Critical Thinking in Hypertextual Writing

“Critical thinking skills: understanding the meaning of a statement, judging ambiguity, judging whether an inductive conclusion is warranted, and judging whether statements made by authorities are acceptable.”
Smith, 1990.

The purpose of critical thinking is, therefore, to achieve understanding, evaluate view points, and solve problems. Since all three areas involve the asking of questions, we can say that critical thinking is the questioning or inquiry we engage in when we seek to understand, evaluate, or resolve."
Maiorana, Victor P. Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum: Building the Analytical Classroom. 1992.

Critical thinking is "a process which stresses an attitude of suspended judgment, incorporates logical inquiry and problem solving, and leads to an evaluative decision or action."
NCTE Committee on Critical Thinking and the Language Arts.

These three quotes illustrate my course of thinking while creating a hypertext. Like a child that does not understand the meaning of words or concepts, when one searches for answers in any aspect of life, questions must first be asked. However, at a higher research level, a writer must not only ask questions, but ponder about the meaning of these questions and how they play into the greater whole. A hypertext research paper that involves thinking critically must contain inferences and judgments. When evaluating a statement or comment made by an authority, one must look at who that person is, the context in which they made that statement, and what patterns or values can be determined from them. Within critical thinking and writing, an individual must also seek to sustain a scientific approach while reviewing the information they find. One must be without judgment, without bias, taking in the reports and information as is, to justify their meaning, as a whole, rather than one by one. In studying the literature, a person must then inquire and attempt to solve problems associated with what was found, thus, making personal additions to what is already known.