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The Relationship Between Reading Comprehension Ability and Critical Thinking: Can it Predict Reading Comprehension Success?

Movasagh, Hossein | 2012

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: English
  3. Document No: 42869 (31)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Languages and Linguistics Center
  6. Advisor(s): Barzabadi, Davoud; Khosravizade, Parvane
  7. Abstract:
  8. The present study was aimed at investigating the relationship between reading comprehension ability as probably the most vital language skill especially in academic contexts (Farrell, 2009) and critical thinking as one of the most debated issues among scholars in modern education (Ku, 2009; Rudd, 2006). To this end, 200 male and female university students studying English Translation and Literature were chosen as the participants who sat for two tests. The first was a reading section of a retired TOEFL test provided by educational testing service in which the participants' scores were regarded as their reading comprehension ability. The second was the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, which is a validated instrument for measuring critical thinking skill and subskills. An ex-post-facto design (correlational) was adopted since there was no treatment and consequently no manipulation of variables. Four kinds of statistical analyses were run through SPSS, namely correlation, multiple correlation, regression and multiple regression. The result of the correlation analysis indicated that the two variables are significantly correlated. Also among the subskills of vocabulary recognition and guessing from context, skimming, scanning, and getting implicit ideas, the last one appeared to be correlated more with critical thinking; however, the other three subskills were also positively correlated with it. The results obtained from simple linear regression revealed that critical thinking is a good predictor of reading comprehension ability. Among the critical thinking components of analysis, inference and evaluation, inference was proven to be the most effective variable in predicting reading comprehension success. The results obtained call for the integration of critical thinking in our curriculum so as to make our education a healthier milieu and improve students' reading comprehensions ability
  9. Keywords:
  10. Solidarity ; Regression Analysis ; Reading Comprehention Ability ; Critical Thinking

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