The Impact of Integrating Critical Thinking Skills in Reading Curriculum in Developing Qatari Students Performance in PISA Exams

Abstract

This study aims at identifying the effect of integrating critical thinking skills in the Arabic language curriculum for the seventh grade in the State of Qatar through the reading course on improving the performance of Qatari students in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, and the study used the descriptive-analytical method. It analyzed the content of the reading course for grade seven in Qatar and the content of the PISA test in the field of reading knowledge and their critical thinking skills. The results of the study showed a clear improvement in the performance of Qatar’s students in the Pisa tests in general, as Qatar’s students made remarkable progress between 2006 and 2015, where the general average in -the field of reading literacy -increased from (312) to (402), which indicates - according to the study - the effect of integrating critical thinking skills in achieving this.