The Effect of Problem Solving Task on Critical Reading of Intermediate EFL Learners in Iranian Context

Masoud Khalili Sabet, Amir Madavi Zafarghandi, Arezoo Norouz Karkaraq

Abstract


The attempt in this study is to investigate the effect of teaching critical thinking through problem solving on  reading comprehension performance of EFL intermediate learners. In so doing, forty including twenty male and twenty female intermediate students studying English in an institute in Ardabil, Iran, were selected based on their scores on Preliminary English Test and assigned into control and experimental groups. Afterwards, the sample TOEFL reading comprehension pre-test was administered to both of these groups to ensure homogeneity. The learners in experimental group were taught through problem solving instruction and the learners in control group were taught through traditional method of instructing reading comprehension. After ten sessions of instruction, the same sample TOEFL reading comprehension as post-test was given to the learners to measure the possible differences between pre-test and post-test. The finding revealed teaching problem solving had statistically significant effect on EFL learners reading comprehension performance. Conclusion can be drawn to confirm that teaching critical thinking through problem solving bring better understanding of the text.


Keywords


reading comprehension, critical thinking, problem solving, EFL, intermediate

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.7n.1p.99

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