Nature of Critical Reading

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2.1.3.2 Critical Reading and Writing

Theoretical description on critical reading and writing focuses the discussion on the exploration and elaboration of critical reading and critical writing. This theoretical description also emphasizes the nature of critical reading and critical writing. Then, the nature of critical reading and critical writing is explored. The principles of teaching in critical reading and critical writing are elaborated. Therefore, the exploration and elaboration of critical reading and critical writing are meant to figure out the whole picture of critical reading and critical writing.

2.1.3.2.1 Nature of Critical Reading

Reading is not only to know the language or words written in the text but also to perform an active process in which the readers need to interact with the text and finally get the message, perspective and new paradigm. According to Wallace and Wray 2011, the skill of critical reading lies in assessing the extent to which the authors have provided adequate justification for the claims they make. This means critical reading is encouraging the students to examine thoroughly the points presented by the author. This, they emphasize that the assessment depends partly on what the authors have communicated and partly on other relevant knowledge, experience and inference that the readers are able to bring into the frame. This understanding brings the readers to the truth that reading is interaction between the reader and the text, one’s prior knowledge and past experience on something, and the points presented in the text. That is how 26 being able to read critically ends up as the reader’s judgment on the text itself. According to Knott n.d., critical reading is to make a judgment on how a text is argued. The judgment on how the text is argued covers how the author sets the claim, supporting details, explanation, elaboration and example or evidence. This also means that critical reading is to make a judgment on how the author puts things together into one complete argument about the subject matter. This, she emphasizes that when one is critically reading a text then he or she is looking for ways of thinking about the subject matter. Thus, the aim of critical reading is not only to discover the new information provided in the text but also to figure out how the text works and how the arguments on the text support the topic of the text. From the points explained, Knott n.d. state that there are several characteristics of critical reading; central claims or purposes, context, kinds of reasoning, evidence and evaluation. The characteristics are explained in the following. The nature of critical reading is explained through the explanation of five characteristics. The first characteristic is on the point of the goal of critical reading which focuses on the claims presented. In central claims or purposes, critical reading attempts to identify and access how these central claims are developed or argued. The second characteristic is on the point of the context brought by the text. In the context, critical reading begins with making a judgment about the context on what kind of audience is the text written for, who is it in the dialogue with and what historical context is the writing. The third characteristic is on the point of reason. In kinds of reasoning, critical reading distinguishes the kinds of 27 reasoning the text employed regarding what context is defined or used, whether a text appeal of the theory or theories, then how the theory or theories isare used to organize and interpret the data. The readers also can examine the organization of the text and how the author analyzed the materials or elements. The fourth characteristic is on the point of evidence provided by the author. In evidence, critical reading examines the evidence supporting facts or examples that the text presented. Then, the readers can consider the kind of evidence used, and how the evidence is used to develop the arguments and its controlling claims or concepts. The last characteristic is on the point of evaluation of the text. In evaluation, critical reading also may involve evaluation of the weaknesses and strengths of the text. This means critical reading uses analysis as a bridge to evaluate the points presented in the text.

2.1.3.2.2 Principles of Teaching Critical Reading