Abstract
The present study investigates the effectiveness of teaching critical thinking skills through literary texts in the EFL classroom, based on the combination of reader-centered critical reading and critical literacy pedagogy. Our proposal seeks to address both language teaching and literacy education from a transnational perspective by dealing with critical thinking skills as a set of processes whose main aspects include the interpretation of the world, self-reflection, intercultural awareness, critical awareness, problem-solving, and language use. For the purpose of this study, a series of activities based on Caryl Phillips’s novel The Lost Child (2015) have been designed, following the four curricular components of Multiliteracies pedagogy (Kalantzis & Cope, 2000). Conducted in an EFL classroom in Spain, the study aims to validate the model of teaching critical skills built on working with current social issues, such as immigration, discrimination, and bullying. To evaluate the effectiveness of the model, teacher assessment and self-assessment questionnaires have been completed by the teacher and the students, respectively. A close analysis of the results reveals that both students and their teacher perceive the model as highly effective, in particular, in terms of self-reflection. Additionally, intrinsically motivating activities and frequent opportunities to discuss literary texts and relate them to current issues have proved to be highly beneficial for the students, providing them with a broader perspective that helps them interpret real-world problems properly. The assessment grid has proved effective, although for a wider application of the grid, the descriptors might have to be adapted to the students’ age.
Highlights
There is no doubt that the ability to think critically is one of the primary goals of education in the 21st century that has direct connection with language teaching and learning as well as with our daily life
The present study investigates the effectiveness of teaching critical thinking skills through literary texts in the EFL classroom, based on the combination of reader-centered critical reading and critical literacy pedagogy
One way to accomplish it is through reading and interpreting literary texts in the English language classroom, our study aims at analysing the effectiveness of teaching critical thinking skills through literary texts in the EFL context
Summary
There is no doubt that the ability to think critically is one of the primary goals of education in the 21st century that has direct connection with language teaching and learning as well as with our daily life. Since 1990, teachers have increasingly realised the necessity of developing students’ ability to think critically both in higher education and in university EFL courses. Over the past decades, numerous scholars and educators have advocated the necessity of teaching critical thinking as one of the essential skills in order to help students to operate effectively within society, make better judgments, and take personal, business or leadership decisions (Braun, 2004; Fisher, 2001; Kalyczynski, 2001; Willingham, 2007). The EFL classroom provides multiple opportunities for teachers to enhance the development of students’ thinking skills through a combination of teaching factual content and using this material critically (Khatib, Marefat & Ahmadi, 2012; Moreno-Lopéz, 2004; Quing, 2013). One way to accomplish it is through reading and interpreting literary texts in the English language classroom, our study aims at analysing the effectiveness of teaching critical thinking skills through literary texts in the EFL context
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