Metacognitive strategy in facilitating students' critical thinking in speaking activity at MTs Bilingual Pucang Sidoarjo

Critical thinking skills are recognized as essential skill for its significance, for instance for communicative language task. However, the teachers still have obstacles to facilitate students’ critical thinking especially in speaking activity. Therefore, teachers’ strategy is needed. This qualitative study is aimed to describe the implementation of metacognitive strategy in facilitating students’ critical thinking in speaking English activity and to find out students’ responses toward the implementation. The research took place in MTs Bilingual Pucang Sidoarjo whose subjects are an English teacher and 38 students at VIII-1. The data were gathered through field note and questionnaire. The finding reveals that teacher follows three steps in metacognitive strategy; centering learning, planning and arranging learning, and evaluating learning. In addition, the teacher facilitates students’ critical thinking through three activities; engage students with the world, analyze materials, synthesize ideas. Students’ response toward the implementation of metacognitive strategy to facilitate critical thinking shows positive response. Therefore, metacognitive strategy can be considered as one of good strategies to facilitate students’ critical thinking.