Designing Critical Thinking Blended Apprenticeships Curricula to Promote Reflective Thinking in Higher Education

Abstract

AbstractHigher-order thinking skills, such as critical and reflective thinking, are essential for Higher Education graduates’ employability. Particularly for the teaching profession, reflective thinking has been highlighted by theorists, such as Schön, as a necessary skill for regulating various aspects of the profession. The literature demonstrates that critical and reflective thinking, both higher-order thinking skills, share common ground. Still, instruction is required in order for students to develop them after attending studies in Higher Education. In addition, the transformation of Higher Education curricula to promote higher-order thinking skills might be a demanding task. Following theoretical presuppositions regarding instruction for critical thinking and blended learning, two Critical Thinking Blended Apprenticeships Curricula for Teacher Education were designed. The study aimed to examine whether the curricula could promote reflective thinking. Seventy-one undergraduate student-teachers participated in the study, which followed a pretest-posttest design. Paired sample t-tests revealed minor differences in student-teachers’ reflective thinking, which were nevertheless insignificant. However, when the two curricula were examined separately, a significant increase in student-teachers’ dimensions of reflective thinking was revealed. Results are discussed in light of the super complexity of learning and teaching in Higher Education.KeywordsCritical and reflective thinkingHigher educationCurricula