Using critical thinking skills in Pathways 3: A case study among EFL second-year students

Thi Hien Trang Ngo

doi:10.65956/procia.2026.102

Authors

Thi Hien Trang Ngo Corresponding author email: nthtrang@ufl.udn.vn University of Da Nang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6949-6505

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65956/procia.2026.102

Keywords:

challenges, critical thinking skills, EFL second-year students, Pathways 3, standards

Abstract

The integration of critical thinking skills into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) plays an important role in English-majored students’ academic and professional development. This study investigates the use of critical thinking skills embedded in the Pathways 3: Reading, Writing and Critical Thinking textbook (Second Edition) written by Blass, Vargo, and Folse (2013) among second-year students majoring in Translation and Interpretation at Faculty of English, University of Foreign Language Studies - The University of Danang. This is a mixed method design using two different data collection instruments including a document analysis of Pathways 3 and a questionnaire at the end of the fourth semester for 120 second-year students. First, grounded in Paul and Elder’s (2006) framework of nine core standards, the descriptive qualitative method is used to identify the common standards including depth, breadth, relevance, clarity, and precision. Besides, the critical thinking skills in Pathways 3 covered all these nine standards. Subsequently, the quantitative method based on Likert scale questionnaire is used to evaluate the difficulties. There were seven groups of challenges where the lecturers’ lack of direction posed the biggest obstacle. Students perceived the textbook activities to be the easiest to complete since they were well-designed in accordance with the Paul and Elder’s (2006) CT framework’s principles, which state that the most challenging CT abilities accounted for the least frequency.

Author Biography

Thi Hien Trang Ngo, University of Da Nang

Ngo, T. H. T. has 15 years of teaching experience at Faculty of English, UFLS-UD, Vietnam. She got her Ph.D. in 2024 in the English Language. Her expertise and interests include language teaching methodology and the English language. She has published papers in conference proceedings, WOS and SCOPUS journals and has successfully defended scientific research.

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