Comparison of Iranian EFL Teachers at Public Schools and Private Language Schools: Critical Thinking Ability and Gender in Focus
الموضوعات : نشریه تخصصی زبان، فرهنگ، و ترجمه (دوفصلنامه)
مونس معصومی زاده
1
,
شیما قبادی
2
1 - کارشناس ارشد، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد شهرضا، شهرضا، ایران
2 - دکترای زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد شهرضا،شهرضا، ایران
الکلمات المفتاحية: gender, critical thinking, EFL teachers, public schools, Private Language Schools,
ملخص المقالة :
Critical thinking (CT), a basic survival skill in this fast-paced and ever-changing world we live in, has been the focus of many studies in recent years. Looking at the literature of studies, it can be clearly understood that an essential factor like gender has been ignored in the investigations conducted on CT. The present study examined the status of CT among Iranian EFL teachers and its relationship with gender in the private and public sectors. In other words, the study attempted to trace any difference between male and female EFL teachers in applying this vital skill. With these purposes in mind, 153 EFL teachers (male=57 and female=96) were selected according to a convenience sampling from 20 private language institutes and 20 public schools in Isfahan to participate in the study. The participants were requested to complete an eighty-item Watson-Glaser’s Critical Thinking Appraisal questionnaire. The findings indicated a poor status of CT among the teachers; also, it was revealed that males and females were not significantly different from one another in applying CT skills. However, the private sector apparently has provided a better context for the development of CT among EFL teachers. The conclusion and implications of the study were further discussed.
References
Aliakbari, M. &. (2011). Investigation of the relationship between
gender, the field of study, and critical thinking skill: the case of Iranian
students. In The 16th Conference of Pan-Pcific Association of Applied
Linguistics (pp. 5-6). Hong Kong: The chinese University press.
Alipour, A. M. (2009). Evaluation of critical thinking of the students in
Shiraz, southern Iran. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journa, 466-467.
Amini, M. &. (2010). Critical thinking skill in Shiraz University of
medical sciences students. Bimonthly Journal of Hormozgan
University of Medical Sciences, 213- 218.
Athary, Z. S. (2009). Evaluation of Critical Thinking Skills in Isfahan
University of Medical Sciences' Students and Its Relationship with
Their Rank in University Entrance Exam Rank. Iranian Journal of
Medical Education, 5-12.
Barkhordary, M. J. (2009). The relationship between critical thinking
disposition and self-esteem in third- and fourth-year bachelor nursing
students. Iranian journal of medical education, 13-19.
Bissell, A. N. (2006). A new method for assessing critical thinking in the
classroom. BioScience, 66-72.
Bowell, T. &. (2014). Critical thinking: A concise guide. Routledge.
Carroll, R. (2004). Becoming a critical thinker: A guide for the new
millennium. Washington: Pearson Custom Publication.
Davison, R. C. (2012). Critically thinking about the brain and gender
differences. Applying research to practice (ARP) resources, 45-47.
Ghanbari, A. (2011). A pathological inquiry into the limits and howness
of critical thinking in Shiraz university post graduate classroom
discourse. Unpublished MA Thesis. Fars: Shiraz University. Iran.
Ghanizadeh, A. &. (2011). The relationship between Iranian EFL
teachers' sense of self- efficacy and their pedagogical success in
Language Institutes. Asian EFL Journal, 249-272.
Halpern, D. F. (2002). Thought and knowledge: An introduction to critical
thinking. New York: Routledge.
Halpern, D. F. (2012). Halpern critical thinking assessment: Test manual.
Mödling, Austria: Schuhfried GmbH.
Hashemi, M. R. (2012). Critical discourse analysis and critical thinking:
An experimental study in an EFL context. System, 33-47.
Hashemi, M. R. (2014). A Critical Look into Iranian EFL University
Students’ Critical Thinking and Argumentative Writing. Iranian
Journal of Applied Linguistics, 71- 92.
Hoseini, A. &. (2002). Comparison of critical thinking between freshman
and senior BS students. Iranian journal of medical education, 21-26.
Masumizadeh, M. & Ghobadi, Sh. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(2) (2022), 130–143
143
Mayfield, M. (2009). Thinking for Yourself: Developing CT Skills
Through Writing. Belmont: Wadsworth Press.
Pennycook, A. (1999). Introduction: Critical approaches to TESOL.
TESOL quarterly, 329-348.
Ricketts, J. C. (2004). The relationship between critical thinking
dispositions and critical thinking skills of selected youth leaders in the
national FFA organization. Journal of Southern Agricultural
Education Research, 21-33.
Sariolghalam, M. (2008). Iran in search of itself. Current History, 425.
Yarmohammadi, L. (1995). Fifteen Articles in Contrastive Linguistics
and the Structure of Persian: Grammar, Text and Discourse. Tehran:
Rahnama Press
