A SURVEY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRITICAL THINKING AND READING COMPREHENSION PROFICIENCY OF IRANIAN EFL STUDENTS

The present study explored the relationship between critical thinking and reading comprehension proficiency of Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) student. To fulfill this objective, the data of this study were collected by using Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Questionnaire and a Longman TOEFL test (PBT). The instruments were administered to 120 male and female students majoring in TEFL at Shiraz Islamic Azad University in Iran. They were within the range of 18 to 25 years. All of them were native speakers of Persian. First, in order to check the homogeneity of the students, a Longman TOEFL test (PBT) test was administered at the beginning of the study and finally 100 students were selected for the study. To explore whether there was any statistically significant relationship between critical thinking and reading comprehension proficiency of EFL students, Pearson Coefficient Moment Product was run. The results indicated a significantly high correlation between two variables, and a regression analysis was conducted which revealed that total score of critical thinking was a positive predictor of the reading comprehension proficiency of EFL students. The findings provide useful implications for curriculum designers, teachers and students in language learning. By increasing critical thinking among EFL students, their language learning will improve. So, reading comprehension would be meaningful and purposeful when curriculum designers and teachers emphasize both the language proficiency and cognition. Moreover, paying attention to EFL students' learning difficulties may empower teachers to assist students in language learning.