Each week, we will post a blog on an issue related to the purpose of higher education in a cross-cultural context. The content will centre around questions for discussion arising from one key text to encourage responses in terms of general comments, opinions, and personal examples to share with other readers. This week the primary text is by Shaheen (2016). Finally, the questions posted will be explored in more detail in subsequent blog posts.
So, to get started on the issue of why many educational institutions rate the development of critical thinking as a key objective for students, we need to begin with some basic definitions of what critical thinking is, why it is considered so important, followed by some initial brief examples of how it can be demonstrated in response to assigned tasks.
Two practical definitions of critical thinking
Critical thinking is the art of making clear, reasoned judgements based on interpreting, understanding, applying, and synthesising evidence gathered from observation, reading and experimentation (Burns & Sinfield, 2016).
Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking, while you’re thinking, in order to make your thinking better (Paul, 1992, as cited in the Foundation of Critical Thinking, 2001).
Why is critical thinking important?
First, in terms of everyday life, an ability to think critically is important, otherwise we can be fooled into believing something is true just because it is written in a printed form, or because someone in authority tells us it is the correct position.
Moreover, critical thinking is an essential requirement in an academic context during the process of constructing informed judgements about the sources of information to formulate rational, objective, and logical arguments that can be defended against criticism.
Finally, the application of critical thinking aims to eliminate personal bias, evaluate supporting evidence for claims, and then explore possible alternative explanations to any stated line of argument.
Example of the application of critical thinking in academic writing
Critical thinking is particularly important in academic writing because the essence of this writing style is centred around an ability to analyse arguments reported in texts, question the claims based on reported evidence, summarise the main ideas, and then present a coherent argument that is convincing to the audience.
To successfully apply critical thinking in response to a written task, it is important to begin by asking yourself a sequence of questions when critically reading the background academic texts as follows:
Who is the author and are they respected in their academic area?
When was the text written and is the information current or out of date?
Where was the text published and are the publishers a respected source?
What is the main line of argument and is it supported by reliable appropriate evidence?
Were you able to summarise the text comfortably or do you need further help with this skill?
Was it possible to summarise the text from your notes or do you need to improve this skill?
Initial questions on the importance of critical thinking
Now over to you. Whether you are a student or an educator, we are particularly interested in your general comments, opinions, and any examples on the following questions that will be developed further across the next three blog posts. We will then move on to a new theme on the purpose of higher education.
Question 1
To what extent do you think that the development of critical thinking is more appropriate to study and life in some cultures rather than in others?
Question 2
To what extent do you think it is possible to teach critical thinking skills, especially when starting with people who are already young adults in higher education?
Question 3
In an article by Shaheen (2016), an argument is presented that some international students studying at British universities have little understanding of what critical thinking is or how to apply such skills in assignments resulting in an initial learning shock. To what extent do you agree with this argument?
References
Burns, T. & Sinfield, S. (2016). Essential study skills: the complete guide to success at university (4th ed.). SAGE.
The Foundation of Critical Thinking. (2001). Critical thinking: basic questions & answers. https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-basic-questions-amp-answers/409
Shaheen, N. (2016). International students’ critical thinking-related problem areas: UK university teachers’ perspectives. Journal of Research in International Education, 15(1), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240916635895
Comments