INVESTIGATING CRITICAL THINKING IN PAKISTANI ELT PRACTICES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PUBLISHED RESEARCH

Abstract

This systematic review examines how critical thinking has been addressed in published research on Pakistani ELT practices, focusing on textbooks and materials, classroom practices, and assessment practices. The reviewed studies show that critical thinking is widely valued, but its implementation remains uneven across these domains. Textbook studies indicate a dominance of lower-order tasks, while classroom research suggests that critical thinking can improve learner achievement and engagement when deliberately integrated into teaching. However, structural constraints such as examination pressure, rigid curricula, overcrowded classrooms, and limited teacher preparation continue to restrict its development. Assessment studies further show that traditional testing practices remain dominant, with limited emphasis on reasoning, evaluation, and creativity. Overall, the review concludes that critical thinking in Pakistani ELT is not absent, but insufficiently supported through aligned materials, pedagogy, and assessment.