ENHANCING CRITICAL THINKING AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

This article discusses the importance of developing critical thinking and intercultural competence when studying English in higher education. According to the author, current EFL (English as a Foreign Language) textbooks often present cultural knowledge in the form of static facts, and this in turn limits analytical activity and traditional teaching methods hinder the development of necessary skills. The study emphasizes the need to revise textbooks, improve teacher training, and introduce alternative assessment methods to develop deeper intercultural understanding and critical discourse.