Academic Development in the School of Health
How to be Critical
Academic Development Tutors
School of Health
Today’s session
• Defining critical thinking (recap)
• Critical reading
• Critical writing:
–Essays
–Case studies
Recap
What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking definition
The process of assessing claims and making
judgements on the basis of well-supported
evidence (Wade, 1988)
Critical thinking involves:
• Asking the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’, not the ‘whats’
• This means being analytical, not just descriptive. So you
need to:
• Give examples
• Give explanations
• Draw comparisons
• Consider alternative approaches or explanations
• Discuss strengths and weaknesses
• Make links with practice
Critical thinking does not involve:
• Simply accumulating information
• Being argumentative
• Being purely negative (as in the everyday use of
the term ‘criticise’)
• Letting emotions colour your judgement
Critical reading
• In second and third year you’ll use a wider
breadth of resources
• How do you evaluate these?
• What do you include?
Reading checklist
•
Author, publisher, date – too old, current?
•
Kind of publication – journal, book, newspaper?
•
Respectable source – ISSN number, peer-reviewed?
•
What is the main argument in the text?
•
What evidence is presented?
•
Am I convinced by this?
•
References, further reading provided?
•
Are other points of view considered/discussed?
•
Is it useful to my background reading or assignment?
Critical reading
Don’t just accept what you read!
Critical writing
•Critical writing:
•Uses comparisons
•Contrasts and considers alternative views
•Provides evidence for points made
•Considers strengths and weaknesses
•Makes links with practice where appropriate
•Avoids too much detail (this can muddy your
argument)
•Keeps description to a minimum.
Critical writing example
Whilst Anderson (2008) and Jones (2006) agree that
regular walking can reduce body weight, others argue
that higher levels of exercise intensity are required for
weight loss (Fin, 2008; Smith, 2004) – (considers
alternative views). Support for the effectiveness of
regular walking on weight loss has been provided in
several studies. For example, Davis (2005) and Ellis
(2006) both found that...Similarly, Clark (2005) reported
that...(provides evidence). However, a limitation of
these studies is that ....(considers a weakness). Other
studies employing more robust designs have failed to
support these findings (Scott, 2004; Taylor, 2007) –
(contrasts)
Description v analysis
•
Simple description is not enough; you must
analyse if you are to be critical
•
Consider the following essay questions. How
would you demonstrate critical thinking in your
response?
Activity 1
Examine the role of the health professional (HP)
in achieving quality standards in healthcare
Activity 1
 Simply describing what the HP does and what
quality standards they seek to achieve
 Describing what the HP does but also
considering to what extent they meet quality
standards, how they go about achieving them and
why they might not fully achieve them
Activity 2
Critically analyse models of health that underpin
healthcare practice
Activity 2
 Simply describing what the different models of
health propose
 Describing what the different models propose but
also discussing their strengths and weaknesses
and the evidence that exists to support them
• See example
Demonstrating critical analysis in essay example
Numerous models of health have been proposed. The medical
model states that …(description – easy bit!). One strength of this
model is that….However, the model is limited because…
(strengths/weaknesses).
An alternative approach to defining health is offered in the
biopsychosocial model. This model states that...(considers
another possibility). The biopsychosocial model differs from the
medical model in that it recognises that illness cannot be studied
or treated in isolation from the social and cultural environment
(draws comparison). Practitioners working within the
biopsychosocial framework therefore acknowledge users' social
support networks, family support and stress levels (makes
link to practice). This broader view of health is a key strength of
the biopsychosocial model. For example, consider an individual
who...(gives example so demonstrates understanding)
Critical analysis and case studies
Question typically asks you to show how the concept/theory
that you’ve learned in class helps you understand the case.
Here’s what to do:
1.
Read the case study and identify the concept(s)/ theory
that is relevant
2.
Read up on the concept/theory until you are fully familiar
with it
3.
Go back over the case and carefully pick out the parts that
are relevant to the theory (e.g. Jo is isolated with limited
social support – is that relevant to the theory?)
4.
Show HOW the concepts/theory helps you understand the
case.
Critical analysis and case studies
Consider the following Q: How might a practitioner use
the theory of Hierarchy of Needs to select a care
programme for Tommy?
Critical analysis and case studies example
The Hierarchy of Needs theory (Maslow, 1970) proposes that
individuals are motivated by unsatisfied needs and that certain
lower-level needs such as physiological and safety needs must
be met before the individual can go on to satisfy higher-level
needs such as self-esteem and achievement. This theory can be
used to inform much of the work undertaken by health
professionals. Tommy, for example, is at imminent risk of having
his home repossessed as he cannot pay his mortgage due to loss
of employment. He is injured and an obvious solution would be to
arrange a rehabilitation programme for him, which in the longterm would enhance his employment prospects. However, by
drawing upon Maslow’s (1970) theory, a practitioner might
appreciate that Tommy’s motivation to engage in regular
physiotherapy exercises is likely to be low because his current
need is to provide a roof over his family’s heads; Until Tommy is
able to satisfy this lower-level need, he will not be motivated to
satisfy his higher-level need of overcoming his injury. The
practitioner’s approach might therefore be to….
Critical thinking – you’ll use it forever!
•Critical thought will feature throughout your time as a
healthcare practitioner and professional
•Giving presentations, arguing your case, defending a
position, understanding the theory that underlies an
argument
•Continued research, developments, modifications in
your field
•Continuing to a research degree – analytical skills vital
Academic Development in the School of Health