Critical Thinking and Learners’ L2 Writing Development in a Saudi Tertiary EFL Context

Abstract

Writing in a second language (L2) is a complex process that encompasses a multitude of various sub-processes. A logical question that arises is as to what may help students become more eloquent, or rather, what the factors behind successful L2 writing development are. The current study is concerned with how critical thinking influences L2 writing progress. The particular aim of this investigation is to establish whether there is any interrelation between critical thinking and English language learners’ writing development. The working hypothesis for this study is that L2 writing skills are often contingent on a student’s critical thinking (CT) abilities among other metacognitive faculties. A group of EFL (English as a foreign language) undergraduate students (n= 55) at a Saudi Arabian public university participated in the current study. Throughout the process of the eight-week investigation, the study subjects took a test in CT, wrote passages and convened for a brief interview (n= 20) to identify how students conceptualise CT and utilize it in their EFL classes. Contributing to the realms of L2 writing and metacognitive development in the Saudi EFL context, the current study contributes further evidence, which suggests that CT is well-conceptualized by EFL students and has a positive impact on their L2 writing development and in particular; on deduction and evaluation skills.