Study Of Critical Thinking Research Articles

Sensitizing Reasons by Emulating Exemplars

The fostering of rationality has long been endorsed as an educational ideal by some philosophers; in recent years, whereas some have argued for this ideal, others have challenged it, particularly within debates relevant to the study of critical thinking. Harvey Siegel, who has spelled out the philosophical theory of educating for rationality, not only has defended his view from such challenges but also has been deepening his thoughts regarding how rationality can be fostered. 
 This paper centers on the cultivating of sensitivity to reasons in the fostering of rationality by critically examining and extending Siegel’s arguments concerning the notion of what he calls “felt reasons.” By clarifying the notion of felt reasons, I will argue for two ideas: first, teachers, parents, and fictional characters in media such as novels and films can be seen as exemplars that manifest rationality; second, the emotion of admiring exemplars may act as a motivating force for children—including small children who are still not sensitive to reasons and thus are not moved by reasons—to be critical thinkers.

Evaluation of Critical Thinking Studies in Terms of Content Analysis

In this research, by analysing the content of critical thinking studies, it was determined that in which direction the studies in this area have been progressed. The study is a documentary survey study. The study was limited to 141 articles which were analyzed after surveying the data base of EBSCO, Science Direct, Tyler -Francis and Ulakbim. As the result of this analysis it was determined that the most of the critical thinking studies were done in the year 2011. It was also determined that student groups were mostly taken place as the sample groups in these studies. The studies were quantitative and the scale was used as the data gathering tool. In the analyzed studies, it was also determined that survey method was mostly used as a model. It was also determine that most of the critical thinking studies in the surveyed data bases were done in Turkey.

Critical Reading and Critical Thinking—Study Design and Methodology

The volume of medical literature grows exponentially. Yet we are faced with the necessity to make clinical decisions based on the availability and quality of scientific information. The general strength (reliability, robustness) of any interpretation that guides us in clinical decision making is dependent on how information was obtained. All information and medical studies and, consequently, all conclusions are not created equal. It is incumbent upon us to be able to assess the quality of the information that guides us in the care of our patients. Being able to assess medical literature critically requires use of critical reading and critical thinking skills. To achieve these skills, to be able to analyze medical literature critically, takes a combination of education and practice, practice, and more practice.

Categories of Critical Thinking in Information Managent. A study of Critical Thinking in decision making processes

This article focuses as a survey on the qualities of Critical Thinking on reviewing its definitions in recent history of academic research and compared to other intellectual processes. On the one hand we will compare the basic characteristic qualities of Critical Thinking with other types of thinking. On the other hand we will give examples how Critical Thinking is a part of the decision making processes both in personal human issues and institutional decision making processes. Since Critical Thinking is an intellectual skill, we show the applications of this intellectual skill within contemporary life. Critical Thinking has several academic roots of philosophy, rhetorical argumentation, logic and social science, but also is an auxiliary tool in other academic disciplines. Coming from these roots Critical Thinking also finds its applications in contemporary private and professional life. Based on this historical and exemplifying discourse of criticism, we will argue for a general importance of Critical Thinking contrary to contemporary predominance as an applied skill and educational tool.

A Study of Critical Thinking, Teacher–Student Interaction, and Discipline-Specific Writing in an Online Educational Setting for Registered Nurses

Based on work conducted by Laurentian University's School of Nursing and Centre for Continuing Education in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, working in conjunction with community partners, this article looks at the findings of an analysis of nurses' writing activity in a university-level web-based module for evidence of critical thinking using Johns' Model of Structured Reflection (1995). Also considered are student-teacher interactions and discipline-specific writing. The findings suggest that high levels of critical thinking by nurse learners and growth in thinking and writing competence over time can occur in an online setting. Further highlighted are the role of the instructor, assignment design, and support in fostering such development.

A study of critical thinking and research utilization among nurses.

Previous studies have suggested that critical thinking influences research utilization; however, empirical support for the link between critical thinking dispositions and research utilization is nonexistent. In this article, critical thinking dispositions and research utilization habits are detailed, and the relationship of critical thinking dispositions to research utilization in a sample of 141 nurses working on two acute surgical units and five pediatric units in four tertiary care hospitals are examined. Results indicate a significant positive correlation between the total critical thinking disposition score and overall research utilization. Overall critical thinking disposition correlates significantly with all forms of research utilization, with the exception of symbolic research utilization. These findings indicate a need to foster critical thinking in both nursing education and the work environment.

Supplementary Books on Critical Thinking

To complement our companion study of critical thinking in introductory psychology textbooks and ancillary workbooks and readers, we describe 12 critical thinking books that instructors could use as supplements in psychology courses. Some books strongly emphasize skills in evaluating arguments, whereas others stress methodology and biases in thinking. Although the breadth and depth of most of these books limit their use in a one-term introductory course, they fit comfortably in a two-term course. We suggest alternative ways to incorporate supplementary critical thinking books into the psychology curriculum.

Experiential learning and critical thinking in nursing.

This article describes a continuing ethnographic study of critical thinking, reflection and experiential learning in nursing. The author examines the related theory and explains the terms of reference which underpin the study. Date analysis so far emphasises the importance of recognising positive and negative feelings associated with experiences, when engaging in reflection. She also outlines the precursors to effective and non-effective reflection implied by the data. It is suggested that there is no correct model for critical thinking and the author highlights the need for further research into effective and non-effective outcomes of reflection.

The Critical Thinking Skills of Minority Engineering Students: An Exploratory Study

This study examines correlates of critical thinking skills in a sample of Black and Latino engineering students (N = 79) at three American universities through a program designed to retain those who had early experienced academic difficulty. Results show that despite the program's successful efforts to strengthen students' critical thinking skills, the correlates were almost 50% negative after controlling for social class and aptitude. Most surprisingly, 61% of the correlates reflecting college experience were negative. Institutional variations were also evident: students' college experience was largely positive at the predominantly Black college participating in the program (23.1% negative), but far more negative at the two predominantly White participating institutions (50% and 89%, respectively). Implications for the study of critical thinking and engineering education for minority students are discussed. INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE Critical thinking skills have become a major issue in contemporary education because they appear to hold so much promise for the individual and society of the future. Efforts to develop these skills proceed on the assumption that they are, at the very least, a prerequisite for personal mastery. Indeed, possession of critical cognitive abilities has been associated with a range of positive outcomes such as better recall, problem solving, information processing, and cognitive consistency (Mayer, 1988; Weinstein, Zimmerman, & Palmer, 1988). Critical thinking skills also play an important role in the development of scientific talent and therefore in improving American competitiveness in the global economy (Lincoln, 1979; Reich, 1988). Resnick (1987), however, describes the daunting process of critical thought in solving problems with no right or wrong answers as nonalgorithmic, complex, based on uncertainty, and yielding multiple solutions; as involving interpretation, organization, and self-regulation; and necessitating the application of multiple criteria and considerable mental effort-a virtual journey into unknown territory. Notwithstanding, Kurfiss (1988) maintains that critical thinking is the enemy of human irrationality, subjectivity, and prejudice because it requires the integration of all information in the form of an argument to answer questions that cannot be answered definitively (see also Perry, 1981). The identification and development of cognitive competencies has been furthered by academic research on Piagetian operations (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958; Lawson, 1983); scientific thinking skills (Kuhn, Amsel, & O'Loughlin, 1989); and metacognition, or executive thinking skills (Baron & Sternberg, 1987; Forrest-Pressley, McKinnon, & Waller, 1985; Larkin, 1979; Moshman, 1979; Perkins, 1985; Sternberg, 1984, 1985; Vygotsky, 1962). It has also been advanced by researchers whose work examines the generality versus the specificity of cognitive competence (Glaser, 1984); cognitive styles (Gardner, 1985); problem solving (Lochhead & Clement, 1979; Whimbey & Lochhead, 1986); and the impact of college on critical thinking skills (Winter, McClelland, & Stewart, 1981). However, research energies in the area of critical thinking skills have been overwhelmingly devoted to the definition and identification of these competencies rather than to developing measures that assess their presence, manifestations, or absence. The major problem in this regard is that these skills appear resistant to precise forms of measurement. This measurement problem has been raised with respect to measures of the cognitive processes themselves as well as to dependent measures that are sensitive to changes in cognitive abilities (Weinstein, Goetz, & Alexander, 1988). It is compounded by the fact that the study of critical thinking skills proceeds from developmental theories that only vaguely specify the nature of cognitive competencies as a whole. …