Abstract：Abstract: Despite a sizable body of critical thinking research in the foreign language education field of China, relevant empirical studies are still scanty. Considering this, the present study explores how to develop students’ critical thinking through group discussions by engaging 61 2nd-year English majors in discussing questions devised by teachers according to Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive objectives. Based on empirical data and analysis of discussions, the study reveals that higher-cognitive questions contributed more to boosting students’ critical thinking skills than lower-cognitive questions, with no significant differences observed among different types of questions on the same cognitive level. The findings may provide implications for university English teachers in fostering students’ critical thinking skills in their daily teaching practice. Key words: critical thinking skills; group discussion; teacher questioning; cognitive level
