How to be Critical

1. How to be Critical Academic Development Tutors School of Health studySMART Academic Development in the School of Health

2. Today’s session • Defining critical thinking (recap) • Critical reading • Critical writing: • Essays • Case studies

3. Recap • What is critical thinking?

4. Critical thinking definition • The process of assessing claims and making judgements on the basis of well-supported evidence (Wade, 1988)

5. 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

6. 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

7. Critical reading • In second and third year you’ll use a wider breadth of resources • How do you evaluate these? • What do you include?

8. 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?

9. Critical reading • Don’t just accept what you read!

12. 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.

13. 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)

14. 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?

15. Activity 1 • Examine the role of the health professional (HP) in achieving quality standards in healthcare

16. 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

17. Activity 2 • Critically analyse models of health that underpin healthcare practice

18. 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

19. 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)

20. 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: • Read the case study and identify the concept(s)/ theory that is relevant • Read up on the concept/theory until you are fully familiar with it • 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?) • Show HOW the concepts/theory helps you understand the case.

21. 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?

22. 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 long-term 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….

23. 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

24. studySMART ADTeam Academic Development in the School of Health