EFL teachers' conceptualizations and instructional practices of critical thinking

Abstract

The structure of societies has been changing with the rapid progress of science and technology in the 21st century. In this new structuring era, education is the only valid method to raise individuals who are able to make effective decisions, solve problems and take responsibility for learning and thinking critically. For this reason, learning to think rationally and critically are the keys to educational reforms in a number of educational settings worldwide. In the literature about teaching critical thinking, teacher behaviors are regarded as the most influential variables for the development of critical thinking among students. However, teachers can implement instruction geared towards critical thinking only when they develop a conception of critical thinking. This qualitative study, conducted with five EFL teachers at a high school, aims at investigating in-service EFL teachers’ conceptualizations of critical thinking as well as the strategies they use to infuse critical thinking into their EFL courses. The findings indicate that participating teachers have adequate knowledge about critical thinking and they incorporate certain techniques to cultivate critical thinking among language learners. We recommend that there should be more focus on exploring critical thinking conceptions and practice among EFL teachers working at different levels.