Written Communication Apr 1991

On Developing Independent Critical Thinking: What We Can Learn From Studies of the Research Process

SANDRA STOTSKY

Abstract

It has recently been argued that researchers should pay increased attention to the ways in which critical thinking processes are stimulated when students can determine their own types and sequences of reading and writing activities. This argument underscores the need to look more closely at the research process for the research paper, probably the best means that teachers have for fostering independent critical thinking. Remarkably, only a few studies touch on what students do as they select and narrow a topic, locate sources, sift through these sources, and develop a central research question or thesis statement. Nevertheless, much can be learned from these few studies, especially with respect to the intellectual significance of when and how a thesis or controlling idea is formulated. This article examines these studies in detail, notes the limitations of a related body of research focusing on other kinds of academic writing, and raises a number of conceptual and methodological issues for researchers to address in future research on the research process.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
1991-04-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088391008002003
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
argument literacy studies
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. HAAS (1994)
    Learning to Read Biology: One Student's Rhetorical Development in College
    Written Communication

References (29) · 4 in this index

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CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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