Journal of Critical Applied Linguistics Studies

en Integrating Critical Literacy into Communicative Language Teaching for EFL Learners at a Private Language Center عمومى General پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11px;"><span new="" roman="" times="">This study explored the integration of critical literacy into communicative language teaching (CLT) for upper-intermediate EFL learners at a private language center. The research aimed to investigate how critical literacy activities influence learners’ engagement, critical thinking, reflective skills, and communication in the classroom. Twenty teenage female learners and five teachers participated in the study. A qualitative research design was adopted, including classroom observations, teacher interviews, and learner reflection texts. Data were analyzed thematically to identify patterns related to critical literacy development. The findings revealed that learners demonstrated increased awareness of textual features, questioned assumptions, analyzed multiple perspectives, and connected content to personal experiences. They showed improvements in reasoning, justification of ideas, collaboration, and communication confidence. Peer discussion and teacher guidance supported learners’ reflective thinking and collaborative problem-solving, allowing learners to evaluate texts critically and articulate their understanding effectively. The study also found that integrating critical literacy encouraged metacognitive skills, including self-monitoring of understanding and deliberate planning of responses. Overall, the results indicate that critical literacy enhances both language proficiency and higher-order thinking, providing learners with tools to engage thoughtfully with texts, peers, and real-world contexts.</span></span></div>   Critical literacy, Communicative language teaching, EFL learners, Reflective thinking, Collaborative learning, Classroom engagement 145 165 http://cals.gonbad.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-80-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Parviz Ahmadi p.ahmadi@cfu.ac.ir 1003194753284600497 1003194753284600497 Yes <b> Parviz Ahmadi,</b> : Department of Language & Literature, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran. Email: p.ahmadi@cfu.ac.ir<br/>