An Empirical Study on the Cultivation of Critical Thinking in High School Academic English Writing

Objectives: This study aims to explore the application and cultivation effects of critical thinking in high school academic English writing, with a particular focus on identifying effective teaching strategies and intervention methods. Methods:. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving 120 second-year high school students (aged 15-16) in Shaanxi Province, China. The study included: (1) a 10-week teaching intervention with experimental (n=60) and control (n=60) groups; (2) pre- and post-intervention CCTDI-CV questionnaires; (3) writing assessments based on IELTS Task 2 criteria; and (4) semi-structured interviews with 10 randomly selected participants (20-30 minutes each). Results:. The study revealed significant improvements in students’ critical thinking disposition, particularly in truth-seeking, open-mindedness, and analytical ability. The experimental group also demonstrated marked progress in academic writing skills, especially in analytical thinking and argumentative expression. Qualitative data further indicated enhanced metacognitive awareness and strategic application of critical thinking in writing processes. Conclusions: The findings suggest that critical thinking plays an important role in high school academic English writing. Based on these results, the study proposes corresponding teaching recommendations and directions for future research, emphasizing the need for integrated critical thinking instruction in English writing curriculum.