A Survey of Studies into Critical Thinking Conducted by China’s L2 Teaching Circle

【Abstract】This paper is an attempt to pinpoint the accomplishments and drawbacks in the study of critical thinking done by Chinas L2 teaching circle via a survey of its general trend， research contents and methodology. The aim is to push ahead the research conducted by Chinas L2 teaching circle on the issue of critical thinking.

【Key words】research into critical thinking； survey； academic journal

【摘要】本文旨在通過对我国外语界批判性思维研究的基本趋势、研究内容与方法的综述，指出其成就与不足，从而推动我国外语界批判性思维研究的发展。

【关键词】批判性思维研究 综述 学术期刊

I. Introduction

Critical thinking emerged in the United States in 1940s and became the core of education reform in 1980s. Chinese foreign language educators began to pay attention to critical thinking toward the end of the last century. The author of this paper finds it necessary to sort out the existing researches of critical thinking in China to see clearly the accomplishments and gaps in the research and to pin down future directions of research in this area of study.

II. Search of Literature

Before writing this paper， the author tried to retrieve critical thinking research papers published by Chinese foreign language educators in all domestic journals from 2001 to 2016 stored in Chinas Full-text Journal Paper Database of cnki on the Internet. The search words were “critical thinking”. So the current paper is basically a survey of those 51 papers plus the monograph.

III. Survey of Literature

3.1 Overview

Research statistics show that importance has been attached to critical thinking research since its introduction into China and a moderate ascending trend of increase of studies on this topic is discernible. There were only seven papers about critical thinking from 2001 to 2009， accounting for about 14%， but there are 44 papers about critical thinking from 2010 to 2016， accounting for about 86%， which means that critical thinking has received more attention in the current decade.

3.2 Research Methodology

Research methods are divided into two categories， empirical research and analytical research. Among the collected papers， there are 12 empirical studies based on statistical data， accounting for 23.5%. Most of the papers adopt analytical research methods， and they take up 68.6%. The monograph is a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches.

3.3 Research Contents

Research contents fall into three categories. One explores the definition， meaning， function， research instruments for the study of critical thinking. Another investigates the current critical-thinking state of L2 learners and the third tries out strategies for the training of L2 learners critical thinking abilities and skills.

3.3.1 On tools to gorge students critical thinking ability and skills

For a long time， the empirical researches of Chinese college students critical thinking ability lack measuring tools really suitable for them. The pioneer is Wen Qiufang and her research team. Worth mentioning is the paper published by Wen Qiufang and Liu Renqing （2006）， which offers a measuring tool of critical thinking skills called “Evaluative Standards for English Writing”. It has been recognized as a sensible and feasible tool used by Chinese researchers up to now.

3.3.2 On existing state of L2 learners critical thinking ability/skills

Zhu Xiaoshu （2009） published a monograph entitled English Majors Critical Thinking Features Seen from Argumentative Essays. It is a large-scale project consisting of horizontal and vertical comparisons of essays written by English majors and non-English majors （horizontal） as well as those from different undergraduate grades （vertical）.

3.3.3 Cultivating Critical Thinking in Foreign Language Teaching

3.3.3.1 Cultivating critical thinking in the teaching of listening and speaking

There are relatively fewer researches on the cultivation of critical thinking through teaching of listening and speaking. For a long time， there has been an obvious disparity between students low level of foreign language proficiency and the high level of thinking ability. Therefore， it is suggested that communication sessions should be compressed and listening materials depth of discussion ought to be increased.

3.3.3.2 Cultivating critical thinking in the teaching of reading

There are altogether 18 papers on cultivation of critical thinking ability through the teaching of reading. Most of the authors have explored the definition and training strategies of critical reading， and they have all， directly or indirectly， referred to Pirozzis definition of critical reading. Pirozzi proposed that critical reading is a high-level understanding of the text， which includes the skills of interpretation and evaluation. The macro method proposed by researchers is to change the traditional concept and mode of reading. The micro methods are diverse. Han Shaojie and Wang Xiaoying （2009） discuss how to develop students critical thinking ability during pre-reading， while-reading and post-reading. Therefore， teachers should create a learning environment favorable for critical thinking and enable students to pick up critical reading strategies through cooperative learning.

3.3.3.3 Cultivating critical thinking in the teaching of writing

How to enhance students ability of writing in their target foreign language has been discussed by many experts. There are 12 papers that explore critical thinking skills and the teaching of writing in a foreign language. Wen Qiufang and Liu Runqing （2006） are among the scholars who have analyzed the abstract thinking of college students reflected in their English argumentative essays. It is suggested that teachers should be more involved in students writing process and thinking process.

3.3.3.4 Cultivating critical thinking in the teaching of translation

There is only one paper explores how to develop students critical thinking skills in the teaching of translation. It mainly sets forth suggestions as to how to improve classroom teaching by using suitable methods.

3.3.3.5 Cultivating critical thinking by improving teaching materials

Among the papers， there are two that discuss the cultivation of critical thinking ability from the perspective of teaching material evaluation. Qin Xiubai （2010） rates the New Century Comprehensive English he compiled No. 5 and Reading Critically No. 6. Thus he takes a new step in the evaluation of teaching materials for reading and writing.

IV. Gaps in Research of Critical Thinking Done by Chinas L2 Teaching Circle

On the whole， there are only 10 articles published in the core journals. This phenomenon indicates that weighty research work into the area of critical thinking remains insufficient.

Another thing to note is that there are not so many empirical researches among the 51 published papers. They are mainly about experiments with certain teaching methods to train students critical thinking skills in a certain aspect of classroom teaching.

Moreover， there are not many theoretical explorations among the 51papers. There is only one independently constructed theoretical model， which was worked out by Wen Qiufang and her team.

In addition， tools grounded on Wen Qiufangs theoretical model are still lacking to measure critical thinking ability and skills. Therefore， it is urgent to develop measuring tools that are native and can measure critical thinking disposition.

Whats more， there are a number of overlapping researches. Not only have the same related theories been cited repeatedly， but similar training strategies and methods of critical thinking have also been presented again and again.

Last but not least， the study subjects are too focused. In the samples collected in this study， the subjects are mainly college students. How about teachers critical thinking ability？ That hasnt been dealt with so far.

V. Conclusion

In conclusion， although research into critical thinking has been going on for nearly two decades in Chinas L2 teaching circle. To build a large base for research on this issue， teachers of foreign languages should pay more attention to the nurture of critical thinking ability and skills. Empirical researches and theoretical probing should be encouraged to keep Chinese education abreast with education in Western countries in the training of individuals capable of critical thinking.

References：

[1]Facione，P.A.2000.The Disposition toward Critical Thinking：Its Character，Measurement，and Relationship to Critical Thinking Skill.Informal logic：Reasoning and Argumentation in Theory and Practice，2000（1），61-84.

[2]李莉文.英語专业写作评测模式设计：以批判性思维能力培养为导向[J].外语与外语教学，2011，（1）：31-35.

[3]文秋芳，刘润清.从英语议论文分析大学生抽象思维特点[J].外国语，2006（2）：49-58.

[4]朱晓姝.从议论文看英语专业大学生的批判性思维特点[M].北京：光明日报出版社，2009.

作者简介：杨建雄（1993.5-），女，内蒙古人，硕士研究生，研究方向：学科教学（英语）。