ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY WRITING

Abstract

The information about the present students’ critical students is essential as the initial data of their critical thinking skills for improvement purpose. The unavailability of such test in medical record department, Faculty of Health and Technique Bandung University encouraged the researcher to use language learning, particularly argumentative essay writing as the medium to measure the skills. This study aims at investigating the level of critical thinking skills through argumentative essay writing and analyzing the perception of students on a language learning that requires critical thinking skills. The respondents are second semester students from medical record department numbering to 35 taken purposively. To collect the data, essay writing test and questionnaire were distributed. The resulted essays were rated according to rubric of argumentative essay and then categorized them into five categories of very high, high, mediocre, low and very low. To support the finding, the information from questionnaire was used. The result of analysis showed that the students’ critical thinking as implied in the essay is still in mediocre level and only 35% scored above the mediocre level. The students faced difficulties in supporting the ideas with relevant and credible arguments and in creating constructive suggestion or solution. It was also revealed that students with high and very high critical thinking skills preferred more language learning activities that require high order thinking and vice versa.