Abstract
Saudi scholars have been agitating for education reforms to incorporate critical thinking in education programs.This paper is a qualitative case study undertaken at King Abdul Aziz University and Arab Open University andexamines students’ perception of learning critical thinking in secondary pre-service teacher education programsin Saudi Arabia. Definitions of critical thinking are based on the Delphi Report (Facione, 1990). The findingsunderscore the need for education reforms based on critical thinking to elevate the quality of education in SaudiArabia.
Highlights
IntroductionThe importance of critical thinking in education has been recognised by leading theorists and scholars (Paul, 1992, 1995, 2008, 2011; Elder, 2002, 2005; Faccione, 1992; McPeck, 1990; Siegel, 1988; Fisher, 2001; Ennis, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997; Halpern, 1998; Swartz, 1994) and has been the focus of education reforms in many parts of the West such as the US, England and Australia
The findings demonstrated a difference in the results of the pre-score and post-score tests, showing that critical thinking skills were enhanced with the implementation of the inquiry chemical experiment
Student A summed up the general perception of the importance of critical thinking stating that “I think critical thinking is important to enable me to solve problems that I face throughout my life”
Summary
The importance of critical thinking in education has been recognised by leading theorists and scholars (Paul, 1992, 1995, 2008, 2011; Elder, 2002, 2005; Faccione, 1992; McPeck, 1990; Siegel, 1988; Fisher, 2001; Ennis, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997; Halpern, 1998; Swartz, 1994) and has been the focus of education reforms in many parts of the West such as the US, England and Australia. Because fast-paced technological change has brought about vast changes in the way people work, communicate and learn, skills such as analysis and evaluation have become important and necessary. For this reason Paul (1995) maintains that critical thinking is “the heart of well-conceived educational reforms and restructuring because it is the heart of the changes of the 21st century” Critical thinking is considered important for achieving educational achievement outcomes based on the narrow criteria of standardised testing but as Swartz (1994), Facione (1998) and Paul (2008) maintain, the benefits of critical thinking transcend school life, enhancing greatly the quality of life and professionalism in the workplace. Critical thinking benefits the individual but society in general as Beyer (1995) points out, arguing that critical thinking skills are tools for cohesive social function
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