基于英语议论文的中国高中生思辨技能研究—英语专业外文翻译毕业论文.doc

苏州大学本科生毕业论文

苏州大学外国语学院
本科毕业论文
（2014届）

题目：基于英语议论文的中国高中生思辨技能研究

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the following people, who have provided me with generous and constructive guidance, illuminating and inspirational instructions, warm-hearted and hospitable support during my undergraduate study at Soochow University.
First of all, I owe all enormous debt of gratitude and respect to my supervisor, Professor Wang Haizhen, who has offered me invaluable instructions and generous encouragement in the process. Her devotion, patience and competence exert such a deep influence on me that I will cherish the experience for my whole life.
My sincere thanks also go to the professors and teachers in the School of Foreign Languages in Soochow University, in particular, Professor Su Xiaojun and Professor Yuan Ying, whose lectures serve as an unfailing source of inspiration in writing the dissertation as well as in my future study.
In addition, I also want to thank the willingness and cooperation of all the participants in the study, whose great contributions make the paper become a reality. My heart-felt appreciation also goes to my study mates, especially Zhao Lijing, who cooperates with me in the painful but rewarding process of collecting data from different cities in Jiangsu Province.
Last but not least, I would like to express my heart-felt gratitude to my parents, who have been giving me unconditional love and support all these years.

Abstract

Critical thinking (CT) is regarded as an important disciplinary goal in education. To cultivate students’ CT skills has been listed in the objectives of the National English Curriculum (2011). However, existing studies mainly choose university students, especially English majors as participants. Considering that Senior High school is a critical period for CT development, so it is necessary to explore senior high school students’ CT skills. The research is intended to first describe the characteristics of Chinese high school students’ CT skills, to be specific, the characteristics of each grade and the developmental pattern across three grades, and then explore the correlation between the students’ CT skills and their English curricular grades. Moreover, it analyzes whether students’ gender and major (liberal arts or science) make difference to total scores of CT skills.
The participants of the study include 209 senior high school students from Changzhou Qianhuang Senior High School, Rugao Senior High School, Lian Yungang Yangji Senior High School in Jiangsu Province. A timed English argumentative writing test is designed as the instrument of the research. The research adopts the classification of CT skills proposed in Delphi Report (Facione et al., 1990) that CT consists of six sub-skills, i.e. interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation and self-regulation. An adapted form of Qualitative Florida Scale for Critical Thinking Skills (UF/QCTS) is employed as the rating rubric in that the underlying assumption of CT skills is consistent with that proposed in Delphi Report. After the collection of timed English argumentative writings from March to June in 2013, two experienced researchers were trained to reach high inter-rater reliability (r=0.82) in terms of each sub-skill of CT skills. The findings of the research are obtained through SPSS 19.0.
The major findings of the study are as follows.
1. Senior high school students’ CT skills display different characteristics across three grades. Not all skills develop significantly and the skill of self-regulation exhibits reverse developmental pattern from Grade One to Grade Three. The overall pattern of Chinese senior high school students’ CT skills is progressive, however, the current global picture is not desirable.
2. There exists a weak positive statistical correlation between students’ English curricular grades and the total scores of CT skills.
3. Gender and major make no significant difference to CT skills of Chinese senior high school students.
The implications of the research go as follows:
1. The research is conducive to providing an objective description of senior high school students’ CT skills for teachers to adjust their educational praxis so as to foster more students who can meet the objectives of the National English Curriculum and face the challenges of society.
2. The research diagnostically examines senior high school students’ writing, revealing its strong and weak facets, so it sheds light on the possible remedy programs to facilitate students’ CT skills. This in turn helps teachers develop their own CT.
Keywords: CT skills, Chinese senior high school, English argumentative writing

摘 要
思辨能力一直被视为重要的课程培养目标，2011版的《全国英语课程标准》已经把培养学生的思辨技能列入英语教学的目标之中。现存的关于思辨技能的研究主要围绕大学生，尤其是英语专业的本科生。但高中阶段是思辨技能发展的关键时期，因此有必要以高中生为研究对象进行相关探索。本文的目的首先在于描述中国高中生思辨技能在高中每个年级的特点以及纵向的发展趋势; 其次，本文旨在研究学生思辨技能和英语学科成绩之间的关系，再者，本文将探索不同的性别和专业（文、理科）是否会对学生的思辨技能产生影响。
本文的研究对象包括来自江苏省前黄高级中学，江苏省如皋中学和江苏省连云港杨集中学的209名高中生。本文的量具是笔者设计的限时英语议论文，采用Facione等人于1990年在德尔菲报告中提出的关于思辨技能的分类，思辨技能被分为六项子技能，即阐释、分析、评价、推论、解释和自我调节。笔者对加利福尼亚大学开发的思辨技能量化评分表（UF/QCTS）进行修订，并依此对高中生的作文进行评分，因为此评分标准对思辨技能的分类与德尔菲报告中的分类完全一致。本文的语料在2013年3月至6月收集，两名经验丰富的研究者在经过专业训练后，对这些语料进行了评分，根据信效检验结果，两位研究者的评分具有很高的一致性。（r=0.82）
本文采用统计分析软件SPSS 19.0 对所得数据进行处理，结果显示1）高中生思辨技能在每个年级段呈现不同的发展特征，不是所有技能都呈现显著发展，自我调节技能呈负增长；思辨技能的整体发展趋势是向上的，但现状并不乐观；2）高中生思辨技能和英语学科成绩未见显著相关性；3）性别和文理科对思辨技能不产生重要影响。
本文以英语议论文为媒介对中国高中生思辨技能的概况进行了客观描述，具有如下启示：1）为高中教师的教学提供了有效的反馈和参考，这将有利于高中教师调整课程设计以培养出更多符合新课标要求的、能够应对社会挑战的人才。2）本文诊断性地评估高中生的英语议论文，揭示了高中生思辨技能发展的强弱方面，给思辨技能培养和补救方案提供了思路，也有利于促进教师思辨技能的发展。
关键词：思辨技能、中国高中、英语议论文

Contents

Abstract II
摘 要 IV
Contents V
Chapter One Introduction 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 Objectives and Significance of the Study 1
1.3 Layout of the Study 2
Chapter Two Literature Review 3
2.1 Definition of Critical Thinking 3
2.1.1 Definition of Critical Thinking from the Philosophical Perspective 3
2.1.2 Definition of Critical Thinking from the Psychological Perspective 4
2.2 Dimensions of Critical Thinking 4
2.2.1 Critical Thinking Skills 5
2.2.2 Critical Thinking Dispositions 9
2.3 Critical Thinking in Writing 11
2.3.1 The Importance of Writing 11
2.3.2 Theories on the Relationship between Writing and Critical Thinking 12
2.4 Related Studies on Critical Thinking 13
2.4.1 Related Studies on the Relationship between Critical Thinking and Writing 13
2.4.2 Related Studies on the Developmental Pattern of CT in University Students 15
2.4.3 Related Studies on Factors Influencing Critical Thinking 16
Chapter Three Methodology 17
3.1 Research Questions 17
3.2 Participants 17
3.3 Instruments 19
3.3.1 An Adapted Form of UF/QCTS 20
3.3.2 The Timed English Argumentative Writing Test 22
3.4 Data Collection and Data Analysis 23
3.4.1 The Training Session and the Inter-rater Reliability 23
3.4.2 Sample Analysis 24
Chapter Four Results and Discussions 27
4.1 Characteristics and Differences of CT Skills among Three Grades 27
4.2 Weak Correlation between Total Score of CT Skills and English Curricular Grade 41
4.3 No Significant Difference in Critical Thinking Skills with Different Genders 43
4.4 No Significant Difference in CT Skills with Different Majors 43
Chapter Five Conclusion 46
5.1 Major Findings 46
5.2 Study Implications 46
5.3 Limitations of the Study 47
5.4 Suggestions for Future Study 48
References 50
Appendices 54
Appendix I Timed English Argumentative Writing 54
Appendix II: Rubric for Grading UF/QCTS Tests 55
Appendix III: UF/QCTS 65
文献综述报告 66

VI

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Background
Critical thinking has been viewed as an essential skill that an individual has to possess in his personal, academic and social life. In view of the rapid advancement of technology, Feuerstein (1999) remarks that modern technological society increasingly requires the development of individuals possessing critical and creative thinking skills. The significance of CT is also highlighted in the National English Curriculum (2011). It dictates that “one of the high level goals of the nine-year compulsory education is to cultivate students’ abilities to observe, to memorize, to think, to imagine and to create, and to increase their vision”.
On the other hand, writing, being a thinking device, plays an equally prominent role in the cultivation and manifestation of students’ CT. Writing and communication of ideas are indispensable to all disciplines.
What is more, after preliminary review into this sphere, it is found out that existing researches tend to choose university English majors as participants, therefore senior high school students’ CT remains to be investigated.

1.2 Objectives and Significance of the Study
The study aims to investigate, first and foremost, the characteristics of critical thinking skills among three grades and its developmental pattern; secondly, the correlation between senior senior high school students’ total score CT skills and English curricular grades; thirdly, whether gender and major (science or liberal art) make significant difference to CT skills.
The study is significant in that firstly it provides a global picture of senior high school students’ critical thinking skills and the developmental pattern with a qualitative measurement supported by quantitative data, revealing both the weak and strong facets of senior high school students’ CT skills. It also makes efforts in figuring out the relationship between several possible influencing factors and CT skills. Secondly, the research will draw more attention to senior high school education reform, with which senior high school students will be given more space and initiative to give their potential to full play. Thirdly, this study serves as a well-founded and cogent feedback to the faculty whereby teachers can adjust their teaching practice and include more critical thinking training program into specific disciplines so as to equip students with critical thinking abilities to face future challenges. This in turn helps teachers pay more attention to their own CT skills. Lastly, students can be more aware of their own critical thinking abilities, and chances are that they will intentionally receive more training to turn themselves into critical thinkers.

1.3 Layout of the Study
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Chapter 2 reviews firstly the definitions of CT from the perspectives of philosophy and psychology; secondly, two dimensions of CT: CT skills and CT dispositions; and then it presents the significance of writing and theories on the relationship between CT and writing. Lastly, this chapter reviews related studies on CT. Chapter 3 introduces the methodology used in this study including research questions, participants, instruments, data collection and the data analysis process. Chapter 4 presents the results of the study, including a global picture of senior high school students’ CT skills and the developmental pattern of CT skills across three grades; furthermore, Chapter 4 elaborates on the correlation between the total score of CT skills and students’ English curricular grades; it also discusses whether gender and major make a difference to CT skills. Chapter 5 serves as a conclusion and it presents the major findings, research implications and suggestions for future study.

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Definition of Critical Thinking
The existing literature is fraught with divergent and competing understandings of critical thinking; many scholars define critical thinking from different perspectives and disciplines. The word “critical” has its origin in the Greek word “Kritikos” and “Kriterion”, indicating the ability to question, make sense of, and to analyze thinking according to a certain criterion. Generally speaking, the definitions of critical thinking falls into two broad categories: philosophical definitions and psychological definitions.

2.1.1 Definition of Critical Thinking from the Philosophical Perspective
Definitions in the light of philosophy tend to comprehend critical thinking from two branches: on the one hand, critical thinking is considered as reasonable and reflective thinking; on the other hand, critical thinking means the initiative to manage the thinking process and much emphasis is given to the meta-cognitive aspect of critical thinking.
Historically speaking, Dewey (1933) defines CT as reflective thinking, whereby education is meant to provide conditions to cultivate habits and train the mind. Dewey (1993:9) points out that “critical thinking is active, persistent, and careful consideration of a belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds which support the further conclusions to which it tends”. Similarly, Ennis (1987, p. 9) thinks that “critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do”.
Paul (1984) suggests two levels of critical thinking. The first involves “micro-logical, analytical critical skills”, and at the second level Paul (1985) maintains that there is a focus on dialectical or dialogical reasoning. Paul is critical of approaches which treat critical thinking as a series of discrete, technical skills without incorporating broader issues of values.
Glaser (1985) believes that critical thinking involves recognition of assumptions and values, evaluating arguments and evidence, drawing inferences, and altering judgments when justified. Those skills involve knowledge of logical inquiry and reasoning and an appropriate attitude of being disposed to think problems in a thoughtful, perceptive manner.

2.1.2 Definition of Critical Thinking from the Psychological Perspective
Definitions given from the perspective of psychology concentrate on the cognitive dimension of critical thinking, and critical thinking is the epitome of an intellectually disciplined process.
Halpern (1997, p. 4) asserts that critical thinking is the “use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome”. More recently, CT has been viewed as consisting of higher-order thinking skills. Astleitner (2002) defines critical thinking as a higher-order thinking skill which mainly consists of evaluating arguments. Scriven and Paul (2003, p. 132) define critical thinking as “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication as a rubric to belief and action.” Petress (2004, p. 461) points out that critical thinking examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.
In recent years, critical thinking is increasingly defined with reference to the proble