This study investigates the effects of a college EFL reading course on learners’ language proficiency and critical thinking habits. Two cloze tests and the K Critical Disposition Test were administered to treatment and control groups at the beginning and end of the semester, and TOEIC scores were used to validate the proficiency measures. The treatment group also completed an end-of-semester questionnaire on perceived course impact. Both groups showed significant proficiency gains, but the treatment group did not show greater improvement than the control group. However, only the treatment group exhibited significant development in critical dispositions. A comparison of assessment results and self-reported perceptions suggests that learners’ judgments may not reliably reflect actual learning outcomes. These findings suggest that while deep reflection and discussion on English texts can enhance critical dispositions, achieving gains in proficiency and critical thinking simultaneously within a single course appears difficult. They also suggest the necessity of incorporating learning-based assessments into program evaluations to supplement subjective evaluations.

1. INTRODUCTION
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
    2.1. Benefits of Individual Reading Practice
    2.2. Reading for Critical Thinking
3. THE PRESENT STUDY
4. METHOD
    4.1. Participants
    4.2. Critical Reading Course
    4.3. Instruments
    4.4. Procedure
    4.5. Analysis
5. RESULTS
    5.1. The Impact of the Critical Reading Course on Proficiency
    5.2. The Impact of the Critical Reading Course on Critical Dispositions
    5.3. Relationship Between Assessment Results and Perceptions
6. DISCUSSION
7. LIMITATIONS
8. CONCLUSION
REFERENCES

• Kichan Park(Assistant Professor, Department of English, Republic of Korea Naval Academy, 1 Jungwonro, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do 51698, Republic of Korea)