Investigating the Integration of Critical Thinking in EFL Literature Classes at University level

It has long been acknowledged that to prepare the students effectively to the needs of global communication and professional world, it is highly important to integrate 21st-century skills into teaching of EFL. This research study aims to investigate the integration of the 4Cs including critical thinking skill, as a 21st century language education skill, to literary classes at the University of Duhok, Newroz and Zakho university. It also aims to determine the challenges EFL literature teachers encounter in respect to the incorporation of critical

thinking skill in EFL literature classes. The study employed explanatory sequential mixed methods design combining both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was given to 26 Kurdish EFL literature teachers

including a structured interview addressed to 10 EFL literature teachers. The obtained data were analyzed by using SPSS version 27 software to measure their Frequency (Fr.), percentage (%), Mean (M), Standard deviation (SD) and T-test. The findings provided

evidence the participants are aware of the 4Cs including critical thinking skills; however, they encountered a number of challenges in which hinder the incorporation of critical thinking in their classes. These insights emphasizes that specific professional development is necessary to assist the instructors in the process of incorporating higher-order thinking strategies in teaching of literature that would align better with literature teaching requirement to keep pace with the imperative of learning in the 21st -century.