what is the contribution of studying language in logic and critical thinking

How might language affect critical thinking performance?

School of Creative Science and Engineering

Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

This study examined whether language structure or language proficiency might affect students' critical thinking performance. Previous research has claimed that many non-Western students struggle with the demands of demonstrating critical thought. Two language-related causes have been suggested: one concerning structural limitations in the non-Western students' first language, and the other concerning their second language proficiency. In Study 1 described here, reports written by 110 Japanese second year university students, who had received instruction in academic discourse for critical evaluation (which is one aspect of critical thinking), were analyzed for use of evaluative statements. No disadvantage was found for use of the Japanese language, which is considered as having a more indirect structure that may make critical evaluation more difficult. Measurements of language proficiency in English and Japanese, however, were found to correlate with production of evaluative statements in those respective languages suggesting that language proficiency could affect critical evaluation use. In Study 2, the same task was given to 43 first year students who had not yet received the same instruction. Analysis revealed similar patterns in their written work but at a lower level, suggesting that the second year students had benefitted from the skills instruction. Furthermore, unlike the second year students, the first year students evidenced no correlations between their language proficiency scores and their production of evaluative statements, suggesting that proficiency on its own is inadequate: students need instruction on the specific language forms and structures to use to demonstrate critical thinking in their written work.

Cognitive cost
Critical evaluation
Critical thinking skills instruction
Language proficiency
Language structure

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to document.

10.1016/j.tsc.2016.05.005

Fingerprint

Critical Thinking Arts and Humanities 100%
Student Year Arts and Humanities 100%
Evaluative Statements Keyphrases 75%
Second-year Students Keyphrases 50%
Written Work Keyphrases 50%
First-Year Student Social Sciences 50%
Evaluation Use Keyphrases 25%
Student Struggle Keyphrases 25%

T1 - How might language affect critical thinking performance?

AU - Manalo, Emmanuel

AU - Sheppard, Chris

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by a grant-in-aid (23243071) received from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. Copyright: Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2016/9/1

Y1 - 2016/9/1

N2 - This study examined whether language structure or language proficiency might affect students' critical thinking performance. Previous research has claimed that many non-Western students struggle with the demands of demonstrating critical thought. Two language-related causes have been suggested: one concerning structural limitations in the non-Western students' first language, and the other concerning their second language proficiency. In Study 1 described here, reports written by 110 Japanese second year university students, who had received instruction in academic discourse for critical evaluation (which is one aspect of critical thinking), were analyzed for use of evaluative statements. No disadvantage was found for use of the Japanese language, which is considered as having a more indirect structure that may make critical evaluation more difficult. Measurements of language proficiency in English and Japanese, however, were found to correlate with production of evaluative statements in those respective languages suggesting that language proficiency could affect critical evaluation use. In Study 2, the same task was given to 43 first year students who had not yet received the same instruction. Analysis revealed similar patterns in their written work but at a lower level, suggesting that the second year students had benefitted from the skills instruction. Furthermore, unlike the second year students, the first year students evidenced no correlations between their language proficiency scores and their production of evaluative statements, suggesting that proficiency on its own is inadequate: students need instruction on the specific language forms and structures to use to demonstrate critical thinking in their written work.

AB - This study examined whether language structure or language proficiency might affect students' critical thinking performance. Previous research has claimed that many non-Western students struggle with the demands of demonstrating critical thought. Two language-related causes have been suggested: one concerning structural limitations in the non-Western students' first language, and the other concerning their second language proficiency. In Study 1 described here, reports written by 110 Japanese second year university students, who had received instruction in academic discourse for critical evaluation (which is one aspect of critical thinking), were analyzed for use of evaluative statements. No disadvantage was found for use of the Japanese language, which is considered as having a more indirect structure that may make critical evaluation more difficult. Measurements of language proficiency in English and Japanese, however, were found to correlate with production of evaluative statements in those respective languages suggesting that language proficiency could affect critical evaluation use. In Study 2, the same task was given to 43 first year students who had not yet received the same instruction. Analysis revealed similar patterns in their written work but at a lower level, suggesting that the second year students had benefitted from the skills instruction. Furthermore, unlike the second year students, the first year students evidenced no correlations between their language proficiency scores and their production of evaluative statements, suggesting that proficiency on its own is inadequate: students need instruction on the specific language forms and structures to use to demonstrate critical thinking in their written work.

KW - Cognitive cost

KW - Critical evaluation

KW - Critical thinking skills instruction

KW - Language proficiency

KW - Language structure

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84974603780&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84974603780&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.tsc.2016.05.005

DO - 10.1016/j.tsc.2016.05.005

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84974603780

SN - 1871-1871