Development of CT skills in Foreign Language Teaching Process in Higher Education and Labour Market Institutions

Abstract

Thesis/Aim. One of the major aims of universities is to prepare graduates to be independent critical thinkers who can make research-based decisions and contribute to the development of democracy. Labor market institutions also expect their employees to think critically. Therefore, university curricula should focus not only on developing students’ discipline-specific competencies but general competencies as well. The foreign language teaching and learning process is considered to provide favorable conditions for the development of students’ critical thinking skills especially when the curriculum is based on an action-oriented approach. This study investigates whether critical thinking is effectively integrated into the foreign language teaching-learning process in higher education and its alignment with labor market expectations.

Method. A qualitative empirical approach involved documental analysis of course descriptions and lecture observations at a higher education institution. The research instrument was an observational sheet containing a rubric listing the variables and indicators of critical thinking development.

Results. The research revealed that the emphasis on critical thinking in foreign language teaching is more implicit than explicit.

Conclusions. While critical thinking is recognized as an essential learning outcome in university curricula, its practical implementation in foreign language education requires further refinement to make its focus more explicit.