IB Program

EFL learners have major difficulties in developing critical thinking skills to enhance language learning. The present study examined the impact of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program on promoting critical thinking skills, disposition, and critical reading among a cohort of EFL learners in grade 11 and 12 in an Iranian high school that offers both IB and non-IB curriculum. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test/post-test design and control group. In so doing, sixty students were randomly assigned in experimental and control group based on the results of a proficiency test. Thirty participants who studied in the IB program participated as the experimental group, and the other 30 participants from a non-IB program were selected and assigned as the control group. The results of a series of one-way ANCOVA tests revealed that the mean of critical thinking skills of the experimental group increased from 67.23 to 109.76, indicating that IB program learners significantly outperformed the control group in terms of critical thinking skill, disposition, and critical reading ability. The pedagogical implications for EFL contexts are discussed.