The QUEST for an approach to guided critical reading and writing

When students write about something which they have read (for example, a critical review of a text), they often encounter problems with the style, content and authority of their written responses. This article introduces an approach to critical reading and writing, the QUEST analysis, which provides students with guidance in the form of leading questions. ELT students in two different settings were asked their opinions of using the QUEST analysis approach when reviewing academic articles for assignment purposes. Their comments, together with my own observations, are used to consider its application in a range of different contexts.