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العلاقة بين التفكير الناقد والاداء في الاستيعاب القرائي لدى الطلبة العراقيين دارسي اللغة الانكليزية لغة اجنبية == The Relationship Between Iraqi EFL Students' Critical Thinking And Reading Comprehension Performance
Author name:
حیدر عبد الزهرة شلش العتابي
Supervisor name:
ضحى عطا الله حسن القره غولي
General topic:
Educational Sciences
Specific topic:
Methods of Teaching English Language
Degree:
Master
University:
Mustansiriyah University - Faculty Of Basic Education
Language:
English
University location:
Baghdad
First pages:
05T2792 - p.pdf
Abstract:
Critical thinking is an important everyday activity. Every time we have to make a decision, the process we go through involves critical thinking. Nowadays, critical thinking is one of the major concepts under consideration in education.Reading has also been considered one of the most important skills in EFL/ESL context. Hence, the integration of critical thinking and reading could be most effective to learners. To develop students' critical reading ability is a major goal in reading instruction.Considering the substantial roles of EFL/ESL reading comprehension and critical thinking skills, it can be noted that these two variables are required for students to succeed in academic English settings.In line with the studies confirming the positive relationship between critical thinking ability and language proficiency, this study intendes to investigate the relationship between the EFL college students' critical thinking and their performance in reading comprehension. Hence, the present study aims at : 1 - measuring EFL college students' critical thinking skills;2 - measuring EFL college students' reading comprehension performance;3 - finding out the relationship between students' critical thinking skills on one hand and their performance in reading comprehension on the other; and4 - investigating whether gender makes difference in the relationship between critical thinking and reading comprehension.To achieve the aims of the study, four null hypotheses have been stated as follows : 1 - Third - year EFL college students' level on the critical thinking test is average.2 - Third - year EFL college students' performance on the reading comprehension test is average.3 - There is no statistically significant relationship between Iraqi EFL students' critical thinking and reading comprehension performance.4 - There is no statistically significant difference in the relationship between Iraqi EFL students' critical thinking and reading comprehension performance according to the gender variable. A random sample of third - year college students enrolled for the academic year (2013 - 2014) has been selected. The number of participants is 62 representing 30 % of the total population.In order to fulfil the aims of the study and to test its hypotheses, two instruments have been adopted for data gathering; Watson - Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) Test and astandardized Reading Comprehension Test. The instruments are exposed to a jury of experts for the purpose of ascertaining their face and content validity. They have validated the items and suggested some modifications. After a pilot administration of the instruments, their reliability is calculated by the split - half method for the (WGCTA) Test, and the mark - remark method for the reading comprehension test, yielding reliability coefficients of 0.72 and 0.81 respectively. The discriminatory powers and difficulty level of the instruments' items are also computed.After the final administration of the study instruments, the major findings are : 1 - Third year EFL college students' performance on the critical thinking test is average.2 - The students have average level in some CT subskills; Interpretation and Evaluation of Arguments, but they are weak on others; Inference, Recognition of Assumptions and Deduction. 3 - Third year EFL college students' performance on the reading comprehension test is average. 4 - The students' performance on the lower order thinking level is average, whereas their performance on the higher order thinking level is below average.5 - There is a positive significant relationship between Iraqi EFL students' critical thinking skills and reading comprehension performance.6 - There are no statistically significant differences between critical thinking and reading comprehension due to the gender variable.In the light of the results obtained, a number of pedagogicalimplications and recommendations concerned with textbooks designers, teachers, and learners are put forward. Also, several suggestions for further studies are proposed to enrich this area of investigation.
Summary:
05T2792 - A.pdf
References:
05T2792 - R.pdf
