Developing Critical Reading Through E-Forum-based Reading-Writing Project

This paper investigates the effects of an e-forum-based reading-writing project on EFL learners' critical reading development. By exploring its impact on the students' critical reading beliefs and strategies, this paper aims to increase our understanding of the relationship between electronic forum-based reading-writing project and the development of critical reading, so that educators can more effectively implement online reading programs that will promote learners' critical reading abilities.This study is conducted in the context of an online reading course for first-year English majors in Suzhou University. In the study, both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed. The quantitative data are obtained from a learner autonomy survey of 31 first-year English majors in Suzhou University. Meanwhile, end-of-course written interviews and the samples of students' forum posts were employed to gain insights into the process of learner changes. The major findings can be summarized as follows:1. The e-forum based reading-writing project seems to have offered support for students' critical reading development, especially their critical reading strategies. The statistical results show that due to the limited time span, no statistically significant changes are found in questioning beliefs, responding beliefs, reflecting beliefs, and responding strategies, but the general tendency in these areas has changed as expected. Obvious changes in the evaluating beliefs have been identified.2. Questioning strategies, responding strategies, and evaluating strategies underwent significant changes throughout the e-forum-based reading-writing project.3. Many factors seem to have either facilitated or inliibited the development of critical reading in this project. The most prevalent facilitating factors are e-forum-based writing activities, interaction through the e-forum, and onlinereading practice; while the inhibiting factors include project managementproblems and technical difficulties.In light of the above findings, this paper suggests that the e-forum-based reading-writing project has potential in critical reading development, in terms of both learner beliefs and strategies, which include questioning, responding, reflecting, and evaluating. However, the effects of such project still depend on project design, project management, and adequate support from instructors, technicians, and learners themselves.