USING CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING A CRITIQUE

WHAT IS CRITIQUING?
 “ to evaluate”
 A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and critically a work or concept.
 When we critique, our own opinions and ideas become part of our textual analysis. We question, we
argue with it, and we examine into it for deeper meanings.
 Writing a critique helps us to develop a knowledge of the work’s subject area, an understanding of
the work’s purpose , intended audience, development of argument, structure of evidence or creative
style; and, , a recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.
 Always remember that a critical evaluation does not simply highlight negative impressions. It
should deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should examine the work
and evaluate its success, in light of its purpose.
 Like an essay , a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a clear structure, that is, an
introduction, body and conclusion.
Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work that will be
critiqued.
• Study the work under discussion.
• Make notes on key parts of the work.
• Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the work.
• Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.

APPROACHES IN CRITIQUING ACADEMIC TEXTS

1. Formalism
 It is a critical approach in which the text under discussion is considered primarily in the meaning and
the implications of the words.
 It claims that literary works contain intrinsic properties and treat each works as a distinct work of art.
The historical context, the author , or any other external contexts are not necessary in interpreting the
meaning.
 Poem (meter, figurative devices, imagery, theme)
 Books/Stories (Setting, Characters, Plot)
 Movies( sound effects, transition, shots)
 Artistic Expression(lines, colors, shapes, rhythm, texture, sound)

2. Feminist Criticism
 This approach is concerned with the ways in which the text reinforces or undermines the economic,
political, social, and psychological oppression of women. This looks at how aspects of our culture
are inherently patriarchal (male dominated) and aims to expose misogyny in writing about women,
which can take explicit and marginalization and its ultimate goal is to change the world by
promoting gender equality.
 Focus on how women are portrayed in a certain literary work, in arts, in commercials, in movie, etc.
 Are women viewed as inferior beings in the movie? How were they portrayed?
 What aspect of the painting mirrors the patriarchal ideology in our society?
 3. Reader-response Criticism
 It is concerned with the reviewer’s reaction as an audience of a work. Emphasizes that the meaning
of a text is dependent upon the reader’s response to it.
 Focus on the meaning you created while reading a text, watching a movie or looking at a certain
object. It focuses on your personal connection with and understanding of the subject of your review.
 What emotion did you experience after reading the poem?
 What is your interpretation of the painting?

4. Marxist Criticism
 Emphasizes on how power, politics, and money play a role in literary text and amongst literary
societies and characters.
 Focus on how class, power, race and economic status affect the content and theme of a certain work.
 In what way did the story/ movie reflect the socio- economic status of the characters?

5. Biographical Criticism
 Emphasizes the importance of the author’s life and background into account when analyzing a text.
 Focus on the life and background of the writer / artist and connect it to the subject of your review or
critic.
 How did the life of Dr. Jose Rizal affect his written works?
 How did Pablo Picasso’s life experiences shape his painting style?

6. Historical Criticism
 Every literary works is the product of its time and its world.
 Focus on the era and significant events that happened during the time the text/ movie/ book/ art/
poem was produced.
 How did Juan Luna’s “Spolarium” depict the happenings during the time it was painted?
 How did Victor Hugo show the hardships and triumph during the French revolution, in his
work “ Les Miserables’?

OBJECTIVES AND STRUCTURES OF VARIOUS KINDS OF REPORTS

WHAT IS A REPORT?
• It is a formal in nature and is written for a specific purpose and audience. It discusses the topic in depth and
contains conclusions and recommendations if required.
• It is a major form of technical /business/ professional communication. In writing a report, a person who possesses
certain facts, ideas, or suggestions useful for courses of action transmits this information to another person who
wants to use it.

OBJECTIVES OF REPORTS
• To present a record of accomplished work(Project report)
• To record an experiment(primary research report/laboratory report)
• To record research findings or technical specifications ( a report on the details of a new product)
• To document schedules, timetables, and milestone ( a report on a long-term plan)
• To document current status (an inspection report)
• To record and clarify complex information for future reference ( a report on policies and procedures)
• To present information to a large number of people(annual report)
• To present organized information on a particular topic ( a report describing the working of various divisions of an
organization)
• To recommend actions that can be considered in solving certain problems( recommendatory report)
 STRUCTURE OF REPORTS
TITLE—The title needs to concisely state the topic of the report. It needs to be informative and descriptive so that
someone just reading the title will understand the main issue of your report. You do not need to include excessive details
in your title but avoid being vague and too general.

ABSTRACT
 Also called the Summary or Executive Summary.
 This is the “shop window” for your report. It is the first (and sometimes the only) section to be read and should be
the last to be written. It should enable the reader to make an informed decision about whether they want to read
the whole report. The length will depend on the extent of the work reported but it is usually a paragraph or two
and always less than a page.
A good way to write an abstract is to think of it as a series of brief answers to questions.
 What is the purpose of the work?
 What methods did you use for your research?
 What were the main findings and conclusions reached as a result of your research?
 Did your work lead you to make any recommendations for future actions?

INTRODUCTION
 Also called Background or Context.
 In this section, you explain the rationale for undertaking the work reported on, including what you have been
asked (or chosen) to do, the reasons for doing it and the background to the study. It should be written in an
explanatory style.
 State what the report is about— what is the question you are trying to answer? If it is a brief for a specific reader
(e.g. a feasibility report o a construction project for a client), say who they are. Describe your starting point and
the background to the subject, for instance: what research has already been done ( if you have been asked to
include a Literature Survey later in the report, you only need a brief outline of the previous research in the
introduction); what are the relevant themes and issues; why are you being asked to investigate it now?
 Explain how are you going to go about responding to the brief. If you are going to test a hypothesis in your
research, include this at the end of your introduction. Include a brief outline of your method of inquiry. State the
limits of your research and reasons for them, for example, “Research will focus on native English speakers only,
as a proper consideration of the issues arising from speaking English as a second language is beyond the scope of
this project.”

LITERATURE SURVEY
 Also called Literature Review or Survey /Review of Research.
 This is a survey of publications (books, journals, authoritative websites, sometimes conference papers) reporting
work that has been done on the topic of your report. It should only include that have direct relevance to your
research.
 A literature survey should be written like an essay in a discursive style, with an introduction, main discussion
grouped in themes and a conclusion. Introduce your review by explaining how you went about finding your
materials, and any clear trends in research that have emerged. Group your text in themes. Write about each theme
a separate section, giving a critical summary of each piece of work and showing its relevance to your research.
 Conclude with how the review has informed your research (things you will be building ; gaps you will be filling
etc.)
METHODS
 Also called Methodology.
 You need to write your methods section in such a way that a reader could replicate the research you have done.
 There should be no ambiguity here, so you need to write in a very factual informative style.
 You need to state clearly how you carried out your investigation. Explain why you chose this method
(questionnaires, focus groups, experimental procedure, etc. )include techniques and any equipment you used. If
there were participants in your research, who were they? How many? How were they selected?
 Write this section concisely but thoroughly— go through what you did step by step , including everything that is
relevant. You know what you did, but could a reader follow your description.

RESULTS
 Also called Data or Findings
 This section has only one job which is to present the findings of your research as simply and clearly as possible.
Use the format that will achieve this most effectively e.g. text, graphs, tables, or diagrams.
 When deciding on a graphical format to use, think about how the data will look to the reader. Choose just one
format— do not repeat the same information in, for instance, a graph and a table. Label your graphs and tables
clearly. Give each figure a title and describe in words what the figure demonstrates. Writing in this section should
be clear, factual, and informative. Save your interpretation of the results for the Discussion Section.

DISCUSSION
 This is probably the longest section and word spending time. It brings everything together, showing how your
findings respond to the brief you explained in your introduction and the previous research you surveyed in you
literature survey. It should be written in a discursive style, meaning you need to discuss not only what your
findings show but why they show this, using evidence from previous research to back up your explanations.
 This is also the place to mention if there were any problems( for instance, if your results were different from
expectations, you couldn’t find important data , or you had to change your method or participants) and how they
were or could have been solved.

CONCLUSION
 Your conclusion should be a short section with no new arguments or evidence. Sum up the main points of your
research— how do they answer the original brief for the work reported on?
 This section may also include:
 Recommendation for Action
 Suggestions for further Research
REFERENCES
 Also called Reference List or Bibliography.
 List here are full details for any works you have referred to in the report, including books, journals, websites, and
other materials. You may also need to list works you have used in preparing your report but have not explicitly
referred to check your instructions for this and for the correct style of referencing to use.
 You can find information about how to reference more unusual materials (television, programs, blogs, etc. ) from
various websites including Learn Higher website on referencing. If you are not sure, the rule is to be consistent
and to give enough details that a reader can find the same piece of information that you need.

APPENDICES
 The appendices hold any additional information that may help the reader but is not essential to the report’s ,main
findings: anything that ‘adds value’. That might include (for instance) interview questions, raw data or a glossary
of terms used. Label all appendices and refer to them where appropriate in the main text (e.g. ‘See Appendix A for
an example questionnaire).
 VARIOUS KINDS OF REPORTS

TYPES DEFINITION/DESCRIPTION OBJECTIVES

1. Survey Report It is written after getting data from a
survey.
2.Laboratory or Scientific Technical It is commonly called lab report. It is
Report written in a formal and organized
manner.
3. Field Report It is sometimes called trip report.
To collect people’s responses or
answers about a particular issue or
topic.
To present results or findings from
experiments.
To describe and analyze a systematic
observation.

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
 it is a data gathering tool having set of questions used in a survey and is utilized in various fields such as politics,
research, marketing, media and so on.
 It is intended to gather data , views, and others from individuals or a particular group of people.
 It is an important method used in order to collect the necessary information that will benefit the people and the
community.

METHODS OF ADMINISTERING A SURVEY

1.PERSONAL APPROACH— This involves himself/herself conducting the survey.
a. FACE-TO-FACE STRUCTURED INTERVIEW
—The interview is set personally and the people involved face each other in order to gather the
necessary information. Questions on the survey are asked directly to the respondent by the researcher.
b. TELEPHONE SURVEY
—The survey is done using telephone or cellular phones. The calls are made to ask individuals on a
particular questions. This method can be used for asking consequential questions.
2.SELF-ADMINISTERED APPROACH—The survey is administered by the researcher himself/herself.
a. PAPER-AND-PENCIL SURVEY
—This is a traditional method wherein the respondents who usually preferred the manual method must
be present in the administration of the survey.
b. ONLINE SURVEY
— Also called internet survey, is one of the most famous sources of data collection, where a set of
survey questions is sent out to respondents and the members of this sample can respond to the questions
over the internet. Respondents receive online surveys in various ways such as email, embedded over
website, social media or forms.
c. MAIL SURVEY
— This popular tool requires an essay-administering of the survey questionnaire are mailed to
individuals who are given enough time t o read and ponder on the information asked.
 THREE STEPS IN CONDUCTING A SURVEY
1. Decide on a four or five option survey questions. Then make a tally chart having its heading and
appropriate title.
2. Conduct a survey then tally all the answers.
3. Count the answers marking the item having the least to the greatest tallies. Then make a graphic
representation of the results.
NOTE: When you will conduct a survey, you should write a letter of consent. In the letter, you should
also emphasize the information given by the respondent/s or participant/s will be held with utmost
confidentiality.
o If the respondent is a minor, prepare an assent INFORMED CONSENT , is the
voluntary agreement of a person, or the representative, who has the capacity to give
consent, and who practices free power of choice to involve on research.
o ASSENT is a term used to show willingness to participate in a survey by persons who
are too young to give informed consent but who are old enough to understand the
proposed survey in general. Assent by itself is not enough, however. If assent is given,
informed consent must still be required from the parents or guardian.

POINTS TO REMEMBER IN CRAFTING SURVEY QUESTIONS

1. Keep the questionnaire as short as possible.
2. Ask short, simple, and clearly wordy questions.
3. Start with demographic questions to help respondents get started comfortably.
4. Use dichotomous (yes/no) and multiple choice questions.
5. Use open0ended questions cautiously.
6. Avoid using leading questions. Make your question ask for the other person’s opinion.
Do not make it clear what your own opinion is.( this would be called a biased question or a leading
question.)
Example:
X Fishing is a very cruel pastime. Do you agree?
Do you think that fishing is a cruel pastime?
A) Strongly Agree B) Agree C) Neutral D) Strongly Agree
7. Pre-test a questionnaire on a small number of people.
8. Think about the way you intend to use the collected data when preparing the questionnaire.