Relationships Among Critical Thinking Disposition,Zhong Yong Practical Thinking,and English Argumentative Writing Proficiency Of Master Candidates

Thinking style is a kind of means or method individuals rely on to achieve a specific purpose through thinking activities such as critical thinking and Zhong Yong thinking.For one thing,previous studies on critical thinking focused on its relations with second language learning and second language reading(Beaufort,2004;Cai & Sankaran,2015;Yang & Wu,2016).For another,detection of Zhong Yong thinking has been on its frames and its practice in the indigenous psychological research(Yang,2010;Li & Chen,2014).Different ways of thinking can directly or indirectly affect language output(Kaplan,1966;Wen & Guo,1998).Determining the relations between writing proficiency and different thinking styles is important for both writing-related and thinking-related studies.However,there are very few studies on the relationships between second language writing and different thinking styles.The present study,therefore,aimed at probing into relationships among master candidates' critical thinking disposition,Zhong Yong practical thinking,and their English argumentative writing proficiency.Five research questions are addressed:Research Question 1: What is the current situation of master candidates' English argumentative writing proficiency,critical thinking disposition,and Zhong Yong practical thinking?Research Question 2: Is there any significant difference in critical thinking disposition between master candidates' high-and low-level of English argumentative writing proficiency?Research Question 3: Is there any significant difference in Zhong Yong practical thinking between master candidates' high-and low-level of English argumentative writing proficiency?Research Question 4: Is there any interactive effect between critical thinking disposition and Zhong Yong practical thinking on master candidates' English argumentative writing proficiency?Research Question 5: Are there significant correlations between master candidates' critical thinking disposition and Zhong Yong practical thinking?The Rubric for Academic Writing from Michigan English Language Assessment Battery(MELAB),the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory(CCTDI),and the Zhong Yong Practical Thinking Scale(ZYPTS)were employed to examine English argumentative writing proficiency,the critical thinking disposition,and the Zhong Yong practical thinking,respectively.A total of 289 subjects enrolled in graduate programs at one university in Lanzhou participated in this study.Data were analyzed using Independent Sample t-test,Two-way ANOVA,and Pearson Correlation.The findings are detailed as follows.(1)Master candidates' English argumentative writing proficiency is less than the average level is,critical thinking disposition is leaning to a negative level,and their Zhong Yong practical thinking,on the contrary,is at a positive inclination level.(2)There are significant differences between high-level argumentation group and low-level group in master candidates' critical thinking disposition,especially in Analyticity and Inquisitiveness.(3)There is no significant difference between high-level and low-level English argumentative writing proficiency groups in master candidates' Zhong Yong practical thinking.(4)There is no significant interaction between critical thinking disposition and Zhong Yong practical thinking on master candidates' English argumentative writing proficiency.(5)Master candidates' critical thinking disposition is significantly negatively correlated with Zhong Yong practical thinking.Pedagogically,the findings of the study suggest that teachers devote much more effort to the training of critical thinking and argumentative writing in academic English courses and do some classroom activities like reasoning,deduction and induction.Students are also expected to take part in some activities to cultivate their thinking ability.Practically,this study also recommends that academic English textbook compilers should add critical thinking and argumentative writing exercises.In addition,this study provides evidence for the further studies on both English academic writing and thinking patterns.