scholarly journals Developing College EFL Writers’ Critical Thinking Skills Through Online Resources: A Case Study

SAGE Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401882038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaodong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Writing Classroom ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Student Writers

This study reports on how the supplementation of online resources, informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL), impacted English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) student writers’ development of critical thinking skills. Through qualitative analyses of student-teacher interactions, interviews with students, and students’ written documents, the case study shows that through 1 semester of intensive exposure to SFL-based online resources in a college Chinese EFL writing classroom, EFL writers were able to develop critical thinking skills in regard to the construction of effective academic writing, although it was a process of encountering and overcoming challenges. Through teacher mediation and their own efforts, they could adjust to the online resources-based classroom, exemplified by their utilization of SFL-related categories offered through online resources to analyze and evaluate the interrelationship between language features and the content manifested in valued texts, and regulate the content of their own academic writing.

scholarly journals Scientific Conferences as Way to Develop Students’ Foreign Language Communicative Competence

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01155
Author(s):  
Yuliya Savinova ◽  
Tatiana Akhmetzyanova ◽  
Svetlana Pozdnyakova ◽  
Ekaterina Dvorak ◽  
Zhanna Zarutskaya
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
High Level ◽  
Development Of Students

The issues of the student engagement in science-related activities and the development of students’ language communicative competence are especially relevant in a technical university, where due to the prevailing of the Sciences, the professional communicative competence has become increasingly vital. The goal of this article is to examine how interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages can foster the foreign language communicative competence of students. In the article, we present the definition and the three basic models of communicative competence. A method of pedagogical observation is used that represents comprehension and analysis of goal-oriented preparation of students for practical scientific conferences. We reveal the fact that interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages allow educators to foster the foreign language communicative competence of students and deepen their knowledge in professional area, as well as to equip them with research skills since students’ participation in the conferences increases their attention and focus, motivates them to practice critical thinking skills of high level.

scholarly journals Literature and critical literacy pedagogy in the EFL classroom: Towards a model of teaching critical thinking skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Bobkina ◽  
Svetlana Stefanova
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Literary Work ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Rudyard Kipling ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
Critical Literacy Pedagogy

Drawing on the numerous benefits of integrating literature in the EFL classroom, the present paper argues that the analysis of a fictional work in the process of foreign language acquisition offers a unique opportunity for students to explore, interpret, and understand the world around them. The paper presents strong evidence in favour of reader-centered critical reading as a means of encouraging observation and active evaluation not only of linguistic items, but also of a variety of meanings and viewpoints. The authors propose a model of teaching critical thinking skills focused on the reader’s response to a literary work. The practical application of the method, which adopts the critical literacy approach as a tool, is illustrated through a series of activities based on the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling.

scholarly journals Problem Based Learning for Mathematics Critical Thinking Skills

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Rohmatul Aini ◽  
Syafrimen Syafril ◽  
Netriwati Netriwati ◽  
Agus Pahrudin ◽  
Titik Rahayu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Case Study Design ◽  
Single Side ◽  
Active Debate

This article aims to find out how to develop student’s critical thinking skills through Problem Based Learning. Single-case single-side case study design is using for method this study, involve one lecture. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and analyze document. The resultz were obtained, showing that the development of mathematics critical thinking skills was carried out using the problem based learning of two component: (i) controversial issues, and (ii) active debate. Temuan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa problem based learning dapat dijadikan sebagai salah satu alternative untuk mengembangkan kemampuan berfikir kritis matematis mahasiswa.

scholarly journals Self-Assessment of Critical Thinking Skills in EFL Writing Courses at the University Level: Reconsideration of the Critical Thinking Construct

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Youssef Nadri ◽  
Adil Azhar
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Metacognitive Skills ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Efl Writing

The Critical Thinking (CT) component has by now secured a key place within EFL curriculum aims and objectives. The integration of a CT dimension into the teaching of the writing skill in particular has received considerable attention in research. However, research has also pointed to the failure of assessment practices to evaluate CT development. It is within this context that the present work advocates a standard based approach to the assessment of CT in EFL writing that aligns assessment criteria to the critical abilities articulated in the learning outcomes (i.e., standards). This fosters a conception of CT measures that associates components of CT with higher order writing skills. Accordingly, the first objective of the study is to empirically test the relationship between CT dispositions and metacognitive strategy use in an attempt to establish a model of writing (self-)assessment that combines these two dimensions. As assessment is viewed as a formative evaluation process subservient of learning, the study also targets the students’ self-assessment strategies during the writing process. To this purpose, a questionnaire has been designed, and administered to 100 students at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Rabat to tap their perceptions and use of CT skills. The data analysis revealed that critical thinking development and assessment are metacognitive in nature; it follows that metacognitive skills such as planning, self-evaluating and reflecting are to be used as an essential vehicle in the development of Critical Thinking skills. This points to the paramount role of CT-informed formative (self-)assessment practices in benefiting ELT writing learners.

scholarly journals Metacognitive Awareness and Critical Thinking Abilities of Pre-service EFL Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Dilek Cakici
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Efl Teachers

The primary aim of current study was to investigate the possible relationship between Metacognitive Awareness (MA) and Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) in a foreign language learning context. In addition, this research aimed to probe the effect of gender and years of pre-service English language teachers on the relation between metacognitive awareness and critical thinking abilities. 218 pre-service EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers participated in the study. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and Critical Thinking Questionnaire were employed to gather necessary data. Obtained results confirmed that there existed a highly significant positive correlation between MA and CTS. Besides, the results indicated that there was a strong relation between the years of pre-service EFL teachers and their MA and CTS. Seniors were found to be more metacognitively aware and critical thinkers than their counterparts. Conversely, it was revealed that there was no gender effect on both MA and CTS. Finally, certain suggestions were set for tertiary institutions to develop metacognition and critical thinking skills in foreign language classroom settings.

scholarly journals Making the best of an inappropriate textbook: using an ‘international edition’ to teach critical thinking and intercultural understanding

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-89
Author(s):  
Kristina C. Marcellus
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Intercultural Understanding ◽  
International Edition ◽  
Sociology Textbook ◽  
Language Environment

In this report, I outline and provide examples of an approach to using an international edition of an introductory sociology textbook to facilitate cross-cultural learning and critical thinking skills in an EFL (English as a foreign language) environment at a small engineering university in the United Arab Emirates.

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