Contextual Teaching and Learning as a Social Learning Strategy for Strengthening Students’ Social Awareness in Higher Education

Retno Utari

doi:10.71094/gjsl.v2i2.454

Authors

Retno Utari SDIU Al Khoir, Surakarta, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71094/gjsl.v2i2.454

Keywords:

Contextual Teaching And Learning, Social Learning, Student Engagement, Social Awareness, Higher Education

Abstract

This article aims to conceptualize Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) as a social learning strategy for strengthening students’ social awareness in higher education. Using a conceptual literature review, this article synthesizes literature on CTL, social learning theory, student engagement, experiential learning, service-learning, transformative learning, and social awareness. The analysis shows that CTL has strategic pedagogical value because it connects academic knowledge with real-life contexts and enables students to interpret the social relevance of what they learn. When viewed through social learning theory, CTL is not merely a context-based instructional approach, but a socially situated learning strategy that facilitates observation, interaction, participation, reflection, and meaning-making. Student engagement functions as a mediating mechanism that links contextual learning experiences with changes in students’ understanding, attitudes, and social orientation. The article contributes an integrative conceptual framework that positions CTL as a pedagogical strategy for developing participation, empathy, social responsibility, and sensitivity toward community realities. This framework offers implications for curriculum design, pedagogical practice, and assessment in socially responsive higher education.

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