This study explored whether applying brainstorming strategies brings about significant improvements in English language learners\' speaking proficiency and critical thinking skills. Twenty male Iranian students enrolled in the speaking program of an IELTS preparation course at a private language institute in Mashhad, Iran, were assigned randomly to two control and experimental groups. The administration of a 100-item schema-based cloze multiple choice item test developed on the listening transcripts to-be-used during the course and an oral interview showed that the two groups were homogeneous in terms of their entry ability level. While both groups received instructions in speaking three hours per week for one month, brainstorming strategies were employed in discussing the same topics only in the experimental group. Neither the control group (n=11) nor experimental group (n =9) had any previous experience in brainstorming. The performance of both groups on an oral interview test and Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test held at the end of the course showed that the mean scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group on both tests. The implications of the findings are discussed within a foreign language teaching context.

Keywords