The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class

Maestría en Inglés con orientación en Lingüística Aplicada

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio
Other Authors: Lauría, Patricia del Valle
Format: masterThesis
Language:eng
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11086/554360
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author Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio
author2 Lauría, Patricia del Valle
author_facet Lauría, Patricia del Valle
Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio
author_sort Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio
collection Repositorio Digital Universitario
description Maestría en Inglés con orientación en Lingüística Aplicada
format masterThesis
id rdu-unc.554360
institution Universidad Nacional de Cordoba
language eng
publishDate 2024
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spelling rdu-unc.5543602024-11-27T06:40:49Z The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio Lauría, Patricia del Valle Critical Thinking skills Socratic circles EFL TBLT Maestría en Inglés con orientación en Lingüística Aplicada Fil: Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Lenguas; Argentina. This study explores the implementation of Socratic circles in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom and its impact on the development of critical thinking skills. The primary focus is on the effectiveness of Socratic circles in fostering these skills among secondary school students. Employing a qualitative research paradigm, the study adopts the action research methodology and employs an emergent design to examine the experiences of 29 sixth-year students at Colegio Santo Tomás de las Escuelas Pías in Córdoba City, Argentina. Data analysis suggests that Socratic circles effectively integrate Task-Based Language Teaching principles, promote a positive classroom atmosphere, and foster the development of higher-order critical thinking skills. The pedagogical implications of the study indicate that Socratic circles offer a practical application of the Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) approach. Socratic circles encourage authentic language use, strategic discourse, and the integration of personal experiences into discussions. This method also fosters a supportive classroom atmosphere, lowering students' affective filters and facilitating language learning. Besides, the analysis shows that students who pose questions engage in higher-order critical thinking as it involves a number of interdependent tasks. Posing questions represents an authentic task that is triggered by Socratic practice. Students evaluate the validity, reliability, and relevance of ideas and share their worldviews by taking on the leading role in the dialogue. These skills may be transferable to various academic and real-world contexts, which underscores the broader educational value of Socratic circles. The results support the use of Socratic circles as an effective approach to implementing task-based language instruction, emphasizing authentic communication and integrated skills development in secondary EFL education. Fil: Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Lenguas; Argentina. 2024-11-26T15:11:33Z 2024-11-26T15:11:33Z 2024 masterThesis http://hdl.handle.net/11086/554360 eng Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
spellingShingle Critical Thinking skills
Socratic circles
EFL
TBLT
Ojeda, Hernán Gregorio
The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class
title The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class
title_full The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class
title_fullStr The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class
title_full_unstemmed The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class
title_short The development of Critical Thinking Skills through Socratic Circles in the EFL Class
title_sort development of critical thinking skills through socratic circles in the efl class
topic Critical Thinking skills
Socratic circles
EFL
TBLT
url http://hdl.handle.net/11086/554360
work_keys_str_mv AT ojedahernangregorio thedevelopmentofcriticalthinkingskillsthroughsocraticcirclesintheeflclass
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