Exploring ESP University Students’ Critical Thinking Skills through Films

Abstract

Purpose Critical thinking as a new educational trend has been much discussed and proposed by theorists and educators in the recent decades and particularly in foreign language settings (Tarvin & Al-Arishi, 1991; Halpern, 2003; Liaw, 2007). The changing economic context has placed new demands on higher education as employers are in demand of new skills and abilities in future graduates among which critical thinking skills  (McNair, 1997; Avis, 2010). So if we aspire to prepare our future graduates for the workplace and life, ESP teachers are not to be different to this new demanding situation. Thus, the purpose of the study was to embark in a new teaching learning experience with the aim of exploring the use film as a content material to help ESP students enhance their critical thinking skills along language learning.

Study design/methodology/approach The study is the report of a qualitative action research that aimed at exploring how critical thinking skills could be enhanced within first year ESP students through the study of film viewing and analysis. Data was mainly gathered by means of interviews, classroom observations and students’ artifacts.

Findings The study revealed that the participants were able to enhance their critical thinking skills after the film viewing and analysis experience. The study also suggested that film, as a content material can be an effective teaching tool to engage students to analyze, interpret and discuss. Thus, providing insight into a useful teaching approach that can help English language learners enhance their critical thinking skills.