Skip to main content

Developing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in Writing at a Saudi Arabian Writing Centre

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Writing Centers in the Higher Education Landscape of the Arabian Gulf
  • 437 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter examines the use of critical thinking skills in the development of students’ academic writing at Royal Commission Yanbu Colleges and Institutes (RCYCI) Writing Centre. Using observations and interviews the study examined 9 tutors and 74 tutees in a total of 89 sessions for a semester. The findings show that despite some levels of awareness about critical thinking skills in developing academic writing among the tutors, many of the tutees interviewed demonstrated no awareness about the concept. The chapter, therefore, recommends the design and implementation of a detailed blueprint, which will incorporate awareness campaigns, practical sessions and evaluative measures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ab Kadir, M. (2015). Developing critical thinkers in the 21st century: Gaps in teacher education? In K. M. Bahrul Islam & S. N. Iftekhar (Eds.), International Perspectives on Comparative Education Policy (pp. 330–342). New Delhi: Bloomsbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alagozlu, N., & Sarac, H. S. (2010). Language and cognition: Is critical thinking a myth in Turkish educational system? Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, 2(2), 782–786, World Conference on Educational Sciences, Istanbul, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atac, B. A. (2015). From descriptive to critical writing: A study on the effectiveness of advanced reading and writing instruction. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, 199, 620–626, GlobELT: An International Conference on Teaching and Learning English as an Additional Language, Antalya—Turkey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, D. (1997). A critical approach to critical thinking in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 31, 71–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, T. (1988). Critical thinking and the writing centre possibilities. The Writing Centre Journal, 8(2), 37–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, J. H. (2002). Research report: Better writers: Writing centre tutoring and the revision of rough drafts. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 33(1), 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boquet, E. (1999). ‘Our Little Secret’: A history of Writing Centres, pre- to post-open admissions. College Composition and Communication, 50(3), 463–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borglin, G. (2012). Promoting critical thinking and academic writing skills in nurse education. Nurse Education Today, 32, 611–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briggs, C. (1986). Learning how to ask: A sociolinguistic appraisal of the role of the interview in social science research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bringhurst, D. (2006). Identifying our ethical responsibility: A criterion-based approach. In C. Murphy & B. Stay (Eds.), The writing centre director’s resource book (pp. 165–178). Englewood, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canagarajah, S. (2002). Critical academic writing and multilingual students. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Carino, P. (1995). Early writing centres: Toward a history. The Writing Centre Journal, 15(2), 103–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casanave, C. (2004). Controversies in second language writing: Dilemmas and decisions in research and instruction. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duff, P. (2002). Research approaches in applied linguistics. In R. B. Kaplan (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of applied linguistics. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dwee, C. Y., Anthony, E. M., Salleh, B. M., Kamarulzaman, R., & Abd Kadir, Z. (2016). Creating thinking classroom: Perceptions and teaching practice. Procedia—Social and Behavioural Sciences, 232, 631–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eleftheriou, M. (2011). An exploratory study of a Middle Eastern writing centre: The perceptions of tutors and tutees. A Ph.D. dissertation, School of Education, Leicester University, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction. Millbrae, CA: The California Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsey, M. (2012). Interviewing individuals. In S. Delamont & A. Jones (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research in education (pp. 364–376). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2003). How to design and evaluate research in education. Boston: McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie, P., & Lerner, N. (2007). The Allyn and Bacon guide to peer tutoring (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golding, C. (2006). From a thinking curriculum to thinking schools. Teacher Learning Network, 13, 3–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, D. F. (2003). Thought and knowledge: An introduction to critical thinking (4th ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson, E. (2001). Writing center pedagogy. In G. Tate, A. Runiper, & K. Schick (Eds.), A guide to composition pedagogies (pp. 165–182). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klimova, B. F. (2013). Developing thinking skills in the course of academic writing. Procedia—Social and Behavioural Sciences, 93, 508–511, 3rd World Conference Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership—WCLTA 20012.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaClare, E., & Franz, T. (2013). Writing centres: Who are they for? What are they for? Studies in Self—Access Learning Journal, 4(1), 5–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lillis, T. M., & Turner, J. (2001). Student writing in higher education: Contemporary confusion, traditional concerns. Teaching in Higher Education, 6(1), 57–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, F., & Stapleton, P. (2014). Counter argumentation and the cultivation of critical thinking in argumentative writing: Investigating washback from high-stake test. System, 45, 117–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, D. S., & Michelli, N. M. (2001). Preparing teachers of thinking. In A. L. Costa (Ed.), Developing minds (pp. 111–117). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, S., Prior, P., Bilbro, R., Peake, K., See, B. H., & Andrews, R. (2008). A reflexive approach to interview data in an investigation of argument. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 31(3), 229–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, T. (2004). The critical thinking debate: How general are general thinking skills? Higher Education Research and Development, 23(1), 3–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, C. (1991). Writing Centres in context: Responding to current educational theory. In R. Wallace & J. Simpson (Eds.), The Writing Centre: New directions (pp. 276–288). New York: Garland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul, R. (1995). Critical thinking: How to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. California: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powers, J. K. (2008). Rethinking writing centre conferencing strategies for the ESL writer. In R. W. Barnett & J. S. Blumner (Eds.), The Longman Guide to writing centre theory and practice. New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramanathan, V., & Kaplan, R. (1996). Some problematic “channels” in the teaching of critical thinking in current LI composition textbooks: Implications for L2 student-writers. Issues in Applied Linguistics, 7, 225–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed, J. H. (1998). Effect of a model for critical thinking on student achievement in primary source document analysis and interpretation, argumentative reasoning, critical thinking dispositions, and history content in a community college history course. Ph.D. dissertation, College of Education, University of South Florida, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, C., Byram, M., Barro, A., Jordan, S., & Street, B. (2001). Language learners as ethnographers. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tapper, J. (2004). Student perceptions of how critical thinking is embedded in a degree program. Higher Education Research and Development, 23(2), 199–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsui, L. (2002). Fostering critical thinking through effective pedagogy. The Journal of Higher Education, 73(6), 740–763.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vyncke, M. (2012). The concept and practice of critical thinking in academic writing: An investigation of international students’ perceptions and writing experience. An M.A thesis in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, King’s College, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wingate, U. (2011). Argument! Helping students understand what essay writing is about. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(1016), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Dalha, L. (2018). Developing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in Writing at a Saudi Arabian Writing Centre. In: Barnawi, O. (eds) Writing Centers in the Higher Education Landscape of the Arabian Gulf. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55366-5_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55366-5_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55365-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55366-5

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics