چکیده:
This study intended to elaborate on critical thinking based teaching strategies high school EFL teachers in Iran integrate into their teaching process. An edited version of an email-based questionnaire by Barnhill (2010) has been put into use to distribute the teaching strategies survey in four different provinces (Yazd, Lorestan, Fars and Kordestan). One hundred and twenty teachers answered it completely showing 75.94 percent of response rate .Not an empirical layout was utilized to investigate the most effective and frequently used strategies and the relations between the two variables of frequency of use and perception of effectiveness. Means, frequencies, standard deviations, percentages, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), correlation coefficient, and five-point Likert scale were utilized for the purpose of the data analysis. The items rank-ordering pointed out that among the 50 items "questioning and challenging students to consider all views" was rated as the most frequently used and "creative projects in-class involving various materials" was distinguished as the most effective. From 50 strategies, EFA determined four factors reducing the 50 critical thinking based teaching strategies. The findings showed a positive and direct relation between perception of effectiveness and frequency of use for every one of the four variables.
خلاصه ماشینی:
Iranian High School EFL Teachers' Perception and Frequency of Use of Critical Thinking Based Teaching Strategies and their inter-relationship* Masoud Azizi Abarghoui (Corresponding Author) ** Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Shahreza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
The below research questions are formed to realize or know the variables that affect Iranian high school EFL teachers’ use of critical thinking based teaching strategies.
3. Is there any significant relationship between perception of effectiveness and frequency of use of critical thinking based teaching strategies by Iranian high school EFL teachers?
As the colleagues of the researcher, the managers of the English departments of education and training organization in these provinces accepted to cooperate in the process of data collection by selecting the participants among high school EFL teachers who use critical thinking based teaching strategies and gathering some demographic information like their identity, email address and phone number.
In this research, every one of the critical thinking based teaching strategies was evaluated for the high school EFL teachers' perceptions of effectiveness.
1. Research question 1 What kind of teaching strategies do Iranian high school EFL teachers most frequently use to motivate students for critical thinking?
Research question 2 What critical thinking based strategies for teaching do Iranian high school EFL teachers recognize as effective the process of teaching?
Research question 3 Is there any significant relationship between perception of effectiveness and frequency of use of critical thinking based teaching strategies by Iranian high school EFL teachers?