Technology-enhanced social learning (TSL) to foster critical thinking dispositions and thinking in writing

Abstract

AbstractThe objective of this study was to develop a Technology-Enhanced Social Learning (TSL) model that effectively cultivates critical thinking dispositions (CTD) and subject-specific critical thinking in writing (CTW) to serve as a reliable standard and point of reference for instructors in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. The objective was to assess the efficacy of the TSL approach in enhancing Chinese EFL students’ dispositions and subject-specific critical thinking competencies while utilizing a TSL conceptual framework. A 14-week TSL intervention was administered in a quasi-experimental design comprising a treatment group (TG) and a comparison group (CG) that included a total of 60 students. The adoption of the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) and an existing writing rubric allowed the measurement of dispositions and subject-specific critical thinking in writing. SPSS ANCOVA was used to compare the improvement of the two groups while controlling the effect of pre-existing differences. The findings indicate significant differences in overall critical thinking dispositions and subject-specific thinking in written compositions between the treatment group (TG) and control group (CG) after undergoing the TSL intervention. This demonstrates that the implementation of TSL can effectively augment the critical thinking disposition of Chinese EFL learners while also facilitating thinking in writing.

Keywords

• Technology-enhanced social learning (TSL)
• critical thinking disposition (CTD)
• thinking in writing
• EFL writing
• constructivism
• asynchronous online discussion (AOD)