EFL instructors' views on instructional materials and instructional strategies to promote critical thinking skills through reading comprehension activities

The ability to think is what makes humankind unique among other kinds. Critical thinking allows us to navigate the world with clarity and reason. Through language, we are able to convey our thoughts into words and express them. This study investigates the EFL instructors' views on critical thinking, instructional materials, and instructional strategies to support critical thinking skills in their reading lessons. Through this phenomenological study, it is aimed to uncover the in-service EFL instructors' views on aforementioned concepts. Within the scope of the study, participants were selected based on the purposive sampling method using participant form. Afterwards, on voluntary basis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 EFL instructors. The collected data were analyzed through the content analysis method. As a result of the analysis, two main themes, nine categories, and eighty codes attained. The results of the research show that the inclusion of critical thinking in English language teaching both specific to reading lesson and without specifying it as a specific skill, or lesson is considered necessary and eligible under appropriate circumstances and practices by in-service EFL instructors. The findings also revealed that instructors follow methodologically standardized strategies and materials in their current practices which they are required to follow, for this reason limitations and changing situations which are out of their control have direct influence on the inclusion of the critical thinking into their lessons. Keywords: Critical thinking, Phenomenology, EFL reading skills, EFL Teaching.