A Quasi-Experimental Study on Improving Kurdish EFL Learners’ Critical Thinking and Written Language Awareness through Critical Discourse Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14500/kujhss.v9n2y2026.pp783-794Keywords:
Critical Discourse Analysis, Critical Thinking, Written Language Awareness, Kurdish EFL Learners, Language EducationAbstract
Critical thinking (CT) and written language awareness (WLA) are essential in academic education, especially for EFL students, as CT supports academic success, deeper engagement with language, and problem-solving. This study, “A Quasi-Experimental Study on Improving Kurdish EFL Learners’ Critical Thinking and Written Language Awareness through Critical Discourse Analysis,” examines whether Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) significantly affects EFL learners’ CT skills and improves their WLA. Its main aim is to assess the impact of CDA-based instruction on developing both skills among Kurdish EFL learners. A quantitative quasi-experimental design was used, with a pre-test and post-test given to a single group and no control group. Forty-one fourth-year undergraduates from the Department of English Language at Koya University took part in a ten-week instructional program delivered by a specialist. The tests comprised five texts, each followed by five analytical questions designed according to CDA dimensions. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 24 using descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent sample t-tests and chi-square, while Cronbach’s alpha confirmed reliability. Results showed significant improvement in both WLA and CT after CDA-based instruction. Although the study demonstrates the value of CDA, it is limited by its focus on one university, a single group, a small sample, and written language skills only. Future research should explore long-term effects, include other language skills, and combine quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a fuller understanding of CDA’s pedagogical value.
Downloads
References
Ahmed, B. S., & Yahya, N. Q. (2023). The application of CDA model to investigate EFL students’ literary awareness. Migration Letters, 20(S10), 559–569.
Ali, F. K. H., Abdullah, S. A., & Mohamad, S. H. (2023). Relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and food labeling consumption in Sulaimani City by using chi-square test. Al-Qadis. 13(1)
Amoussou, F., & Allagbe, A. A. (2018). Principles, theories and approaches to critical discourse analysis. International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature, 6(1), 11–18.
Aziz, H. A. (2023). Principles of critical discourse analysis by Norman Fairclough (Theoretical analysis study). Zanco Journal of Human Sciences, 27(SpB), 340–356.
Bukhari, N. H., & Xiaoyang, W. (2013). Critical discourse analysis and educational research. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 3(1), 9–17.
Chouliaraki, L., & Fairclough, N. (1999). Discourse in late modernity: Rethinking critical discourse analysis. Edinburgh University Press.
Ennis, R. H. (2011a). Critical thinking: Reflection and perspective Part II. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, 26(2), 5–19.
Ennis, R. H. (2011b). The nature of critical thinking: An outline of critical thinking dispositions and abilities. University of Illinois, 2(4), 1–8.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Polity.
Fairclough, N. (2001). Critical discourse analysis. International Advances in Engineering and Technology, 7, 452–487.
Fairclough, N. (2006). Discourse and social change (Reprinted ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press.
Fairclough, N. (2013). Language and power. Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (2013a). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language (2nd ed.). Milton Park: Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (2014). Critical language awareness. Routledge.
Guterres, A. (2023). Secretary-General’s press encounter in Erbil,Iraq. https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2023-03-02/secretary-generals-press-encounter-erbil-iraq
Haji Badre, J. S., & Saeed Halo, D. A. (2021). The development of critical thinking skills among students of University of Zakho Faculty of Humanities according to gender and mother tongue variables. Koya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (KUJHSS), 4(2), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.14500/KUJHSS.V4N2Y2021.PP105-114
Hashemi, M. R., & Ghanizadeh, A. (2012). Critical discourse analysis and critical thinking: An experimental study in an EFL context. System, 40(1), 37–47.
Hennis, J. {United Nations Iraq}. (2021, November 28), Remarks by SRSG Jeanine Hennis -Plasschaert at the Gender Equality & Women Empowerment Strategies conference, Erbil, Kurdistan Region. https://iraq.un.org/en/160684-remarks-srsg-jeanine-hennis-plasschaert-gender-equality-women-empowerment-strategies
Joe, B. (The White House). (2024, October 7). Statement from President Joe Biden marking one year since the October 7th attack. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/10/07/statement-from-president-joe-biden-marking-one-year-since-the-october-7th-attack/
Kurosh Khanshan, S., & Kuhi, D. (2017). The contribution of critical discourse analysis and critical thinking in an EFL context: A case study of economic texts. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 4(3), 33–47.
Lalaouna, A., & Lechekhab, N. (2024). The impact of integrating critical discourse analysis on EFL students’ interpretive skills in reading classes: The case study of first-year EFL students at Khenchela University (Master’s dissertation, Department of English, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Language and Culture).
McCarthy, M. (1992). Discourse analysis for language teachers (10th printing 2000). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mzeil, A. H. (2024). The significance of integrating critical thinking perspectives in EFL programs. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(4), 3265–3273.
Novikova, L. A. (2025). Development of critical thinking of agricultural university students in the process of learning foreign languages. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
Rasheed, N. (2023). United Nations Development Programme. 21st century skills: Student handbook. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/20207/SAP_21st%20Century%20Skills_English_Students%20Handbook.pdf
Ratama, I. P., Padmadewi, N. N., & Artini, L. P. (2021). Teaching the 21st century skills (4Cs) in English literacy activities. Journal of Education Research and Evaluation, 5(2), 223–233.
Republic of Iraq – Office of the President. (2018, November 23). Text of the speech of the President at the Conference the Mediterranean-Dialogues. https://presidency.iq/EN/Details. aspx?id=1073
Rogers, R., Malancharuvil-Berkes, E., Mosley, M., Hui, D., & Joseph, G. O. G. (2005). Critical discourse analysis in education: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 365–416.
Saeed, S. {University of Sulaimani}. (2021) Critical thinking in Kurdish education [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts0OAJQD
Saeed, S. (n.d.). ResearchGate profile. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shaho-Saeed
Saeed, S. (n.d.). Curriculum vitae. Komar University of Science and Technology. Retrieved August 15, 2025, from https://sites.google.com/komar.edu.iq/shaho-saeed/curriculum-vitae
Saeed, S. {Dr. Ezzadin Mustafa Rasool Cultural Center}. (2025). Critical thinking in Kurdish education [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAxnqeVZ7JM
Sevinch, O., Nazira, G., & Bazarbayeva, S. (2025). Cultivating criticality: Developing critical thinking skills through English as a foreign language instruction. Journal of International Scientific Research, 2(3), 276–279.
Sihem, O. U. M. E. L. A. Z. (2023). Implementing critical discourse analysis as an innovative model to improve learners’ reading criticality. 7(2), pp.55-66
Soomro, S., & Kazemian, B. (2015). Critical discourse analysis of a reading text ‘Pakistan and the Modern World’: A speech by Liaquat Ali Khan. Communication and Linguistics Studies, 1(3), 35–41.
Guterres, A. (2023, March 2). Secretary-General’s press encounter in Erbil Iraq https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2023-03-02/secretary-generals-press-encounter-erbil-iraq
Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Critical discourse analysis. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton, & D. Schiffrin (Eds.), The handbook of discourse analysis (2nd ed., pp. 466–485).Wiley-BlackWell.
Wodak, R. (2001). The discourse-historical approach. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (Vol. 1, pp. 63–94). SAGE.
Wodak, R. (2014). Critical discourse analysis. In C. Leung & B. V. Street (Eds.), The Routledge companion to English studies (pp. 302–316). Routledge.
Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (2009). Critical discourse analysis: History, agenda, theory and methodology. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 1–33). SAGE.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Shno S. Hassan, Arazoo R. Othman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
