Critical Thinking in Academic Writing: Challenges for Japanese Students Preparing for English-Medium Universities

With the current focus on globalism in Japanese higher education, preparing students for English-medium universities is an important goal of language educators in Japan. In particular, students must be prepared for academic writing assignments which require the demonstration of specific critical thinking skills. Such assignments, however, present challenges to international students, and Japanese students in particular, for a variety of reasons related to cultural and linguistic differences, second language proficiency, and previous educational experience. This paper discusses the critical thinking skills that are emphasized in English-language academic writing and factors that can affect the demonstration of those skills. In addition, the paper suggests ways teachers can help students develop critical thinking skills and apply them to academic writing.departmental bulletin pape