چكيده
The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the effects of purely linguistic versus linguistic plus pictorial contexts of task on Iranian EFL learners’ critical thinking and reading comprehension. Accordingly, the researcher selected 60 female EFL learners from Abidar private English Language Institute in Sanandaj, Iran based on their scores in Nelson English Language Test and assigned them into two experimental groups (i.e., 30 students in each class). At first, the critical thinking questionnaire and reading comprehension pre-test were distributed to both groups. During treatment sessions, the same texts from American English File 2 book (3rd edition) were used in both groups. The only difference between the two groups was that in the first experimental group, the learners were merely provided with the copies of the lesson including the reading comprehension tasks with only linguistic context (i.e., pictures removed) whereas in the second experimental group, the participants received instruction using the reading comprehension tasks embedded in both pictorial and linguistic context (the normal book). At the end of the treatment period, the critical thinking questionnaire and reading comprehension post-test were distributed to both classes. The results of the data analysis revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of both their critical thinking and reading comprehension in favor of the group who was exposed to reading tasks with both pictorial and linguistic context. These findings may prove useful for language teachers, students, educational policy makers, and textbook designers and material developers in making the language classes more fruitful through taking advantage of pictorial context and other visual aids in teaching and learning English language.
