DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract

In contemporary higher education, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction is increasingly expected to move beyond basic linguistic proficiency to cultivate higher-order cognitive abilities. This study investigates the impact of integrating explicit critical thinking (CT) instruction—utilizing Socratic questioning, analytical reading, and structured debates—into EFL coursework. Employing a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control group design over a 12-week intervention, 60 undergraduate EFL students were divided into an experimental group (n = 30) receiving CT-integrated language instruction and a control group (n = 30) receiving traditional communicative language teaching. Quantitative data were gathered using a standardized Critical Thinking Assessment Rubric adapted from the Paul-Elder framework. Paired and independent samples t-tests revealed that the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant gains in analytical reasoning, argument evaluation, and reflective writing compared to the control group (p < .001). The findings suggest that embedding critical cognitive tasks directly into language curricula enhances both cognitive and linguistic competence simultaneously.