Barriers to Critical Reasoning in Sociology Learning: An Ecology of Curriculum Enactment

Abstract

Critical reasoning is a central aspiration of the Merdeka Curriculum, yet formal curriculum adoption does not guarantee that students routinely perform the cognitive work associated with critical reasoning. This qualitative secondary analysis revisits a 2023 case study of Grade XI sociology learning at SMA Negeri 7 Padang. The original research had previously generated a publication on barriers to the critical-reasoning dimension of the Pancasila Student Profile; the present manuscript asks a distinct question about how barriers interact as an ecology of opportunity to learn. The archived corpus comprises 15 informants—13 students, one sociology teacher, and one vice principal for curriculum—together with classroom observation and school documents. Reanalysis identifies five connected constraints: weak literacy routines, uneven cognitive participation during problem-based learning, limited assessment literacy regarding higher-order thinking questions, fatigue associated with long school days and late lesson periods, and classroom infrastructure and thermal discomfort. Descriptive school records provide contextual evidence: the mean daily-test score across three Grade XI classes was approximately 49.2, and correct responses on four higher-order items ranged from about 31.3% to 45.5%. Using Rogers’ diffusion-of-innovations perspective, the study interprets these findings as an adoption–enactment gap. Critical reasoning was accepted as a curriculum goal, but pedagogical routines, assessment preparation, time, and material conditions did not consistently distribute opportunities for all students to practise it.