The Effect of Technology-aided Project-based English Learning on Critical Thinking and Problem Solving as Indices of 21st Century Learning

The present study sought to explore whether the incorporation of the integration of technology and project-based learning into the mainstream English teaching classrooms contributes to the development of critical thinking and problem solving, as two skills essential for 21st century English learning. To accomplish such an objective, 35 Iranian learners of English were assigned to an experimental and a control group in a quasi-experimental study. Along with benefiting from a multi-skill textbook-oriented language instruction, which was the conventional teaching method of the class, the participants in the experimental group dealt with a variety of small- and large-scale technology-aided projects. The control group’s participants, on the other hand, received a multi-skill textbook-oriented language instruction in the absence of any technology-aided projects. The comparative analysis of the control and experimental groups’ performance on the critical thinking and problem solving pre- and post-treatment measures revealed a significant impact for the study treatment in improving the participants’ critical thinking and problem solving in English learning classes.The findings of the current study may be beneficial to those interested in exploring the contribution of technology to the modern educational system. Material developers and syllabus designers could also use the results of the study to augment their instructional packages for technology-assisted project based English learning.