ERIC Number: EJ1197987
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Jul
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2158-2440
EISSN: N/A
Facilitating Chinese EFL Learners' Critical Thinking Skills: The Contributions of Teaching Strategies
Wang, Sheng; Seepho, Sirinthorn
SAGE Open, v7 n3 Jul 2017
Many teaching strategies have been used to promote the development of critical thinking skills, among which the most frequently used are group discussion, concept mapping, and analytical questioning. The study aims to explore learners' voice and learning experience in the pedagogical contributions of these strategies to the development of critical thinking skills in Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners. One full university class was chosen as the sample in the instruction of critical thinking skills and to take part in a learner voice survey, among which 15 participants were chosen by purposeful sampling for semistructured interviews. The instruction of critical thinking was embedded in an English reading class by using the three teaching strategies, during which four interviews were conducted for each critical thinking skill. After the instruction of critical thinking skills was completed, all participants were surveyed with the learner voice questionnaire. The results show that participants thought the three teaching strategies could improve critical thinking skills. Each teaching strategy made unique and specific contributions to the development of critical thinking skills. These findings have pedagogical implications for using these teaching strategies in the instruction of critical thinking skills in Chinese EFL learners.
Descriptors: Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Teaching Methods, Concept Mapping, Student Attitudes, Learning Experience, College Students, Reading Instruction, Foreign Countries, Group Discussion, Questioning Techniques
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A