The Role of Critical Literacy in Enhancing EFL Reading Skills: A Case Study of Fourth-Year Graduating EFL Learners at ENS Constantine
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Published:
Dec 10, 2025
Keywords:
Critical Literacy, Reading skills, Scaffolding, EFL learners, Students’ Perceptions
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Abstract
In the 21st-century English as a Foreign Language (EFL) educational context, learners increasingly encounter biased ideologies and misinformation in texts, necessitating pedagogical approaches that go beyond basic comprehension. Critical literacy (CL) offers a framework to engage with texts analytically and critically. This study examines the role of CL in enhancing the reading skills of fourth-year graduating EFL students at the École Normale Supérieure Assia Djebar in Constantine, Algeria. Employing a mixed-methods research design, data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 30 final-year EFL students. The aim is to assess students’ perceptions and competencies in applying critical literacy strategies during reading tasks. Findings indicate that critical literacy significantly contributes to the development of advanced reading skills by promoting deeper, more reflective comprehension. Students demonstrated improved ability to critically analyze texts, question underlying assumptions, and deconstruct embedded narratives. The study concludes that integrating critical literacy into EFL curricula is crucial for developing proficient readers capable of evaluating, challenging, and responding to the messages conveyed in written discourse.
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How to Cite
LITIM, H., & BOUGUEBS, R. (2025). The Role of Critical Literacy in Enhancing EFL Reading Skills: A Case Study of Fourth-Year Graduating EFL Learners at ENS Constantine . ALTRALANG Journal, 7(2), 175-187. https://doi.org/10.52919/altralang.v7i2.574
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References
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• Stanovich, K. E. (1980). Toward an interactive-compensatory model of individual differences in the development of reading fluency. Reading Research Quarterly, 16(1), 32–71. https://doi.org/10.2307/747348
• Steiner, S. S., H. Mark Krank, Bahruth, R. E., & McLaren, P. (2005). Freireian pedagogy, praxis, and possibilities. Routledge.
• Wallace, M., & Wray, A. (2011). Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. Sage Publications.
• Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the squid : The story and science of the reading brain. Icon Books.
• Yang, Y., Tsai, Y. R., & Hikaru, Y. (2019). Top-down and bottom-up strategy use among good and poor readers in EFL reading comprehension. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 4(3).
• Bouguebs, R. (2020). Action research on integrating a blended learning reading course in higher education. Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society, 3(1).
• Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.
• Bybee, E. R. (2020). Too important to fail: The banking concept of education and standardized testing in an urban middle school. Educational Studies, 56(4), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2020.1757451
• Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design : Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications .
• Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative & mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). Sage.
• Day, R. (2002). Top ten principles for teaching extensive reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 14(2).
• Day, R., & Bamford, J. (1998). Extensive reading in the second language classroom. Cambridge University Press.
• Dechant, E. V. (2009). Understanding and teaching reading : An interactive model. Routledge. (Original work published 1991)
• Duke, N. K., Ward, A. E., & Pearson, P. D. (2021). The science of reading comprehension instruction. The Reading Teacher, 74(6), 663–672. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1993
• Ehri, L. C. (2020). The science of learning to read words: A case for systematic phonics instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S45–S60.
https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.334
• Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906–911.
https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.906
• Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Bloomsbury Academic.
• Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.; D. Macedo, Intro.). Continuum.
• Freire, P., & Macedo, D. P. (1987). Literacy: Reading the word and the world. Routledge.
• Giroux, H. (1983). Theory and resistance in education: A pedagogy for the opposition. Bergin & Garvey Publishers.
• Giroux, H. (1997). Pedagogy and the politics of hope: Theory, culture, and schooling. Westview Press.
• Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2019). Teaching and researching reading. Routledge.
• Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford University Press.
• Janks, H. (2010). Literacy and power. Routledge.
• Jones, S. (2006). Girls, social class, and literacy. Heinemann Educational Books.
• Kalsoom, S., Kalsoom, N., & Mallick, R. J. (2020). From banking model to critical pedagogy: Challenges and constraints in the university classrooms. UMT Education Review, 3(1), 25–44.
https://doi.org/10.32350/uer.31.02
• Krashen, S. D. (2004). The power of reading: Insights from the research. Libraries Unlimited.
• Krashen, S. D. (2011). Free voluntary reading. ABC-CLIO.
• LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. Jay. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology, 6(2), 293–323.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(74)90015-2
• Lewison, M., Flint, A., & Van Sluys, K. (2002). Taking on critical literacy: The journey of newcomers and novices. Language Arts, 79(5), 382–392.
https://doi.org/10.58680/1a2002255
• Liu, Z. (2005). Reading behavior in the digital environment. Journal of Documentation, 61(6), 700–712.
https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410510632040
• Luke, A. (2024). Critical Literacy, pedagogy and democratic education. In Theoretical issues and processes in literacy. Routledge.
• Luke, A., & Freebody, P. (1999). Further notes on the four resources model. Reading Online, 1(4).
• Mangen, A., Olivier, G., & Velay, J.-L. (2019). Comparing comprehension of a long text read in print book and on Kindle: Where in the text and when in the story? Frontiers in Psychology, 10(38).
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00038
• Milliner, B. (2021). The effects of combining timed reading, repeated oral reading, and extensive reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 33(2), 191–211.
• Morrell, E. (2008). Critical literacy and urban youth: Pedagogies of access, dissent, and liberation. Routledge.
• Naiditch, F. (2010). Critical pedagogy and the teaching of reading for social action. Critical Questions in Education, 1(2), 94–107.
• Shih, Y.-H. (2018). Some critical thinking on Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy and its educational implications. International Education Studies, 11(9), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n9p64
• Shor, I., & Freire, P. (1987). A pedagogy for liberation : Dialogues on transforming education. Bergin & Garvey Publishers.
• Snow, C. (2002). Reading for understanding: Toward an R&D program in reading comprehension. RAND Corporation .
• Stanovich, K. E. (1980). Toward an interactive-compensatory model of individual differences in the development of reading fluency. Reading Research Quarterly, 16(1), 32–71. https://doi.org/10.2307/747348
• Steiner, S. S., H. Mark Krank, Bahruth, R. E., & McLaren, P. (2005). Freireian pedagogy, praxis, and possibilities. Routledge.
• Wallace, M., & Wray, A. (2011). Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. Sage Publications.
• Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the squid : The story and science of the reading brain. Icon Books.
• Yang, Y., Tsai, Y. R., & Hikaru, Y. (2019). Top-down and bottom-up strategy use among good and poor readers in EFL reading comprehension. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 4(3).