Abstract:
Nowadays, teaching foreign languages is very important, especially when it comes to the teaching
of English in Algerian secondary schools. This study aims to evaluate the use of classroom
discussions as a way to improve critical thinking skills among secondary school pupils as instructed
by textbooks and practiced by the teachers in the classroom. This study follows a descriptive
evaluative research design, which focuses on both quantitative and qualitative methods. The data
were collected through two main tools: a questionnaire and a textbook evaluation checklist; the
questionnaire was administered face to face and online to thirty (N=30) respondents, who were
Algerian secondary school English teachers. The textbook evaluation checklist was used to collect
the needed data from the three secondary school level textbooks in regard to the use of classroom
discussions as a way to improve critical thinking skills. The results of the study indicated that the
textbooks of the three levels guided teachers’ use of classroom discussions to develop critical
thinking in pupils. However, the teachers have demonstrated, through the questionnaire that they
do not follow the textbook activities, which is why the learners have a low critical thinking level
according to them. The study informed about the different challenges that impede the teachers
from practicing the classroom discussion as prescribed in the textbooks. This study entails some
recommendations with the objective of improving the teaching quality of EFL education in
Algerian secondary schools.
