RETRACTED ARTICLE: Not a passive learner but an active one: a focus on the efficacy of philosophy-based language instruction and its consequences on EFL learners’ critical thinking, engagement, and academic achievement

This study investigates the impact of Philosophy-Based Language Teaching(PBLT) on the critical thinking skills and learner engagement of English as aForeign Language (EFL) students. A concurrent mixed-methods approach, includingsemi-structured interviews, document analysis, and academic achievement tests, wasemployed with an experimental group (EG) exposed to PBLT and a control group (CG)receiving traditional instruction. The results reveal a substantial positive effectof PBLT on the critical thinking abilities of EFL learners, as evidenced by thematicanalyses of interviews and document content. Themes include heightened criticalthinking awareness, collaborative knowledge construction, and increased learnerengagement. Academic achievement tests further demonstrate significant improvementin the experimental group’s performance. A comparison with existingliterature underscores the novelty of our mixed-methods approach. Implications forlanguage teachers, materials developers, syllabus designers, and policy-makers arediscussed, highlighting the potential of PBLT in cultivating critical thinking andlearner engagement.