Practical Thinking Research Articles

Design thinking in action: a quantitative study of design thinking practices in innovation projects

PurposeDesign thinking is widely recognized as an effective problem-solving approach in the professional and academic world, albeit with varying interpretations. It has been studied in multiple forms – as a tool, a practice, a skill and a mindset – leading to ongoing debates about its fundamental nature. This study aims to explore the use of design thinking in practice and determine how its application varies depending on the characteristics of the innovation projects, namely, the types of goals pursued and the level of uncertainty involved.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey methodology and a knowledge-intensive empirical setting, this study analyzes a data set of 221 innovation consulting projects based on design thinking conducted by European consulting firms and design agencies.FindingsBy analyzing the survey data, the authors identify six distinct sets of design thinking practices: discovering user needs, understanding the problem addressed, challenging existing assumptions, navigating the problem-solution pair, ideating through visualizations and learning through prototypes. The authors also identify configurations of these design thinking practices that are used to address different innovation project goals and levels of uncertainty.Practical implicationsThe study draws attention to the need for design thinking practitioners to be aware of how different innovation project goals and levels of uncertainty can be pursued/addressed through the use of alternative configurations of design thinking practices.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors knowledge, this study is one of the first large-scale quantitative analyses of the nature of design thinking in action, providing a solid foundation for future research on design thinking.

Book Review: The evidence-based practice process in social work: Critical thinking for clinical practice by Antonio, R. Garcia and Jacqueline Corcoran

Book Review: <i>The evidence-based practice process in social work: Critical thinking for clinical practice</i> by Antonio, R. Garcia and Jacqueline Corcoran

AI Thinking: a framework for rethinking artificial intelligence in practice.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work with information across disciplines and practical contexts. A growing range of disciplines are now involved in studying, developing and assessing the use of AI in practice, but these disciplines often employ conflicting understandings of what AI is and what is involved in its use. New, interdisciplinary approaches are needed to bridge competing conceptualizations of AI in practice and help shape the future of AI use. I propose a novel conceptual framework called AI Thinking, which models key decisions and considerations involved in AI use across disciplinary perspectives. AI Thinking addresses five practice-based competencies involved in applying AI in context: motivating AI use, formulating AI methods, assessing available tools and technologies, selecting appropriate data and situating AI in the sociotechnical contexts it is used in. A hypothetical case study is provided to illustrate the application of AI Thinking in practice. This article situates AI Thinking in broader cross-disciplinary discourses of AI, including its connections to ongoing discussions around AI literacy and AI-driven innovation. AI Thinking can help to bridge between the work of diverse disciplines, contexts and actors in the AI space, and shape AI efforts in education, industrial development and policy.

Педагогическое образование как развитие исходных педагогических представлений

&lt;p&gt;The article examines the role of initial pedagogical beliefs held by students in teacher training programs as they begin to engage with pedagogical education curricula. It highlights the significance of school experiences in shaping these beliefs. The article analyzes the reasons for their sustainability during the subsequent acquisition of the educational program by future educators at the university level. The author argues for the necessity of designing teacher training programs in the form of a sequential and specially organized transformation of initial pedagogical beliefs, aimed at fostering conceptual change and developing the practical thinking of future educators.&lt;/p&gt;

Early Attrition Prediction for Web-Based Interpretation Bias Modification to Reduce Anxious Thinking: A Machine Learning Study.

Digital mental health is a promising paradigm for individualized, patient-driven health care. For example, cognitive bias modification programs that target interpretation biases (cognitive bias modification for interpretation [CBM-I]) can provide practice thinking about ambiguous situations in less threatening ways on the web without requiring a therapist. However, digital mental health interventions, including CBM-I, are often plagued with lack of sustained engagement and high attrition rates. New attrition detection and mitigation strategies are needed to improve these interventions. This paper aims to identify participants at a high risk of dropout during the early stages of 3 web-based trials of multisession CBM-I and to investigate which self-reported and passively detected feature sets computed from the participants interacting with the intervention and assessments were most informative in making this prediction. The participants analyzed in this paper were community adults with traits such as anxiety or negative thinking about the future (Study 1: n=252, Study 2: n=326, Study 3: n=699) who had been assigned to CBM-I conditions in 3 efficacy-effectiveness trials on our team's public research website. To identify participants at a high risk of dropout, we created 4 unique feature sets: self-reported baseline user characteristics (eg, demographics), self-reported user context and reactions to the program (eg, state affect), self-reported user clinical functioning (eg, mental health symptoms), and passively detected user behavior on the website (eg, time spent on a web page of CBM-I training exercises, time of day during which the exercises were completed, latency of completing the assessments, and type of device used). Then, we investigated the feature sets as potential predictors of which participants were at high risk of not starting the second training session of a given program using well-known machine learning algorithms. The extreme gradient boosting algorithm performed the best and identified participants at high risk with macro-F1-scores of .832 (Study 1 with 146 features), .770 (Study 2 with 87 features), and .917 (Study 3 with 127 features). Features involving passive detection of user behavior contributed the most to the prediction relative to other features. The mean Gini importance scores for the passive features were as follows: .033 (95% CI .019-.047) in Study 1; .029 (95% CI .023-.035) in Study 2; and .045 (95% CI .039-.051) in Study 3. However, using all features extracted from a given study led to the best predictive performance. These results suggest that using passive indicators of user behavior, alongside self-reported measures, can improve the accuracy of prediction of participants at a high risk of dropout early during multisession CBM-I programs. Furthermore, our analyses highlight the challenge of generalizability in digital health intervention studies and the need for more personalized attrition prevention strategies.

Exploring medical educators’ perspectives on teaching effectiveness and student learning

BackgroundMedical education in resource-constrained settings such as Pakistan faces significant challenges, including large class sizes, limited resources, and reliance on traditional teacher-centered pedagogies. These factors hinder effective learning and fail to equip students with the critical thinking and practical skills essential for modern medical practice. Educators play a fundamental role in shaping student experiences but often struggle to adopt student-centred methodologies due to insufficient training, resource limitations, and institutional constraints. This study aimed to explore medical educators’ teaching approaches, their perceptions of their effectiveness, and the challenges they face in implementing modern pedagogical techniques.MethodsA sequential explanatory mixed-method study was conducted. First, the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) was administered to 130 medical and dental educators in Karachi, Pakistan (71% response rate, n = 93), assessing teacher-centered (Information Transmission/Teacher-Focused, ITTF) versus student-centered (Conceptual Change/Student-Focused, CCSF) approaches. Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 educators purposively selected from the initial sample. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and Mann-Whitney U tests. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis to identify key themes.ResultsThe quantitative results demonstrated that educators often use a blended teaching approach. No significant gender differences were found in teaching experience or teacher-centric scores; however, female educators scored higher on the student-centric approach (p = 0.001). Qualitative analysis identified themes: (1) teachers as catalysts for student transformation, emphasising mentorship and practical learning; (2) curriculum challenges and the need for faculty development, highlighting dissatisfaction with outdated curricula and assessments focused on rote memorisation; and (3) teaching practices advocating for interactive methods and continuous assessment aligned with practical clinical skills. Educators expressed a desire for faculty development programs to support student-centered learning.ConclusionsMedical educators recognise the importance of student-centred approaches but face significant challenges due to institutional pressures, outdated curricula, and inadequate assessment methods. There is a critical need for curriculum reform, adoption of continuous formative assessments, and faculty development programs to enhance teaching effectiveness. Institutions should promote environments that value pedagogical excellence and support innovative teaching practices. Aligning educators’ perceptions with actual teaching practices is essential to improve medical education and prepare students for professional practice.

Cognitive Endurance as Human Capital

Abstract Schooling may build human capital not only by teaching academic skills, but by expanding the capacity for cognition itself. We focus specifically on cognitive endurance: the ability to sustain effortful mental activity over a continuous stretch of time. As motivation, we document that globally and in the US, the poor exhibit cognitive fatigue more quickly than the rich across field settings; they also attend schools that offer fewer opportunities to practice thinking for continuous stretches. Using a field experiment with 1,600 Indian primary school students, we randomly increase the amount of time students spend in sustained cognitive activity during the school day—using either math problems (mimicking good schooling) or non-academic games (providing a pure test of our mechanism). Each approach markedly improves cognitive endurance: students show 22% less decline in performance over time when engaged in intellectual activities—listening comprehension, academic problems, or IQ tests. They also exhibit increased attentiveness in the classroom and score higher on psychological measures of sustained attention. Moreover, each treatment improves students’ school performance by 0.09 standard deviations. This indicates that the experience of effortful thinking itself—even when devoid of any subject content—improves general cognitive capacity. Finally, we complement these results with quasi-experimental variation indicating that an additional year of schooling improves cognitive endurance, but only in higher-quality schools. Our findings suggest that schooling disparities may further disadvantage poor children by hampering the development of a core mental capacity.

Clinical Supervision Models and Frameworks Used in Nursing: A Scoping Review.

To provide an overview of clinical supervision models and frameworks used in nursing and map them to their areas of use in nursing. A scoping review guided by JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A systematic search using CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Emcare databases for English-language papers published at any time and ProQuest and Google Scholar databases for unpublished guidelines was conducted in June 2023 and repeated in June 2024. Thirty-nine papers covering thirty-three clinical supervision models and frameworks highlighted conceptual confusion, lack of evidence for informed choices, and a need for balanced clinical supervision to enhance the reflective, critical thinking, and support of nurses transitioning to advanced practice. Further development is needed for clinical supervision models to support nurses transitioning to advanced practice. A clearer understanding of clinical supervision within contemporary nursing practice to support nurses' critical reflective thinking for advanced practice. A clearer understanding of clinical supervision within contemporary nursing practice. Importance of meta-communication skills training for nurses and supervisors. Structured clinical supervision content should be based on nurses' clinical specialty and experience. Reporting was guided by The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. No patient or public contributions were included as secondary data was used.

Self-medicating in a difficult world

To me, as a systemic family therapist working in the substance misuse field, it seems that family therapy has always had somewhat of a dilemma when it comes to working with family systems where there is a substance misuse disorder present. In this paper, I will be describing current thinking in family therapy practice within the substance misuse field and how systemically informed substance misuse services are beginning to pay attention to issues of neurodiversity. Particularly concentrating on how adolescent (under 18) services are adapting to become more neuro-inclusive and neuro-affirmative. For substance misuse services, this is the opportune time to discuss and highlight the use of substances by the neurodivergent population. In this article, which is an elaboration on the presentation at the 4th Systemic Autism conference I outline changes that could be made to substance misuse treatment services to remove barriers to accessing substance misuse treatment that neurodivergent individuals may encounter when trying to change their relationship with substances.

Beyond words: An exploration of the use of ‘visual tools’ within career guidance practice

By means of shared best practice, this article explores 360° feedback on the use of ‘visual tools’ for career guidance practice. Developed through data obtained during interviews with guidance practitioners, young people and their drawings, innovative thinking for practice is promoted at this ‘crossroads’ in time for the careers profession. The study observes practitioners’ commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) and research despite the current issues they face, along with the need for more inspiring engagement with young people. Evident in the data produced, is the variety of responses from individual participants to the same questions and to the visual tools themselves, demonstrating the interpretative nature of the research and the individual meanings constructed from it. This study argues that as we move towards a National Career Service for England, resourceful and inventive practice is crucial for future development.

PANCA SATYA OF HANUMAN CHARACTER IN THE RAMAYANA

Various sources of yoga literature that are still relevant today are used by yoga practitioners and academics in developing this realm of logical and practical thinking, such as: Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita, Siva Samhita, Yoga Vasista, Goraksasatakam, Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Sutra Patanjali, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabrata and various Balinese local wisdom belonging to the Sivaistik lontars. These sources of yoga literature make yoga not only traceable through its practical aspects but also allow for a search of the philosophical aspects of yoga implied in these literary sources so that yoga academics and practitioners can increase their knowledge and understanding of the scope of yoga teachings. This study aims to analyze the depth of the philosophy and practice of yoga contained in the Siva Samhita. The theories used are the theory of philosophy and semiotic theory. This study uses the method of collecting documents and literature. The data analysis technique was carried out qualitatively by describing it descriptively. The results of this study indicate that: (1) the study of yoga metaphysics contained in the Siva Samhita script is a study of God, maya, the soul, the microcosm of the body, and the nature of karma; (2) the study of the epistemology of yoga in the Siva Samhita script covers the nature of knowledge, the importance of the role teacher and the nature of liberation.

YOGA PHILOSOPHY IN SIVA SAMHITA SCRIPT

Various sources of yoga literature that are still relevant today are used by yoga practitioners and academics in developing this realm of logical and practical thinking, such as: Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita, Siva Samhita, Yoga Vasista, Goraksasatakam, Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Sutra Patanjali, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabrata and various Balinese local wisdom belonging to the Sivaistik lontars. These sources of yoga literature make yoga not only traceable through its practical aspects but also allow for a search of the philosophical aspects of yoga implied in these literary sources so that yoga academics and practitioners can increase their knowledge and understanding of the scope of yoga teachings. This study aims to analyze the depth of the philosophy and practice of yoga contained in the Siva Samhita. The theories used are the theory of philosophy and semiotic theory. This study uses the method of collecting documents and literature. The data analysis technique was carried out qualitatively by describing it descriptively. The results of this study indicate that: (1) the study of yoga metaphysics contained in the Siva Samhita script is a study of God, maya, the soul, the microcosm of the body, and the nature of karma; (2) the study of the epistemology of yoga in the Siva Samhita script covers the nature of knowledge, the importance of the role teacher and the nature of liberation.

Contributions of Lesson Study to the reconstruction of teachers' practical knowledge within a virtual setting context. Case study at Universidad Nacional de Educación (Ecuador)

PurposeThis article examines the training of nine practising teachers and the development of their practical thinking through Lesson Study (LS) at Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE). The study therefore aims to describe and understand how this group of teachers might reconstruct their practical knowledge while engaging in the LS experience in a virtual setting.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted with (virtual) field immersion, qualitatively collecting and analysing data through observations, interviews, a focus group and written outputs.FindingsReconstructions and reinforcements were evident in each of the five dimensions of practical thinking (Soto et al., 2019; Pérez-Gómez, 2022) and in certain knowledge and values, in addition to various skills, attitudes and emotions. The main findings of the study relate to the importance of planning to avoid improvisation, viewing the teaching methodology as a flexible process, developing student autonomy, understanding and managing technological and digital tools and being prepared for uncertain situations.Originality/valueIt is understood that Lesson Study is a strategy that strengthens and enhances understanding of teachers’ knowledge, even in the virtual context and should therefore be considered for the ongoing professional development of teachers in Ecuador.

Systems Thinking Principles for Making Change

Traditionally, systems thinking support has relied on an ever-increasing plethora of systems tools, methods, and approaches. Arguably though, such support requires something different from, and more accessible than, detailed instruction on somewhat abstract laws and detailed principles and/or constitutive rules associated with conventional systems approaches or systems ‘tools of the trade’. For busy managers and decision makers working in often-stressful conditions, what is perhaps more valued are simple principles for enabling systems thinking in practice. Such principles should acknowledge and build on existing (multi)disciplinary skill sets and expertise, allowing for more meaningful interdisciplinary support amongst professions, as part of a nested transdisciplinary support for addressing wider social challenges. This monograph offers three principles of systems thinking in practice (STiP): relational STiP, perspective STiP, and adaptive STiP. They each have two sets of operational principles applicable to first-order and second-order practice, respectively. The three general principles are nested in an overriding principle of STiP as praxis (theory-informed action or thinking in practice) manifest in the need for being both systemic and systematic. The three principles represent a distilled expression of a systematic literacy of systems thinking, a literacy that speaks to the systemic sensibilities of Inter-relationships, Perspectives, and Boundaries (sometimes referred collectively as IPB), associated with any area of intervention. Drawing on metaphors of bricolage, conversation, and performance, and building on philosophical foundations of boundary critique, the three principles provide for a requisite systems literacy (as an emergent property of systemic sensibilities and systems thinking literacy) for enabling appropriate STiP capabilities to flourish when making a meaningful change.

Practical Thinking on the Brand Construction of College Student Youth League Committee -- Take Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology as an example

Under the background of the new era, the college student Youth League Committee, as a bridge connecting students and schools, not only carries the multiple functions of ideological and political education, campus culture construction and the protection of students rights and interests, but also faces the important task of how to innovate the working mode, enhance the work efficiency and enhance the organizational influence. As an effective way to enhance the organization recognition, enhance the cohesion and attraction, brand construction is gradually becoming an important direction of the work of college students youth League committee. This paper aims to explore the significance, current situation, challenges and practical strategies of the brand construction of the work of college student Youth League committee, in order to provide theoretical reference and practical guidance for the innovative development of the work of college Youth League Committee.

Evaluation of pre-service teachers' views on STEM education

This study aimed to evaluate pre-service science teachers' views on STEM education. Data were collected at the end of each activity and the end of the training with evaluation sheets. The collected data were analyzed with the content analysis method and interpreted with percentage and frequency values. The research method is a case study. Participants received four weeks of practical training, including STEM activities. Based on the data collected, it was determined that teacher candidates did not have a negative perception of STEM activities, that they had difficulty in activities that required handcraft, and that it contributed positively to their interdisciplinary perspectives. They also stated that the training was enjoyable and creative; developed imagination and handicraft skills; increased productivity, self-confidence, design skills, problem-solving skills, and group work; provided practical thinking; ensured permanent learning and field cooperation; and contributed to analytical thinking. Most of the participants stated that they did not find STEM education at their universities sufficient, would apply STEM activities to their students when they became teachers, and wanted to improve themselves in STEM education. Participants stated that they most needed development in the subject of academic knowledge, utilization of technology, handcraft and creativity. In addition, it was determined that positive perceptions and opinions about STEM education were observed.

Unraveling Logical Fallacies in the debate over Homeopathic Formulations and Severe Liver Injury"

This article explores the logical fallacies intertwined within the discourse surrounding the safety of homeopathic remedies, particularly in light of severe drug-induced liver injury (DILI). It delves into the complexities of the debate, highlighting common fallacies such as ad hominem, straw man, and slippery slope, which often obscure rational discourse. By analyzing arguments and proposing rational solutions, the article aims to promote informed decision-making and critical thinking in homeopathic practice. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing fallacies to foster transparent discussions and ensure patient safety. Proposed solutions include standardized causality assessment, enhanced pharmacovigilance, quality assurance measures, education, awareness, collaboration, and research. Through these measures, stakeholders can contribute to a nuanced understanding of homeopathy's safety profile and empower individuals to make well-informed healthcare choices grounded in evidence-based medicine. Ultimately, the goal is to uphold patient safety and well-being by navigating the discourse with integrity and a commitment to evidence-based practice.

Thinking Together: Advising as Collaborative Deliberation

We spend a good deal of time thinking about how and when to advise others, and how to respond to others advising us. But philosophical discussions of the nature and norms of advising have been scattered and somewhat disconnected. The most focused discussion has come from philosophers of language interested in whether advising is an assertive or directive kind of speech act. This paper argues that the ordinary category of advising is much more heterogenous than has been appreciated: it is possible to advise by asserting relevant facts, by issuing directives, by asking questions, and by other kinds of adviceless advising. The heterogeneity of advising makes speech act-theoretic accounts of advising look like accounts of special cases, which motivates us to look elsewhere for an account of what advising is. I suggest that we think about advising as a distinctive species of joint practical thinking, which I shall call collaborative deliberation, and show how our need for a concept to pick out this kind of joint activity emerges from our practical needs as deliberators. This view helps to illuminate a number of puzzling features of advising, and offers some guidance to be better at advising and at being advised.

Research on the Application of Innovative Thinking in Secretarial Writing Practice

Research on the Application of Innovative Thinking in Secretarial Writing Practice

“I ask different questions to my students now”: An inquiry into the role of textbooks for the teaching of historical thinking in Basque secondary schools

Starting from an analysis of the Basque competence-based secondary school history textbook EKI and the perceptions of teachers using it, these pages aim at investigating how history teachers relate to the textbooks they use in the classroom and the role these teaching materials play in the promotion of deeper historical understanding of their students. The Baque case offers a good opportunity to see how competence-based teaching materials are used to teach historical competences and how they may have affected the teaching of history in Basque secondary schools. Two main research questions are addressed: how this competence-based textbook integrates historical thinking skills and how it affects teachers´ understanding of history and teaching practice. The results suggest that theoretical reflections on historical thinking and epistemic questions have not permeated school teaching practices yet; however, the textbook does introduce students into historical thinking concepts and has produced changes in teachers’ practices. Besides, this research has detected the interest of further investigating how we deal with historical thinking in the everyday practice of increasingly diverse classrooms.