The Effect of Watching Sustainability-Focused Animations on English Language Learners’ Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Foreign Languages, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran

Abstract

Promoting environmental awareness and harmony with nature can boost students' empathy and prepare them for a globalized world. Highlighting sustainability in English language classrooms aids in developing students' environmental ethics and sense of personal responsibility. Accordingly, the focus of the present quantitative study was to examine the impact of watching sustainability-focused animations on the reading comprehension and critical thinking of English language learners. The program was implemented in an English language classroom at a private school situated in Kerman City, Iran, with the participants consisting of 30 students (15 students in the control and 15 students in the experimental group) who were 12 years old. Quantitative data were collected and presented using pre- and post-reading tests to track the potential changes in students’ reading comprehension. Naeini’s (2005) Critical Thinking Questionnaire was used to examine participants’ critical thinking at the beginning and end of the project. Post-reading tests showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group participants. Additionally, it was reported that sustainability-focused animations increased learners' critical thinking level. Briefly, incorporating environmental components into the educational process directed towards sustainable development enriches the critical thinking skills of students and facilitates the acquisition of language, as there exists an interconnected relationship between thinking, language, and our surrounding environment.

Keywords

Interdisciplinary Studies in English Language Teaching
Volume 02, Issue 2
July 2024
Pages 17-31

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