Examining ESL Learners’ Perceptions of How Short Stories and Poetry Enhance Critical Thinking Skills

Abstract

In this new context of English language teaching (ELT), the development of critical thinking ability among ESL students has become the most significant aspect at the higher-education level. This is a quantitative survey research study that investigates undergraduate ESL students' perceptions of the pedagogical role of short stories and poetry in their acquisition of critical thinking skills in the Pakistani context. Based on an approved 20-item Likert-scale questionnaire based on the validated instruments of the Transactional theory of Reading, and the revised bloom taxonomies by Rosenblatt (1978) and Anderson and Krathwohl (2001), 100 BS English students in the COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, and other related public colleges were sampled based on convenience and purposive sampling. The current descriptive statistical measures- means, percentages, and standard deviations revealed high levels of agreement with five constructs, including exposure (M = 3.90), engagement (M = 4.07), critical thinking development (M = 4.06), application of skills (M = 3.98), and overall perceptions (M = 4.11) being consistently high. According to the respondents, literary texts contribute greatly to analysis, assessment, interpretation, logical thinking and application of critical thinking in real life. These results confirm the cognitive and linguistic benefits of including short stories and poetry in an ESL curriculum. The research has practical implications for ESL teachers, curriculum developers, and policymakers who want to advance higher-order thinking through literature-based instruction. Future mixed-method research limitations and directions are discussed.

Keywords: ESL Learners, Short Stories, Poetry, Critical Thinking Skills, Learners’ Perceptions, Literature in ESL.