Panchi Candonga Verónica Alexandra2023-12-052023-12-052021-08-11ART.043https://repositorio.puce.edu.ec/handle/123456789/38637Tesis previa obtención del título de Magister en Pedagogía del Inglés como Lengua ExtranjeraThe main purpose of the present research was to design a reading comprehension strategy to improve critical thinking skills in tenth grade students at “Simon Plata Torres” Senior School in Esmeraldas. It was a combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, that relies on the principle of complementarity. A descriptive investigation was followed using the analysis and hermeneutics methods based on data interpretation. Furthermore, the survey and observation techniques were applied to a community sample of 30 students to identify the strategies that students developed in the reading learning process of English inside the classroom, and three teachers of English of the tenth level of basic education were observed to point out the strategies that they use to teach reading comprehension. Moreover, a test was applied to diagnose the level of students’ critical thinking and identify if they correctly use the reading comprehension strategies deeply explained in this investigation. The analysis of collected data showed that the students are limited to read a text quickly to find specific information; because of this, they are not able to contrast information and summarize effectively. Meanwhile, the teachers of English do not use the appropriate reading comprehension strategies in the learning process due to the lack of information to apply reading techniques and of activities that must be used according to the students’ needs. In summary, his research remarked the strong relationship between reading comprehension and critical thinking based on Piaget's theory of constructivism, reading approach and Freire's critical thinking which coincide with some studies related to teaching critical thinking skills on reading comprehension focusing the attention on reading activities and students’ opinions interaction to foster a more innovative education.Reading comprehension, Critical thinking skills, Teaching-learning process, English Language Strategies.Article