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This article traces the lineage of critical literacy from Freire through critical pedagogies and discourse analysis. It discusses the need for a contingent definition of critical literacy, given the increasingly sophisticated nature of texts and discourses.

Engaging with and comprehending a text is more significant than mere reading, as it allows for the exploration of profound truths beyond the literal words on the page. Early adolescents often face challenges in acquiring fundamental knowledge, and different reading strategies and levels of motivation can greatly impact their reading experience. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of Critical Reading Strategies (CRS) on students’ reading comprehension (RC) and reading motivation (RM). The CRS analyzed included pre-scanning, contextualizing, seeking clarification and retention, reflecting on values, summarizing key ideas, evaluating authors’ arguments, and comparing related texts. Millinum Secondary School in Jimka city, Ethiopia, was chosen for the study through convenience sampling; with two ninth-grade student cohorts selected using simple random sampling. Data collection involved pre- and post-intervention RC tests and a self-reported questionnaire to measure reading motivation. The data was analyzed using an independent samples t-test for group comparisons and repeated measures ANOVA for pre- and post-intervention results. The results showed a significant improvement in RC and RM scores for the experimental group post-intervention compared to the control group. The experimental group also demonstrated higher RM scores post-intervention. The study concluded that CRS are essential in enhancing high school students’ RC and RM, with recommendations provided for educators and researchers based on the findings. Plain Language Summary Critical reading strategies Learning to read critically, beyond just decoding words, is crucial for deep understanding, especially for adolescents who often face comprehension and motivation challenges. Our study at Fasilides General Secondary School in Gondar, Ethiopia, investigated if Critical Reading Strategies (CRS) could help. We divided ninth-grade students into two groups: one learned specific CRS techniques (pre-scanning, contextualization, questioning, summarizing, evaluating arguments), while the control group followed standard lessons. After the intervention, our findings were clear: students taught CRS significantly improved their reading comprehension and reported higher motivation to read. This suggests that teaching critical reading skills genuinely enhances high school students’ understanding and enjoyment of reading, offering a valuable approach for educators to boost literacy.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the critical reading (CR) strategies utilized by English major students at a university in Vietnam, identifying both frequently employed and underutilized tactics. The study encompassed a quantitative survey of 147 students who had successfully finished a CR course in their curriculum, supplemented by qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews with 12 individuals. The findings suggest that students have a significant inclination to depend on lower-level cognitive abilities, rather than actively participating in higher-level critical thinking. The study reveals several obstacles that impede the development of effective critical reading skills. These include deficiencies in language proficiency, a limited comprehension of critical reading strategies, insufficient instructional assistance, and a dearth of diverse and captivating critical reading tasks. This study offers a thorough examination of the critical reading techniques and challenges encountered by students majoring in English, illuminating potential areas for enhancing pedagogical practices in reading instruction.

This paper explored the critical reading strategies and reading performance of junior high school (JHS) students enrolled in both public and private schools. 628 JHS answered the adapted survey questionnaire developed by Anderson and Krathwohl ( 2001 ) and a researcher-made reading test. The results revealed that JHS students had a high level of awareness of their use of critical reading strategies. However, the results of reading test said otherwise. There is a disconnect with what the students thought they could apply critical reading strategies and their score in the reading test. This paper recommends explicit teaching of critical reading strategies so that JHS students can better prepare themselves for the cognitive and non-cognitive demands in the tertiary level. Furthermore, this paper strongly recommends noncognitive assessments such as reading attitudes and motivations to have a more holistic approach in assessing the critical reading strategies of JHS students.

This research examined the impact of explicit reading strategy training on Ethiopian university students' reading strategy use and critical reading ability in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Two intact classes, a control group (n = 35) and an experimental group (n = 45), participated in the study. The experimental group received 12 weeks of reading strategy training integrated into their English reading skills I classes. A mixed-method quasi-experimental design was employed, using a reading strategy questionnaire, a critical reading ability test, and a think-aloud technique for data collection. Students who received reading strategy instruction demonstrated notable improvements in reading strategy use and critical reading ability. The independent sample t-test and a paired sample t-test showed significant differences in both areas. Qualitative data highlighted compensation and memory strategies, which were not captured quantitatively. The think-aloud data revealed the predominant use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, along with affective, social, memory, and compensation strategies. Cognitive strategies deepen understanding, and metacognitive techniques enhance interpretation in reading. These findings shed light on the responses of Ethiopian university students to explicit reading strategy training, emphasizing its significance in improving reading strategy use and critical reading ability in an EFL context.

Communication Skills for your Social Work Degree will help you to: improve your oral and written communication skills in a range of academic and professional settings improve your public speaking, including academic presentations improve your practical writing and speaking skills If you are embarking on a university social work degree, the books in this series will help you acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and strategies you need to achieve your goals. Tasks and activities are designed to foster aspects of learning which are valued in higher education, including learner autonomy and critical thinking, and to guide you towards reflective practice in your study and work life.

This research investigates the transformative potential of literary analysis in advancing English proficiency among Egyptian EFL learners, particularly those in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The study focuses on the linguistic and analytical challenges encountered by recent public-school graduates in the Suez Governorate, where English instruction is limited to simplified texts and lacks critical engagement. Unlike their counterparts from language schools in Cairo, these students enter university without placement tests, relying solely on their high school grades, which results in underdeveloped critical reading and thinking skills. Sixty Egyptian students participated in this experimental quantitative research design. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Stylistics—a linguistic and literary approach—the paper underscores the value of applying systematic textual analysis to literary works. Stylistics, as a tool for bridging linguistic form and literary meaning, enables students to enhance both their linguistic and interpretive capabilities. By engaging with literary texts through this dual approach, learners develop deeper cognitive skills and greater critical engagement with language. The research argues for integrating Stylistics into the EFL curriculum as a sustainable pedagogical framework to cultivate critical reading proficiency, thereby supporting students’ overall linguistic development and equipping them for professional careers in the arts and humanities. This integration fosters a more profound understanding of language and literature, promoting sustainable language education for Generation Z.

Background: Apart from being a knowledge-gaining commodity, critical literacy is believed to be a practice that exists between people, groups and communities in a sociopolitical and cultural context. It is assumed that without strong literacy skills, post-secondary education and employment options are limited. It is thus against this background that this investigation focused on the critical reading perceptions and practices of Grade 8 English First Additional Language (FAL) learners from two high schools in Gauteng, Tshwane South district. Objective: The study investigated Grade 8 learners’ critical reading self-perceptions and practices in the English FAL classroom. Method: A quantitative research approach based on a non-experimental descriptive design was used. The purposively selected research sample consisted of 166 Grade 8 English FAL learners from two high schools in Gauteng, Tshwane South district. Data were collected through the use of a survey questionnaire, as well as a critical reading comprehension activity measurement and evaluation instrument. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to analyse data solicited through the survey questionnaire and reading comprehension activity. Specifically, the Spearman’s correlation coefficient of variables was used to indicate if there was any relationship between the learners’ reading perceptions and their reading practices. Results: The results showed that although learners’ self-perceptions indicated that they could critically analyse texts, the critical reading comprehension activity measurement and evaluation instrument revealed that learners were unable to apply most of the critical reading strategies they claimed to be using. Thus, learners’ perception about their critical reading ability was not automatically an accurate indicator of their actual reading practice ability. Conclusion: The findings from this study re-emphasise the reading crisis that is prevalent within the South African reading literacy landscape. A devastating conclusion that was arrived at, was that because learners did not engage critically in classroom reading, the Grade 8 English FAL learners from the participating schools contributed to the existing reading crisis in South Africa.

The authors offer a new perspective on close reading that uses a range of multimodal texts to capitalize on the visual nature of contemporary society and to support literacy within the academic disciplines. Specifically, a qualitative study explored teachers' perspectives on the use of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a practice borrowed from museum educators that replicates close reading processes, to support literacy learning within subject areas. The analysis revealed teachers' beliefs that VTS supported students' academic vocabulary development and accountable talk. In addition, the teachers felt that VTS created a safe environment for all students to participate, thus providing access to the curriculum. The authors argue that teachers can adapt VTS to help students meet the needs of 21st century communication modes as they analyze and create print and nonprint texts in different forms of media.

This study investigates learner’s reading behaviors in a critical reading task in humanities course using learning analytics techniques. A Critical Analysis of Literature and Cinema course was selected as a context. The course activities evolved over 10 years, and for this instance, some face-to-face classroom critical reading activities were migrated to online mode by using BookRoll, a learning analytics enhanced eBook platform. Students ( n =22 out of the 50 registered) accessed Hayavadana , an Indian play uploaded on BookRoll, and attempted to identify performative elements and cultural references in the text and highlight them. In this study, we analyze learner’s reading logs gathered in the learning record store linked to BookRoll during that activity. We extend our previous work where we identify four online reading profiles: effortful , strategic , wanderers , and check-out , based on learner’s clickstream interactions and time spent with the content. We validate the profiles with qualitative interview data collected from the learners and illustrate the quantified learning behaviors of each of those profiles based on an engagement metric. Our work aims to initiate further discussion related to the application of learning analytics in humanities courses both to probe into the learning behaviors of the students and thereby enhance the experiences with the use of interactive learning environments and data-driven services.