An Analysis On Developing Students' Critical Thinking In College English Integrated Coursebook New Goal (Trial Edition)

In this changing and challenging world, learners need critical thinking to evaluate multiple sources of information, judge the usefulness and reliability of its content, and make decisions on what to believe. Thus, cultivation of critical thinking is the core content of contemporary education. However, there still exists void in traditional EFL materials which attaches more emphasis to training learners' linguistic knowledge and language skills (Tian Dan,2012). Therefore, adopting appropriate tasks to foster learners'critical thinking in EFL coursebooks is crucial. Guided by Facione's Cognitive Skills-Affective Dispositions model, which proposed in the Delphi Report (1990), this research aims at evaluating the trial edition of college English integrated coursebook New Goal from the perspective of developing critical thinking and tries to answer two questions:1. Based on the Cognitive Skills-Affective Dispositions model, can the trial edition of college English integrated coursebook New Goal promote the cognitive skills of students' critical thinking?2. Based on the Cognitive Skills-Affective Dispositions model, can the trial edition of college English integrated coursebook New Goal promote the affective dispositions of students' critical thinking?This study explores these two questions through content analysis, student questionnaire and teachers' checklist. Content analysis is used to explore whether New Goal embodies critical thinking cultivation in design. Student questionnaire and teachers' checklist are used to investigate whether New Goal affects learners'critical thinking in practical classroom teaching and learning.The findings show that:1. College English integrated coursebook New Goal (trial edition) is a positive impetus on cultivating cognitive skills via the use of innovative task types, such as remark evaluation, guess and matching etc. These new types of task are usually not fixed to the only answer, enthusiastic to encourage independent viewpoints, fluent expression and open minds. Besides, New Goal reflects an effective combination of language skills training and critical thinking training, also builds a coherent system to practice.2. College English integrated coursebook New Goal (trial edition) contributes to the cultivation of affective dispositions to a large extent. Data shows, New Goal is helpful to develop systematic thinking habits, stimulate leaning motivation, improve the quality of thinking and accelerates the maturity of thinking.Data also show that the effects of New Goal (trial edition) on truth-seeking, systematicity and analyticity are more obvious, while the cultivation of inquisitiveness and self-confidence are not very evident. In addition, the training of critical thinking is often accompanied by and limited to the training of language skills, which caused that some skills are applied more frequent than other.However, this thesis still has some limitations. Firstly, it is unrealistic for the researcher to observe college English classes, or it would supply more valuable information about the learners. Secondly, College English integrated coursebook New Goal (trial edition) include both students'books and teachers' books. In this research, the author just focused on students' books. Thirdly, for the limitation of time and space, the author investigates the trial edition of New Goal, while the published version is waiting for further research.Finally, this paper puts forward some related suggestions on how to promote critical thinking in college English coursebooks. Firstly, specific teaching objectives of critical thinking should be set up in coursebook edition; secondly, teachers should strengthen their knowledge and practice on critical thinking; thirdly, school administrators concerned are expected to offer more support to train students' critical thinking.