Improving EFL Reading Comprehension through Critical Thinking in the Conflict-Affected Darfur, Sudan

Abstract

Using a quasi-experimental design, this study explored how critical thinking-based (CTB) instruction can effectively improve high school EFL learners’ higher-order reading comprehension (RC) skills, particularly among learners in the resource-constrained and conflict-affected educational settings in South Darfur State, Sudan. The study sample comprised 100 EFL learners who were purposively selected and evenly divided into two groups, a control group and an experimental group. Both groups received identical pretests to assess their baseline RC skills and posttests to assess their progress after a six-month intervention, during which the experimental group received CTB instruction while the control group received traditional RC instruction. Focus group discussions and classroom observation were also conducted to triangulate the findings obtained from the experimental group’s posttest. Regarding the improvement in RC skills, the findings indicated that learners who received CTB instruction relationally outperformed their counterparts, suggesting that this approach can be effective in other under-resourced, conflict-affected environments or, by extension, educationally marginalized ones. The findings also suggest that CTB instruction is a cost-effective, adaptable, and practical approach to improving higher-order RC skills among EFL learners disadvantaged by environments similar to those the learners in the present study experience. Accordingly, the findings offer useful pedagogical approaches and informed insights for policymakers and teachers to consider.