Advances in Language and Literary Studies - Flourishing Creativity & Literacy - Investigating the Relationship between Critical Thinking Skills and the Quality of Iranian Intermediate TEFL Students’ Writing

Oct 15, 2026

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The study investigates the relationship between critical thinking skills and the quality of Iranian intermediate TEFL students’ writing. One-hundred forty language-proficiency-homogeneous learners participated non-randomly after a Nelson test (intermediate 200B). California Critical Thinking Test (Form B) measured critical thinking skills (analysis, evaluation, inference). Writing was scored by two language teachers using Quellmaz’s scale, with inter-rater correlations ensuring reliability. Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used; results show a positive relationship, with evaluation as the strongest predictor.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Review of Literature

2.1 The Etymology of Critical Thinking

2.2 Definitions of Critical Thinking

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 Vol. 6 No. 2; April 2015 Australian International Academic Centre, Australia Flourishing Creativity & Literacy Investigating the Relationship between Critical Thinking Skills and the Quality of Iranian Intermediate TEFL Students’Writing Farahnaz Rimani Nikou (Corresponding author) Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, West Azerbaijan, Iran [E-mail: ni.kou@hotmail.com](E-mail: ni.kou@hotmail.com) Alireza Bonyadi Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, West Azerbaijan, Iran [E-mail: bonyadi.alireza@yahoo.com](E-mail: bonyadi.alireza@yahoo.com) Negin Amirikar Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, West Azerbaijan, Iran [E-mail: Amirikar1989@gmail.com](E-mail: Amirikar1989@gmail.com) Doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.2p.57 URL: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.2p.57](http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.2p.57) Received: 15/ 11/2014 Accepted: 26/01/2015 Abstract The current study intended to find out the relationship between critical thinking skills and the quality of Iranian TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) students ’writing. One-hundred forty students who were homogeneous in their language proficiency were selected non-randomly. The researcher asked students to take part in a proficiency test named Nelson test (intermediate 200B) and she chose students whose level was intermediate as participants of the study. This study was an associational (correlational) study. To achieve the goal of the study California Critical Thinking Test (form B) was administered among intermediate students to measure students ’critical thinking skills (analysis, evaluation, inference) . Then the researcher asked the participants to write on a given topic and their writings were rated by two language teachers by following the rules of scoring in Quellmaz's scale. The inter-rater correlation across all papers calculated in order to be sure about the objectivity and reliability of scores. The Pearson-Product Moment was used to examine the relationship between variables, furthermore multiple regressions was applied to predict the degree of their relationship. The results of the study revealed that there is a positive relationship between critical thing skills and writing quality. Furthermore, it was proved that evaluation has the strongest degree of relationship with the quality of writing. Keywords: Critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, inference, writing quality 1. Introduction “Everyone thinks. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced.”(Paul & Elder, 2002, p.15) . The quality of our life can be guaranteed by the quality of our thinking. We should be aware of our thinking process and we should systematically improve it (Paul, Binker, Jensen & Kreklau, 1990) . Thinking and learning new information are important features of human beings throughout their life. So, thinking should be the most dominant factor in any education system because it provides the base for inventions and leads to human growth and development. The importance of critical thinking as an educational goal has been acknowledged by different educators. Piaget (1958, cited in Fisher, 2001) emphasizes the vitality of students ’critical thinking in his identification of the goal of education: “To create men who are capable of doing new things rather than repeating what the previous generations have already done, and to form minds which can think critically, and verify rather than passively accepting everything offered”(p. 22) . Furthermore, what distinguishes a human from a nonhuman is the ability of the former to reason and communicate. And what distinguishes a literate person from an illiterate one is the capability of the former to read and write. Also, Kellogg (200 1) claimed that writi

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

The study examines the relationship between critical thinking skills and the quality of Iranian intermediate TEFL students’ writing.

How were students selected and how was critical thinking measured?

Students were selected non-randomly based on proficiency; intermediate learners were identified via the Nelson test (intermediate 200B). Critical thinking skills were measured using the California Critical Thinking Test (Form B).

What scoring method was used for writing quality and how was scoring reliability ensured?

Participants wrote on a given topic, and their writings were rated by two language teachers following Quellmaz’s scoring scale. Inter-rater correlation across papers was calculated to check objectivity and reliability.

What did the results show about critical thinking skills and writing quality?

There was a positive relationship between critical thinking skills and writing quality, and evaluation showed the strongest degree of relationship with writing quality.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk