Scrutinizing the Impact of Teachers’ Critical Thinking and Teaching Autonomy on Their Teaching Success and Learners’ Use of Language Learning Strategies

Abstract

Postmethod perspective on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching considers EFL teachers to be reflective and autonomous practitioners who play the role of change agents. In order to systematically study the way these attributes affect teachers’ and learners’ actual performance, this study investigated the effect of EFL teachers’ Critical Thinking (CT) and Teaching Autonomy (TA) on their Teaching Success (TS) and EFL learners’ Language Learning Strategies (LLS) use. Twenty mixed-gender upper-intermediate and advanced level general English classes were randomly selected from ten language schools. The teachers were 25 to 40 years of age (Mage = 31), whereas the learners were 18 to 30 (Mage = 24). In each class, CT and TA questionnaires were answered by the teacher and the LLS and TS scales were completed by the learners after 12 to 19 sessions. The results of a one-way ANOVA followed by a post-hoc Scheffe’s revealed that those EFL learners whose teachers had a high TA level show a significantly higher perception toward TS. Moreover, those learners whose teachers had a low CT level showed a higher, but non-significant, perception toward TS. Furthermore, EFL learners whose teachers had a moderate level of TA demonstrated a higher, but non-significant, use of LLS. Finally, EFL learners whose teachers had a high CT level showed a higher, but non-significant use of LLS. Regarding the limitations and drawing upon the findings, the article concludes with some pedagogical implications and some avenues for future research.