Abstract
The attempt in this study is to investigate the effect of teaching critical thinking through problem solving on reading comprehension performance of EFL intermediate learners. In so doing, forty including twenty male and twenty female intermediate students studying English in an institute in Ardabil, Iran, were selected based on their scores on Preliminary English Test and assigned into control and experimental groups. Afterwards, the sample TOEFL reading comprehension pre-test was administered to both of these groups to ensure homogeneity. The learners in experimental group were taught through problem solving instruction and the learners in control group were taught through traditional method of instructing reading comprehension. After ten sessions of instruction, the same sample TOEFL reading comprehension as post-test was given to the learners to measure the possible differences between pre-test and post-test. The finding revealed teaching problem solving had statistically significant effect on EFL learners reading comprehension performance. Conclusion can be drawn to confirm that teaching critical thinking through problem solving bring better understanding of the text.
Highlights
Nowadays, reading comprehension is becoming an integral element in modern life and it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore
The attempt in this study is to investigate the effect of teaching critical thinking through problem solving on reading comprehension performance of EFL intermediate learners
The current study supports the idea that there is positive correlation between CT and reading comprehension
Summary
Nowadays, reading comprehension is becoming an integral element in modern life and it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Recent studies in the area of reading comprehension led to a renewed interest in problem solving technique through which students can identify, clarify, and solve problems exist in reading (Waters, 2000). Critical thinking is an integral component in modern education and receives a great deal of attention. Understanding the implied meaning in text needs different thinking skills. CT can be considered one of those skills help students achieve more success in their academic life and if the students are provided with CT and meta-cognitive skills, they will have better understanding of the texts (Jouhson, Archibald, &Tenebaum, 2010: cited in NourMohammadi, Heidari, &DehghanNiry, 2012). CT can be considered one of those skills help students achieve more success in their academic life and if the students are provided with CT and meta-cognitive skills, they will have better understanding of the texts (Jouhson, Archibald, &Tenebaum, 2010: cited in NourMohammadi, Heidari, &DehghanNiry, 2012). Facione and Facione (1994) believed CT is identified by its subscales: analysis, evaluation, inference, deductive and inductive reasoning
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