Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies

Critical thinking (CT) has been recognised as a key competency in 21st-century education and has been incorporated into China’s Senior High School English Curriculum Standards. Despite this policy emphasis, previous research has revealed that EFL teachers tend to hold positive beliefs about CT; yet they possess only a fragmented understanding of its core components. However, the specific nature of senior high school EFL teachers’ conceptual understanding of CT is underexplored. This study investigated senior high school EFL teachers’ beliefs, knowledge, and self-reported practices regarding CT integration, with three objectives: (1) to explore teachers’ conceptual understandings of CT, (2) to examine their beliefs about CT integration, and (3) to study their self-reported practices. Data were collected from 205 EFL teachers across five senior high schools in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, China, using a questionnaire with both closed-ended and open-ended items. The findings revealed that teachers valued CT but have a limited understanding of its core skills, and most could not define what CT involves. A few mentioned metacognitive skills such as self-regulation. While teachers held positive beliefs about the importance of teaching CT, they reported only moderate use of CT in their classrooms, and their beliefs did not always match their understanding of CT skills. Teachers also expressed a clear need for professional development, suggesting that they were aware of their own knowledge gaps. These findings highlight the need for targeted professional development that equips teachers with both conceptual understanding and practical strategies for CT integration. They also contribute to the existing literature on teacher cognition in EFL contexts.