Assessments’ Techniques to Enhance Critical Thinking in EFL Classrooms

Abstract

At university level, it is not only what students know that is important; it is what they can do with that knowledge. In other words, students need to be assessed on their problem solving and critical thinking skills. Recently, enhancing critical thinking in learners has become one of the teachers’ main tasks in English language classrooms. There are, in fact, various factors affecting language learners’ critical thinking skills among which assessment methods are of great importance. Therefore, the present study seeks to find out the different methods and techniques used to promote critical thinking in EFL classes. The study reveals that if language teachersmanage their ways of assessing their learners’ language abilities, they can help them develop critical thinking skills. The study presents some suggestions for language teachers to choose the appropriate strategies and methods for good assessment. The paper includes the results of a small scale survey of EFL students’ opinions of testing methods