The Effects of Reading and Writing upon Thinking Critically

The major question driving this study was whether writing in combination with reading prompts more critical thinking than reading alone, writing alone, or either activity combined with questions or with a knowledge activation activity. To answer this question, the authors randomly assigned 137 undergraduate students to one of 12 treatment groups involving combinations of the following conditions in relation to one of two topics: (a) an introductory activity (writing a letter to the editor, engaging in a knowledge activation task, or no activity); (b) a reading condition (reading or not reading an editorial passage about the topic); and (c) a question condition (answering or not answering questions related to the topic). Subsequent to these activities, all subjects wrote a letter to the editor (or a second draft if they had already written one) and responded to debriefing questions about the tasks. Analyses were conducted of the subjects' letters and revisions, responses to the questions, and debriefing comments. Significant differences emerged between students who both wrote and read and students in any of the other treatment groups. For example, an examination of the revisions suggested that students who both wrote and read produced significantly more changes than students who wrote but did not read. And, if thinking critically entails a greater willingness to revise one's position on an issue, then the data from the debriefing comments suggest that reading and writing in combination are more likely to prompt critical thinking than when reading is separated from writing or when reading is combined with knowledge activation or answering questions. /// [French] La question au coeur de cette recherche: est est-ce que l'écriture favorise davantage la pensée critique lorsqu'elle est associée à la lecture, que lorsque l'une ou l'autre est exploitée seule ou lorsque l'une ou l'autre est combinée avec des questions ou avec des activités d'activation de connaissances? Pour répondre à cette question, les auteurs ont assigné au hasard 137 étudiants américains à l'une des 12 conditions expérimentales définies par la combinaison de chacune des activités suivantes réalisées autour de deux thèmes différents: (a) une activité de pré-lecture (écrire une lettre à un éditeur, participer à une activité d'activation de connaissances, aucune activité); (b) une activité de lecture (lire ou ne pas lire un texte éditorial sur un des thèmes); (c) une activité de questionnement (ré