the need to integrate critical literacy in the general education curriculum and lecturer training so that students are more active in critical and reflective thinking. This research contribution provides an empirical basis for the development of contextual critical literacy learning models in Indonesian higher education.