Psychological aspects of recognising the ability to be critical. Ontological and methodological dilemmas

Abstract

The article is an analysis of theoretical dilemmas and methodological problems related to the study of the ability to be critical. Based on the literature, it presents an overview of positions related to the issues of ontological opacity and vagueness of this concept, including the following questions: 1) What is criticism (an attitude or a cognitive skill)?; 2) Is it innate or learned?; 3) What is the purpose of criticism – can we talk about one- or two-sidedness of this type of thinking/attitude?; 4) What are the competencies that determine critical abilities, and what hinders or inhibits the activation of critical thinking and critical attitude? Then, attention was focused on methodological issues related to epistemological dilemmas and limitations of methods of researching this construct. Research strategies and tools used in global research are described (primarily the CCTDI and CCTST tests, P. Facione’s The Delphi Report), as well as strategies related to attempts to measure the category of criticism. These analyses were considered as guidelines in the construction of the original Critical Competences Questionnaire and are connected with the preparation, initial phase of its creation related to the operationalisation of this construct and the theoretical and methodological precision of the research project, among others, an outline of the concept of relational treatment of criticism, explaining its personal and contextual selectivity. The summary presents the phases completed within the project, pilot research results and project standardisation and normalisation plans in order to use it as a diagnostic tool in psychology and pedagogy.