The Critical Inquiry of Indonesian Beginner Linguistic Researchers: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Beginner linguistic researchers need to develop critical inquiry research skills. Inquiry is a stance toward learning where learners use various resources to develop their understanding of a topic that requires exploration and quest. This study reviews the challenges beginner linguistic researchers in the English Department face to be successful researchers. It investigates how the students construct their critical inquiry represented in their research proposal and the development made during the process of coaching clinic. This case study takes the data of 220 thesis proposals English department students of an Islamic State University in Indonesia submitted in the even semester of 2021. During this term, students relied on their autonomous learning skills during the pandemic break as they had limited access to face-to-face discussion to complete their linguistic research proposal. The finding shows some identified weaknesses reflecting the low skill of critical inquiry. The dominant adversities in the proposals cover developing research questions, establishing the context, presenting novelty of research direction, elaborating reasons of subject selection, and paraphrasing from sources. Meanwhile, the remaining limitations presented in the final period of proposal submission concern elaborating reasons of subject selection, establishing the context, and presenting the novelty of research direction. The finding results in the implication for the topics to include in the syllabus for the course of proposal writing clinic for beginner linguistic researchers.