Pedagogies for critical thinking at universities in Kenya, Ghana and Botswana: the importance of a collective ‘teaching culture'

Abstract

While critical thinking is widely regarded as a key outcome of higher education, research has shown that in practice it is only developed when certain conditions are in place, relating to the pedagogical approach, the nature of the curriculum and the level of challenge, amongst other factors. This article reports on findings from a four-year mixed methods study in Botswana, Ghana and Kenya, aiming to investigate the factors underpinning the successful development of critical thinking amongst undergraduate students. A two-stage critical thinking assessment was conducted with students in 15 sites, showing that only some of the institutions were ensuring significant gains in students' critical thinking, even when endorsing learner-centered methods. The study points to the central importance of teaching orientations amongst lecturers, involving a deep shift in approaches to knowledge, and a facilitation rather than a transmission approach.

Impact of uncertainty intolerance on clinical reasoning: A scoping review of the 21st‐century literature

“…Critical thinking is acknowledged as one of the most important skills to possess in the 21st century. [2][3][4][5][6][7]65 This skill is especially relevant to operate in our society where information is omnipresent and sometimes difficult to process.…”

“…Critical thinking, that is, 'purposeful, self-regulatory judgement that results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations on which that judgement is based', 1,p.2 is considered a primary skill for operating in our societies in the 21st century. [2][3][4] It is one of the four key competencies of our century according to the OECD as well as one of the psychosocial competencies cited by the WHO. [5][6][7] Given the growing importance of this skill, numerous research studies are flourishing, debating both the definition of critical thinking and the most effective way to teach it.…”

Investigating critical thinking in higher education in Latin America: Acknowledging an epistemic disjuncture

“…Students begin to view problems from different perspectives, formulate valid questions, identify suitable solutions to problems, and even develop new theories. In pedagogical situations, and according to Schendel, et al (2020) CT can be enhanced if students build knowledge from real situations, engage actively in their learning and receive support from peers and teachers through class discussion, collaborative group work, and open-assessments.…”

“…There are two key debates about the very concept of CT that have important implications for teaching and learning processes. The first one is whether CT is a general skill (Ennis, 2015) or is content-specific, being rather attached to different disciplines (Abrami, et al, 2015;Schendel, et al, 2020). It has been argued that CT involves generic skills that can be applied across a large variety of disciplines, such as science, history, literature, psychology, and everyday life (Tiruneh, et al, 2018).…”

“…Studies that have analysed CT in non-western European contexts are scarce with a few studies that have taken place in Africa (Bali, 2015;Schendel, et al, 2020) and Asia (Hamzah & Shaari, 2018;Tan, 2017). In turn, it is not clear as to the extent to which CT has been investigated in HE in Latin America (LATAM) or the ways in which the many understandings of CT inform teaching practices in this region.…”