THE ROLE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN ENHANCING READING COMPREHENSION IN EFL CLASSROOMS
Keywords:
EFL instruction, reading comprehension, critical thinking, critical reading, higher-order thinking, reading strategies, text analysis, learner autonomy, classroom practice, academic literacy.Abstract
Improving reading comprehension is one of the most important goals of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. Yet in many classrooms, reading is still approached as a largely mechanical activity centered on vocabulary recognition, grammar explanation, and the retrieval of explicit information. Such practices may help learners decode a text, but they do not always help them interpret ideas, evaluate arguments, or construct deeper meaning. Contemporary scholarship increasingly treats critical thinking as a core component of effective reading because it enables learners to analyze, infer, question, assess evidence, and formulate reasoned judgments.
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