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Investigating University EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Critical Thinking and Its Teaching: Voices from China

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Abstract

This study investigates Chinese university EFL teachers’ perceptions of critical thinking (CT) and its teaching through a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The findings reveal that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in China strongly agreed that CT should be an integral part of the EFL curriculum and classroom teaching; however, they appeared to lack professional knowledge of CT and how to implement it in their classes. In addition, they were faced with various challenges and claimed to need further support with their teaching of CT. The study calls for more customized professional development on the integration of CT into the English language curriculum, materials development and pedagogical practice.

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Funding

This work was funded by the National Social Science Fund of China (Grant Number: 18AYY011). It was supported by Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences in universities, Ministry of Education, China (Grant Number: 2019JT001). It was also supported by the Project of Discipline Innovation and Advancement (PODIA)-Foreign Language Education Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China

    Hong Zhang

  2. Department of English Language Education, Education University of Hong Kong, Ting Kok, Hong Kong, China

    Rui Yuan

  3. School of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China

    Xiaoyan He

Authors
  1. Hong Zhang
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  2. Rui Yuan
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  3. Xiaoyan He
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Correspondence to Hong Zhang.

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Zhang, H., Yuan, R. & He, X. Investigating University EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Critical Thinking and Its Teaching: Voices from China. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 29, 483–493 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-020-00500-6

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