Interplay between Conditional Sentences and EFL University Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

Abstract

Students’ critical thinking skills potentially support them to succeed in academic scenarios and to meet the goals of the curriculum. Assuring students’ critical thinking can help to yield problem-solving students. The current study explored the association between EFL university students’ knowledge of conditional sentences and their critical thinking skills. Specifically, the students’ level of conditional sentence knowledge and their critical thinking skills were studied. A correlational research design with mixed methods of data collection was used. 46 freshman students of Salale University took part in the study. A conditional sentences test, a critical thinking skills test, and an interview were used to collect relevant data. Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were used to analyze students’ scores on the conditional sentences test and critical thinking skills test. Inferential statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, was used to analyze the relationship that exists between conditional sentences and critical thinking skills. Qualitative data was analyzed qualitatively to support the quantitative one. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the two tests (conditional sentences test and critical thinking skills test) was r = .949, p = .001, which was found to indicate a high degree of correlation between the two variables. Besides, the freshman students at Salale University demonstrated a high level of grammatical knowledge and critical thinking skills. The data gained from the interview showed that the students’ knowledge of conditional sentences is correlated with the critical thinking skills: making inferences, assumptions, and deductions; interpreting; and analyzing. Hence, practicing conditional sentences is promising to develop students’ skills of critical thinking.

Keywords: Critical thinking skills, Conditional sentences, problem-solving, English language proficiency