Induction

9. Critical evaluation and writing practice

The following task is from the OpenLearn open access online short course called ‘Succeeding in postgraduate study’. It explores the difference between descriptive and critical writing.¹

It is important that you understand the difference between descriptive writing and adopting a critical stance, and are able to show clear evidence of your understanding in your writing. Table 1 provides some examples of this.

Activity 9

Complete this 'Writing Critically'² task adapted from the Institute of Education website.

If you have been told your writing is not critical enough, it probably means that your writing treats the knowledge claims as if they are true, well supported, and applicable in the context you are writing about. This may not always be the case.

Example extracts from a critical review

In these two examples, the extracts refer to the same section of text. In each example, the section that refers to a source has been highlighted in bold.

Example a

There is a strong positive effect on students, both educationally and emotionally, when the instructors try to learn to say students' names without making pronunciation errors (Kiang, 2004).

Example b

Kiang (2004) gives various examples to support his claim that "the positive emotional and educational impact on students is clear" (p.210) when instructors try to pronounce students' names in the correct way. He quotes one student, Nguyet, as saying that he "felt surprised and happy" (p.211) when the tutor said his name clearly. The emotional effect claimed by Kiang is illustrated in quotes such as these, although the educational impact is supported more indirectly through the chapter. Overall, he provides more examples of students being negatively affected by incorrect pronunciation, and it is difficult to find examples within the text of a positive educational impact as such.

Now answer this question:

Which example do you think best meets the critical evaluation and analysis criterion for this course? Why?

Go to our model answer.