2.4 Critical Thinking and Writing
What is done with the obtained information? It is processed and guides an opinion based on the evidence presented. This is a form of critical thinking, which is the ability to construct a skeptical and unbiased analysis by providing factual and empirical evidence to advance knowledge and learning. The proficiency to critically think means to look at a problem or situation that is made known, think through the issues that are related to it by identifying, reasoning, and evaluating. Then, provide a solution that actively addresses the problem or issue. Use the ‘clear image analogy’ when attempting to describe critical thinking. At the beginning of identifying the problem, the image is blurry, after working through the problem with critical thinking, the image becomes clearer.
Within scholarly work, the concept of critical thinking is important for producing effective research. This means the difference between critical writing and descriptive writing. Critical writing analyzes a topic or a potential issue, observes its strengths and weaknesses, and finds potential solutions and alternatives for additional analysis. Descriptive writing, on the other hand, uses the dates, locations, minor statistics, and a summary of events of the issue. Descriptive writing can also be used as a dramatic tool for prose and poetry, describing events with clear detail. It is most commonly found in certain publications, such as news articles. This is not to say that descriptive writing has no place within academia, however, common academic writing relies on the usage of critical writing.
Descriptive writing, like the news example, follows the subjective details given by individuals who are willing to talk to reporters as sources of information. Most material comes from these sources, and descriptive writing is a second-hand account from another individual. Critical writing employs the concept of critical literacy, which focuses on finding reliable sources, trustworthy data, and creating sound arguments. For example, when writing an academic paper, using one news source might not be enough to effectively critique the subject. At the very least, observing three to five peer-reviewed research articles is the most effective way to garner a general consensus on a topic or issue. News media would be a secondary source to reflect the evidence provided in peer-reviewed research. This uses the forms of logic and analysis within academic writing as an important aspect of learning and education.
- Logic: The acceptance of rationality or preposition, based on reasonable ground
- Analysis: Critically assessing with the five W’s and one H
- Who are the researchers? Is it sponsored by public or private interests?
- What kind of source is it? Is it a book, news report, or peer-reviewed journal article?
- Where was this information published (e.g., CNN vs. Canadian Journal of Higher Education)?
- When was this information published? Is it current?
- Why was this research published? What were the researchers looking to answer?
- How was it published? Was it a peer-review process or self-published?
Critical Thinking’s Impact on Learning
The impact that critical thinking can have on learning is to expand the horizons of people with different knowledge streams. Critical thinking is an important factor towards interdisciplinary learning, as it provides an individual with the tools to develop new knowledge in different areas. In a study of Malaysian medical students, the implementation of critical thinking in the development of research protocols was beneficial to applying new concepts towards higher-order thinking[14]. When all of the factors of critical thinking and critical literacy are taken into account, it can provide a framework for more enhanced learning towards finding new and divergent ways of thinking.