Students’ Critical Thinking Ability in Writing Argumentative Essay

Abstract

. This research examines to analyze and find out the students’ critical thinking ability in writing argumentative essay in sixth semester students The focus is to know the students’ level and also the way they apply the critical thinking ability in their argumentative writing. Based on the theory, there are six levels in critical thinking ability. Those are the unreflective, the challenge, beginning, practicing, advanced, and accomplished thinker. The researcher used qualitative as the design of the research. Data collection technique used in this research was questionnaire and documentation. The questionnaire was to know students’ ability in applying their critical thinking in writing argumentative essay. The documentation used to gain more information about students’ critical thinking ability and complete the information in the questionnaire. Based on the result of study, the students’ ability in applying critical thinking is 31% in advanced thinker and practicing thinker, 18% in beginning thinker, 12% in accomplished thinker, 6% in the challenge thinker, and 2% in unreflective thinker, and the students’ writing is 23% students in practicing and advanced thinker, 17% student in the challenge thinker, accomplished thinker and beginning thinker and 5% student in the unreflective thinker, and the last students’ achievement of critical thinking is 44% students in accomplished thinker, 47% students in advanced thinker, 5% students in beginning thinker, 2% students in practicing thinker, 1% students in the unreflective thinker, and 1% students in the challenge thinker. Their ability in critical thinking is supported by their ability which they have. Due to the students have applied the critical thinking well, they can enhance well the critical thinking ability in argumentative essay