The Effects of Pre-Planning Time Task and Critical Thinking Task on English Language Learners’ Writing Performance

Abstract

 This study examined the effects of integrating critical thinking exercises into EFL writing instruction by comparing traditional methods with an adapted approach that incorporates pre-writing discussions. Sixty senior English students participated, divided equally into experimental and control groups. While both groups demonstrated similar overall improvements in writing proficiency, the experimental group showed a statistically significant enhancement in the quality of essay content, suggesting that structured critical thinking activities—such as debate and collaborative analysis—help learners generate more original and well-supported arguments. However, no notable differences were observed in other writing aspects, including focus, organization, grammar, or word usage, indicating that critical thinking interventions primarily enrich content rather than technical writing skills. The results highlight the importance of pre-writing cognitive engagement, where students analyze, evaluate, and refine their ideas before drafting, leading to deeper topic understanding and more persuasive argumentation. Despite the lack of broad writing gains, the study underscores the value of critical thinking in fostering richer content development, particularly in argumentative writing. These results suggest that while conventional writing instruction remains effective for overall proficiency, supplementing it with critical thinking strategies can significantly enhance the depth and persuasiveness of students' written work. For educators, this implies a need to balance foundational writing skills with targeted critical thinking exercises to optimize both content quality and linguistic accuracy in EFL writing instruction.