The Relationship between Critical Thinking and Gender: A Case of Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

The present paper investigates the relationship between critical thinking (CT) and gender among Iranian EFL learners and it also attempts to trace any difference between male and female learners in applying this skill. With this purpose in mind, 186 EFL learners from five private language institutes were selected in order to participate in the study. The participants were requested to complete the validated Persian version of Watson-Glaser’s Critical Thinking Appraisal which consisted of 80 items and took 45 minutes to be filled out. The findings indicated a poor status of CT among the learners and also it was revealed that males and females were not significantly different from one another in applying CT skills. The conclusion and implications of the study are furthered discussed.