本研究旨在探索閱讀英語文學作品與批判式思考發展之關係。研究中以三個英語文學文體—詩、戲劇、圖畫書—之經典作品為例，由老師引導課堂閱讀小組，進行分組討論與意見分享，實驗後以問卷、量表、與學生的閱讀反思作業，來探討學生閱讀前後對於文學作品之態度、觀念、閱讀習慣的變化，及其在批判式思考方面的發展，是否具有正面的閱讀成果，及其隱含內涵。
本研究的參與者是五十位來自六個不同高中的十一年級學生，其中十八位為男性，另三十二位為女性，並皆已通過國內全民英語檢定考試中級程度之測驗。五十位參與者皆需閱讀三個英語文學作品，依序為羅伯．弗斯特的「未擇之路」、莎士比亞的「羅密歐與茱麗葉」章節摘選，以及謝爾．希爾弗斯坦的「失落的一角會見大圓滿」。在為期三個星期的閱讀進度中，老師提供初始階段討論問題，透過大量分組討論，以課堂溝通及意見交流的方式刺激學生的批判式思考，並於閱畢每個作品後，寫下反思心得報告。經學生問卷、量表、與閱讀反思作業分析結果發現，閱讀英語文學作品確實能夠幫助批判式思考的發展。

本研究主要發現如下：
1. 學生視閱讀文學作品為愉悅的經驗，並表示未來願意主動閱讀英語文學。
同時，一些過去沒有養成英文閱讀習慣或是過去只因為語言價值而閱讀文學的學生，也看見了文學作品裡「內容」的珍貴，並認可其對批判式思考的幫助。
2. 男性參與者表示過去沒有養成閱讀習慣，是因為認為閱讀文學是女性比較拿手的。反之，女性參與者將其原因歸咎為作品裡文字的困難度。
3. 三個文體中，對於批判式思考的發展助益由大至小依序為圖畫書、戲劇、詩。
a. 雖然學生普遍同意閱讀英詩是愉快的經驗，但同時也表示他們需要更多時間來閱讀英詩方能進行思考，且閱讀前常「主觀地認為」英詩是困難的。
b. 戲劇作品中矛盾與衝突愈多愈明顯，就愈能刺激批判式思考的產生。
c. 即使圖畫書在內容上具有理解難度，但因其視覺輔助的因素使學生較容易理解，並進而進行思考。
4. 對於本研究中三個文學作品，學生皆表示了正面的閱讀經驗，且認為他們本身在批判式思考上發展成功，是因為研究過程中提供了初始階段討論問題，及進行了大量的課堂討論。

根據以上研究結果，本研究提出以下幾點建議：
1. 閱讀英語文學作品前，教師應觀察性別主觀認知是否對於閱讀文學有所偏頗。
2. 現行英語教科書中，似乎可考慮納入其他不同的文體為教材。
3. 閱讀英語文學作品前應先除去學生閱讀上的焦慮。
4. 英語文學作品閱讀過程宜進行充分課堂討論，以收刺激思考之成效。

The purpose of the research mainly aims to investigate the relationships between reading English literature and critical thinking development. Classic literary works from poetry, drama, and picture book are incorporated in the study to explore the different reading effects. Through the awareness-raising process and class discussion, this study examines participants’ changes of attitudes, reading habits, and critical thinking development after the research.
Fifty eleventh graders, 18 male and 32 female, from six different senior high schools participated in the research. They all read the three works—Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, William Shakespeare’s extracts from Romeo and Juliet, and Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece Meets the Big O—and completed three reflection assignments for them. Data were collected from participants’ pre-/post-questionnaires, critical thinking evaluation sheets, and written assignments. Based on quantitative and qualitative analyses, positive effects of reading English literature on critical thinking development were found. More detailed results of the study are as follows:

1. Participants viewed reading literature as pleasant
experience and showed their willingness to read it in
the future. The participants who failed to form the
habit of reading literature or merely saw the linguistic
values in literature in the past agreed the values of
literary content in terms of developing critical
thinking abilities.
2. Male participants tended to attribute their past failure
of cultivating reading habit to their lack of talents,
whereas female participants ascribed the main reason to
their language difficulties in reading, especially
vocabulary.
3. Picture book in this study yielded the best effects on
developing critical thinking abilities; drama was second
to it, and poetry remained the third place.
a. Though participants generally considered reading
poetry as pleasant, they asked for more time to read
before they could approach it with critical thinking.
Furthermore, participants tended to perceive reading
difficulties even before actually encountering them in
reading.
b. The more transparent dilemmas appeared in a play, the
more critical thinking products were produced.
c. Though the theme in the picture book was difficult,
the visual impacts facilitated comprehension and
stimulated participants’ critical thinking process.
4. In addition to exhibiting positive attitudes in reading
the three literary works in the study, the participants
consented to the positive effects the three works
provided for their critical thinking development.
Besides, they attributed their success in developing
thinking habit to the aware-raising process and
sufficient class discussion in this research.

According to the above findings, the present research suggests instructors be aware of the gender differences and their underlying bias before reading literature. Moreover, more literary genres could be incorporated in current English textbooks. Additionally, before reading literature, instructors should try to cope with the anxiety that the students bear in minds. Finally, the awareness-raising process and plenty of class discussion seem to be the two key factors to promote thinking in class. Hence, the study recommends them in reading processes.

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