Students' critical thinking in academic writing: Perspectives of Rukwangali language education lecturers at Rundu campus
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Date
2020
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Nor Shidrah (2012) notes that tertiary writing is very different from secondary school writing by compelling tertiary students to produce writing of a more critical academic nature. Objectivity and conciseness are the goals of such writing that needs to be followed. The purpose of the study was to discover Rukwangali language lecturers’ perspectives on students’ inability of critical thinking in their academic writing at Rundu campus in the Kavango East Region. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design which was conducted through purposive sampling and analysed using the content analysis approach. Data was collected using the semi structured interview protocol, document analysis guide and an observation check list with four Rukwangali language lecturers and test scripts and assignment of eight students. The study further revealed that lecturers may use strategies such as the infusion/ explicit approach, teacher questioning, assessment rubrics, writing and peer evaluation that may contribute to their inability to do that if not used correctly during such writings. This study recommends that Lecturers should provide a concrete definition of what constitutes critical thinking as a skill to their students before they drive them to the direction of becoming critical thinkers, they should explain the importance of critical thinking in academic writing to students, the university’s curriculum should explicitly incorporate critical thinking in academic writing as an exit learning outcome for each module offered, Rukwangali lecturers should write more books in their language to equip the library with these books so that their students can use them during research and lecturers should do away with questions that require students to recite content and move to questions that require their students to analyse, synthesise and apply knowledge in different situations.
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education (Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Studies)
Keywords
Critical thinking, Academic writing, Rukwangali language education