Improving EFL Learners’ Argumentative Writing through Critical Thinking Disposition: Focus on Gender-Related Differences

Hoorijani, Shaho; Heidari Tabrizi, Hossein

doi:10.22080/iselt.2023.25923.1056

Improving EFL Learners’ Argumentative Writing through Critical Thinking Disposition: Focus on Gender-Related Differences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.

² English Department, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran

10.22080/iselt.2023.25923.1056

Abstract

Critical thinking disposition as an important feature of the critical thinking concept is considered as the active representation of critical thinking skills. This study investigated the contribution of gender and critical thinking disposition (CTD) on improving Iranian EFL learners’ argumentative writing development. The participants were 150 intermediate EFL learners in five groups ranging from 20 to 30 years of age who were equally divided into three experimental (EGs) and two control groups (CGs); one group only males (CG1), and the other only females (CG2). Participants took two TOEFL writing exams before and after the treatment sessions, followed by a CCTDI questionnaire before and after treatment sessions. The researchers taught both the experimental groups and control groups. Attempts were made to determine whether there were any gender differences at work while the EFL learners in the EGS were exposed to the treatment and the CGs received conventional instruction. The findings indicated no notable variation in writing scores based on gender-related distinctions among the participants in this research (17.84 vs. 18.43), but gender did play a role in the critical thinking disposition scores of the learners in which, male learners significantly outperformed female learners in the CCTDI, and there was a statistically significant difference in CCTDI scores was observed, which indicated a statistical significance among groups: males (M = 355.22, SD = 13.66) and females (M = 325.94, SD = 16.92). The findings provide further evidence for the effectiveness of the role of gender in Iranian EFL learners’ critical thinking disposition.

Keywords

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