Critical Literacy Practices in the EFL Context and the English Language Proficiency: Further Exploration

Abstract

<p>This paper reports a follow-up study that explored the relationship between EFL learners’ critical literacy practices and the English language proficiency. It investigated four focal EFL learners’ critical literacy practices in their dialogic interaction and also analyzed 39 students’ views on their critical literacy learning. The four focal students’ discussion on a gender-related local news article was analyzed based on the concept of critical discourse analysis; the students’ views on critical literacy learning were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings showed that despite the difference in their English proficiency, the four focal students all demonstrated critical literacy in varying degrees as shown in its previous study, and that critical consciousness of gender and class are raised through dialogic interaction. This study thus corroborates the previous one that English proficiency does not hinder EFL learner’s critical literacy practices. Besides, this study had an additional finding; that is, English proficiency levels do affect EFL learners’ views on critical literacy learning. Therefore, a critical literacy-based class would be more acceptable to students whose English proficiency is high.</p

Multilanguage, Multipurpose: A Literature Review, Synthesis, and Framework for Critical Literacies in English Language Teaching

“…Both studies above argued for approaches that prioritize language learning before moving toward critical engagement. However, other researchers in this group (Dooley, 2009; Dooley & Thangaperumal, 2011; Huang, 2012; Huh, 2016; Ko, 2013b; Lau, 2012, 2013) maintained that critical engagement and language learning could, and even should , be implemented concurrently. Although acknowledging the difficulty of critically engaging within a language one is still learning in her classroom of multilingual middle schoolers in Australia, Dooley (2009) asserted that “there is no hierarchy amongst literacy resources: critical analytic skills can be developed alongside [basic decoding] skills” (p. 8).…”

“…However, through the lens of the MLMP framework, two particularly salient questions remain largely unasked about critical literacies in ELT: “Do critical literacy practices support language learning?” and “How do critical literacy approaches to ELT take multilingual learners’ linguistic backgrounds into account?” As Huang (2011) argued, most studies of critical literacy in ELT “focus on development of critical literacy without explicit attention to development of language skills” (p. 145), a concern echoed throughout the studies in Group B-3 (Allison, 2011; Dooley, 2009; Dooley & Thangaperumal, 2011; J. Hammond & Macken-Horarik, 1999; Huang, 2011, 2012; Huh, 2016; Ko, 2013b; Lau, 2012, 2013). As a result, these studies explored linguistic considerations that might inhibit or facilitate multilingual learners’ engagement with critical literacies.…”

Bringing critical literacy into tertiary EFL reading class

“…(McDaniel, 2004, p. 474). In the attempt to read the word and the world (Freire & Macedo, 2005) interpretation shall be placed in context; reading is not conducted in vacuum (Wallace, 2003;Kamil et al, 2011). While to some people questioning status quo may lead to chaos, it is essential to note that CL values multiple perspectives and thus grows respect to human and humanity by acting for change when change is well-reasoned as necessary.…”

“…Therefore, expanding the notion of reading to include critical reading instead of mere graphic decoding is unarguably a necessity. In fact, along with the rapid spread of texts through the world-wide web, critical reading becomes one of the currencies in today's Copyright © 2018, IJAL, e-ISSN: 2502-6747, p-ISSN: 2301-9468 reading research as well as the teaching of reading (Kamil, Pearson, Moje, & Afflerbach, 2011). An example is seen in the work by Wallace (2003) who presented a case for the social nature of reading.…”

Starting Over One Word at a Time: Useful and Dangerous Discourses

“…Best practices in critical literacy endorse placing students in real‐life scenarios where they must first examine literacies and their surroundings before taking action toward social transformation. For example, Ko () described how students determined whether they would file a lawsuit for discrimination, following rich discussions on gender equality, employment, and the overall rights and welfare of women in the workplace. Becoming critically conscious of one's surroundings prompts learners to rename their worlds (Freire, ) with counterdiscourses, or ways of thinking that oppose institutional discourse.…”