%0 Journal Article %T Contextual Teaching Intervention to Improve ESL Students’ Critical Thinking Skills %J International Journal of Education & Language Studies %I LULU Publications %Z 2767-4851 %A Ghafoori, Bahar %A Golzar, Jawad %D 2022 %\ 12/01/2022 %V 1 %N 2 %P 36-52 %! Contextual Teaching Intervention to Improve ESL Students’ Critical Thinking Skills %K CTL %K Teaching %K Learning %K critical thinking %K creativity %R 10.22034/ijels.2022.348152.1019 %X Contextual teaching and learning (CTL) supports students’ learning by associating the content with real-world situations, encouraging them to think critically to generate new ideas. Yet, little is known about the impacts of CTL on students’ learning pressure and how CTL promotes critical thinking, especially in Afghanistan. Through purposive sampling, five female student teachers are interviewed. The results accentuated the importance of contextual teaching intervention in improving students’ critical thinking skills. The participants suggested several strategies, including using scenarios and examples related to the lesson, asking significant questions, engaging students in the team works and group discussions, and using visual aids to create a meaningful context for effective learning. Furthermore, the results revealed that contextual teaching makes learning fun since it relates the lesson to real-world situations where students can figure out the importance and usefulness in their personal and professional lives; it, in turn, motivates them to participate in the classrooms actively. In addition, the study showed that the CTL method encourages an anxiety-free atmosphere and helps students feel confident and independent. Finally, CTL supports them in exercising critical thinking, instilling in them a sense of being heard and valued. %U https://www.ijels.net/article_159935_654ef3f0db9877b3fd0dbd322c0321c0.pdf