EFL Learners' Performance on Different Test Formats: Do Critical Thinking Skills Make any Difference?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between language learners' performance in three reading comprehension test formats (MC, cloze and summary writing) and their critical thinking skills. To this end, ۱۳۰ intermediate language learners were selected based on Oxford placement test and were administered the California Critical Thinking Skills Test-(CCTST). Then, they were asked to answer ۶ reading test (۲ tests for each format) to assess their reading comprehension. The collected data was subjected to Pearson Product moment Correlation. The results revealed a significant relationship between the participants' performance on cloze test and writing test formats of reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. However, Multiple Choice (MC) tests result was not related to the learners' critical thinking skills. In addition, the results of multiple regressions indicated that critical thinking is a better predictor for cloze test performance. The results would benefit test developers by considering the level of test takers' critical thinking and designing fair tests. Also, language teachers can prepare the learners to deal with questions that requisite higher order thinking skills through teaching the skills both directly and indirectly.

کلیدواژه ها:

critical thinking ، multiple choice ، cloze test ، summary writing