Testing and Developing Critical Thinking in an ICLHE Context: Correlations Between Language Competence and Critical Thinking Skills

Abstract

This contribution aims to investigate the potential correlations between performance on critical thinking (CT) assessments and the development of academic language competences in a vehicular language. The context is a preparatory programme (Foundation Year) at the University of Parma for international students who wish to continue their studies in Italy. Specifically, the participants in this study were divided into two subgroups: the first composed of students from Myanmar and the second consisting of students whose first or additional language is from the Slavic language family. Initially, students’ gains on critical thinking assessments after explicit asynchronous critical thinking training were investigated and matched with their performance on a test for Italian as the vehicular language of the Foundation Year (FY) programme. Successively, the correlations between these two datasets were analyzed. The results of the analysis show that, although the CT instruction was effective and led to gains, a clear correlation between CT and performance on the language assessment was not found. Nonetheless, some tendencies as regards the overall development of the students’ language competences were noted, which testify to a possible link between CT and receptive language skills, despite the distance between students’ L1 and the vehicular language. Further investigation should be devoted to analyzing the intersections between CT and a pervasive emphasis on thinking skills throughout the syllabus of the programme. Thus, a follow-up study has been planned which aims to consider more extensively the development of English language competences for academic purposes within the same educational context.