Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills with ChatGPT-Powered Activities in Chinese Language Classrooms

Abstract

ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, emulates human-like conversations and is built upon OpenAI's GPT language model introduced in 2018. In the context of language classroom activities, our observations indicate that language learners employ a spectrum of strategies during interactions with ChatGPT, reflecting Bloom's taxonomy. These strategies encompass lower-order thinking (e.g., remembering, understanding, applying) and higher-order thinking (e.g., analyzing, evaluating, creating). Utilizing Bloom's revised taxonomy (cited in Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) as a framework for defining critical thinking (CT) skills, this paper seeks to investigate the impact of ChatGPT-powered activities on CT skill application within three Chinese language classrooms: introductory and intermediate courses for second language (L2) learners and an academic writing course for native Chinese speakers. It also investigates whether the nature of tasks contributes to learners' application of CT. The following two research questions frame the current study: 1) Which CT skills are utilized in ChatGPT-empowered learning activities for both L2 learners of Chinese and native speakers of Chinese? 2) How do task types in ChatGPT-empowered learning activities relate to the application of CT skills among L2 learners of Chinese and native speakers of Chinese? This research adheres to an action research framework, marked by a cyclic process involving planning, execution, observation, and reflection (Kemmis and McTaggart, 2005, as cited in Burns, 2011). Qualitative data have been gathered to assess the application of CT skills among Chinese learners. The findings revealed that six levels CT skills including remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating, were consistently applied across all three language courses, irrespective of their levels of language proficiency. Second, task types in ChatGPT-empowered learning activities and the application of students' CT abilities are intricately linked. The types of tasks play a crucial role in shaping the utilization and cultivation of different levels of CT skills. Consequently, these factors significantly impact the attainment of learning objectives.