Intercultural Lessons Boost Critical Thinking in Ethiopian EFL Classrooms

A quasi-experimental study at an Ethiopian higher education institution reports that students learning English as a foreign language developed stronger critical thinking skills when their lessons incorporated intercultural instruction. The research, published in SN Social Sciences in October 2026, compared two intact classes over a twelve-week intervention and found a statistically significant advantage for the group taught through intercultural content.

The study involved 106 students divided into two groups: 52 students received intercultural instruction, while 54 were taught with conventional methods. Researchers used an embedded quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test non-equivalent group design, meaning the classes were existing groups rather than randomly assigned. Before the intervention began, tests showed no statistically significant difference between the groups’ critical thinking scores, with t(104) = −0.266 and p = .791, indicating that the two classes started from a comparable baseline.

Critical thinking was measured quantitatively using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. The researchers also collected qualitative data through open-ended post-intervention reflection questionnaires, allowing them to capture students’ own accounts of the classroom experience alongside the standardized scores.

After the twelve weeks, the post-test results told a different story. The treatment group significantly outperformed the comparison group on the critical thinking measure, with t(104) = 2.70 and p = .008. The effect size was moderate, at d = 0.53. The authors note that although the numerical gain was modest, a moderate effect size for a relatively short classroom intervention represents an educationally meaningful improvement rather than a trivial one.

Beyond the test scores, the qualitative responses indicated that intercultural instruction fostered a positive and engaging learning environment that supported the development of critical thinking among the English learners. These findings complemented the quantitative results by pointing to learner engagement as a factor associated with the instructional approach.

The researchers conclude that intercultural instruction is a promising pedagogical approach for fostering critical thinking in EFL learners. They underline the value of integrating intercultural content into English language curricula, arguing that such integration can strengthen both learner engagement and the growth of critical thinking skills, which they describe as a key educational competence for the twenty-first century.

The study’s design carries limitations worth noting. Because the groups were intact classes rather than randomly assigned individuals, the quasi-experimental design cannot rule out all pre-existing differences between the groups, even though the pre-test found none that were statistically significant. The intervention took place in a single Ethiopian higher education context, so generalization to other institutions, countries or age groups would require further research.

Even so, the findings offer language educators a concrete, testable idea: that the cultural dimension of language teaching can do double duty. Rather than treating intercultural content as separate from skills development, the Ethiopian study suggests that weaving intercultural instruction into everyday English lessons may measurably strengthen critical thinking, with effects visible after a single academic term.

Subject of Research: Effects of intercultural instruction on the critical thinking skills of EFL learners in Ethiopian higher education

Article Title: Effects of intercultural instruction on EFL learners’ critical thinking skills

Article References: Bishaw, M. S., Tariku, M. E., & Dememe, B. Z. (2026). Effects of intercultural instruction on EFL learners’ critical thinking skills. SN Social Sciences, 6(11), Article 574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-026-01861-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43545-026-01861-3

Keywords: critical thinking, EFL, intercultural instruction, quasi-experimental, Ethiopia, Watson-Glaser, higher education, language teaching, effect size, learner engagement, curriculum, Effects