Exploring teaching strategies for the development of critical thinking skills in an EFL classroom with technologist courses at SENA in Montería

Abstract

In this study, the aim was to describe the teaching strategies for the development of critical thinking skills in an English as a foreign language (EFL) environment in technological courses at SENA, Monteria. To achieve this objective, a mixed methodological approach was adopted that integrated both quantitative and qualitative data. The target population comprised students from four groups of technology courses, selected through simple random sampling. Specific questionnaires were used to assess students' critical thinking skills, classified into different proficiency levels. The main results, both quantitative and qualitative, were presented in detail, highlighting the different categories of critical thinking skills observed in the students, along with a comprehensive analysis of the pedagogical strategies employed during the classroom observations. The findings of this study revealed a diversity of results in terms of the development of critical thinking skills among students. It was observed that some groups demonstrated effective promotion of critical thinking through structured activities and collaborative classroom discussions. However, other groups showed difficulties in introducing critical thinking at more basic levels. In addition, interviews with teachers highlighted the importance of promoting independent and creative thinking, while noting obstacles such as pressure to memorize and assessment methods that may limit the effective development of critical thinking. These findings reflect the complexity of integrating strategies for the promotion of critical thinking into the educational environment, highlighting the need to address disparities and apply differentiated strategies to improve the overall effectiveness of critical thinking skills development in the EFL classroom.