Critical Thinking in EFL Classrooms : Effects on Learner Motivation, Autonomy, and Belief

Whether or not to teach critical thinking skills in language classrooms has long been discussed among language educators. Some educators may think critical thinking (CT) imposes Western cultural practice on English learners and overlooks learners’ respective cultural backgrounds. However, from a postcolonial and poststructuralist view that deconstructs taken-for-granted ideas between the East and West, many argue critical pedagogy can benefit Japanese learners of English. This paper further examines a previous study by the author which inspected how learners think about critical thinking after a series of routine activities carefully designed to cultivate critical thinking in content-based language classrooms (Lin, 2021). Student feedback indicates that when exploring different topics in English, critical thinking motivates them and encourages learner autonomy and curiosity. Further, critical thinking skills also promote active listening and reading, improved comprehension, better conversation skills, and English production.