Empowering critical digital literacy in EFL: Teachers’ evaluation of didactic materials involving the recognition of presupposed information

Abstract

This article proposes the use of a textual analysis technique involving the recognition of linguistic implicitness to promote Critical Digital Literacy (CDL) in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. The technique, called Implicit Content Extraction (ICE), allows for the detection and analysis of (non-bona fide) presuppositions, thus enabling students to identify how much and what potentially manipulative information is being conveyed in a text. ICE has been tested on ready-to-use communicative materials. The materials were evaluated by EFL teachers (N = 10) who participated in a semi-structured interview. The analysis shows a positive reception of the materials, which meet the need for CDL, and a willingness on the part of teachers to implement the technique. Concerns are also raised about the explicit treatment of presuppositions, pointing to a low ability of students and teachers to analyse implicit strategies in a text.