Introduction, Part I: Some Theoretical Considerations and the Definition of Critical Insect Studies

Critical Thinking

There is a common perception that Chinese students are proficient test takers, but less adept at critical thinking. There is conflicting evidence to support this claim. In this article, the author first briefly traces the development of critical and independent thinking in Chinese history and outlines the situation in Chinese education today. Secondly, he presents his personal experience of encouraging the development of Futures-oriented and critical thinking in a Chinese tertiary education setting, via the creation and teaching of China’s first extended Critical Futures Studies courses. The criticality component of the program was modified specifically for the Chinese context. An ethnographic approach is taken in the latter part of this article as the author shares details of that curriculum, as well as successes and shortcomings gleaned from the experience. The purpose of this sharing is to assist other Critical Futures Studies educators in setting up Critical Futures Studies courses in China, or in similar environments where Futures thinking and critical thinking have not been emphasized within the culture and/or educational curricula. The article also posits suggestions on how to develop such programs and related critical thinking processes in broader school curricula. Finally, the author reflects upon his/her role as a critical futurist in China, using Inayatullah’s (2018) Causal Layered Analysis.

Background: The academic and emotional challenges faced by medical students can affect critical thinking and may also contribute to the development of increased generalized anxiety. Similarly, critical thinking and generalized anxiety can impact study satisfaction through the mediating mechanism of academic self-efficacy. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the mediating role of academic self-efficacy between critical thinking and generalized anxiety in study satisfaction among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional and explanatory study was conducted involving 259 Peruvian medical students aged between 18 and 35 (M = 20.29, SD = 2.84). The evaluation was based on self-reported questionnaires covering critical thinking, generalized anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and study satisfaction. Furthermore, a structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation approach was employed to examine the relationships between variables. Results: The results showed an adequate fit of the model [χ2 (87) = 155, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.05 (CI: 0.04–0.07), SRMR = 0.07], demonstrating the impact of critical thinking and generalized anxiety. It was confirmed that academic self-efficacy has a positive effect on study satisfaction. Moreover, the mediating role of academic self-efficacy was confirmed between critical thinking and study satisfaction, as well as between generalized anxiety and study satisfaction. Conclusions: Due to the high academic load on medical students, academic self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between critical thinking, generalized anxiety, and satisfaction with studies. The development of educational strategies will help to promote critical thinking and academic self-efficacy, as well as provide support to students with generalized anxiety, to enhance study satisfaction.

Diverse families with preschool-aged children are at an enhanced risk of marginalization in the United States. Whether they are of a different race, level of ability, gender, or socioeconomic background, they need early childhood leaders and educators who can focus on caring for their children. In this exploratory qualitative study, I conducted five open-ended interviews with Head Start education managers--a similar position to a preschool Director or a K-12 Principal. The objective was to understand better how Head Start Education Managers attend to equity and inclusion via critical awareness, critical reflection, and critical action. I utilized the three-element construct of critical consciousness as the study’s theoretical framework. I wanted to know how critical awareness and critical reflection influence critical action. The study found that education managers attend to equity and inclusion via critical awareness, reflection, and action on behalf of their children and families' general and immediate needs. The study also revealed that education managers have an integral role in Head Start that allows them to apply critical awareness, reflection, and action to practices, policies, and systems. However, they could use some professional development to establish, expand, and evolve their abilities to do so. I concluded with some policy approaches and a new graphic model for education managers to visualize their role concerning critical awareness, reflection, and action to adjust practices, policies, and systems.

Introduction – Critical Theory and its Contribution to Critical Management Studies – Critical Realism in Critical Management Studies – Poststructuralism in Critical Management Studies – Perspectives on Labor Process Theory – Organizations and the Natural Environment – Power at Work in Organizations – Critical Management Studies on Identity: Mapping the Terrain – Managing Globalization – Discourse and Critical Management Studies – Culture: Broadening the Critical Repertoire – Critical Approaches to Organizational Change – Ethics: Critique, Ambivalence, and Infinite Responsibilities (Unmet) – Critical Management and Organizational History – Gender and Diversity: Other Ways to “Make a Difference” – Towards A Workers' Society? New Perspectives on Work and Emancipation – Critical Management Methodology – Marketing – Information Systems – Strategy – Communication – Human Resource Management – Accounting – Challenging Hierarchy – On Striving to Give a Critical Edge to Critical Management Studies – Critical Reflections on Labor Process Theory, Work, and Management – Critical Management Education – Handbooks, Swarms, and Living Dangerously.

This article takes the theoretical and philosophical lens of critical disability studies to critically reflect on the Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency for Arts Therapists. The discipline of critical disability studies, evolving from disability studies and the disability rights movement, is initially defined before multiple paradigms of disability are introduced as central tenets of these disciplines. The relationship between critical disability studies and music therapy is explored, with reference to seminal publications and the perceptions of music therapy within them. The Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency are then taken as a source of reflection to attempt to understand the perpetuation of medicalised perspectives in the profession and the potential friction between critical disability studies and music therapy. A selection of the Standards of Proficiency are analysed according to distinct paradigms of disability. Questions are posed to interrogate and contextualise the standards in relation to critical disability studies philosophy. From this critical reflection, a discussion emerges which reflects on the reach of these professional standards and how they might contribute to a continuing, outdated expert-model of music therapy in the United Kingdom. The article concludes by drawing these threads together in a series of recommendations to educators, practitioners and the wider profession.

Primary goal of this article is to provide a summary of theories dealing with critical thinking and critical thinking abilities. Secondary goal is identification of the level of critical thinking based on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal as a research tool. The article consist of two parts. The first part provides primary theoretical ground for critical thinking and its analysis concerning the components (abilities, competences) of critical thinking. Second part presents quantitative research focused on identification of the level of critical thinking of students of selected faculty of humanities, verification of data normality and analysis of differences between the level of critical thinking and study specialization. Research sample consists of 472 respondents (181 of educational study specialization, 163 of linguistic study specialization, 128 of health care study specialization). In the conclusion the author of the article provides summary of results and possible recommendations for practical use.

This article deals with the study of critical thinking, the need and the ways to apply it in regional studies. It analyzes scientific and educational approaches to developing critical thinking in Asia-Pacific region. It studies them in a theoretical level and tests across regional studies. It gives the reasons to develop critical thinking across regional studies to improve a complex regional analysis in the modern conditions of informatization. It proves the need of integration of critical thinking and regional studies. The author offers to enlarge the model of professional competences of regional studies experts with critical thinking development, emphasizing the purposeful and systematic way of this development. The hypothesis of the work is that investigation of the scientific approaches to developing critical thinking in Asian-Pacific region will promote critical thinking of regional studies experts and their ability to analyse the region. It presents the results showing the effectiveness of the given professional competence model and higher level of critical thinking developed by purposeful and systematic steps during regional studies activities.

This paper refers to the concept of ‘historical thinking’ as it appears in the three versions of the recent Greek History Curriculum for primary school. It is a comparative study of the discourse of the three versions of the recent history curriculum for primary school. The methodological approach of this study was founded on Critical Discourse Analysis. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the meaning and context of this term as presented in the three versions of the history curriculum and to compare the findings of the study with corresponding references in the international literature regarding the terms of ‘historical thinking’. This study demonstrated that this term is not the same in all three versions of the curriculum. In the first version of the curriculum the term ‘historical thinking’ is mentioned autonomously and we also separately identify the term ‘critical thinking’, while in the second and third versions a synthesis of the term is observed, which eventually becomes ‘critical historical thinking’. As a result of this observation, the use of the terms is critically and comparatively studied. The main conclusion is that the term ‘critical historical study’ refers much more to the development of general skills and competences with cognitive characteristics and much less to the critical understanding of the historical past. Furthermore, the conclusions of this study suggest a perspective for historical thinking in contemporary curricula with new challenges such as the relationship of historical education with artificial intelligence and children's representations.

This research focused on the influence of critical thinking skills and study skills on the academic success of senior high school students in Lorenzo S. Sarmiento Sr. National High School. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the levels of critical thinking skills, study skills, and students’ academic success based on their specific indicators, examine the significant relationship between critical thinking skills and students’ academic success, as well as the relationship between study skills and students’ academic success, and identify which domains of critical thinking skills and study skills significantly influenced students’ academic success. This study employed a quantitative-correlational research design involving 213 Grade 11 students. The study applied statistical methods, including mean, Spearman’s rho, and multiple regression analysis. Findings indicated that the level of critical thinking skills was high, the level of study skills was also high, and the academic success level was high; there was a significant relationship between critical thinking skills and students’ academic success, as well as between study skills and students’ academic success. Furthermore, all three domains of critical thinking skills and three out of the four domains of study skills influenced the students’ academic success. Therefore, critical thinking skills and study skills played a crucial role in achieving students’ academic success.

Evaluation of Critical Thinking Studies in Terms of Content Analysis

Based on the discussion of critical thinking and related studies, this study conducted a survey of 104 senior English majors in a university by using a questionnaire and applied Excel to analyze the data, and explored English majors' attitudes toward critical thinking. The study found that most English majors do not have a clear concept of critical thinking, but they acknowledge the importance of critical thinking in learning and hold high expectations to be trained in critical thinking. The study indicated that English major students' attitudes need to be taken into due consideration in the development of critical thinking.

As definitions of thinking terms and their sub-components differ greatly, it is vital to border conceptual framework and set of definitions to be adopted within a scientific study in thinking fields. The present article aims to offer a conceptual framework for critical thinking-based implementations. The review article was carried out by two-stage content analysis. In the preliminary stage, Google, Google Scholar and Council of Higher Education Turkey National Thesis Center databases were scanned with “eleştirel düşünme” and “critical thinking” keywords. In the second stage, the review was deepen and broaden. The results of the review indicated that critical thinking should be taught in all age groups both in course contents in an interdisciplinary way and as a separate thinking skills course; critical thinking studies should be comprehensive and longitudinal; they should target improving critical thinking directly. Such studies should also present activities and daily life examples of critical thinking directing learners to use principal terms of thinking to regulate their thinking processes. It is possible to make comparisons with previously known templates such as taxonomy of learning objectives and the stages of scientific inquiry to support learners to understand critical thinking. It can be recommended that studies combine more than one higher order thinking skill such as critical thinking and creative thinking collectively as higher order thinking can be designed.

Critical thinking, a rational and open higher-order thinking mode in human cognition, is becoming imperative to success in modern life. Therefore, cultivating students’ critical thinking has become a common goal of education reform worldwide. Teachers play a crucial role in cultivating students’ critical thinking. However, existing studies have paid little attention to teachers, especially middle school teachers’ knowledge and understanding of critical thinking. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the perspectives of ten Chinese middle school chemistry teachers on critical thinking using concept maps, thinking aloud, and in-depth interviews based on concept maps. Results showed that most of the teachers believed that critical thinking means reflection and questioning and requires evidence awareness. All teachers had a positive attitude towards critical thinking and believed that it can promote evidence awareness, problem solving, decision making, teaching evaluation, logic, and systematisation. Teachers recognised that critical thinking can be taught, and the major factors affecting the development of students’ critical thinking were the environment, students themselves, teachers, evaluation, subject characteristics, and types of knowledge. Several strategies for developing students’ critical thinking in chemistry teaching were proposed, including setting diversified and different types of chemistry courses, developing controversial curriculum themes in real situations, and implementing experimental, project-based, problem solving, and history-based teaching. In addition, this study showed that teachers and students promoted the development of critical thinking within one another. Further, this study demonstrated an effective methodology for probing individual subjective thoughts.

Background. On one hand, education is a specific form of social interaction where participants’ trust is a prerequisite rather than an outcome. On the other hand, the contemporary informational environment, in which new educational practices emerge, is replete with unverified and false information that complicates trust. This creates a paradox: online education simultaneously demands both swift trust and epistemic vigilance. Swift trust and epistemic vigilance are understood as two regimes of critical thinking, and the factors influencing the switch between these regimes are the subject of this study. Purpose. To identify the factors that trigger different regimes of critical thinking in online learning. Materials and methods. The theoretical part of the study is based on the synthesis of epistemic trust concept, theory of swift trust and social-epistemological approach to critical thinking. Based on this, the article presents a pilot survey of students of massive open online courses of Lobachevsky University online learning platform (N=83). Results. The main finding is that the key factor in switching between swift trust and epistemic vigilance is the previous negative online learning experiences. having such experience is consolidated and sharply reduces expectations from any subsequent online learning. The absence of negative experiences, on the contrary, increases swift trust and reduces epistemic vigilance. The main mechanisms of switching between regimes of critical thinking in online education are presented as epistemic delegation, appeal to statistics, logical-grammatical representation, and visual representation. Sponsorship information. The work was funded with a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project № 24-28-00809 “Critical thinking studies: fundamental research on critical thinking as an interdisciplinary problem”)