THE ROLES OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS TO THE UNIVERSITY SUCCESS FOR FELTE ULIS STUDENTS: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES

The article explores the crucial role of critical thinking skills in achieving university success for students in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpretation University of Languages and International Studies (FELTE ULIS). Through the lens of students perspectives, the article highlights how these skills are essential to academic achievement, professional growth, and personal development. The study delves deeper into the various strategies used by students to enhance their critical thinking capacity, such as problemsolving, analyzing information, and evaluating arguments. By shedding light on the significance of critical thinking skills, this article offers valuable insights into the key factors that contribute to academic success for students in FELTE ULIS.

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

Ha Noi, 2023

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHOÁ LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

VAI TRÒ CỦA TƯ DUY PHẢN BIỆN ĐỐI VỚI SỰ THÀNH CÔNG BẬC ĐẠI HỌC CỦA SINH VIÊN KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ - ĐẠI

HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI:

TỪ QUAN ĐIỂM CỦA SINH VIÊN

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Nguyễn Thuỵ Phương Lan (Ph D)

Sinh viên: Đặng Thị Linh Khoá: QH2019.F1.E19

Hà Nội, 2023

STATEMENT OF ACCEPTANCE

I hereby state that I, Dang Thi Linh, class 19E19, being a candidate for the degree ofBachelor of Arts (fast-track program) accept the requirements of the College relating

to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in thelibrary should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance withthe normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan, or reproduction ofthe paper

Signature

Hanoi, May 5th, 2023

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Principally, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Mrs NguyenThuy Phuong Lan, Ph.D – my supervisor in this graduation paper, for her detailedinstruction, valuable comments and advice on progress, which is a determining factor

in the fulfillment of this research Her profound knowledge and advice haveenlightened my insight into the topic and her incentive has inspired me to conduct thestudy passionately

Another appreciation I would like to make is to the students at the Faculty ofEnglish Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and InternationalStudies for spending their valuable time and effort participating in the survey and theinterview This research can not be completed without their contribution

Last but not least, I want to thank my family and friends, who have provided

me with emotional support Without their understanding and care, I would not havebeen able to make an endeavor to finish this research project

Critical thinking is thought to be one of the most crucial factors that influencestudents’ educational performance Thus, what should be investigated are learners’perceptions of the relationship between critical thinking skills and their achievement

at school This paper, therefore, aims to study the key components of critical thinkingthat students, specifically students from the Faculty of Foreign Languages TeacherEducation (FELTE) at the University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS),perceive as important to their university success Besides, the research also focuses oninvestigating the extent to which critical thinking skills contribute to theirachievement on the university journey

Survey questionnaires and informal interviews have been chosen as the maindata collection instruments of the study The questionnaire was administered to 158fourth-year FELTE-ULIS students Then, the interviews with 5 students have beenconducted to triangulate the collected data from the survey

The results of the analyses revealed that critical thinking and all its 5components, which are: (1) understanding the arguments, (2) evaluating thearguments, (3) analyzing the evidence, (4) considering alternative perspectives, and(5) making decisions, correlated significantly with the FELTE-ULIS students’university success Furthermore, it also showed that critical thinking contributes totheir achievement in university to an extremely high extent The findings of thisresearch may provide valuable insights into how important students have to be betterequipped with critical thinking skills to enhance their university performance andachieve their academic goals

Keywords: critical thinking, university success, students’ perceptions

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their General Capacity and Knowledge

Table 2: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their Career Capacity

Table 3: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their Autonomy Capacity and Responsibility

Table 4: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their Professionalism

Table 5: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 2, Evaluating The

Arguments, to their General Capacity and Knowledge

Table 6: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 2, Evaluating The

Arguments, to their Career Capacity

Table 7: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 2, Evaluating The

Arguments, to their Autonomy Capacity and Responsibility

Table 8: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 2, Evaluating The

Arguments, to their Professionalism

Table 9: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 3, Analyzing The

Evidence, to their General Capacity and Knowledge

Table 10: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 3, Analyzing The

Evidence, to their Career Capacity

Table 11: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 3, Analyzing The

Evidence, to their Autonomy Capacity and Responsibility

Table 12: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 3, Analyzing The

Evidence, to their Professionalism

Table 13: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 4, Considering

Alternative Perspectives, to their General Capacity and Knowledge

Table 14: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 4, Considering

Alternative Perspectives, to their Career Capacity

Table 15: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 4, Considering

Alternative Perspectives, to their Autonomy Capacity and Responsibility

Table 16: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 4, Considering

Alternative Perspectives, to their Professionalism

Table 17: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 5, Making

Decisions, to their General Capacity and Knowledge

Table 18: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 5, Making

Decisions, to their Career Capacity

Table 19: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 5, Making

Decisions, to their Autonomy Capacity and Responsibility

Table 20: Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 5, Making

Decisions, to their Professionalism

LIST OF ACRONYMS FELTE: Faculty of English Language Teaching Education ULIS: University of Languages and International Studies

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale for the study

1.2 Research aims and research questions

1.3 Scope of the study

1.4 Contributions of the research

1.5 Organization of the study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 An overview of Critical thinking

2.1.1 Definitions of Critical thinking

2.1.2 Components of Critical Thinking

2.1.2.1 Halpern's Model of Critical Thinking

2.1.2.2 The Paul-Elder Model of Critical Thinking

2.2 Student’s university success

2.2.1 Definitions of the Student’s university success

2.2.2 Aspects of student’s university success

2.2.3 The output standards in the University Standard Training Programs for FELTE-ULIS students

2 3 Review of related studies

2.4 Relevant theories and frameworks

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Students’ perspectives on the role of critical thinking components contributing

to their university success

4.1.1 Students’ perspectives on the role of “Understanding the Arguments”

4.1.2 Students’ perspectives on the role of Evaluating the arguments

contributing to their university success

4.1.3 Students’ perspectives on the role of the component Analyzing the evidence contributing to their university success

4.1.4 Students’ perspectives on the role of Understanding the arguments to their university success

4.1.5 Students’ perspectives on the role of Understanding the arguments to

their university success

4.2 Students’ perspectives on the extent that critical thinking contributes to their university success

In the information and technology era, good thinking is considered animportant key to life success (Huitt, 1995; Thomas & Smoot, 1994) Living in

an ever-changing and increasingly complex world requires people to thinkabout all aspects such as the social, political, and ethical challenges of everyday

life With the rapid development of the Internet, people easily publish anyinformation on websites, forums, and social media platforms Therefore,

‘critical thinking’ seems to be a solution for people to avoid propaganda andfalse information Defined as the ability to discipline and control one’s thinking

to process information more easily, effectively, and efficiently (Paul, 1990;Atkinson & Breeden, 1997), critical thinking seems to be crucial for students toperform well not only in the academic environment but also in futureworkplaces Students must attempt to absorb knowledge and learn to developskills to judge information, evaluate and argue with using tenable reasons andevidence To maintain a sustained developing future, it would seem important

to not only learn to think critically but also to teach critical thinking to students

as well

Because of the emphasis placed on this acquired ability, critical thinking isconsidered an educational ideal of all educational endeavors Old standardssuch as simply gaining high scores in standardized tests of basic skills, thoughstill appropriate, cannot be the sole means by which we judge the academicperformance of students (Huitt, 1998) Besides, Watson and Glaser (1980) alsostated that critical thinking should generally be regarded as a major goal ofacademic instruction It is also known to play a significant role in manycareers, particularly those which require carefulness and accuracy, analyticalthinking is an essential part of the job Educators would agree that learning tothink is one of the most important goals of formal schooling and wereconcerned about the urgency of prioritizing the teaching and learning of criticalthinking (Bernard et al, 2008) In fact, in the United States, “a national survey

of employers, policymakers, and educators found consensus that thedispositional, as well as the skills dimension of critical thinking, should beconsidered an essential outcome of a college education” (Bernard et al, 2008).Therefore, it is essential to understand the role that critical thinking skills play

in university success As Brink-Budgen (2014) notes, "critical thinking isessential for academic success, particularly at the university level where

students are expected to be more self-directed and demonstrate independentlearning" (p 9).

In many Western countries, the training of critical thinking for students is oftenpracticed early at schools The University of Languages and InternationalStudies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi is one of the universities thatfocus on developing critical thinking skills for students To emphasize the role

of critical thinking, a subject titled “Skills for university success” was designedfor freshmen and mostly devoted to developing students’ critical thinking.However, not all students realize how essential these skills are to their studiesand work Therefore, many students at the University of Languages andInternational Studies (ULIS), specifically at the Faculty of English Education(FELTE), failed to attach the emphasis on the practice of these skills Some donot have the right understanding and orientation to maintain these crucial skillsfor thỉe university work

As Kuhn and Dean (2004) point out, "Students' beliefs and attitudes towardscritical thinking influence their engagement in learning and the extent to whichthey apply critical thinking skills" (p 513) Especially, with the FELTE-ULISstudents, who are studying in a discipline that requires a high level ofproficiency in English, critical thinking skills are particularly important in thisfield, as it involves analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating complex texts andideas Therefore, understanding the role of critical thinking skills in theuniversity success of FELTE-ULIS students is vital For those reasons, study isconducted to investigate the FELTE-ULIS students' perspectives on theimportance of critical thinking skills and how they impact their universityachievement

1.2 Research aims and research questions

The aim of this research is to explore the perspectives of students at ULIS on the roles of critical thinking skills in their success in university.Specifically, the research seeks to investigate which are the most important

FELTE-critical thinking components contributing to their university success Theresearch also aims to explore the extent to which FELTE-ULIS studentsperceive their critical thinking skills as contributing to their university success This study will focus on answering two questions:

- What are the key components of critical thinking that contribute to theiruniversity success, as perceived by FELTE-ULIS students?

- To what extent do FELTE-ULIS students perceive their critical thinkingskills as contributing to their university success?

1.3 Scope of the study

This research focuses on exploring the perspectives of FELTE’s students whoattended the course "Skill for university success" at the University ofLanguages and International Studies The study is a survey research and thepopulation are 158 senior students in FELTE-ULIS In addition, informalinterviews are planned to triangulate the data from the survey The viewpointsfrom the students are main focus of this study

1.4 Contributions of the research

This research highlights the importance of critical thinking skills in the context

of higher education and the specific relevance to FELTE-ULIS students Thestudy aims to contribute to the literature on critical thinking skills and theirimpact on academic success while providing insights that could potentially helpstudents to enhance their critical thinking skills and improve their academicperformance

This study is also expected to confirm the significance of the subjects designed

to improve students’ critical thinking skills

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 An overview of Critical thinking

2.1.1 Definitions of Critical thinking

Critical thinking is a term that has been defined in various ways by differentscholars and organizations Firstly, several definitions of critical thinking share

a common emphasis on the active and systematic nature of critical thinking.For example, The Foundation for Critical Thinking defines critical thinking as

"the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing,applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gatheredfrom, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, orcommunication" (Criticalthinking.org, n.d.) Similarly, Paul and Elder (2006)define critical thinking as "the active, persistent, and careful consideration of abelief or supposed form of knowledge in light of the grounds that support it andthe further conclusions to which it tends" (p 4) Both of these definitionsemphasize that critical thinking is a process that requires active engagementwith information and careful consideration of the reasons and evidencesupporting a particular belief or position

Besides, some definitions highlight the role of reasoning and analysis in theprocess of critical thinking For example, according to the Critical ThinkingCommunity, critical thinking is "a process of evaluating information, ideas, andarguments in a disciplined, systematic, and logical way" (Criticalthinking.org,n.d.) Similarly, Paul and Elder (2006) argue that critical thinking involves "theuse of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of adesirable outcome" (p 5), including the ability to reason logically and analyzeevidence

Finally, some definitions of critical thinking emphasize the importance ofreflective and self-directed thinking in the practice of critical thinking Forexample, Ennis (1987) defines critical thinking as "reasonable, reflectivethinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do" (p 10) Similarly,the University of Hong Kong defines critical thinking as "the ability to engage

in reflective and independent thinking" (HKU, n.d.) According to these,critical thinking are defined as the ability to engage in reflective and self-directed thinking, rather than simply accepting information or ideas withoutquestion.

In short, all the authors, as mentioned earlier, advocate the key features todefine critical thinking, including the active and systematic nature of criticalthinking, the importance of reasoning and analysis, and the significance ofreflective and self-directed thinking in the process of critical thinking It can beunderstood as the ability to analyze information objectively and make areasoned judgment about what to do or what to believe Moreover, it refers tothe ability to engage in the evaluation of sources, such as news, facts,phenomena, and research

Among the authors, the Conceptual Framework of Critical Thinking by Pauland Elder is a broader term that can refer to any theoretical framework thatoutlines the key components of critical thinking Additionally, it is one of themost widely recognized and commonly used frameworks for evaluating anddeveloping critical thinking skills Therefore, the present study based on thisframework and proposes a definition of critical thinking, which is a processthat involves analyzing information, identifying biases and assumptions,questioning claims, making connections, and drawing conclusions based onevidence

2.1.2 Components of Critical Thinking

2.1.2.1 Halpern's Model of Critical Thinking

Halpern's Model of Critical Thinking is a comprehensive framework forunderstanding and teaching critical thinking that was developed by Diane F.Halpern, a professor of psychology at Claremont McKenna College, in the year

1996 Halpern's Model of Critical Thinking consists of five key componentsthat are essential for effective critical thinking These components are:

- Understanding the argument: This component involves identifying and

comprehending the key ideas, assumptions, and evidence presented in

an argument It also involves recognizing the context and purpose of theargument Skills associated with understanding the argument includeidentifying relevant information, recognizing the main idea, andidentifying the intended audience.

- Evaluating the argument: This component involves assessing the quality

and reliability of the evidence presented in an argument It also involvesevaluating the logic and reasoning used to support the argument andidentifying any flaws or weaknesses Skills associated with evaluatingthe argument include recognizing assumptions, identifying fallacies, andassessing the credibility of sources

- Analyzing the evidence: This component involves synthesizing and

integrating the information presented in an argument to arrive at areasoned and well-supported conclusion It also involves identifying anyimplications or consequences of the conclusion Skills associated withdrawing conclusions include synthesizing information, makinginferences, and recognizing implications

- Considering alternative perspectives: This component involves applying

critical thinking skills to solve complex problems, by identifying andevaluating alternative solutions and selecting the best course of actionbased on the available evidence Skills associated with problem-solvinginclude identifying and defining problems, generating alternativesolutions, and evaluating potential outcomes

- Making decisions: This component involves making informed and

reasoned decisions based on an evaluation of the available evidence andpotential outcomes It also involves considering ethical and socialconsiderations when making decisions Skills associated with decision-making include evaluating alternatives, weighing the costs and benefits,and considering ethical and social implications

Overall, Halpern's Model of Critical Thinking emphasizes the importance ofanalyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information to arrive at well-reasonedconclusions, while also considering the broader context and potential

implications of the conclusions By developing these key components,individuals can become more effective critical thinkers and make betterdecisions in a variety of contexts.

2.1.2.2 The Paul-Elder Model of Critical Thinking

The Paul-Elder model of critical thinking was first introduced in the book

"Critical Thinking: The Nature of Critical and Creative Thought" by RichardPaul and Linda Elder, which was published in 2006 The Paul-Elder frameworkfor critical thinking identifies eight key components:

- Purpose: Clearly identify the question or problem you are trying to

address, and understand your goals and objectives

- Question at issue: Identify and clearly articulate the key questions or

issues that need to be addressed to fully understand and solve theproblem

- Information: Gather and evaluate relevant information and evidence

from a variety of sources

- Interpretation: Analyze and interpret the information and evidence,

considering different perspectives and potential biases

- Concepts: Identify and use key concepts and ideas that are relevant to

the problem or question at hand

- Assumptions: Identify and evaluate underlying assumptions and beliefs

that may influence your thinking or the thinking of others

- Implications and consequences: Consider the potential implications and

consequences of different solutions or courses of action

- Points of view: Identify and consider different perspectives and

viewpoints, including your own, when evaluating information andevidence and making decisions

These elements guide individuals through the critical thinking process byproviding a framework for analyzing and evaluating information

● Critique of two Critical Thinking Models

Between these two Critical Thinking Models mentioned above, both the Elder Model of Critical Thinking and the Halpern's Model of Critical Thinkingprovide valuable frameworks for evaluating and developing critical thinkingskills However, in the context of this research on the roles of critical thinking

Paul-to the FELTE-ULIS students' university success, the Helpern’s Model may bemore relevant and appropriate

One reason for this is that the Halpern Model is specifically designed toevaluate critical thinking in academic contexts, which is directly relevant to the

research topic The model's five components (Understanding the arguments,

Evaluating the arguments, Analyzing the evidence, Considering alternative perspectives, and Making decisions) are directly related to the kinds of skills

and abilities that are necessary for the educational success

Additionally, the Halpern’s Model is widely recognized and widely used ineducational contexts, which means that there is a wealth of research andresources available for using and applying the model in practice This can behelpful for the researcher to draw on existing research and best practices whenevaluating the critical thinking skills of FELTE-ULIS students

While the Paul-Elder Model also provides a comprehensive framework forevaluating critical thinking skills, it may be more appropriate for contextsoutside of academia, such as in the workplace or in personal decision-making.Therefore, the researcher chose the Halpern’s Model as one of the frameworksfor this research and the survey questionnaire was designed as a 5-sectionstructure corresponding to 5 key components of this model to investigate therelationship between those components and the FELTE-ULIS students’university success

2.2 Student’s university success

2.2.1 Definitions of the Student’s university success

The definition of university success for students has been a subject of interestfor researchers in recent years According to Kuh (2003), the definition ofuniversity success for students has evolved over time, with early studies

focusing on academic achievement, such as grades, test scores, and graduationrates According to Tinto (1993), a student's university success was defined as

"persistence in college and timely completion of a degree" (p 7) Similarly,Pascarella and Terenzini (1991) defined success as "academic achievement asindicated by GPA, course completion, and retention" (p 24) This definitionreflected the belief that academic success was the primary goal of highereducation

However, in recent years, recent research has broadened the scope of success toinclude personal development, career readiness, and social responsibility (Kim

et al., 2019) Firstly, there has been a growing trend towards defining student'suniversity success more holistically to include personal and social growth Kuh(2003) introduced the concept of "high-impact practices," which includesactivities such as internships, service learning, and undergraduate research.These activities were seen as essential for developing critical thinking,leadership skills, and community engagement, which are all components ofstudent's university success In this definition, success is not limited toacademic achievement but includes the development of the whole person.Moreover, another definition of student's university success is focused oncareer readiness and employability According to Gardner and Veliz (2016),success in university is "the attainment of professional knowledge and skillsneeded to secure employment in one's chosen field of study" (p 2) In thisdefinition, success is not only about obtaining a degree but also about preparingfor a career and securing employment after graduation Last but not least,recently, there has been a growing movement that prioritizes student's mentaland emotional health and well-being This definition stresses the importance ofresilience, adaptability, and self-care as essential components of success inuniversity For example, Lipson et al (2020) define student's university success

as "the ability to maintain one's health, well-being, and academic achievementwhile in college" (p 2) This definition highlights the need to support students

in managing the challenges of university life and maintaining their overallwell-being

After reviewing several research on the student’s university success, theresearcher took the viewpoint that successful university students are those whonot only excel academically but also demonstrate personal growth, possess theskills necessary to succeed in their chosen professions, and are sociallyresponsible citizens In other words, the definition of student's universitysuccess has shifted from a narrow focus on academic performance to a moreholistic approach that takes into account various aspects of a student's life(Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005)

In conclusion, the definition of university success for students has evolvedsignificantly in recent years While academic performance remains animportant factor, personal development, career readiness, and socialresponsibility have been added to the definition of success Universities nowrecognize the importance of developing well-rounded individuals who cansucceed in various areas of life, not just academically

2.2.2 Aspects of student’s university success

As mentioned above, the success of a university student is a multidimensionalconstruct, and it involves several aspects These aspects include academicperformance, personal development, career readiness, and social responsibility(Huang, Li, & Zhang, 2020)

- Academic Performance: It is often the most obvious measure of a

student’s success in university It is typically measured by grades, GPA,graduation rates and other quantitative measures of academicachievement Many studies have shown that academic success ispositively associated with various outcomes, including higher income,better health, and greater job satisfaction (Arum & Roksa, 2011).Similarly, as Riggio and Garofalo (2019) note, "academic performance

is the primary predictor of future success in both academic andprofessional settings" (p 2) Additionally, academic performance isoften used as a benchmark for other aspects of student success, such aspersonal development and career readiness However, some scholars

have argued that academic success alone is not sufficient for defininguniversity success for students (Hernández-Sampieri et al., 2021).

- Personal Development: This is another aspect of university success that

has gained more attention in recent years Personal development refers

to the growth and development of the whole person, including theirintellectual, emotional, social, and physical dimensions Personaldevelopment can be facilitated through a range of experiences, includinginternships, study abroad programs, leadership opportunities, andcommunity service (Hernández-Sampieri et al., 2021) However,personal development also encompasses non-academic areas such asemotional intelligence, resilience, and cultural competence (Chang &Birkett, 2020) Personal development is seen as an important component

of university success because it helps students become well-roundedindividuals who are better prepared to navigate the challenges of lifebeyond college

- Career Readiness: This is another important aspect of university

success It refers to the preparation of students for the workforce aftergraduation, including their ability to acquire and apply knowledge,skills, and competencies in real-world settings Career readiness is oftenmeasured by indicators such as job placement rates, starting salaries, andemployer satisfaction (Kim et al., 2019) This aspect is closely linked toboth academic performance and personal development, as students whoperform well academically and experience personal growth anddevelopment are more likely to be successful in their careers (Hartmann

& Wever, 2020) However, career readiness also encompasses academic areas such as interpersonal skills, time management, andadaptability (Robbins et al., 2012) Career readiness is importantbecause it helps students transition from university to the workforce andachieve their career goals Therefore, many universities have establishedcareer development centers to provide students with resources andsupport to enhance their career readiness

non Social Responsibility: This is a relatively new aspect of university

success that has gained more attention in recent years Socialresponsibility refers to the responsibility of individuals andorganizations to act in the best interests of society, including theenvironment, communities, and other stakeholders Social responsibilitycan be promoted through a range of activities, including communityservice, sustainability initiatives, and ethical decision-making(Hernández-Sampieri et al., 2021) Social responsibility is seen as animportant component of university success because it helps studentsbecome responsible and engaged citizens who can contribute positively

to society

In conclusion, student success in university can be evaluated in a number ofways, including academic performance, personal development, careerreadiness, and social responsibility Each of these aspects is critical to theoverall success of a student in university and prepares them for the challengesthey will face in their personal and professional lives after graduation

2.2.3 The output standards in the University Standard Training Programs for FELTE-ULIS students

The output standards in the University Standard Training Programs for ULIS students of the academic year 2019-2023 is considered as a set ofguidelines for the learning outcomes expected of students completing theprogram These standards are designed to ensure that graduates of the programpossess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in their futureacademic and professional pursuits They cover a wide range of areas,including 15 output standards, categorized into four groups: General capacityand knowledge, Career capacity, Autonomy capacity and responsibility, andProfessionalism

FELTE-● General capacity and knowledge

By the end of the university course, students will be able to:

- Practice career, research, and lifelong learning on the basis of applyingknowledge of social sciences, humanities and basic natural sciences,politics, law, and contemporary worldview.

- Analyze and evaluate linguistic and cultural phenomena of countries inSoutheast Asia and English-speaking countries in the world in relation

to the Vietnamese language and culture

- Effectively use the 21st century competencies (collaboration, criticalthinking, problem-solving, information technology, time management,etc) in study, career, and life activities

- Use English at level 5 and a second foreign language at level 3according to the Vietnam Six-levels of Foreign Language ProficiencyFramework

● Career capacity

In terms of professional capacity, students will be able to:

- Use basic knowledge of English linguistics to practice professionalactivities that require English language analysis and processing skills

- Have skills in analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating data and information,synthesizing collective opinions and using new achievements in scienceand technology to solve real or abstract problems in the field trained

- Have the ability to lead expertise to handle issues of local and regionalscale

- Be able to use English fluently, be able to express problems in oral andwritten form in a clear, transparent, understandable and appropriate styleand have good compilation skills

● Autonomy capacity and responsibility

- Work independently and in groups under different conditions, takepersonal responsibility and take responsibility for the team

- Self-direct learning activities and professional practice, drawprofessional conclusions, and be able to defend opinions in a logical,reasonable and persuasive manner

- Plan, coordinate, manage resources, and evaluate and improve theeffectiveness of academic and professional practice activities.

- Show professionalism: complying with the regulations of the profession,having the commitment to work, constantly contemplating to improve,improving work efficiency, flexibly applying communication rules,problem-solving in the work environment

These 15 standards of the training program are fully relevant to the four aspects

of university success confirmed above, including Academic Performance,Personal Development, Career Readiness and Social Responsibility.Furthermore, the subjects of the study are seniors at FELTE-ULIS, who wereintroduced to and oriented towards these output standards from the beginning

of their university journey at ULIS, so these output standards are considered to

be the most suitable basis for evaluating the success of FELTE-ULIS students

of the academic year 2019-2023 As a result, the researcher decided to usethese 15 output standards as the basis to investigate the role of 5 criticalthinking components in the university success of FELTE-ULIS students in thesurvey questionnaire

2 3 Review of related studies

Several studies have found significant relationships between critical thinkingand academic performance in higher education A study by Abrami et al.(2008) found that critical thinking skills were positively associated withacademic performance, as measured by grades and achievement tests.Similarly, another study by Facione and Facione (2013) found that criticalthinking skills were significantly related to college students' overall academic

success, including their ability to engage in reflective and independentthinking Other studies have also explored the relationship between criticalthinking skills and other factors that may influence academic success Forexample, a study by Van Gelder et al (2005) found that critical thinking skillswere related to self-regulated learning strategies, which are essential foracademic success In addition, a study by Yan and Pan (2011) found thatcritical thinking skills were associated with self-efficacy, or the belief in one'sability to succeed in academic tasks.

Regarding the specific context of English language teacher education, severalstudies have also examined the role of critical thinking skills in languagelearning For example, a study by Tavakoli and Bakhtiarvand (2018) found thatcritical thinking skills were positively related to language proficiency andacademic success among Iranian EFL learners Similarly, another study byYildiz (2018) found that critical thinking skills were positively associated withacademic achievement among Turkish EFL learners

Overall, these related studies suggest that critical thinking skills play anessential role in academic success in higher education, including in the specificcontext of English language teacher education By building on this existingliterature, the present research on the roles of critical thinking skills inuniversity success for FELTE-ULIS students can contribute to a deeperunderstanding of the importance of critical thinking skills in academicperformance and learning outcomes in higher education

2.4 Relevant theories and frameworks

The framework that this study uses to evaluate the critical thinking skill ofstudents and to analyze the roles of these skills in their university success is thecombination of:

(i) Five key components of critical thinking in The Model of Critical Thinking

in the book of Halpern (1998): Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to

Critical Thinking (3rd ed.);

(ii) Terms related to critical thinking The conceptual framework of critical

thinking written by Richard Paul & Linda Elder (2013);

(iii) The output standards in the University Standard Training Programs forFELTE-ULIS students in the academic year 2019-2023 (2019);

(iv) In addition, the researcher also adds more types based on her ownobservation

2.5 Research gaps

Context and objective differences could be two explanations for thediscrepancy in the studies mentioned above While some studies haveexamined the relationship between critical thinking skills and languagelearning outcomes in other contexts, there may be limited research on thisrelationship specifically in the context of FELTE-ULIS Moreover, while theremay be some research on the relationship between critical thinking skills anduniversity success from a teacher or instructor perspective, there may be a lack

of research exploring this relationship from the student's perspective Thesegaps could be addressed by investigating FELTE-ULIS students' perceive theroles of critical thinking skills in their academic success, and which specificcomponents of critical thinking they believe are most important for success inthis context

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This study is carried out quantitatively via survey research with a set of questionnairesand informal interviews to triangulate the information collected from the surveyquestionnaire The benefit of using questionnaires as a data collection tool includeflexibility and brevity of timing, as respondents can complete a questionnaire on theirown time, at their own pace, and at a convenient time (Brown, 2011) The interviewprotocol consists of 8 open-ended questions about students’ perspectives of criticalthinking contributing to their university success The intended population is 158seniors from the FELTE at ULIS The survey questionnaire is administered online viaGoogle Forms

3.1 Research questions restated

The primary purpose of the research is to explore FELTE-ULIS students’perspectives on the role of critical thinking components to their universitysuccess and identify to which extent critical thinking skills contribute to theiruniversity achievement, as they perceive Hence, the following researchquestions are raised below:

1 What do FELTE-ULIS students believe are the key components of critical thinking that contribute to their university success, as perceived

research studies where the researcher is interested in a specific group ofindividuals with unique characteristics or experiences

Questionnaire sampling Non-probability sampling has been criticized for its

potential for bias, as the sample may not be representative of the population ofinterest (Babbie, 2016) However, it can be a useful tool in research studieswhere random selection is not feasible or practical The survey was distributed

to 158 4th-year FELTE-ULIS students, and all of them completed thequestionnaire in full

Interview sampling For the interview section, because the number of surveys

collected is relatively overwhelming, conducting interviews with allparticipants is burdensome and unnecessary Therefore, purposive sampling, byselecting participants who have strong opinions, such as strongly agreeing ordisagreeing on specific criteria in the questionnaire for interviewing, is a morebeneficial and less time-consuming way The number of interviewees is 5students

3.3 Research design

This research adopts survey research as its design, by using quantitativecomponents in order to attain an objective and comprehensive view of theresearch According to Griffie (2012), a survey research design utilizes “toenable the teacher-researcher-educator-educator to investigate a construct byasking questions of either fact (descriptive) or opinion (explanatory) from asample of a population from a sample of the population for the purpose ofgeneralizing to the population.” Griffie also highlights the significance of thisresearch design, as it can produce descriptive summaries and generalize thestatements based on its large database

Questionnaires, observations, and open-ended interviews are employed toinvestigate the data objectively and subjectively

The population of the research is about 200 students and 5 lecturers whoattended the course "Skill for university success" at the FELTE, ULIS inHanoi; they will complete the survey and some of them will later conduct theinterview session to provide the descriptive data to invest the research issues.

3.4 Data collection

3.1 Questionnaire

Questionnaire is an effective method to collect information, especially visualinformation about one or more problems This can be explained when theinformation collected is large; it is objective, unbiased, and easy to analyze,mostly in numerical form or short answers, time-saving and cost-effective(Griffith, 2012)

In this research, a questionnaire was designed to gather information on theperceptions and beliefs of students regarding critical thinking and itsrelationship to their university success The questionnaire includes both open-ended and closed-ended questions to allow for a more in-depth exploration ofrespondents' perceptions and beliefs The questionnaire was pre-tested with asmall group of FELTE-ULIS students to ensure that the questions are clear,relevant, and easy to understand

The questionnaire is divided into 3 main parts:

The second part, Key components of Critical Thinking that contribute to

FELTE-ULIS students’ university success, comprises five sections investigating

the respondents' perceptions of critical thinking components, which are (1)Understanding the arguments, (2) Evaluating the arguments, (3) Analysing theevidence, (4) Considering alternative perspectives, and (5) Making decisions,and how they perceive these components as important in achieving their OutputStandards at FELTE-ULIS Each section has 15 close-ended questionscorresponding to 15 Output standards in the University Standard TrainingPrograms for FELTE-ULIS students of the academic year 2019-2023, whichare mentioned before as the standards to measure students’ university success

at FETLE-ULIS The answers to this part were analyzed to draw the answer tothe first research question

The third part comprises 6 close-ended questions focusing on the respondents'beliefs about the importance of critical thinking for university performance.There are 6 questions in this part, measuring the extent that critical thinkingskills in general and its five components contribute to achieving the universitysuccess of FELTE-ULIS students This section is conducted to investigate theanswer to the question: To what extent do FELTE-ULIS students believe thatcritical thinking skills are important for their university success?

3.2 Interview

According to Kessy and Urio (2019), while the survey data provided valuableinformation, the interviews allowed for a deeper understanding of the reasonsbehind employee turnover and provided insights into potential solutions Byusing interviews to supplement survey data, researchers can gain a morecomplete picture of the phenomenon being studied, as interviews allow formore nuanced and detailed responses that may not be captured in a survey.Therefore, interviews were conducted to triangulate the information or findingscollected from the survey Regarding the criteria from the questionnaire, theinterview consists of 8 open-ended questions based on factors stated in thequestionnaire that the respondents can restate and provide innovative responsesabout the role of critical thinking and its components to their university

achievements The number of interviewees is 5 students who have strongopinions, such as strongly agreeing or disagreeing on specific criteria in thequestionnaire for the survey The interviews were recorded digitally, voicerecordings were transcribed for each respondent, and responses to the questionwere coded for recurring themes.

4 Data analysis

Once data has been collected from the questionnaire, the data were presented

on SPSS (Statistics Package for Social Science) software For 75 Likert scalequestions in Part 2, the data were converted from "Strongly agree", "Agree",

“Neither agree nor disagree”, "Disagree" and "Strongly disagree" into numbersfrom 5 to 1 This way, the data were expressed in an intuitive way and canarrange from highest to lowest, as well as find important indicators such asvariance and standard deviation, from which the opinion of the participants can

be judged easily

The short answers were analyzed by selecting keywords, identifying thecontent of the answers, and arranging the appropriate groups, combined withthe answers above to give the views of the participants and consider laterinterviewing Finally, the author analyzes and discusses the findings and draws

a conclusion

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the results collected from the survey and interviews The resultsare discussed in detail, with additional tables to help illustrate the information Finally,the most important findings are summarized

4.1 Students’ perspectives on the role of critical thinking components

contributing to their university success

4.1.1 Students’ perspectives on the role of “Understanding the Arguments”

This part analyzed responses for the survey questions in Section 1 of the second mainpart of the survey questionnaire, which inquires about the importance of the firstcritical thinking component, "Understanding the arguments," in achieving 15 outputstandards of FELTE-ULIS The analysis for this part is categorized into four aspectscorresponding to four groups of output standards for FELTE-ULIS students, which

are “General capacity and knowledge, Career capacity, Autonomy capacity and

responsibility, and Professionalism”.

● General capacity and knowledge

Table 1 presents the descriptive statistics for question number 1 to 4 in the first section

of the second main part of the questionnaire, which evaluates students' perspectives onthe role of the first critical thinking component, "Understanding the arguments," inachieving 4 “General capacity and knowledge” standards This table provides thenumber of valid responses (N), the smallest (Min) and highest (Max) value in the dataset, as well as the lowest and highest scale chosen in the 5-scale Likert questionnaires,and the measure of how much the values deviate from the Mean of each standard (Std.Deviation)

Table 1

Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their General Capacity and Knowledge

Deviation

1 To work and study lifelong on the

basis of applying knowledge 158 3 5 4.29 .509

2 To analyze and evaluate linguistic

and cultural phenomena of world

countries

3 To effectively use the 21st-century

competencies in study, career, and

life

4 To use English at level 5 and a

second foreign language at least

level 3 according to the Vietnam

Six-levels of Foreign Language

Proficiency Framework

As illustrated in Table 1, the average value (Mean) for all 4 standards range from 4.29

to 4.41, indicating that students consider "Understanding the arguments" as anessential component for achieving their general capacity

The highest Mean was obtained for standards 2 and 4, which are "To analyze and

evaluate linguistic and cultural phenomena of world countries" and “To use English

at level 5 and a second foreign language at least level 3 according to the Vietnam levels of Foreign Language Proficiency Framework” This suggests that students

Six-recognize the importance of understanding the arguments in having English languageskills for their future careers Besides, the students also value the contribution of thiscomponent to the ability to understand and analyze cultural diversity In fact, these arethe two most popular tasks that FELTE-ULIS students are assigned both in studyingand working Therefore, they could have the clearest look at the role of thiscomponent to achieve these kinds of assignments While understanding arguments canhelp them to better comprehend English texts and conversations in learning English, italso allows them to more deeply understand the underlying beliefs and values thatshape a culture when analyzing foreign cultures

The lowest mean scores were obtained for standard 1, which is "To work and studylifelong on the basis of applying knowledge", with the Mean at 4.29 However, eventhese scores were still above the mid-point of the scale, suggesting that the firstcomponent still has a significant contribution to gaining this standard Moreover, thestandard deviations (Std Deviation) are relatively low for all four standards, rangingfrom 0.509 to 0.668 This suggests that the scores are tightly clustered around themeans, indicating a small variation in the scores

● Professional capacity

Table 2 illustrates the statistical data for questions number 5 to 9 in the first section ofthe second main part of the questionnaire, which presents students' perspectives on the

role of the first critical thinking component, "Understanding the arguments," inachieving five “Career capacity” standards

Table 2

Students’ perspectives about the role of Component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their Career Capacity

Deviation

5 To use basic knowledge of

English linguistics career tasks

that require English language

analysis and processing skills

6 To effectively and creatively apply

theoretical concepts and technical

skills to a variety of situations

7 To analyze, synthesize, and

evaluate data and information to

solve real or abstract problems in

the field trained

8 To have social awareness

capacity, and the ability to adapt

to different societies and working

environments

9 To have the ability of professional

development, self-assessment,

self-study, and self-training in

order to improve personal

capacity

As can be seen from Table 2, the Mean scores for all five standards are above 4 out of

5, which indicates a positive relationship between "Understanding the arguments" andthe five output standards Specifically, The highest mean score is for standard 5 “Touse basic knowledge of English linguistics career tasks that require English languageanalysis and processing skills”, with a mean of 4.47, and the lowest mean score is forstandard 8 “To have social awareness capacity, and the ability to adapt to differentsocieties and working environments”, with a mean of 4.32 To be clarified, this

component is likely to be closely linked to the ability to use English linguisticsknowledge for tasks that require English language analysis and processing skills, asthese tasks often involve analyzing and interpreting written or spoken language.Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that students who are better able to understandarguments may also be better able to use their English language skills to analyze andprocess information in their academic and professional tasks.

It is also worth noting that standards 7 “To analyze, synthesize, and evaluate data andinformation to solve real or abstract problems in the field trained” and standard 8 haveminimum scores (Min) of 1, which suggests that some students may struggle whenusing this component to apply knowledge and skills that they learned in their careerand daily life However, the Mean scores for these two standards are still relativelyhigh, at 4.39 and 4.32, indicating that the majority of students still appreciate the role

of “Understanding the arguments” in solving problems in real life

● Autonomy capacity and responsibility

Table 3 presents the statistics for questions number 10 to 12 in the first section of thesecond main part of the questionnaire, which presents students' perspectives on therole of the first critical thinking component, "Understanding the arguments," inachieving 3 “Autonomy capacity and responsibility” standards

Table 3

Students’ perspectives about the role of the component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their Autonomy Capacity and Responsibility

Deviation

10 To work individually and in

groups in different conditions with

high responsibility

11 To self-direct, draw professional

conclusions, and defend opinions

in a logical, scientific, and

persuasive way in learning and

12 To plan, manage, evaluate, and

improve the effectiveness of

academic and professional

However, there is some variability in the responses of the students, as evidenced bythe standard deviation scores, which range from 0.629 to 0.705 This variabilitysuggests that there may be differences in how students interpret and understand theimportance of "Understanding The Arguments" for developing autonomy andresponsibility There could be several reasons for the variability in the responses of thestudents For instance, differences in cultural background, educational experiences,and personal beliefs could influence how students perceive the importance of

"Understanding The Arguments" for developing autonomy and responsibility.Additionally, the component's complexity and abstract nature could also impact thestudents' understanding and interpretation

● Professionalism

Table 4 summaries the figures for questions number 13 to 15 in the first section of thesecond main part of the questionnaire, which inquires students' perspectives on therole of the first critical thinking component, "Understanding the arguments," inachieving 3 “Professionalism” standards

Table 4

Students’ perspectives about the role of component 1, Understanding The

Arguments, to their Professionalism

Deviation

13 To respect differences and cultural

diversity and ensure professional

ethics in professional activities

14 To flexibly apply professional

skills and knowledge to adapt to

cultural diversity and work

The highest mean score was obtained for the standard 13 of "To respect differencesand cultural diversity and ensure professional ethics in professional activities", whichwaswas 4.39 with a standard deviation of 0.720 This result is followed by standard

14, "To flexibly apply professional skills and knowledge to adapt to cultural diversityand work environment changes," which received a mean score of 4.37 and a standarddeviation of 0.643 This indicates that while FELTE-ULIS students generally agree on

the importance of "Understanding The Arguments" in promoting professional ethicsand cultural sensitivity and their ability to adapt to diverse work environments andapply their professional skills effectively, there is also a wide range of perceptionsamong the students The high standard deviation may reflect the diverse cultural andpersonal backgrounds of the students, which may influence their values and beliefsabout professional ethics and diversity and reflect their individual career aspirations orinterests.

4.1.2 Students’ perspectives on the role of Evaluating the arguments contributing

to their university success

This part analyses and discusses responses for the survey questions in Section 2 of thesecond main part of the survey questionnaire, which inquires FELTE-ULIS students’perspectives about the importance of the second critical thinking component,

"Evaluating the arguments," in achieving four aspects corresponding to four groups of

output standards for FELTE-ULIS students, which are “General capacity and

knowledge, Career capacity, Autonomy capacity and responsibility, and Professionalism”.

● General capacity and knowledge

Table 5 describes the descriptive statistics for the question in Section 2 of the secondmain part of the questionnaire, which requests students' perspectives on the role of thesecond critical thinking component, "Evaluating the arguments," in achieving 4standards regarding General Capacity and Knowledge

1 To work and study lifelong on the

basis of applying knowledge 158 3 5 4.41 .576

2 To analyze and evaluate linguistic

and cultural phenomena of world

countries

3 To effectively use the 21st-century

competencies in study, career, and

life

4 To use English at level 5 and a

second foreign language at least

level 3 according to the Vietnam

Six-levels of Foreign Language

Another finding was that the standard deviation values (Std Deviation) range from0.576 to 0.687, indicating that there is not much variability in the responses of thestudents Therefore, this claimed that the students have relatively similar perspectives

on the importance of Evaluating Arguments for their General Capacity andKnowledge

● Career Capacity

Table 6 illustrates the statistical data for questions number 5 to 9 in Section 2 of thesecond main part of the questionnaire, which inquires about students' perspectives on

the role of the second critical thinking component, "Evaluating the arguments," inachieving 5 “Career capacity” standards

Table 6

Students’ perspectives about the role of Component 2, Evaluating The Arguments,

to their Career Capacity

Deviation

5 To use basic knowledge of

English linguistics career tasks

that require English language

analysis and processing skills

6 To effectively and creatively apply

theoretical concepts and technical

skills to a variety of situations

7 To analyze, synthesize, and

evaluate data and information to

solve real or abstract problems in

the field trained

8 To have social awareness

capacity, and the ability to adapt

to different societies and working

environments

9 To have the ability of professional

development, self-assessment,

self-study, and self-training in

order to improve personal

capacity

According to Table 6, the mean score for all five standards is relatively high, withvalues ranging from 4.40 to 4.46, indicating that FELTE-ULIS students recognize theimportance of "Evaluating the arguments" component in their future careers Thestandard deviations for all five standards are relatively high, ranging from 0.609 to0.677, indicating that there is considerable variability in students' responses Thiscould be due to individual differences in the interpretation of the questions, thestudents' own experiences, or the subjective nature of the questionnaire