Importance and development of Critical Thinking in BA Academic Writing Course

Abstract

Critical thinking is a complex phenomenon, that helps the learner to separate relevant information from irrelevant and unnecessary information, to evaluate and explain events and facts, to formulate a clear argument objectively, to deliver the right message to the target audience, and to find ways to solve the problem. Critical thinking is directly related to the teaching of academic writing and is a transferable skill that helps students both to complete other university courses successfully and to build a further professional career. The aim of the paper is to identify the challenges and problems faced by both instructors and students at the university level in Georgia in terms of developing critical thinking skills while teaching/learning an academic writing course. Moreover, the paper presents specific activities to solve the given problems.  The paper offers teachers the basic strategies and techniques that can be used to achieve the goals set out in the curriculum. The following research methods are applied:   questionnaires and classroom observation.The following factors can be named as limitations of the research: relatively small number of students; The study was conducted for only one semester.The analysis of the questionnaires revealed the following issues related to critical thinking and writing for the students: lack of ability to formulate an objective critical opinion, reliability of sources, formulation of main research questions and hypotheses, generalization, separation of main and secondary information, focus on key issues and formulation of logical coherent conclusions.The paper suggests specific activities and questions for the development of critical thinking that are needed to process a text or information.The use of these approaches and methods should be implemented at different levels of the course. The teacher in advance should design and plan activities that will be used during the class. Critical thinking development activities should be combined with all the assignments and activities covering all the topics of the course. In the process of searching the proper materials, the student should master the techniques of working on sources, the criteria for determining the reliability and relevance of sources. In addition, the student should be able to process a significant amount of materials, merge main and secondary information, paraphrase the information, and integrate it into their own text in accordance with academic standards. As a result, the student should be able to evaluate the material retrieved and present and argue their own position.