A Critical Evaluation of ESL Learners in Iran Context

The present research, using a researcher-made questionnaire which was validated in a pilot study, was first to evaluate second language learners’ critical thinking disposition who are learning English at different levels In Iran’s private English institutes (elementary, intermediate and advanced levels) and their teachers’ critical thinking disposition towards social problems such as religious and ethnic minorities, social inequality, power dominance, culture diversity, gender differentiation and colonialism and second to see if the participants’ critical thinking disposition was negatively or positively oriented. Findings of the study in case of research question one shows that only regarding religious and ethnic minorities based on the Chi-Square .020 which was less than the critical value .05, there are significant differences among the four groups’ critical thinking disposition, while there have been no significant differences among the four groups regarding other variables. Regarding the second question of the study which asked if the participants’ critical thinking disposition was negatively or positively oriented based on the binomial test result for all variables which was .000 less than the critical value .05, it was shown that second language learners and their teachers were significantly and positively critical thinkers towards social problems mentioned in the first question. This study can improve ESL scholars' conception of an ESL/EFL learner and further promote ideas in regard to material development in ESL/EFL context.