Culture and Critical Thinking Skills for Language Learners

Language Learning is a an indispensable part of human culture. A major purpose of language is to express thoughts, knowledge, and beliefs through the processes of teaching and learning. As a result of learning and functioning in a language, culture is sustained through generations (Salili Hossain,2007). At the same time, culture also influences how knowledge, teaching and learning are construed as well as how teaching and learning are practiced. The knowledge is acquired in a particular cultural context transforms into schemata (mental representation of knowledge based on personal experience) that may not be universally acceptable. A better understanding of the interdependency of language and culture is paramount to the development of appropriate learning strategies to meet the needs of an increasingly changing world. This paper examines the influence of culture on language learning in relation to the teaching and learning of critical thinking in the context of professional education. The increasing emphasis on critical thinking in education at all levels is applicable to any culture that is currently influenced by changes in the global environment, but how culture influences the increasing emphasis on critical thinking is not certain. Just as culture affects how people construe and practice teaching and learning (Merriam, 2007), culture can also have an important influence on how critical thinking is perceived and exercised. The ability to think well does not guarantee one’s ability to communicate effectively. Students are trained with critical thinking skills in order to solve problems or make decisions; if they do not know how to present their ideas appropriately, the efforts spent in critical thinking would be futile. While it is important to consider the language ability of students, the manners and methods involved in the expression of their critical thoughts should also be made explicit to others, regardless of their cultural backgrounds.