The Development of Critical Thinking in EFL Reading with Chinese Students: Reducing the Obstructive Effect of English Proficiency

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Published: Dec 25, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55766/YUYU6588
Keywords:
critical thinking English proficiency English as a Foreign Language selective translation scaffolding

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Sheng Wang
School of Foreign Languages, Institute of Social Technology, Suranaree University of Technology
Sirinthorn Seepho
School of Foreign Languages, Institute of Social Technology, Suranaree University of Technology

Abstract

Recently, the instruction of critical thinking, which is mostly conducted with learners in a western context, has expanded to EFL teaching and learning contexts and is emphasized in higher education in China. Previous studies found that Chinese EFL learners lack critical thinking due to their English proficiency.  This study aims to explore a way to reduce the negative effects of English proficiency on the development of critical thinking. One natural class of English major freshmen was chosen as the sample. Selective translation and scaffolding were employed to curtail the obstruction of English proficiency in the development of critical thinking.  The results show that obstruction of English proficiency in the development of critical thinking could be removed by selective translation and scaffolding. The findings provide some implications for the development of critical thinking in an EFL context.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 10 No. 2 (2016): July-December 2016
Section
Research Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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