The Contribution of self-directed Learning to PromoteCriticalThinking The Case of M2 students of English atEchahid Cheikh Larbi TebessiUniversity-Tebessa

Abstract

In today'scomplex and ever-changing world, the development of criticalthinkingskillsis of utmost importance. Educationalsystems have recognized the significance of self-directedlearning (SDL) in fosteringtheseskillsamongstudents. This studyaims to explore the promotion of criticalthinking (CT) abilitiesthroughself directedlearningmethods. The research design employed a descriptive approach to examine strategiesthatenhanceself directedlearningand criticalthinking, while the regressionanalysissought to understand the impact of self directedlearningstrategies on criticalthinkingand establish a quantitative understanding of the relationshipbetween the two variables. Additionally, thisstudyaims to identify the most and least utilizedstrategies by Master’s second yearlanguage sciences students in the English department of Echahid Cheikh Larbi TebessiUniversity for developingself directedlearningand criticalthinking. A quantitative approachwasemployed, and the data wasanalysedusing quantitative methods to address the research questions and hypotheses. The questionnaire was the sole researchtoolutilized, administered to a sample of 38 M2 LS studentsfrom the English department to furtherinvestigateoverall and frequentlyemployedstrategies for improvingself directedlearningand criticalthinking. The studyfindingsrevealedthat M2 LS students are alreadyemployingspecificstrategies to enhanceself directedlearningand criticalthinking. Furthermore, the resultsindicatedthatself directedlearningsignificantlycontributes to the promotion of criticalthinking. Therefore, teachersplay a crucial role in creating a supportive and empoweringlearningenvironmentthatnurturesstudents' self directedlearningand criticalthinkingskills, equippingthem for success in theiracademicendeavours and beyond.