Integrating Critical Thinking and Communicative Competence in English Public Speaking: A Qualitative Case Study of EFL Undergraduates.
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| Title: | Integrating Critical Thinking and Communicative Competence in English Public Speaking: A Qualitative Case Study of EFL Undergraduates. |
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| Authors: | Zhang, Bingjie1,2 gs60933@student.upm.edu.my, Jeyaraj, Joanna Joseph1 joannajoseph@upm.edu.my, Saharuddin, Norzihani1 norzihani@upm.edu.my |
| Source: | International Journal of Instruction. Jul2026, Vol. 19 Issue 3, p239-264. 26p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Critical thinking, *Communicative competence, *Limited English-proficient students, *Chinese-speaking students, *Second language acquisition, *Public speaking, *Teaching methods, *Qualitative research |
| Abstract: | This qualitative case study investigates how integrating critical thinking (CT) into an English Public Speaking (EPS) course supports Chinese EFL undergraduates' communicative competence. Six second-year English majors at a private university in Shaanxi participated in semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and analysis of their speech drafts and final scripts. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that CT-integrated tasks helped students organize arguments more coherently, use evidence more strategically, and adopt a more audience-responsive, persuasive delivery. At the same time, CT application was constrained by rote learning habits, public speaking anxiety, heavy workloads, and the cognitive load of thinking critically while speaking in English. Differences between early and later starters of English revealed distinct needs: early starters required scaffolding to deepen analysis, whereas later starters needed linguistic support to free cognitive resources for reasoning. The study suggests that differentiated scaffolding, interactive CT-focused activities, and explicit teacher feedback on reasoning are crucial for aligning CT development with communicative competence in EPS courses. It offers analytic generalization for CT-integrated EFL instruction in exam-driven, large-class contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of International Journal of Instruction is the property of International Journal of Instruction and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 195073854 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Integrating Critical Thinking and Communicative Competence in English Public Speaking: A Qualitative Case Study of EFL Undergraduates. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Bingjie%22">Zhang, Bingjie</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo><i> gs60933@student.upm.edu.my</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jeyaraj%2C+Joanna+Joseph%22">Jeyaraj, Joanna Joseph</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> joannajoseph@upm.edu.my</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Saharuddin%2C+Norzihani%22">Saharuddin, Norzihani</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> norzihani@upm.edu.my</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Instruction%22">International Journal of Instruction</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 19 Issue 3, p239-264. 26p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+thinking%22">Critical thinking</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communicative+competence%22">Communicative competence</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Limited+English-proficient+students%22">Limited English-proficient students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chinese-speaking+students%22">Chinese-speaking students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+language+acquisition%22">Second language acquisition</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+speaking%22">Public speaking</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+methods%22">Teaching methods</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Qualitative+research%22">Qualitative research</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This qualitative case study investigates how integrating critical thinking (CT) into an English Public Speaking (EPS) course supports Chinese EFL undergraduates' communicative competence. Six second-year English majors at a private university in Shaanxi participated in semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and analysis of their speech drafts and final scripts. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that CT-integrated tasks helped students organize arguments more coherently, use evidence more strategically, and adopt a more audience-responsive, persuasive delivery. At the same time, CT application was constrained by rote learning habits, public speaking anxiety, heavy workloads, and the cognitive load of thinking critically while speaking in English. Differences between early and later starters of English revealed distinct needs: early starters required scaffolding to deepen analysis, whereas later starters needed linguistic support to free cognitive resources for reasoning. The study suggests that differentiated scaffolding, interactive CT-focused activities, and explicit teacher feedback on reasoning are crucial for aligning CT development with communicative competence in EPS courses. It offers analytic generalization for CT-integrated EFL instruction in exam-driven, large-class contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Instruction is the property of International Journal of Instruction and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.29333/iji.2026.19313a Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 26 StartPage: 239 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Critical thinking Type: general – SubjectFull: Communicative competence Type: general – SubjectFull: Limited English-proficient students Type: general – SubjectFull: Chinese-speaking students Type: general – SubjectFull: Second language acquisition Type: general – SubjectFull: Public speaking Type: general – SubjectFull: Teaching methods Type: general – SubjectFull: Qualitative research Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Integrating Critical Thinking and Communicative Competence in English Public Speaking: A Qualitative Case Study of EFL Undergraduates. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zhang, Bingjie – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jeyaraj, Joanna Joseph – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Saharuddin, Norzihani IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 07 Text: Jul2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1694609X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 19 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: International Journal of Instruction Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
