University of Southampton Critical Thinking Module Week 2 of 5: Ranking sources and Analysing a journal article

1. Critical Thinking:
Analysing a journal
article

2. Rank the following (H/M/L) in terms of how
much you trust the source and give reasons
 A Tabloid Newspaper article
 A Student’s PhD research
 A BBC documentary
 A broadsheet newspaper article
 A broadcast by Fox News
 An NGO press-release
 An interview with a politician
 An online lecture from a university department
 An academic journal article
 Scientific research published by a drug company
 An academic textbook
 Wikipedia
 Promotional material from a political campaign group (e.g. Britian
First)

3. Less trusted sources
 A Tabloid Newspaper article
 An interview with a politician
 A broadcast by Fox News
 An interview with a politician?
 Promotional material from a political
campaign group (e.g. Britian First)

4. Medium trusted sources
 A Student’s PhD research
 A BBC documentary
 A broadsheet newspaper article
 An NGO press-release
 An interview with a politician?
 Wikipedia
 Scientific research published by a drug company

5. More highly trusted sources
An online lecture from a university
department
An academic journal article
An academic textbook?

6. Journal Articles
 We may trust journal articles more than
certain other sources but we should still
evaluate them. Read the journal article
provided and, in groups answer the
questions on the next slide. The questions
provided are useful questions to ask of any
source you read in order to improve your
critical thinking skills.

7. Source [Online only slide]
 The journal for this exercise is available here with your OpenAthens login:
 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00131881.2010.524753
Alternatively it can be found through WebCat (https://www-
lib.soton.ac.uk/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=ywsS2itJDw/HARTLEY/74690488/60/502/X).
Citation:
 Gao, F. and Shum, M. (2010). Investigating the role of bilingual teaching
assistants in Hong Kong: an exploratory study. Educational Research Vol. 52,
Iss. 4, 2010

8. Journal Article Questions
 What is this article about?
 What is the research question/dilemma/concern?
 Is there evidence of the authors’ values (i.e. what they think is
important)? If you can find them, note them down.
 How did the researchers undertake the enquiry? Can you see any
connections between this approach and any values you noted in (3)?
 To what extent did the authors acknowledge any previous research
undertaken in this area?
 Is it clear what sort of evidence the researchers produced?
 Did the data allow the researchers to address their original
question/dilemma/concern?
 What was the scope of the research?

9. What is the article about?
 The article is about the effect of using
bilingual teachers in HK classrooms where
there are rising numbers of South Asian L1
speakers in classrooms, based on a short
review of some relevant literature and a
case study.

10. What is the research
question/dilemma/concern?
 The research concern is whether the presence of bilingual TAs aids the
promotion of learning and social integration of non-Chinese L1
students. Questions raised are if they are effective and how can they
be used better.
 The authors noted that bilingual teaching assistants were a relatively
neglected area of policy and practice in Hong Kong, despite the fact
that in their classrooms there were many more pupils for whom
Chinese was an additional language. The authors were aware of
existing research which suggested that bilingual teaching assistants
were effective when such conditions were found in the UK. Thus the
dilemma – why was this a neglected area of policy and practice in
Hong Kong?

11. Is there evidence of the authors’ values
(i.e. what they think is important)?
 Although the authors do not state their values explicitly, it is possible
to derive the fact that they thought that it was important that all
learners in the classroom should have a positive learning experience,
feel that their own heritage is respected, and have the cultural tools
to access a range of opportunities in society. There was evidence that
the authors appropriated an inclusive view of learning.
 The authors also cite UK schools’ employment of TAs as a benchmark,
suggesting that they may be in favour of an increased role and
presence for TAs or have a bias towards the British education system.
More recent evidence may suggest, based on students’ results, that
schools in Shanghai might be a preferable model to emulate.

12. How did the researchers undertake the
enquiry? Can you see any connections
between this approach and any values you
noted in (3)?
 The authors collected qualitative data,
that is, they talked to the people they were
interested in and asked for their
perceptions on the significance of their
role, which they then reported. This
reflects the values suggested in (3).

13. Is it clear what sort of evidence the
researchers produced?
The authors gave us a clear account of how
they collected their data; for example, the
number of participants involved in the study
and the source of the comments cited, and we
were also reminded of the language in which
the interview was conducted.

14. Is it clear what sort of evidence the
researchers produced?
The authors gave us a clear account of
how they collected their data; for
example, the number of participants
involved in the study and the source of
the comments cited, and we were also
reminded of the language in which the
interview was conducted.

15. Did the data allow the researchers to address
their original question/dilemma/concern?
The researchers learned a lot about the experiences of two bilingual
teaching assistants and were able to relate the issues which these
colleagues raised to issues that were addressed in the relevant literature.
Evidence appears anecdotal and heavily reliant on the interviewee Neha.
The interviews revealed a difference in perception among teaching staff
and TAs to their roles (cultural mediators vs academic helpers). However
it is possible that these are attitudes specific to this particular school and
not necessarily applicable across HK or a wider area, especially due to the
limited scope of the research. My own impression is that the original
question of how bilingual TAs can be better used and their effectiveness
was partly answered, in context, re their effectiveness but little evidence
of how they could be better used. Rather the limited research resulted in
a call for a much wider use of bilingual TAs without address a wider
context

16. What was the scope of the research?
 The authors acknowledged that the research was small-
scale, involving two bilingual teaching assistants and
eleven teachers in whose classrooms they worked. They
were aware that the issue needed further exploration
with a broader sample of practitioners. However, they
referred to the lack of attention to the issue in Hong
Kong. We suggest that by undertaking and publishing this
research, these researchers have begun the process of
raising the status of the issue in its policy context.