Perceptions of Portuguese University Teachers About Critical Thinking Educational Practices

Abstract

Promoting students' Critical Thinking (CT) in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) has been an essential and challenging goal in the 21 st century. This exploratory research study attempted to characterize how CT is being fostered in Portuguese HEI. Semi-structured interviews were carried-out with 5 university teachers from different domains, focusing several topics: CT notion, CT aims, CT approach, interventions, teaching strategies, learning materials, assessment methods, challenges and barriers. Results highlighted the undervalue of CT dispositions by university teachers, the lack of clarity regarding the design principles and criteria behind effective CT instruction and assessment, and the need to change institutional culture and conditions towards the support of CT educational practicesthis will also enable the long-term integration of CT across the curricula and the transferability of skills and dispositions to other contexts. In general, teachers agreed on the importance to be explicit and clear in their CT teaching practice, and on the use of authentic situations, dialogue and active learning strategies for the effective development of students' CT.We understand critical thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based. CT is essential as a tool of inquiry. As such, CT is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one's personal and civic life. While not synonymous with good thinking, CT is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon [3, p. 2].

Analysis of English language test tasks for fifth and sixth graders in Serbia according to Bloom's Taxonomy

“…They reported a lack of opportunities to ask questions, participate in discussions or express their opinion. Similar results were obtained in a Portuguese study (Morais et al, 2019) in which university teachers expressed their willingness to promote CT within their own courses. However, the findings revealed that the teachers did not possess a complete understanding of the CT concept, though they did strive to teach it using a variety of activities and learning materials.…”

Pautas para mejorar la evaluación del pensamiento crítico en ciencias de la actividad física y del deporte en estudiantes universitarios (Guidelines for improving critical thinking assessment in physical activity and sports sciences among university students)

“…A nivel internacional, existe un creciente interés por parte de profesores e instituciones de educación superior en evaluar el PC de los estudiantes universitarios . Sin embargo, se han señalado repetidamente las limitaciones de estos estudios, como la falta de claridad y rigor en la conceptualización del constructo, los principios de diseño, los criterios que sustentan la enseñanza y evaluación del PC, los informes estadísticos, la presentación de los datos y la discusión de los resultados (Cruz et al, 2017;Morais et al, 2019;Puig et al, 2019).…”

Teaching Critical in Higher Education

“…Besides, it is possible that the teachers in my studies may have been more positive about CT compared to the average (inter)national higher education teacher, because they all worked at university of applied sciences that pays a lot of attention to the topic of CT. Yet, other international studies have also found that teachers perceive teaching CT as highly relevant (though they differ in views on what CT is and how to teach it; Choy & Cheah, 2009;Dumitru, 2018;Morais et al, 2018;Paul et al, 1997;Stedman & Adams, 2012). These results are still hard to compare directly as all studies relied on very different research methods and on small samples mostly.…”