THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AND SIGNIFICANCE OF CRTICAL THINKING IN LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Abstract

Critical thinking refers to the individuals’ ability to think and make correct decisions independently. Nowadays enhancing critical thinking in learners is considered one of the foreign language teachers’ tasks due to its high position in foreign language classrooms. There are various factors affecting language learners’ critical thinking skills. Among these factors is the assessment methods used. Therefore, through managing the ways of assessing language learners’ ability, language teachers can help them develop critical thinking skills. In this presentation, some suggestions for language teachers to make sound choice of assessment methods and activities will be presented. Critical thinking has been the focus of many studies considering the educational and social contexts. However, English as a foreign language (EFL) context is the one in which studies about critical thinking and its link to classroom engagement have not been carried out as much as expected. Hence, this study investigated to understand the association between EFL teachers’ critical thinking ability and students’ classroom engagement to get a broader understanding of the impact critical thinking has on students’ success.