Teaching and learning argumentative writing as critical thinking in an EFL composition classroom

Abstract

Despite the valuable contributions of research on teaching pre-set structures of argumentative writing to foster understanding of argumentation in English as Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, structural approaches alone may not provide students with the necessary flexibility as writers, readers, and thinkers. One response to this challenge is to employ critical thinking, which involves an approach to teaching and learning argumentative writing that encourages students to take critical positions in their writing, supported by relevant and cogent evidence. This study examines how an EFL teacher interprets and integrates critical thinking into argumentative writing instruction. Grounded in a theoretical framework that views argumentation from a social perspective, this study considers the social practices and interactional dimensions involved in learning to read and write. Through microethnographic discourse analysis, the study demonstrates how the instructor views critical thinking as the process of identifying and solving problem in argumentative writing and how the teacher employs targeted questions, peer discussions, and inquiry-based analysis to help students learn to argue. These findings may have important implications for argumentative writing pedagogy and writing teacher education in EFL settings, emphasizing the significance of integrating critical thinking skills into instruction to enhance students' ability to engage effectively in argumentation.