الفهرس 
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Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of using the project-based learning approach in developing EFL secondary stage students’ critical reading and writing skills. Many EFL students lack the ability to utilize higher-order thinking skills while reading. They lack the ability to critically judge any argument and reasonably construct sound viewpoints. Furthermore, many of them exhibit poor writing skills in the sense that they have inadequacy in producing cohesive, purposeful and meaningful pieces of writing in English Helping students read critically, write accurately, and construct knowledge, entails engaging them in a constructive learning environment and authentic learning processes. Therefore, the problem of this study was stated in the following major question : To what extent can project-based learning develop EFL secondary stage students’ critical reading and writing skills? To answer the above question, the following sub-questions were drawn to be answered : 1- What are the critical reading skills needed for EFL secondary stage students? 2- What are the specific writing sub- skills needed for EFL secondary stage students? 3- What are the characteristics of project-based learning? 4- What are the features of the proposed project that helps develop both critical reading and writing skills of the target group? 5- To what extent can project-based learning be effective in developing EFL critical reading skills of the target group? 6- To what extent can project-based learning be effective in developing EFL writing skills of the target group? Hypotheses To answer the study questions, the following hypotheses were verified : 1- There is a statistically significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups on the critical reading skills. 2- There is a statistically significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups on the writing skills. 3- There is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of both pre and posttests of the experimental group on critical reading skills. 4- There is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of both pre and posttests of the experimental group on writing skills. Method - Participants The study included 84 female participants of about fifteen years of age. They were selected from the first year secondary stage of a government school (Mansoura Secondary School for Girls). Two intact classes were selected and assigned at random to an experimental group (N=42), and a control group (N=42). - Instruments To measure the effectiveness of using Project-Based Learning in developing EFL Secondary Stage Students’ critical reading and writing skills, the following instruments were all prepared by the researcher and used throughout the research : 1- A Critical Reading Test (used as a pre-post test). 2- A Writing Test (used as a pre-post test). 3- An Analytic Scoring Rubric (ASR) (used for rating student’s writing performance in relation to specific writing skills). 4- A Critical Reading Skills Questionnaire (used to specify a list of critical reading skills needed to be developed by first year secondary stage). 5- A Writing Skills Questionnaire (used to specify a list of writing skills needed to be developed by first year secondary stage). 6- A Writing Questionnaire (used to specify the appropriate forms of writing that suit both the first year secondary school and the purposes of the journal). Procedures The procedures followed by the researcher in conducting this study could be summarized as follows : - Reviewing literature related to project-based learning approach, critical reading, and writing skills. - Designing two questionnaires to specify two lists of both critical reading and writing skills needed for secondary stage students to be developed through the project work. - Preparing both critical reading and writing skills tests and validating them by a jury committee of specialists. - Preparing and validating an Analytical Scoring Rubric to assess the target group’s actual performance in writing skills before and after the experiment. - Reviewing literature and certain international educational organizations specialized in project learning such as Oracle Education Foundation (OEF), Project Learning Institute (PLI), International Education and Resources Network (iEARN). Besides, certain international programs (e.g., Intel Learn &Intel Teach) were reviewed. This helped in structuring and designing the storyboarding of the project in accordance with the Project Learning Cycle stated by Oracle Education Foundation (OEF) and Project Learning Institute (PLI) (2008). - Submitting the storyboarding of the project to specialists to decide its applicability, suitability, and validity. - selecting two classes from the first grade at Mansoura Secondary School for Girls), and assigned them to an experimental group and a control group. - The experimental and control groups were pre-tested on both critical reading and writing tests to decide the actual performance before the experiment. - Teaching critical reading and writing skills while engaging the experimental group in project work. - The experimental and control groups were post-tested on both critical reading and writing skills to decide the improvement if any. - The scores each group obtained were statistically analyzed to verify the hypotheses. - Discussing the results of the pre-post tests. - Providing summary, conclusion, recommendations, and suggestions for further research Data Analysis The t-test was used to compare the experimental and control groups on the post-tests on both critical reading and writing skills. Also, Eta Squared equation was used to measure the Effect Size of the experimental treatment (project-based learning) on both critical reading and writing skills.