Investigating Critical Thinking in the Interactive Learning Environment for EFL Learners

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate and discuss the main characteristics of project-based learning (PBL) to promote learners’ critical learning skills after reading business texts in a course titled Critical Reading in Business. A mixed-methods research design was used to investigate a total of 54 students. The research instruments in this study were 1) reading logs, 2) a four-level stance questioning form and 3) the student project. Data was collected from the reading logs, four-level stance questioning forms, and projects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the five participants who had the most reading logs to verify the effect of reading business texts on learners and collect additional data. Quantitative data was analyzed using percentages, while qualitative data was analyzed through content analysis. The study reveals that there is a pattern between the number of reading logs, students’ ability to ask more complex questions, and their tendency to use a higher level of vocabulary, suggesting stronger reading comprehension skills. Secondly, the study also demonstrates that undergraduate students who have a higher number of reading logs tend to exhibit a higher percentage of credibility judgments in reading business texts.