Teaching Critical Thinking to English-Majored Students through the Pathways Coursebooks (2nd edition) at UFLS-UD: Challenges and Solutions

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54855/paic.23415

Keywords:

Critical thinking, Pathways coursebooks, language skills, English-majored students.

Abstract

Critical thinking (CT), a 21st-century skill, not only plays a crucial role in students’ academic success but is also a fundamental capacity increasingly sought upon in the competitive global job market. However, there has been limited research in Vietnam on how to foster CT through English language teaching in higher education. This study fills this gap by investigating the challenges of teaching CT through the teaching of four English practical skills at the University of Foreign Language Studies - the University of Da Nang (UFLS-UD) via the Pathways Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking (2nd edition), which is a global, innovative academic English coursebook series carefully designed to develop integrated English language skills and CT. Coursebooks have been used in the curriculum at the Faculty of English and the Faculty of Foreign Language Teacher Education since 2021. However, how to effectively explore coursebooks’ resources to develop students’ critical thinking skills has not been investigated. With the employment of research methods, namely, survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, our study is an attempt to identify the abovementioned challenges, thereby suggesting solutions to enhance the quality of teaching CT combined with language skills for English-majored students.

Author Biographies

Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa, The University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang

Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa is an Assoc. Prof., Ph.D. in Linguistics, M.A. in the English language. Her main areas of interest are English, linguistics, translation, discourse analysis, EMI, language and culture. She was the first Dean of the Faculty of International Studies, University of Foreign Language Studies, the University of Danang (UFLS-UD) from 2006 to 2014. Now she is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of English, UFLS-UD, and Vice-Dean in charge of academic affairs.

Nguyen Doan Thao Chi, University of Foreign Language Studies, the University of Danang

Nguyen Doan Thao Chi is a lecturer of the Faculty of Foreign Language Teacher Education, University of Foreign Language Studies, the University of Danang (UFLS-UD). She has been teaching at UFLS-UD for 12 years. She received her Master’s Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Huddersfield, England. Her research interests include English language teaching, testing and assessment, translation, and teacher education.

Nguyen Thi Huynh Loc, University of Foreign Language Studies, the University of Danang

Nguyen Thi Huynh Loc is a lecturer at the Faculty of English. She got her Ph.D. from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her research interests include language testing and assessment, project-based learning, and global citizenship skills.

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Published

2024-05-28

How to Cite

Nguyen, T. Q. H., Nguyen, D. T. C., & Nguyen, T. H. L. (2024). Teaching Critical Thinking to English-Majored Students through the Pathways Coursebooks (2nd edition) at UFLS-UD: Challenges and Solutions. Proceedings of the AsiaCALL International Conference, 4, 209–219. https://doi.org/10.54855/paic.23415

Issue

Vol. 4 (2023): Proceedings of the 20th AsiaCALL International Conference (AsiaCALL2023)

Section

Research Article

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Copyright (c) 2023 Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa, Nguyen Doan Thao Chi, Nguyen Thi Huynh Loc

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