students of SMA Kharisma Bangsa in argumentative writing skill is not because they lack of English competencies, yet there is another factor influenced students
writing. Kellogg claimed that writing academically is a main cognitive challenge, because it is a test of memory, language, and thinking ability as well.
6
Since the level of thinking ability is one of the factors influenced writing skill, it also could
be the factor impeding the students writing skill of SMA Kharisma Bangsa. Thinking skill has three broad categories: reflective, creative, and critical.
Critical thinking skill is regarded to be the most effecting writing skill in argumentative. As Fahim and Mirzaii argue that the ability to write
argumentatively depends on the students‟ critical thinking skill.
7
Critical thinking is reasonable, logical and reflective thinking,
8
it is also an ability to analyze and evaluate the matter issue or problem. Such thinking is needed in argumentative
writing. In this study therefore, argumentative is considered to be a manifestation of critical thinking skills, since a writer needs to analyse, evaluate and give
arguments and present a logical text to convince the reader. From the problems occurred above, the writer believes that the level of
students‟ critical thinking is the cause of those problems. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the relationships between critical thinking skills and writing
skill and decide which skills have important role and priority in a good argumentative writing skill. Therefore, in this study, the writer intends to
investigate whether or not there is a correlation between students‟ critical thinking
skill and students ‟ writing skill especially in argumentative writing at the twelfth
grade of SMA Kharisma Bangsa, with the title of the research is
“The Relationship between Critical Thinking Skill and Argumentative Writing
Skill ”.
6
R. T. Kellogg, Long-term Working Memory in Text Production, Memory Cognition, 23, 2001, 43
—52.
7
M. Fahim M. Mirzaii, Improving EFL Argumentative Writing: A Dialogic Critical Thinking Approach, International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, Vol. 3,
2014, p. 8.
8
Ennis R. H., “A Taxonomy of Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions,” in Teaching
Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice, New York: Freeman, 1987, pp. 9 —26.
B. The Identification of the Problems
Based on the background of the study stated above, the problems were identified as follow:
1. Some students revealed that they are still confused on how to put the idea
into written form. The complexity in composing argumentative writing causes students getting bored and stressed in composing this text. Therefore,
it influences the quality of their writing. 2.
The twelfth grade students of SMA Kharisma Bangsa supposed to have good argumentative writing skill because this skill has already learnt by
them. However, the score gained by the students is the lowest score among other writing skill; the average mean score is 74.8.
3. Some students feel hard to write because they feel difficult to develop the
topic and they often get stuck in the middle of writing. The difficulty of students in writing is not only because of their English competency, yet
there is another factor impeding students in composing argumentative writing. One of the important factors considered in influencing
argumentative writing is critical thinking skill.
C. The Limitation of the Problem
The problems of this study were limited to critical thinking skill in relation to writing skill of argumentative of the Twelfth Grade Students of Senior High
School of Kharisma Bangsa SMA Kharisma Bangsa, academic year of 20152016.
D. The Formulation of the Problem
Based on the limitation of the problem above, the problem of this study is formulated into following question: Is there any significant relationship between
critical thinking skill and argumentative writing skill of the twelfth grade students of SMA Kharisma Bangsa, academic year 20152016?
E. The Objective of the Study
In line with the problem formulated above, the objective of this study is to describe the relationship between critical thinking skill and argumentative writing
skill at the twelfth grade students of SMA Kharisma Bangsa, academic year 20152016.
F. The Significance of the Study
This study is aimed to describe the relationship between critical thinking skill and argumentative writing skill. The result of this study is expected to be
useful for:
1. Students
The result of this research will be useful for the students, especially students of SMA Kharisma Bangsa, to give some information about their critical
thinking skill and writing skill. Hopefully, it can be the reflection of them, so that they can improve their skills in writing argumentative.
2. Teachers
The result of the study can give information to the teacher about the students‟ ability in writing in correlation with students‟ critical thinking. The
teacher can improve their teaching and learning writing process through some media and method that can help students improves their critical thinking and
their writing skill, the skill of argumentative writing in particular. 3.
Other Researchers The result of this research will be useful for other researchers who will
conduct the research in the same field. It can be a consideration as well as a recommendation of the other research in case they will carry out any further
research in the same field.
7
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
In order to sharpen the theoretical framework of this study, this chapter is devoted to review some relevant theories and studies concerning with some
references about the concept of critical thinking ability and the concept of writing, especially argumentative writing. In this chapter also reveals some previous
related studies that have been done by other researchers as well as the hypotheses of the research.
A. The Concept of Critical Thinking
1. The Definition of Critical Thinking
Definitions of the concept of critical thinking are broad. The definitions range from multiple perspectives: philosophical, psychological and educational.
1
Some of definitions given by experts are sometimes different. However, it is important to gather the various definitions to construct the definition of critical
thinking. Critical thinking can be defined as
“the ability to identify and analyse problems as well as seek and evaluate relevant information in order to reach an
appropriate conclusion”.
2
Good conclusion can be reached by identifiying, analyzing, and evaluating the matter issues. Critical thinking is also called as
“reasonable thinking”. It means that having good and logical reason is the major characteristic of critical thinking skill needed when drawing conclusion or making
decision. Paul and Elder define critical thinking as
“the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it
”.
3
In line with Paul and Elder
1
Farahnaz Rimani Nikou, Alireza Bonyadi, and Negin Amirikar. Investigating the Relationship between Critical Thinking Skills and the Quality of Iranian Intermediate TEFL
Students‟ Writing, Journal of Australian International Academic Centre, Vol. 6. No. 2, 2015.
2
Watson and Glaser, The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal W-GCTA, London: Pearson Education Ltd., 2012, p. 11.
3
Paul, R. W. Elder, L., The Miniature Guide to Critical thinking: Concept and Tool, Foundation for Critical Thinking Press, 5
th
ed., 2008, p. 2.
opinion, Freely and Steinberg describe critical thinking as “the ability to analyze,
criticize, and advocate ideas; to reason inductively and deductively; and to reach factual or judgmental conclusions based on sound inferences drawn from
unambiguous statements of knowledge or belief”.
4
Critical thinking is about analyzing, evaluating and criticizing something knowledge, information,
problem, and issue in order to find good conclusion and judgment. Meanwhile, Washburn points out that critical thinking relates to the
activity to criticize people or things both in terms of negative side of them that may lead to the comprehension and best judgment about them.
5
Ennis claimed that critical thinking is thinking logically, reasonably and reflectively in order to
decide what to believe and what to do.
6
From the explanation above, it shows that critical thinking ability is a process of evaluating and analyzing the problems or some issues with logical and
reasonable thinking. It means that before making decision or judgment, a critical thinker has to think critically about what should to do or believe in order to make
a good and reasonable judgment and decision. To sum up, critical thinking is the ability to think critically, reasonably,
and analytically about the problem or the matter issue. Understanding cause and effect as well as evaluating information is required in order to reach good and
logical interpretation from the problem or the matter issue. Such thinking is needed in every aspect of people‟ life as making decision and having problem are
the part of life.
2. The Characteristic of Critical Thinker
Critical thinking as defined above is the ability to think critically, that kind of ability can be seen by someone ability in analyzing and evaluating the
problems or issue. Furthermore, knowing the cause and effect, can evaluate and make argument and interpretation from the problem or the matter issue. Therefore,
4
Austin J. Freeley and David L. Steinberg, Argumentation and Debate: Critical Thinking for Reasoned Decision Making, London: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2007, 12
th
ed., p. 2.
5
Phil Washburn, Vocabulary of Critical Thinking, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2010, p. 3.
6
Ennis, loc. cit.
