Critical thinking in adult education, 2024
As part of the project “MIND – Critical theory in adult education practice: Empowerment for critical actions”, a systematic review of scientific literature on critical thinking education in informal adult education and a qualitative study were conducted (written interviews with experts from the research group).
Critical thinking skills in today’s job market, 2016–2017
As part of the project “CRITHINKEDU – Critical Thinking Across the European Higher Education Curricula” a qualitative survey of representatives from the business, public, and non-governmental sectors was conducted in 2016–2017 on the need for critical thinking skills in specific institutions and the ability of employees to think critically and make critical decisions, with a view to preparing proposals for higher education institutions on how to improve study programs and insights on how companies and organizations could contribute to the improvement and targeted application of critical thinking skills in practice. The study aimed to find out how critical thinking is understood and what importance is attached to it by employers in different professional fields, representing the public, non-governmental, and private sectors. During the interviews, employers were asked what critical thinking skills and attitudes they observe and recognize in their employees, and which ones they find lacking; what skills and attitudes they consider to be in need of improvement now and in the near future.
The Modern Didactics Centre was responsible for summarizing and analyzing data from all project partner countries.
During the international study, 32 focus groups were organized from the nine countries participating in the project. A total of 189 employers representing various professions and areas of working life participated in the study. In order to ensure the unity and consistency of the study, all professions were divided into four fields of science: biomedicine, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), social sciences, and humanities.
The scientific-theoretical approach chosen was Facione’s construct of critical thinking (Facione, 1990), based on the findings of the Delphi study. This study also drew on the work of other researchers (Jones, 2009; Jones, 2010; Grace & Orrock, 2015; Sin, Jones & Wang, 2015). The authors of this study considered critical thinking to be a set of interrelated skills and attitudes agreed upon by critical thinking researchers and experts. The authors of this study also took the position that this set could serve as a reference for higher education teachers on what to pay attention to when preparing future specialists for the labor market. Although the identified skills and attitudes are universal in nature, it was assumed that their expression in different contexts and professional fields may vary and have a unique character.
Employers described the ideal critical thinker as: educated and motivated; willing to continuously learn and improve; able to take on challenges and manage complex, unexpected situations; self-aware and critically self-reflective; able to control and improve their thinking and actions. These findings revealed that the desired traits of the perfect employee are attributed to a critically thinking personality. A person who meets high moral, social, and professional standards is considered to be a critical thinker. Critical thinking also includes other personal and social skills and attitudes, such as resistance to pressure and uncertainty; persistence and endurance; creativity and problem solving; autonomy of action and emotional maturity; communication and teamwork. Employers recognize critical thinking not only in independent actions, but also in a person’s relationships with others – in discussions, negotiations, and joint decisions.
Parents’ attitudes toward opportunities for developing critical thinking in the family, 2014
The study was conducted by Valdonė Indrašienė, Daiva Penkauskienė, and Urtė Penkauskaitė.
The study was conducted as part of the project “Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Non-Formal Education Activities” (2013–2015) and in preparation of recommendations for parents on fostering critical thinking in children and young people. The study involved 164 respondents, the vast majority of whom were parents aged 36–45 with children of primary and secondary school age. Parents were asked whether their families provided conditions and situations that would enable the development of critical thinking skills, what methods of communication with children were used, and how children were encouraged to learn independently and make decisions. The study revealed that parents are more likely to make decisions themselves than to delegate them to their children. Parents also devote too little time to discussing and debating films, plays, books, TV shows, and current events in public life.
Integration of critical thinking principles into the curriculum of Lithuania secondary schools, 2010
The research was conducted by Valdonė Indrašienė, Violeta Suboč, Daiva Penkauskienė, and Asta Matonytė.
The aim of the research was to analyze the expression of critical thinking principles in documents regulating education and to investigate the prerequisites for the use of methods promoting critical thinking in the educational process. The study sought to reveal the views of education policymakers on the dimensions of critical thinking that are relevant to the organization of the educational process; highlight the prerequisites for critical thinking education in documents regulating education; to empirically verify the expression of the use of critical thinking education methods in schools participating in the Critical Thinking Education Program; to compare the attitudes of teachers and students towards the use of critical thinking education methods in the educational process.
Research sample: 419 students in grades 10-11 of secondary schools and gymnasiums (questionnaire survey), 185 teachers of secondary schools and gymnasiums (questionnaire survey), 10 experts – representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania, the Education Development Center, the Education Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, university lecturers, participants in the project on critical thinking education in reading and writing (unstructured interviews).
The study was funded by the Open Society Institute Foundation (Zug).
Research report
Sociological research of the “Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking” (RWCT) project, 1999
On the initiative of the project coordinators, a sociological study of the project “Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking” (KMUSR) was conducted in 1999 to examine the effectiveness of the RWCT project and prospects for its improvement, as well as to determine the attitudes and assessments of various groups that participated and did not participate in this project.
The study was conducted by sociologists Eglė Gražytė, Jolita Jankauskaitė, Kamilė Karpytė, and Jolanta Piliponytė.
Teachers, pupils, and students from the “first” and “second” generations of the project participated in the study.
The study consisted of three parts:
1. A study of the effectiveness of RWCT seminars for teachers (questionnaire survey – 114 respondents, observed group method – 10 respondents).
2. A case study of Vilnius S. Daukantas Secondary School (observation of student discussions and work with text).
3. Study of the credit course “Critical Thinking Development through Various Disciplines” at Vilnius Pedagogical University (questionnaire survey – 45 respondents, observed group method – 9 respondents).