Going the Extra Miles in a Reading Lesson: Insights from a Thai EFL Classroom
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Abstract
With the rise of the digital age and social media in the 21st century, our language learners as readers are constantly exposed to a surge of textual information daily. Inevitably, there has been a pressing need for language teachers, particularly in the EFL context, to consider higher-level comprehension and reading skills that help prepare their students for such an influx of information. This classroom-based study aimed to investigate students’ perception of 1) critical reading abilities and 2) critical literacy practice implemented in a reading lesson. The participants were 32 first-year students who studied an English foundation course at a public university in Thailand. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire and focus group interviews. Using descriptive statistics and descriptive narrative, findings revealed positive overall performance and active engagement in the lesson, while language difficulty and concerns over the abilities to read between the lines were reported. The focus group interviews reported significant engagement in the lesson. Critical reading skills and classroom discussion were found to be valuable. Critical literacy practice appeared to contribute to the participants’ positive take on learning about multiple perspectives in classroom discussion.
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