Analysing information and being ‘critical’ z‘In general students lose more marks for lack of critical analysis than any other single weakness in their work’ (Cottrell 2003:232). zWhat type of tutor feedback comments would commonly indicate a lack of critical analysis ?

Typical tutor comments... z‘More analysis needed’ z‘Less description more critique’ z‘Too descriptive’ z‘Descriptive rather than analytical’ z‘You have told me what theory is rather than how you evaluate it.’ z‘Lacks analysis.’

Critical analytical writing involves... zMoving from the general to the specific - developing ‘helicopter vision’. zDistinguishing fact from opinion. zDeveloping an argument and evidencing it.

Critically analyse the April Robinson article from the Daily Telegraph. Consider for example... zAre there any preconceived ideas or experiences which can be seen to have affected her judgement ? zHow could her background affect her judgement ? zWhat evidence has she relied upon, how accurate is it ? zWhat significance does the date of the article have ? zHas any fundamental perspective been missed? zFor what purpose what this written - to inform ? To educate? To persuade ? What is her personal agenda ? zWho is the intended audience ? zHow reliable is the source ? zWhat facts would strengthen her opinions ?

Being critical may involve... zAGREEING WITH, ACCEDING TO, DEFENDING OR CONFIRMING a particular view. zPROPOSING a new point of view. zCONCEDING that an existing point of view has certain merits but that it needs to be QUALIFIED in certain important respects. zREFORMULATING an existing point of view or statement of it such that the new version makes a better explanation. zDISMISSING a point of view on account of its inadequacy, irrelevance or incoherence etc.

Being critical may involve... zREJECTING, REBUTTING or REFUTING another’s argument on various reasoned grounds. zRECONCILING two positions which may seem at variance by appealing to some ‘higher’ or ‘deeper’ principle. zRETRACTING or RECANTING a previous position of one’s own in the face of new argument or evidence. (Taylor 1989:67)

Developing an argument z‘Argument is war’ yLakoff and Johnson (1980) Metaphors we live by. zCommonly interpreted in terms of: ywinning and losing yattacking and defending

In the academic world other metaphors apply... zAn argument is a journey or za way of building zIt does not mean you should necessarily: ytake sides ypresent only one point of view and defend it.

Rather ‘argument’ means you should... z‘Explore the topic through a clear and consistent development of ideas, using adequate evidence.’ (Clancy and Blanchard 1988: 72)

Evidencing zCritically analyse your sources of information because the strength of any argument rests on the evidence that is used to underpin it. zAlso critically analyse how evidence has been used to support the argument within your sources.

Source: Learning Development Unit, City Critically analyse the way in which evidence has been used to support an argument in these examples. zResearch by Jones (1999) and Dalton (2000) shows that there was an overall increase in the incidence of such cases. A study by Ashref (2001) found 87% of respondents reported no increase. zA study by Kanwal (2003) showed that mothers and fathers reacted very differently when told that their baby had a disability. Fathers became very tearful while mothers remained strong and supportive.

Source: Learning Development Unit, City Critically analyse the way in which evidence has been used to support an argument in this example. zSmith (1972) was the first person to argue that dyslexia did not exist. His conclusions are well known. Since then a number of researchers have challenged his work and his theory has been discarded.

Source: S. Sinfield Learning Development Unit, North Building argument within a paragraph: the paragraph as dialogue. zSo what is this paragraph about then ? zAnd what exactly is that ? zWhat is your specific argument on this topic (in relation to the essay question) ? zWhat is your evidence ? What does it mean ? zWhat is your final point ? How does this relate to the question ? yIn responding to these questions you see how you can construct a paragraph that will contribute to the development of an essay’s overall argument.

Source: Assessment Plus Developing and planning an argument from an essay title. zWhat is my point of view in relation to this question ? zWhat are my reasons for thinking this? What kind of evidence could be used to back up these reasons ? zWhat other points of view exist in relation to the question? zWhat are the reasons for these other views? What kind of evidence could be used to back up these reasons? zWhat are the strengths and weaknesses of these different perspectives ? Why is mine convincing ? zHow can I structure my thoughts into a logical and fluent argument leading to a convincing conclusion ?

Critically analyse your own work. zIs everything relevant to the question ? zHas the question been answered fully ? zIs the argument logical or does it need to be rearranged? zIs it analytical and balanced ? zAre my sources of evidence sound ? zIs my understanding/summarising of the views of others accurate, appropriate and relevant ? zHave I referenced correctly using the Harvard style ? zAre the spelling and grammar correct ?