Analysis of Critical Thinking Strategies and Problems Faced in English Academic Essays by Undergraduates of Professional Colleges in District Abbottabad

This study seeks to examine the characters, difficulties, and challenges encountered by professional students in writing academic essays by exploring the strategies employed by undergraduates in writing academic essays. The sample comprised twenty students selected from four professional colleges located in Abbottabad. The research instruments utilized in this study consisted of a questionnaire about critical thinking strategies and English essay prompts written by the same students. A descriptive survey design was utilized for data collection. The statistical analysis was followed by qualitative analysis under the framework of Toulmin's Model of Argumentation. The analysis revealed that students encountered numerous difficulties when attempting to compose an academic essay despite possessing a rudimentary understanding. The findings of the study highlighted the impact of language and writing proficiency challenges on cohesion in academic essays. The findings suggested that students often find it challenging to incorporate higher-order thinking skills into their writing.