Revue EL-Bahith en Sciences Humaines et Sociales ISSN : 2170-1121 -11 (03) / 2019

From Critical Thinking as an Input to Critical Reading as an Output

Samira Sayah Lembarek Lecturer Teacher “B”

Department of Letters and English Language
Kasdi Merbah University, Ouargla, Algeria

Date de réception : 2019-09-12; Date de révision : 2019-09-25; Date d’acceptation : 30/06/2019

Abstract

This article attempts to clarify the relationship between critical thinking and critical reading and its impact on
teaching a written material in the literature class. Moreover, this interplay permits EFL teachers to be cognizant of
the criteria of selecting the reading material that fits the students’ needs and interests. More importantly, this paper
aims to bridge the gap between critical thinking and critical readings in terms of the ability to analyze, evaluate and
read between lines. This implies to state that critical reading is a very important skill in the teaching of literary texts
in a joyful atmosphere.

Keywords: critical thinking, critical reading, literary text, enjoying literature

Résumé
Cet article tente de clarifier la relation entre la pensée critique et la lecture critique et son impact sur
l'enseignement d'un matériel écrit dans le cours de littérature. En outre, cette interaction permet aux enseignants
d’EFL d’être au courant des critères de sélection du matériel de lecture adapté aux besoins et aux intérêts des élèves.
Plus important encore, cet article vise à combler le fossé entre la pensée critique et la lecture critique en termes de
capacité d'analyse, d'évaluation et de lecture entre les lignes. Cela implique d'affirmer que la lecture critique est une
compétence très importante dans l'enseignement des textes littéraires dans une atmosphère joyeuse.

Mots-clés: pensée critique, lecture critique, texte littéraire, appréciation de la littérature

‫اﻟﻤﻠﺨﺺ‬
‫ ﻫﺫﺍ ﺍﻟﺘﺩﺍﺨل‬.‫ﻴﻬﺩﻑ ﻫﺫﺍ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎل ﺇﻟﻰ ﺘﻭﻀﻴﺢ ﺍﻟﻌﻼﻗﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻭﺠﻭﺩﺓ ﺒﻴﻥ ﺍﻟﺘﻔﻜﻴﺭ ﺍﻟﻨﻘﺩﻱ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻘﺭﺍﺀﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﻘﺩﻴﺔ ﻭ ﻤﺩﻯ ﻓﻌﺎﻟﻴﺘﻬﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺘﺩﺭﻴﺱ ﺍﻟﻨﺹ ﺍﻷﺩﺒﻲ‬
‫ﺒﻴﻥ ﺍﻟﻤﻔﻬﻭﻤﻴﻥ ﻴﻌﻤل ﻋﻠﻰ ﻤﺴﺎﻋﺩﺓ ﺃﺴﺎﺘﺫﺓ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻻﻨﺠﻠﻴﺯﻴﺔ ﻜﻠﻐﺔ ﺃﺠﻨﺒﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺘﺤﺩﻴﺩ ﺒﺩﻗﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺎﻴﻴﺭ ﺍﻷﺯﻤﺔ ﻻﺨﺘﻴﺎﺭ ﺍﻟﻨﺹ ﺍﻷﺩﺒﻲ ﺍﻟﺫﻱ ﻴﺘﻼﺀﻡ ﻤﻊ ﻤﺘﻁﻠﺒﺎﺕ‬
‫ ﺘﻘﻴﻴﻡ ﻭ ﻗﺭﺍﺀﺓ ﻤﺎ ﺒﻴﻥ‬,‫ﻜﻤﺎ ﺘﺭﻤﻲ ﻫﺫﻩ ﺍﻟﻭﺭﻗﺔ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺘﻀﻴﻴﻕ ﺍﻟﻔﺠﻭﺓ ﺒﻴﻥ ﺍﻟﺘﻔﻜﻴﺭ ﺍﻟﻨﻘﺩﻱ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻘﺭﺍﺀﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﻘﺩﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺘﻤﻜﻥ ﺍﻟﻁﺎﻟﺏ ﻤﻥ ﺘﺤﻠﻴل‬.‫ﻭ ﺍﺤﺘﻴﺎﺠﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻁﻠﺒﺔ‬
. ‫ ﻭ ﻤﻥ ﺨﻼل ﻫﺫﺍ ﻨﺴﺘﻁﻴﻊ ﺁﻥ ﻨﻌﺘﺒﺭ ﺍﻟﻘﺭﺍﺀﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﻘﺩﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻭﺴﻴﻠﺔ ﺍﻷﻨﺴﺏ ﻟﺘﺩﺭﻴﺱ ﺍﻟﻨﺼﻭﺹ ﺍﻷﺩﺒﻴﺔ ﺍﻻﻨﺠﻠﻴﺯﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺠﻭ ﻤﻤﺘﻊ‬.‫ﺴﻁﻭﺭ ﻨﺹ ﺃﺩﺒﻲ‬

‫ ﺍﻻﺴﺘﻤﺘﺎﻉ ﺍﻷﺩﺒﻲ‬,‫ ﺍﻟﻨﺹ ﺍﻷﺩﺒﻲ‬,‫ ﺍﻟﻘﺭﺍﺀﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﻘﺩﻴﺔ‬,‫ ﺍﻟﺘﻔﻜﻴﺭ ﺍﻟﻨﻘﺩﻱ‬: ‫ﺍﻟﻜﻠﻤﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﻔﺘﺎﺤﻴﺔ‬

Introduction
Theoretically speaking, reading is a receptive skill used to acquire information from a written
material. It is based on two fundamental dimensions:
 Thinking dimension because a reader should be able to understand and to think about the information
from a reading passage.
 A cognitive dimension because the reader should be able to analyze, to evaluate and to contextualize
information of the reading passage.

This explains the claim of Crystal (1992) in which the process of reading is considered as the
ability to understand and to grasp the meaning of a written material. Likewise, Moon (2008) clarifies the
relationship between reading and critical thinking with “the mutual reinforcement” (p.10). In the
following explanation of Paul et al (1989), it appears that critical thinking is mostly correlated with the

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student’s ability to read critically through asking themselves some critical questions. Paul and his follows
point out that
“Therefore, critical readers recognize that reading a book is reading one limited perspective on a
subject and that more can be learned considering other perspectives. Critical readers ask themselves
questions as they read, wonder about the implications of, reasons for examples of, and meaning and truth
of the material. They do not approach written material as a collection of sentences but as a whole, trying
out various interpretations until one fits all of the work, rather than ignoring or distorting statements that
don’t fit their interpretation.” (p.429)

Discussing the nature of the relationship between critical thinking and critical reading, it is
necessary to inquire about the technique used to combine both skills in application. Most studies consider
“the literature circle” as a best technique to examine the impact of this relationship on the students’
academic achievement.

1. Critical Thinking Definition

Theoretically speaking, three major academic approaches are taken into account in defining critical
thinking. The two first approaches are philosophy and psychology according to Lewis and Smith (1993)
and the third aspect is education according to Sternberg’s (1986) view. Amalgamating the three aspects
do show some controversies views as regard the nature of critical thinking but despite the existing
disagreement, a common core does exists. The area of agreement between the three approaches emerge
the following features:

 The willing of : - analyzing arguments

- evaluating and judging
- making inference through inductive and deductive reasons
- make a decision and solve problems

2. Critical Reading Definition

Three major debatable issues are considered in defining critical reading including: what does it
mean? How to teach it? And what students will be able to do? In the first place, some scholars support the
idea that the more students are familiar with the material, the more they are able to understand its
difficulties. In this context it is necessary to mention Micheal Warners’s(2004) study on critical reading
by which critical reading is defined as “the folk of ideology of a learned profession, so close to us that we
seldom feel the need to explain it” (p.14). Moreover, he supports terms such as “critical distance”, “self
conscious stance” (p.20) and both of them describe the nearby distance that should be between the reader
and the text. In the second place, most of educators try to simplify teaching critical reading by modeling it
according to their students’ needs and interests. This idea is argued by Robert Scholes’s (2001) definition
“simplifying and clarifying the ways of reading we have already learned to use” (p.215). In this respect,
there were some educators who created their own ways to teach critical reading like Donahue (1987a)
who suggests a sequence by which “students write an initial interpretation followed by multiple rereading,
while reading considering along the way how prior assumptions about reading shape these
interpretations” (pp.5-9). Also, Salvatori (2012) proposes the “Conversations” by which “students are
asked to write responses to texts and then to write reflectively and evaluative about their response”
(p.447). In the third place, Salvatori, Arlen Wilner and Patricia Donahue define critical reading in terms
of what they want their students to do. For instance, Donahue (1987b) wants her students to pass “kind of
misreading” in order to be able to contextualize the language of “wild dialogue”(p.2) While, others such
as Chick Nancy.L, Holly Hassel and Aeron Haynie (2009) focus on “ reading complexity” (p.402) by
asking students to re-read and revise their interpretations in order to develop complexity and multiple
interpretations.

However, other scholars attempt to define critical reading in a general way, for instance in Pirozzi’s
definition (2003) critical reading is described as “very-high level comprehension of written material
requiring interpretation and evaluation skill and it also entails using reference to go beyond what is stated
explicitly, filling in informational gaps, and coming to logical conclusions.” (p.325); in the same line,
Kurland (2000) claims that critical reading is “a careful, active, reflective and analytic reading”

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3. Techniques of Critical Reading

During the English literature class, it has been observed some prominent problems happened to
students when they are engaged in reading classes. For this aim, scholars as Axelrod and Cooper (2002),
Hall (2004), Barton-Arwood et al (2005) and others propose some instructional strategies to help teaching
critical reading. Most of them agree that these strategies should emphasize the development of particular
skills including annotating, previewing, contextualizing, analyzing, outlining, summarizing, paraphrasing,
questioning and reflecting. Not far from this view, Kuta (2008) suggests a list of strategies which
considered by most researchers the most purposeful list in the critical reading field. Those strategies are
recapitulated as follows:

 Annotating: it focuses on reading reactions and questions about the text.

 Previewing: it involves getting an overview about the text structure, cues, pictures and so forth.
 Scan and Skimming: it aims of looking for the gist or main idea of the text.
 Facts Vs. Opinions: it requires to seek concrete evidences, opinions, values or beliefs that can
be argued.
 Drawing Conclusions: it focuses on clarifying clues in the text and thinking of predictions.
 Monitoring: it tests the understanding of the text meaning.
 Summarizing: it aims to write a short paragraph presenting the main ideas of the text.
 Paraphrasing: it requires rewriting a short paragraph restating and clarifying the main ideas
using readers’ own words.
 Synthesizing: it is to select ideas and to combine them with different texts.
 Questioning: it is based on asking set of questions and to answer them after finishing the last
step. (Kuta, 2008)

Regarding the skills of these strategies, it is clear that there are three steps in critical reading. The
first step is pre-reading which contains: annotating, previewing, scanning and skimming. The second step
is reading the text which includes facts vs. opinions, drawing conclusions and monitoring. The last step is
after reading that implies summarizing, paraphrasing, synthesizing and questioning. These steps are
mentioned in Tovani’s (2000) description of the reading process:

 Set a purpose for reading (Before reading a text), preview the text before
reading, pay attention to print features and text structures.
 mark the text while you read, make connections between the text and reader personal
experience and knowledge.
 Monitor your comprehension of the text; summarize the key points when you finish reading.

4. Developing Critical Thinking through Reading Literature

It is argued by many educators that critical thinking and reading are related to each other in terms
of the needed skills and abilities. As, Brown (2001) and Day (2003) describe this relationship with “a
strong connection between reading and thinking”. From another angle, Carter and Long (1991) declare
that the exposure of students to read literature in an academic setting will help students in working with a
literary work using what they acquire as critical concepts, literary conventions and metalanguage. In this
respect, they state:
“ I nvolves reading literature within an academic, institutionalized setting for the
purpose of abating qualification in literary studies. It involves a considerable baggage
of critical concepts, literary conventions and metalanguage and the requirement is
often that students should show an ability to use such terms and concepts in taking
writing about literature.”(p.3-4)

The impact of reading literary texts on developing critical thinking becomes clear in most of recent
research. This impact seems to be positive because by reading, students will use their critical thinking
abilities. They will be able to interpret, to analyze and to synthesize. Here are some benefits of reading
literary texts on the development of critical thinking skills:

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 According to Lazer (1993), reading literary texts will help students to make hypotheses and
to draw inference.
 According to Brandt (1990), reading literary texts will increase the students’ metacognitive
and affective abilities in terms of thinking about the text’s structure, the plot, characters and
the hidden meanings.
 According to Hayhoe and Parker(1990), reading will invite students to use their thinking
abilities and to become independent readers;
 According to Zyngier (1994), reading fosters the students’ language skills, namely speaking
and listening.

There are numerous benefits of reading on the enhancement of critical thinking, but the problem is
that what kind of literary text is adequate to be read? And what are the criteria for selecting a reading
material?

5. Criteria for Selecting a Critical Literacy-Based Materials

To achieve positive results in the teaching process, it is necessary to choose tools and materials
carefully. Indeed, the selection of literary texts for students is considered by Mckay (1982) as the “key to
success” in teaching literature in an EFL classroom. More importantly, a careful selection of the reading
texts will motivate students to become excited about attending the reading class. Thus “careful text
selection is fundamental to the successful use of any kind of representational material.”(p.4), as McRae
(1997) argues. For these aims and others, there are several criteria should be taken into account when
selecting a text to be read by students.
Those criteria seem to be common between some educationalists such as Brumfit (1985) who suggests the
criteria related to the “suitable linguistic level, cultural and social expectations of different groups of
learners and length of the text, imagination and creativity.”(p.109). Lazer (1993) stresses on the students’
cultural, literary backgrounds and their linguistic proficiency; and then Collie and Slater (1994) consider
the students ‘needs and interests, cultural background and language level.”(p.6). Taking altogether these
criteria, the present researcher summarizes them as follows:
 The Student’s Cultural Background
Taking into consideration the cultural factor, teachers should think about the negative effects of the
chosen text on the students’ social and political interpretations. The irrelevant text will not help students
to understand and to grasp the true meaning of the text. So, to avoid such kind of troubles, it is very
important to choose a text which is familiar with the students’ culture in terms of its theme and source.
 The Student’s Linguistic Proficiency
In this sense, Mckay (1982) notes that “a text which is difficult on either linguistic or cultural level
will have few benefits” (p.531); in other words, finding a text that matches the students’ proficiency level
indicates how much the teacher is aware of the students’ level.
 The Student’s Literary Background
The exposure of students to extensive and intensive reading classes in their mother tongues may help
them to understand and interpret in a foreign language using the same conventions of reading. Besides,
they will be able to achieve the same linguistic and literary competence degree as in their mother tongues.
 Availability of Texts
As far as the university library is the only one source close to the students, it will be better if
teachers rely on it as a source of the lessons’ tools. Thus, teachers should know the available books in the
students’ library by keeping in touch with librarians to provide them with the updated lists of books.
 Length of Texts
From the present researcher’s experience in teaching literature, she always notices the students’
reactions when they have a long text, and then their request whether the whole text is concerned or just a
few selected parts. This case interprets that the length of text is another important factor that motivates
students to read.
 Exploitability of the Text
Within this factor, it is useful to consider what Derrida (1976) thinks about the act of reading.
Accordingly, “reading and interpretation are not merely acts of reproducing what writers express in a
text.”(p.157); this means that once students finish reading the text, they will be able to re-produce it
according to their voice of understandings and interpretations. By being able to exploit the selected text,
students will have opportunities to become creative, open-minded and critical thinkers. This fact seems

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clear through Elliot’s (1990) focus on selecting texts that require the cognitive and the affective
involvement of the students.

 Fit with Syllabus

The suitability of the syllabus seems to be the inclusive factor because it is inaccessible to choose
texts that consider the students’ cultural background and linguistic level and do not consider the syllabus’
main objectives. Thus, when selecting a text to be read, it is useful to take into account the
aforementioned factors and as well as the drawn syllabus’ objectives.
Considering those criteria of selecting the suitable literary material for students, one major question
should be raised by an EFL teacher that is: will students enjoy the teaching of literature in the classroom?

6. Defining Enjoying Literature in an EFL Context

Teaching literature is always related to the issue of pleasure and enjoyment which allows students
to be motivated to deal with literary texts. In other words, the enjoyment of literature refers mainly to the
extent of motivation considerations when teaching literature in the EFL classroom. Therefore, a definition
of the term ‘enjoying literature’ is demanded for the sake of determining its sources and origins. The
enjoyment of literature attributes the individual’s satisfaction about the reading which should fit his/her
interests and benefits (Clark and Rumbold, 2006). For them, the enjoyment of literature is beneficial to
enhance the students’ positive beliefs about literature, to facilitate the students’ cultural awareness about
the other cultures and to foster the students’ self-confidence to participate later in the community affairs.
However, Nell (1988) views the enjoyment of literature as the person’s imagination ability to practice
some specific roles and words. In the same vein, Grossman and Sachs (2007) note that “students help
create a new approach to reading and enjoying literature assigned in school. Reading is about spending
time with characters and entering a fictional world and playing with words and living through a story
page by page.” (p. 1), this means that the enjoyment of literature requires the involvement of imagination
to test the events involved in the reading material.

Conclusion

To conclude, the good determination of main concepts of a notion prohibits the misuse of such
thinking skill inside and outside the learning context. Taking altogether, it is argued that critical reading
needs students to be able to contextualize, to analyze, to ask questions, to justify arguments, to evaluate
and to interpret. This implies that critical reading is completely embedded in critical thinking. In other
words, to achieve the aim of promoting the students’ critical thinking skills, some important motivational
and psychological factors that should be taken into account when teaching thinking skills in an EFL
context. Thus, for reaching enjoyment in the classroom, it is very necessary to understand its purposes by
which education is improved and qualified. Enjoyment ensures the lifelong learning and seeks purposeful
learning opportunities.

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Comment citer cet article par la méthode APA:

Samira Sayah Lembarek . (2019) From Critical Thinking as an Input to Critical Reading as an Output. . Revue
EL-Bahith en Sciences Humaines et Sociales , Vol 11 (03) / 2019.Algérie : Université Kasdi Marbah Ouargla ,( p.p.285-290 )

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