Aspects in the Development of Critical Thinking in Asian EFL Higher Education: A Critical Review

Abstract

Critical thinking is one of the most demanded skills for educational goals, job security, and problem solving in the lifelong process of 21st - century learners. Thus, various specialised courses in education have adopted approaches that integrate critical thinking throughout the curriculum. From the perspective of English language teaching, teachers, researchers, and syllabus writers are committed to the development of learners’ language acquisition through critical thinking as a language pedagogical approach. Empirical studies have frequently demonstrated a high positive correlation between leaners’ critical thinking skills and their language proficiency gains. However, in the Asian EFL context of higher education, the practice of critical thinking skills in language classrooms is not yet well supported widely. In order to clarify the essential place of critical thinking in EFL education, through the insightful discussion on the relevant literature background, this critical review of the literature suggests ways to improve English language teaching that incorporate critical thinking in three major areas: (1) language teaching instructional strategies that incorporate critical thinking, (2) language teaching materials that incorporate critical thinking, and (3) pedagogical content knowledge about critical thinking skills for language teachers. Therefore, this study aims to raise awareness among teachers, researchers, educational scholars, and regional and national authorities in the Asian EFL higher education context about the representation of critical thinking in language programs and teacher training in the roadmap for future English language education.