Investigating The Impact Of Critical Reading Abilities Of Undergraduate Students On Their Critical Thinking Abilities In Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

The acquisition of critical thinking abilities is crucial for the success in post-graduate education, and this explains how it is a key part of most university introductory courses. Evaluating and analyzing the connection between reading comprehension and critical thinking is the significant aim of the current study. For students who aspire to pursue higher education in college, mastering the ability to read and evaluate material critically is an essential requirement. This study aimed to assess students' critical thinking skills while they were reading an English text. It focused on undergraduate students at a specific university in Karachi based on a qualitative study approach to obtain the objectives of the study using a questionnaire to collect data from undergraduate students. The observations of the study emphasize the significance of the correlation between reading comprehension and critical thinking, lack of cognitive vocabulary, lack of academic writing and learning skills, and lack of technology integration in a classroom environment, and the fact that university students still have not fully developed reading for pleasure skills. The results of this study indicate that university students have an exceptionally good attitude toward reading comprehension, but this attitude does not match their level of critical thinking or their ability to reflect critical thinking in their ability to read critically. Books offer numerous advantages over screen-based reading materials, particularly in terms of cognitive development, critical thinking skills, and overall health. Encouraging students to read books can help them develop a sturdy foundation for lifelong learning and academic success. Updated and stocked libraries, encouraging students the use higher order thinking strategies for reading and comprehension in any circumstance, and modernizing the English curriculum are some major recommendations of the present studies.