The Effects of a Critical Literacy-Based English Teaching Program on Young EFL Learners’ Response Quality and Vocabulary Development

This study examined the effects of critical literacy-based English instruction on young EFL learners’ response quality and vocabulary development. To this end, eight Korean EFL learners from grades 3–5 in elementary school were assigned to a control group and an experimental group. While both groups were taught using the same parody picture books and instructional time across nine sessions, the experimental group received instruction centered on critical literacy-based activities incorporating Padlet and multimodal expression. Data were collected through vocabulary tests, student artifacts, classroom interactions, questionnaires, and field notes. The results showed that both groups improved their vocabulary scores; however, the experimental group showed a greater increase than the control group. In addition, students’ responses shifted from simple impressions or superficial moral judgments to elaborated forms that included perspective-taking and justification. Students increasingly employed critical and evaluative vocabulary and used a wider range of vocabulary when explaining their reasoning. These findings suggest that critical literacy-based instruction not only supports vocabulary development but also encourages learners to use a wider range of vocabulary and produce elaborated responses. Furthermore, the results indicate that activities incorporating diverse multimodal and digital forms of expression can play a role in promoting learners’ participation and meaning-making processes.