ENHANCING CRITICAL THINKING, COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS THROUGH MARITIME ENGLISH INSTRUCTION

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of sustainability-based Maritime English instruction in enhancing cadets’ critical thinking, communication skills, and sustainability awareness. A mixed-methods design was employed involving 62 cadets from a maritime institution. One class (19 cadets) was used for instrument try-out, while the remaining 43 cadets participated in the main study. Data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. The instrument was validated using corrected item-total correlation and demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.96). The normality test indicated that all data were normally distributed (p > 0.05). The quantitative findings revealed high levels of critical thinking (M = 4.12) and communication skills (M = 4.05), as well as very high sustainability awareness (M = 4.28). Correlation analysis showed strong positive relationships among the variables. The qualitative analysis further identified key themes of engagement, confidence, and sustainability awareness, indicating that students were actively involved, more confident in communication, and more aware of environmental responsibilities. These findings suggest that sustainability-based Maritime English instruction provides a meaningful and contextual learning experience that enhances cognitive, linguistic, and affective domains. However, the study is limited by its descriptive design and relatively small sample size. Future research is recommended to employ experimental approaches and broader samples to strengthen the generalizability of the findings.