Researching Students’ Critical Thinking in EFLWriting Class ( A case study in English Education Department, Untirta)  

Oleh:

Samanhudi, Udi ; Sampurna, Pupun

Jenis: Article from Proceeding
Dalam koleksi: 57th TEFLIN International Conference: Revitaziling professionalis in ELT as a response to the globlazed world, Bandung, 1-3 November 2010
Topik: Classroom Practices; Critical thinking; English as a Foreign Language; EFL writing.
Fulltext: Udi Samanhudi & Pupun Sampurna.pdf (131.7KB)

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Studies conducted by western researchers like Atkinson (1997) reported that Asian learners are deficient in critical thinking abilities because they have been raised in a community where group harmony and conformity are primarily stressed. They are claimed to suffer from weaknesses in expressing their original thoughts especially in writing in a foreign language like English. In response to the studies mentioned, this research aims to investigate students’ critical thinking in terms of writing and probe their perception regarding their own critical thinking in an EFL setting. The argumentative essays of seven English students were analyzed via Stapleton’s (2001) criteria which seek the elements of critical thinking in terms of writing such as claims, kinds of reasoning, the extent of evidence, recognition of opposing arguments and refutation, and fallacies. Students’ perceptions of their own critical thinking and voice in the essays made were elicited through a questionnaire and interview conducted to the same group of students. The analysis on students’ essays shows that they have actually had a grasp of critical thinking at some points. In response to a current issue in Indonesia which is gas tube explosion given in this research, the majority of students were successful in supporting their arguments with reasons and evidence which are “crucial’ in making healthy arguments. In addition, the questionnaire and interview conducted demonstrates that the students have a good awareness of the importance of critical thinking in expressing their thought into their writing, rather than sharing somebody else’s viewpoint. This indicates that they know what is and how to be a critical thinker. An interesting finding is revealed when factors like mastery in English and familiarity with the subject matter hinder them from giving good reasons and related evidence. This suggests that the students’ problem is not on critical thinking itself but other related factors especially language and subject matter (topic) mastery. Therefore, EFL students like in the English Department of Untirta, where this study was conducted, need appropriate materials which both improve their English and critical thinking skills improvement.

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