A reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension: a literature Review

Critical reading: a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension: A Literature Review

Improving students' critical thinking abilities is not just a fad, it has become central to their learning. Edman (2008) pointed out that although faculty members see the need to teach critical thinking to their students at different educational institutions as an important educational goal, they not only understand exactly what the word “critical thinking” means. Students must be able to think critically in the classroom for academic purposes and also outside of the classroom. Students are exposed to a large volume of authentic material, especially by surfing the net. Students also need critical thinking to deal with the challenges they face in the workplace after graduation or in everyday life. Another advantage of introducing critical thinking is that it can help students face the world of technology and keep up with new technological trends (Edman, 2008; Ennis, 2018; Hervás & Miralles, 2006; Huijie, 2010 Wade, 2008). In English as a Foreign Language (EFL), there is little interest in critical discourse analysis and critical reading in particular. Three issues may be the reason why there isn't much research: feasibility, ethics, and necessity. How can L2 learners analyze and critique a foreign language without the basic features of that target language? How can teachers and students balance their discussion of the different topics raised by the authors? And what is the real need for critical reading and critical language for L2 learners? For starters, reading is seen as a bottom-up process, conceptualizing reading as a text decoding process with an emphasis on staves and word recognition. For advanced learners, reading is viewed as a top-down process that conceptualizes how the entire text is viewed and understood (Wallace, 2003).

However, many definitions have been put forward for critical reading by scholars. According to Huijie (2010), previously, the definition of critical reading involved the reader's ability to discuss and question written materials for the purposes of analysis and evaluation. The later definition of critical reading focuses on viewing reading as an interactive and active process that requires dialogue between the reader, the text, and the author at different levels using reflective competencies. different at higher levels. Viewing reading as an active process requires the reader to take an active position by participating in the reading process.
At this point of the discussion, a question may arise in your mind: what is the difference between critical and non-critical readers? These are "facts" and "interpretations". Critically ill readers seek truth or superficial meaning of the text (Kurland, 2000). On the contrary, the critical reader will not be satisfied with mere superficial meaning; he always has something to add to the meaning, that is the interpretation. This interpretation may not support the idea or meaning proposed by an author. It is a reflection of the reader's thoughts.
A critical reader interprets meaning with a critical eye, but a non-critical reader does not delve into the text. But to arrive at an interpretation, critical readers must know the difference between paraphrasing, describing, and interpreting. What a text conveys is called reconstruction, what a text does is descriptive, and finally, what a text means is called interpretation (Kurland, 2000).
Before reading a text, the first step of a critical reader is to preview the text, to get an outside idea of ​​that particular text. Title and structure are important. The reader can get information about the author or at least about his purpose of reading. Captions are a very good practice by any type of reader. Notes on the main topic, main idea, etc., are active when reading the text. When the text is read, the critical reader's immediate job is to gauge their understanding by summarizing the entire text. Then, little by little, the reader enters the world of reading much more actively. Now it can parse text. This means finding electrons and protons of the text.
Analysis involves looking at the most intimate factors that develop the structure of a text. There has been a discussion about the inverse of automatism, suggest re-reading. A critical reader's most constructive and functional work is their response to the text. There are definitely some things he wants to agree on and some opinions he disagrees with. The answer and interpretation at one point sounded like similar ideas.
There is a popular argument around the question: should we treat critical reading as reading in the general sense? At the end of this presentation, we will not challenge this argument: because it is not an automatic process like ordinary reading, it requires more attention or awareness. If we pay attention to how a wanderer affects headaches, it becomes easier to decide if the important reading is reading or something other than the usual idea of ​​reading. Headbutting does not directly cure pain; it just creates another sensation to distract our focus from the pain sensation. Although it doesn't work consistently, it does serve a healing purpose. Likewise, critical reading brings us into the inner world of the text from its periphery. It redirects our focus to another aspect of meaning. General reading seeks the superficial meaning of a text while critical reading more consciously investigates all possible implications of the same text. This is an important reading that is a little different from normal reading. Reading, a fundamental language skill, occupies an important place in an individual's intellectual life because of perceiving, creating meaning, absorbing knowledge and reusing knowledge acquired in The communication process largely depends on the efficiency of reading. The most important goal of the reading process is the development of CR skills (Flynn, 1989). The concept of CR, a critical thinking skill, has recently been proposed as a model of understanding, especially in education, to shed light on the complex process that is called "reading". CR does not refer to careful and detailed reading (Yu, 2015). It is defined as a reflection on the text read, speculating about the truth and defects of the text, and interpreting its content (Aşılıoğlu, 2008). In other words, CR makes judgments based on the reader's thoughts (Özdemir, 2007). Literacy Gains (2009) defined CR as an attitude, an emotional and intellectual behavior, a mental position that a reader expresses when reading a text. CR is the science and art of examining, evaluating text, and applying perspective, according to Paul and Elder (2008). Characterizing CR as "ideal reading", Arıcı (2008) points out that it is the ability to engage in a communicative interaction with the text and make interpretations and judgments about it. Altunsöz (2016) defines CR as reading by asking questions regarding conflict, consistency and contradiction in the thinking or expression of the text and the reason it was written. The four basic elements of CR are: determining the author's point of view, uncovering the main statement and main idea, identifying supporting details used to reinforce thinking, and evaluating supporting details. Maker and Lenier, 1996). Emiroğlu (2014) synthesized the following CR skills from various studies: identifying the purpose of reading a text, analyzing the reliability of the text, comparing previous knowledge with what the text reads. speak, compare the information given in the text with other sources Understand what is going on implicitly Understand the author's purpose Understand the author's audience Identify the author's point of view Differentiate opinion from fact Make predictions based on specific parts of a text, identify text genres, determine author's linguistic features, determine main ideas, evaluate text by asking questions, make inferences and summarize the text in your own words .
Being a critical reader requires reliable observations, inferences, and the establishment of reasonable assumptions. In addition, the ability to remember what is read can be achieved through CR (Norris, 1985). Critical readers are curious about why the author wrote the text, the meaning and richness of the text, knowing that everyone can make mistakes, including textbook authors, and try a variety of interpretations differences without omitting their interpretation and reviewing the entire written material (Paul et al., 1990). According to McLaughlin and De Voogd (2004a), critical literacy improves the logical thinking of teachers and students, teaches them to approach situations from different angles, and produces positive thinkers. CR requires thinking beyond the text; that is, one must understand why the author writes about a particular subject and from a particular point of view, and why the author includes and excludes certain opinions (McLaughlin and De Voogd). , 2004b). According to Molden (2007), in-depth examination of the text is carried out using analytical skills; so all elements of the text are checked. Critical readers strike a balance between themselves and the author that goes beyond what is written by approaching the text from all angles and use the insights gained by identifying the author's purpose and point of view. Critical readers thus develop an independent point of view. In short, CR recipients outgrow writing and read with equal discipline and demanding control over text.
Critical reading can be defined as analyzing written and visual documents according to objective criteria, discriminating between facts and opinions, asking questions, making logical decisions, comparing and evaluating . For this, it is necessary to begin by assuming that the written material reflects the opinions, thoughts and arguments of the author himself, not facts. Therefore, one of the most important parts of critical reading is revealing factors such as why the author wrote the document, their opinions, expectations, and perspectives. Then the main idea of ​​the text is determined and how well the main idea is supported is checked. Information in written documents is compared from reliable sources. Opinions and facts suggested by the author are compared. Consistent, relevant and unrelated information is found in causal relationships.
Critical reading has become more important than ever. According to DeVoogd (2008:21), critical knowledge is a term that “attempts to identify texts, films, speeches, and images that favor the views of 'winners' in history or books. other books”. The term "winner" refers to the person or elements brought to the forefront of the story, supported and privileged. DeVoogd said the purpose of critical literacy is to actively uphold the ideals of justice and freedom for all. Educators strive to achieve this through existing transformative systems and encourage free thinking to gain alternative perspectives. According to Freire and Macedo (1980: 80), reading always requires critical perception, interpretation, and rewriting of what is read. Carr (1988) stated that critical reading, which teaches students to think while reading, can be central to their thinking skills. Carry emphasizes that textbook reading plays an important role in learning the subject matter and emphasizes that newspapers, magazines, television and radio should be used in the classroom. According to Giroux (1998: 52), “the mission of critical literacy theory is to broaden our understanding of how teachers effectively create, preserve, and justify meaning and life in the classroom. fruit". Questioning the teaching conditions in the classroom, Giroux stressed the need to develop an understanding that knowledge is not created solely by experts or teachers. The text can be judged by noting that the facts given by the author to support his point of view are incomplete, erroneous, complete or incomplete. Thus, the reader can take a critical look at the text he is reading. According to Adalı (2010), distinguishing between facts and opinions is one of the basic elements of critical reading. Distinguishing manifestations varies from person to person, and manifestations based on data or sound source studies can be verified by sound sources and are the foundation of good healthy thinking. Once readers recognize which sentences in the text they have read are based on evidence and the author's opinion, they can determine whether the facts support the opinion expressed in the text.
Critical reading skills are related to critical thinking skills. According to Paul and Elder (2008:9), when you read a text, you are evaluating the text, reading it for a purpose, using your own assumptions, concepts and ideas, making inferences. opinions and thoughts from a personal point of view. You also try to figure out the author's purpose, assumptions, and concepts. The better you understand your reasoning from your point of view, the better you understand the point of view of others. The more you understand the logic of others, the more you understand your own logic. Paul and Elder (2006:3) have proposed the components of word processing competence to be read from many angles. These are clearly stated goals, well-formulated questions, distinguishing and correcting information from inappropriate and misleading information, drawing logical conclusions and inferences, recognizing important concepts and deeply, separating defensible opinions about the inevitable, retrieving logical, reflective, and defining information from multiple perspectives.