Critical literacy in writing education: exploring controverses and expressing opinions through disciplinary literacy

Abstract

This study examines how a writing project in a 9th grade science class contributes to critical thinking and written argumentation. This is in line with the Norwegian Curriculum which emphasizes that critical thinking should be embedded in all subjects. The link between critical literacy and argumentative writing is based on the assumption that the skills needed to write argumentative texts are much the same as those involved in critical thinking. The writing project took place over a period of four weeks while the students had digital homeschooling due to the corona pandemic. The study is designed as a dialogical intervention (Matre, Solheim & Otnes, 2021); which in this case means a writing project developed in ongoing dialogue between a teacher and a researcher. The teacher was responsible for the implementation and development in the classroom practices, while the researcher was available for supervision and guidance. Using text analysis anchored in theory and the specific context, I sought answers to the following question: How is the critical stance realized in the students' answers to an argumentative writing assignment in science. During the writing process, sources are explored, and texts are written and revised with the support of the teacher and writing resources that are actively incorporated into the teaching. The analysis show that the students master written argumentation and critical thinking on the subject's premises. Exploratory and critical approaches emerge through the analysis of sources, the elaboration and nuancing of arguments, rich discussions, independent assessments, and qualified conclusions anchored in the professional and socially relevant context of the writing assignment. The article contributes to knowledge on how the intentions behind critical thinking in school can be realized through a subject specific and integrated writing education where students use writing to explore controverses and express opinions.