When Project-Based Sociology Requires Research Literacy: Barriers to Student-Led Social Inquiry in an Indonesian Secondary School

Abstract

Project-based learning (PjBL) in school sociology assumes that students can read academic instructions, formulate researchable questions, collect social data, collaborate, and use digital tools productively. This exploratory qualitative case study examines barriers to those capacities at SMA Pertiwi 1 Padang, Indonesia. Based on a sociology-teacher interview, classroom observation, and supporting literature, the analysis identifies five interrelated challenges: weak academic reading literacy, limited understanding of social-research methodology, predominantly consumptive technology use, difficulty understanding abstract methodological concepts, and low confidence in field research. These barriers are interpreted as an inquiry-readiness problem rather than simple resistance to PjBL. The findings indicate that project work should be accompanied by explicit and staged instruction in question formulation, observation, interviewing, evidence organization, ethical interaction, digital collaboration, and academic communication. The study contributes a readiness perspective to project-based sociology teaching by showing that meaningful student inquiry depends on textual, methodological, digital, and interpersonal foundations. The study identifies research literacy as a prerequisite for open-ended project work and clarifies the scaffolds students need before conducting independent social inquiry.