Teaching Critical Thinking to Improve Learners’ Speaking Proficiency

Abstract

Speaking is one of the four skills that contribute to L2 proficiency. There are different strategies to develop the speaking skill; one of the main strategies is critical thinking strategy. The main goal of this research is to examine the effectiveness of using Critical thinking as an instruction in the oral expression class to enhance the speaking skill of FL learners. The present study intends to know the teachers‟ and the students‟ attitudes towards the teaching of critical thinking to improve students‟ speaking proficiency at the institution of letters and foreign languages, Abdelhafid Boussouf University Center/Mila, during the academic year 2017-2018. To test the research hypothesis, two questionnaires were administered; one for teachers and the other for students. The data gathered demonstrate that first year English as Foreign Language (EFL) students at Mila university center have positive attitudes towards teaching them critical thinking though they do not use it frequently. Teachers of OE as well confirm the importance of CT and its impact on the development of students‟ speaking proficiency. The findings obtained allow validating the hypothesis in that the participants show positive attitudes towards the use of CT in the Oral Expression class to improve students‟ speaking skills. From the results, the research proves that more attention should be given to critical thinking in the OE classrooms and CT should be incorporated into the Algerian EFL syllabus. The overwhelming conclusion, reached from the results of this study, is that critical thinking has a significant impact on developing EFL students‟ level of the speaking proficiency.