Benefits of Critical Thinking Skill

Level X includes the following skills: induction, deduction, credibility, identification of assumptions. Level Z includes the skills in Level X induction, deduction, credibility, identification of assumptions, plus; semantics, definition, prediction in planning experiments. 14 3. Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal W-GCTA The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal W-GCTA is a psychometric test of critical thinking and reasoning. It was developed by Watson and Glaser. It measures skills related to problem solving and decision making in a variety question types. The W-GCTA measures the fundamental cognitive ability of critical thinking. It tests for five critical thinking skills: inference, recognition of assumptions, deduction, interpretation, and evaluation of arguments. 15 4. The Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test The test was created by R.H. Ennis and E. Weir from Midwest Publications. It is aimed to measure CT skill at grades 7 through college. It is also intended to be used as a teaching material. The test Include: getting the point, seeing the reason and assumptions, stating one’s point, offering good reasons, seeing other possibilities including other possible explanations, and responding to and avoiding equivocation, irrelevance, circularity, reversal of an if-then or other conditional relationship, overgeneralization, credibility problems, and the use of emotive language to persuade. 16 Test instruments that are used to measure critical thinking skills typically require the student to read and evaluate statements that measure various aspects of thinking ability include investigation, analysis, evaluation and argumentation. From these measures, it is hoped that the quality or the level of the students critical thinking can be determined. 14 R. H. Ennis, Millman, J. Tomko, T. N., Cornell Critical Thinking Tests Level X and Level Z Manual, CA: Midwest Publications, 2008, 3 rd ed., p. 3 —10. 15 Watson and Glaser, The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal W-GCTA, London: Pearson Education Ltd., 2012, p. 1-6. 16 R. H. Ennis, Suplement to the Test Ennis Critical Thinking Test. Retrieved from: http:faculty.education.illinois.edurhennissupplewmanual1105.htm

B. Concept of Reading

1. Definition of Reading

Reading is the one of four language skills. It is the first direct communication of students to acquire their language development. After years of listening and speaking, students further goes to school where for the first time, they learn to read before writing. Reading is a process in which done by reader to get message or information from the writer through printed media. It is very complex process in recognizing and comprehending written symbols which influenced by perceptual skill, decoding, experiences, language background, mind set and reasoning of reader Tarigan, 2008. According to Carrel reading is not passive but rather than active process. 17 It is an active cognitive process of interacting print media in which monitory comprehension to build up meaning”. Moreover, Rahmatullah states that reading is the meaningful interpretation of printed or written verbal symbols. This activity is not simply looking. It is involves deriving meaning from printed words. It requires a high level of muscular coordination. The reader is not only seeing and identifying the symbols, but also understanding the meaning. Based on the definition, present researcher concludes that reading is an active process of grasp new information which is needed by readers. It is an activity to understand the meaning of written or printed media.

2. Importance of Reading

Reading is the way to get information from written media. Students will get knowledge by reading activities to motivate their learning, not only in formal education, but also in informal education. Therefore, reading is one of the urgent skills for students to obtain their success. Tarigan notes that by reading some 17 Carrell, P. L. 2009. Schema interference in ESL reading, in Carrell, P. L., Devine, J. and Eskey, D. E. Eds., Interactive approaches to second language reading pp.128-142. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press