Formation of Critical Thinking among University Students (using the Example of Teaching a Foreign Language)

Abstract

The relevance of this study lies in the fact that modern society is putting forward more and more requirements for graduates of higher educational institutions, to have a certain set of professional competencies, critical thinking and teamwork. The purpose of this study is to consider the concept of critical thinking, to identify the stages and levels of formation of critical thinking among students of higher educational institutions. To achieve these goals, the following research methods were used: theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature of Russian and foreign scientists on the topic under study. The purposeful introduction of critical thinking elements into the process of teaching students a foreign language contributes to the formation of their critical thinking skills. The authors of the study cite individual fragments of the developed foreign language training sessions aimed at developing critical thinking skills. The conclusions of the study emphasize the main role of teachers, who help students interpret, analyze, evaluate and implement the acquired knowledge in practice. Teaching students a foreign language in line with critical thinking requires university teachers to master language competencies, purposeful, systematic preparation for conducting training sessions aimed at completing tasks related to the formation of students’ critical thinking skills.