Debate-Based Civic Education and Its Effects on Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making in Border Conflict Resolution

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v11i4.18158

Keywords:

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Debate-Based Civic Education, Conflict Resolution

Abstract

This study aims to explore and evaluate the effects, contribution levels, and interrelationships of debate-based civic education on students’ critical thinking (CT), problem-solving (PS), and decision-making (DM) skills within the context of border conflict resolution simulations. The study employed a quantitative approach using an experimental method involving 120 participants whose competencies were assessed. Data were collected using open-ended tests and analyzed through inferential statistics, including simple linear regression, t-tests, R-square, and correlation analyses. The findings revealed that debate-based civic education significantly influenced critical thinking (R² = 21.5%), problem-solving (R² = 32.3%), and decision-making (R² = 18.6%). However, the correlations among the independent variables (CT, PS, and DM) were found to be weak. The results emphasize the applied importance of civic education practices in cultivating 21st-century skills among students in higher education institutions.

Author Biographies

Hamidah Hamidah, UIN Syekh Ali Hasan Ahmad Addary Padangsidimpuan

Department of Elementary Madrasah Teacher Education

Maulana Arafat Lubis, UIN Syekh Ali Hasan Ahmad Addary Padangsidimpuan

Department of Teacher Professional Education

Muhammad Amin, UIN Syekh Ali Hasan Ahmad Addary Padangsidimpuan

Department of Islamic Education

References

Abdullah, M. K., Anuar, A. R., & Hara, A. E. (2022). Contesting Authority Discourses In Defining Relations Between Indonesia And Malaysia. Journal of International Studies, 18. https://doi.org/10.32890/jis2022.18.7

Ahmady, S., & Shahbazi, S. (2020). Impact of social problem-solving training on critical thinking and decision making of nursing students. BMC Nursing, 19(1), 94. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00487-x

Ajaps, S. O., & Obiagu, A. N. (2020). Increasing Civic Engagement Through Civic Education: A Critical Consciousness Theory Perspective. Journal of Culture and Values in Education. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcve.2020.2

Alghamdi Hamdan & Aldossari, A. T., A. K. (2021). Debate learning strategy in female postgraduate school: A Saudi case study. Issues in Educational Research, 31(2), 327–347. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.052800172982057

Alharbi Elfeky, A. I., & Ahmed, E. S., S. M. (2022). The effect of e-collaborative learning environment on development of critical thinking and higher order thinking skills. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(6), 6848–6854. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/8692/5676

Amin, R. I., Abdul Aziz, A. S., Ernest Paul, M., Arham, A. F., Hassan, N. H., Anuar, N. A., Md. Jamil, M. S., Othman, N. K., Khaidzir, M. F. S., Rahim, A. A., & Salleh, A. R. (2024). Debating as an Academic Tool: Fostering Holistic and Critical Thinking in Higher Education. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 13(4), Pages-1722-1730. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v13-i4/23617

Baketa, N., Kovacic, M., & Mornar, M. (2023). The role of debate in cognitive development and development of civic awareness of young people - a qualitative analysis. Sociologija, 65(3), 400–417. https://doi.org/10.2298/SOC2303400B

Buasuwan, P., Suebnusorn, W., Butkatunyoo, O., Manowaluilou, N., Kaewchinda, M., Lalitpasan, U., Srilapo, N., Sarnswang, S., Suksiri, W., Wiboonuppatham, R., & Sripongpankul, S. (2022). Re-envisioning a “skills framework” to meet 21st century demands: What do young people need? Frontiers in Education, 7, 1004748. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.1004748

Caughell, L., & Holzer, K. (2025). Debate as a Tool for Enhancing Critical Thinking and Civic Skills. https://doi.org/10.33774/apsa-2025-3q0k6

Chikeleze, M., Johnson, I., & Gibson, T. (2018). Let’s Argue: Using Debate to Teach Critical Thinking and Communication Skills to Future Leaders. Journal of Leadership Education, 17(2), 123–137. https://doi.org/10.12806/V17/I2/A4

Dawson, V., & Carson, K. (2020). Introducing Argumentation About Climate Change Socioscientific Issues in a Disadvantaged School. Research in Science Education, 50(3), 863–883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9715-x

Dewangga, D. A., Rosadi, I., Muna, N. M., & Indriani, L. (2024). Investigating Critical Thinking Skills in Debate Class through the Use of the Case Method. Pedagogy : Journal of English Language Teaching, 12(1), 117. https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v12i1.9266

Donbavand, S., & Hoskins, B. (2021). Citizenship Education for Political Engagement: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials. Social Sciences, 10(5), 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10050151

Sanjaya, D. B., Suartama, I. K., Suastika, I. N. (2022). The Effect of the Conflict Resolution Learning Model and Portfolio Assessment on the Students’ Learning Outcomes of Civic Education. International Journal of Instruction, 15(1), 473–488. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.15127a

Estellés, M., & Fischman, G. E. (2021). Who Needs Global Citizenship Education? A Review of the Literature on Teacher Education. Journal of Teacher Education, 72(2), 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487120920254

Golden, B. (2023). Enabling critical thinking development in higher education through the use of a structured planning tool. Irish Educational Studies, 42(4), 949–969. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2023.2258497

Gronostay, D. (2019). Are classroom discussions on controversial political issues in civic education lessons cognitively challenging? A closer look at discussions with assigned positions. Studia Paedagogica, 24(4), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:19051

Guo, K., Zhong, Y., Li, D., & Chu, S. K. W. (2023). Effects of chatbot-assisted in-class debates on students’ argumentation skills and task motivation. Computers & Education, 203, 104862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104862

Gunawan, Y., Ansar, M. A., & Dzakiyyah, S. A. (2025). Navigating the Waters of Conflict: Indonesia and Malaysia's Maritime Boundary Dispute in the Sulawesi Sea and Malacca Straits. Jambura Law Review, 7(1), 152-175. https://doi.org/10.33756/jlr.v7i1.24367

Habibah & Fauzi, M. A. N., S. M. (2025). Interactive Debate Model as an Effort to Develop Conflict Resolution Skills in Students. Journal of Student-Centered Learning, 2(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.63687/jscl.v2i1.23

Haduong, P., Jeffries, J., Pao, A., Webb, W., Allen, D., & Kidd, D. (2024). Who am I and what do I care about? Supporting civic identity development in civic education. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 19(2), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/17461979231151616

Hoggan-Kloubert, T., & Mabrey, P. E. (2022). Civic Education as Transformative Education. Journal of Transformative Education, 20(3), 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/15413446221103173

Hwang, G.-J., Huang, H., & Chen, H.-Y. (2025). Promoting students’ civic literacy and positive learning behaviors: A supportive feedback-based decision-making gaming approach. Education and Information Technologies, 30(1), 189–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12839-0

Joris, M., Simons, M., & Agirdag, O. (2022). Citizenship-as-competence, what else ? Why European citizenship education policy threatens to fall short of its aims. European Educational Research Journal, 21(3), 484–503. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904121989470

Kaldaras, L., Wang, K. D., Nardo, J. E., Price, A., Perkins, K., Wieman, C., & Salehi, S. (2024). Employing technology-enhanced feedback and scaffolding to support the development of deep science understanding using computer simulations. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00490-7

Karulus, Y., & Askandar, K. (2020). Human Security and Development at the Border: the Case of Ba’kelalan, Sarawak, Malaysia. East Asia, 37(4), 369–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-020-09343-w

Lai, Y. M., & Kuik, C.-C. (2021). Structural sources of Malaysia’s South China Sea policy: power uncertainties and small-state hedging. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 75(3), 277–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357718.2020.1856329

Loganathan, T., Ong, Z. L., Hassan, F., Chan, Z. X., & Majid, H. A. (2023). Barriers and facilitators to education access for marginalised non-citizen children in Malaysia: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 18(6), e0286793. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286793

Majidi, A. El, Janssen, D., & De Graaff, R. (2021). The effects of in-class debates on argumentation skills in second language education. System, 101, 102576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102576

McDevitt, M., & Kiousis, S. (2006). Deliberative Learning: An Evaluative Approach to Interactive Civic Education. Communication Education, 55(3), 247–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520600748557

McIntosh, J., & Milam, M. (2016). Competitive debate as competency-based learning: civic engagement and next-generation assessment in the era of the common core learning standards. Communication Education, 65(4), 420–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2016.1203007

Mokhtar, M. M., Jamil, M., Yaakub, R., & Amzah, F. (2020). Debate as a Tool for Learning and Facilitating Based on Higher Order Thinking Skills in The Process of Argumentative Essay Writing. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(6), 62–75. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.6.4

Munandar, A. (2020). Nation-State Formation at the Indonesia-Malaysia Border in West Kalimantan. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Civic and Political Studies, 15(2), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0071/CGP/v15i02/17-28

Napoleon, B., & Kuchenrither, C. (2023). Debates as an Active Learning Strategy to Enhance Students’ Knowledge of Ethics in Professional Nursing Practice and Health Care. Nurse Educator, 48(5), E163–E167. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001429

Nurakhir, A., Nindya Palupi, F., Langeveld, C., & Nurmalia, D. (2020). Students’ Views of Classroom Debates as a Strategy to Enhance Critical Thinking and Oral Communication Skills. Nurse Media Journal of Nursing, 10(2), 130–145. https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v10i2.29864

Ongesa, C. M. (2020). Critical Thinking Skill Gap in the Kenyan Education Curriculum: The 21st Century Skills for the Global Citizen. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 9(SI), 178–191. https://doi.org/10.32674/jise.v9iSI.1860

Özgenel, M. (2018). Modeling the Relationships between School Administrators’ Creative and Critical Thinking Dispositions with Decision Making Styles and Problem Solving Skills. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2018.3.0068

Pemunta, N. V., Ngo, N. V., Fani Djomo, C. R., Mutola, S., Seember, J. A., Mbong, G. A., & Forkim, E. A. (2021). The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Egyptian National Security, and human and food security in the Nile River Basin. Cogent Social Sciences, 7(1), 1875598. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.1875598

Pratiwi E., Darmawan, D. D., Fachrudi, F. A. N., Suganda, F. A., & Sundawa, D., D. (2025). Pancasila-Based Democratic Education and Civil Society Development amid Indonesia’s Democratic Regression. Sospol, 11(2), 146–159. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22219/jurnalsospol.v11i2.38273

Prayuda, R., Rosyadi, M. I., Fikri, R., & Amrillah, M. F. (2025). Integrating Environmental Sustainability and Borderland Development: A Tourism Model for Rupat Island, Indonesia. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 20(07), 3057–3065. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.200730

Raharjo, S. N. I., & Idris, H. (2025). Indonesia-Malaysia Cross-Border Cooperation in Managing Mobility of People at Disputed Border Area. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.59588/2350-8329.1561

Raharjo, S. N. I., Pudjiastuti, T. N., & Nufus, H. (2024). Cross-border cooperation as a method of conflict management: a case study in the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea. Conflict, Security & Development, 24(3), 277-298. https://doi.org/10.1080/14678802.2024.2355528

Rivas, S. F., Saiz, C., & Ossa, C. (2022). Metacognitive Strategies and Development of Critical Thinking in Higher Education. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 913219. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913219

Santika, I. W. E., & Tripayana, I. N. A. (2025). Strengthening Democracy Thorugh Political Education In Indonesia. International Journal of Education and Social Science Studies, 1(2), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.60153/ijesss.v1i2.202

Schueler, B. E., & Larned, K. E. (2025). Interscholastic Policy Debate Promotes Critical Thinking and College-Going: Evidence From Boston Public Schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 47(1), 108–134. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737231200234

Smidt, H. M. (2020). United Nations Peacekeeping Locally: Enabling Conflict Resolution, Reducing Communal Violence. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 64(2–3), 344–372. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002719859631

Spaska, A. M., Savishchenko, V. M., Komar, O. A., Нritchenko, T. Y., & Maidanyk, O. V. (2021). Enhancing Analytical Thinking in Tertiary Students Using Debates. European Journal of Educational Research, volume-10-2021(volume-10-issue-2-april-2021), 879–889. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.2.879

Supancana, I. B. R. (2022). Maritime Boundary Disputes Between Indonesia and Malaysia in the Area of Ambalat Block: Some Optional Scenarios for Peaceful Settlement. In E. Y. J. Lee (Ed.), ASEAN International Law (pp. 303–317). Springer Nature Singapore. https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-16-3195-5_16

Tanty, H., Fernando, C., Valencia, J., & Justin, V. (2022). Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Among Students. Business Economic, Communication, and Social Sciences Journal (BECOSS), 4(3), 173–180. https://doi.org/10.21512/becossjournal.v4i3.8633

Thornhill-Miller, B., Camarda, A., Mercier, M., Burkhardt, J.-M., Morisseau, T., Bourgeois-Bougrine, S., Vinchon, F., El Hayek, S., Augereau-Landais, M., Mourey, F., Feybesse, C., Sundquist, D., & Lubart, T. (2023). Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration: Assessment, Certification, and Promotion of 21st Century Skills for the Future of Work and Education. Journal of Intelligence, 11(3), 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11030054

Wray‐Lake, L., & Abrams, L. S. (2020). Pathways to Civic Engagement Among Urban Youth of Color. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 85(2), 7–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12415

Xu, E., Wang, W., & Wang, Q. (2023). The effectiveness of collaborative problem solving in promoting students’ critical thinking: A meta-analysis based on empirical literature. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01508-1

Zarei, M. (2020). The water-energy-food nexus: A holistic approach for resource security in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Water-Energy Nexus, 3, 81–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wen.2020.05.004

Zulkipli, S. T. B., & Askandar, K. (2021). Contextualisation of Human (In)security at the Sarawak-West Kalimantan Borderland. East Asia, 38(3), 291–311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-020-09353-8

Downloads

Published

2025-12-08

How to Cite

Hamidah, H., Lubis, M. A., Amin, M., & Saleh, Y. (2025). Debate-Based Civic Education and Its Effects on Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making in Border Conflict Resolution . Jurnal Kependidikan : Jurnal Hasil Penelitian Dan Kajian Kepustakaan Di Bidang Pendidikan, Pengajaran, Dan Pembelajaran, 11(4), 1410–1421. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v11i4.18158

Issue

Section

Articles

Citation Check