Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking Skills and Language Learning Strategy Use of Iranian EFL Learners: with Focus on Language Proficiency Levels

Document Type : Article

Author

English Department,Farhangian University,Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Learners’ autonomy has become a growing topic of concern within educational contexts. This is because it is felt that there is an increasing need for developing higher-level cognitive skills such as creative thinking and critical thinking in students in order to enable them to handle their own learning process. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship among three variables, namely creative thinking skills, critical thinking skills, and learning strategy use with focus on Iranian EFL learners’ proficiency development through a survey research design. A total number of 169 Iranian students learning English were selected to complete three questionnaires on creative thinking, critical thinking skills and learning strategy use. The results of the study revealed that participants possess an acceptable level of creative thinking, but their critical thinking skills and learning strategy use were relatively poor. It was also shown through the test of correlation that proficiency development had a positive relationship with the three variables and that there were also positive correlations among three variables as well. Finally, results of standard multiple regression analyses manifested that the model consisting of creative thinking, critical thinking, and learning strategy can predict the proficiency development considerably.

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