Impact of Synthesizing Critical Thinking Dispositional Features and Action Learning Approach on Enhancing Iranian EFL Learners’ Argumentative Writing Development

With the advancement of new teaching methods and approaches in foreign language teaching and learning, critical thinking has gained popularity in modern language education. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the possible impact of synthesizing critical thinking dispositional features and action learning on the Iranian intermediate EFL students’ argumentative composition improvement skills. From the ۴۰۰ EFL learners at Islamic Azad University, Kurdistan branch, one hundred and fifty mingled intermediate-level EFL university learners were chosen based on their scores received from the OQPT and equally distributed into three experimental and two control groups. All participants were given two standard writing tests during the pre and post-treatment phases, followed by CCTST principles. In EG۱, the researcher taught argumentative writing based on critical thinking dispositional features; in EG۲, he taught argumentative writing based on the principles of action learning approach; and in EG۳, he taught argumentative writing by synthesizing critical thinking dispositional features and the principles of action learning approach. Two control groups received conventional writing instruction: one group consisted of only males (EG۱), and the other only females (EG۲). The study's results revealed that while the participants in both The EGs and CGs elicited a statistically important development in the posttests, those in the three EGs all outperformed those in the CGs. In the order of significance, critical thinking dispositional features, then action learning approach and lastly synthesizing critical thinking dispositional features and action learning approach had a meaningful impact on improving the argumentative essay writing skills of Iranian intermediate EFL students.

Keywords:

Action learning , Argumentative writing , California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). Critical thinking dispositional features , Iranian EFL learners