Hariyanto, C. Asri Budiningsih, Haryanto, Rizqona Maharani, Kristi Wardani, Intan Nuyulis Naeni Puspitasari
Developing critical thinking is a core aim of higher education, particularly in Buddhist studies where students engage with complex philosophical and ethical issues. Although Group Investigation (GI) has been widely examined in secular higher education contexts, empirical evidence of its effectiveness in text-centred religious higher education especially Buddhist Dharmacarya programmes remains limited. This study examined the impact of Group Investigation (GI), a cooperative learning strategy structured around student-led inquiry (topic selection, question formulation, investigation, synthesis, and presentation), on the critical thinking of Dharmacarya undergraduates (a Buddhist higher education track preparing students for teaching and community-based religious instruction). Using a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design, 120 students were divided into GI (n = 60) and lecture-based (n = 60) groups. Over six weeks, the GI group engaged in collaborative inquiry anchored in canonical text analysis and ethical problem prompts, while the control group received traditional lectures. Critical thinking was assessed with a validated Higher Order Thinking Skills test (Cronbach’s α = 0.82), covering analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving domains. Results indicated significantly higher gainscores for the GI group (0.56 ± 0.07) compared to the control (0.32 ± 0.06), t(118) = 12.54, p < 0.001, d = 1.20. Post-test means also favoured GI (79.25 ± 5.98 vs. 67.80 ± 5.55). GI promoted deeper reasoning, collaboration, and engagement, suggesting its strong potential for Buddhist higher education curricula and extending evidence for GI to a religious higher education context characterised by hierarchical and lecture-centred traditions. © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Teacher Professional Education Program, Department of Dharmacarya, Sekolah Tinggi Agama Buddha Negeri Raden Wijaya, Wonogiri, Indonesia; Department of Curriculum and Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Mathematics Education Study Program, Faculty of Tarbiyah, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kudus, Kudus, Indonesia; Primary School Teacher Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Islamic Education Management, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Universitas Islam Negeri Syekh Wasil, Kediri, Indonesia
