Critical thinking
Critical thinking, or commonly known as critical reflection, has been widely researched in various professional fields, such as psychology, education, teaching and learning, etc. (Grushka, McLeod, & Reynolds, 2005; Harrison, Lawson, & Wortley, 2005; Pedro, 2005; Willsen & Binker, 1993; Yanchar, Slife, & Warne, 2008). Furthermore, similar to the various theoretical frameworks of self-regulation that have been advocated (Weinstein, 1996), critical thinking has a number of diverse and varied definitions that reflect its complexity (Petress, 2004; Yanchar et al., 2008). For example, Scriven and Paul (cited in Petress, 2004, p. 463) refer to critical thinking as a process and not as an end in itself: "Critical thinking is the …show more content…
This emerging interest, as reflected by the recent appearance of a journal entitled Reflective Practice, pertains to the importance of critical thinking and how this practice fits in with teaching and learning processes, as well as the development of specific skills required …show more content…
A recent important line of research inquiry, namely Mezirow's (1991, 1998) theories regarding transformative education, has involved the theoretical postulation of reflective thinking as being categorised into four separate phases; in their order of complexity – habitual action, understanding, reflection, and critical thinking (Kember et al., 2000; Leung & Kember, 2003; Phan, 2007). The habitual action is a mechanical and automatic activity that is performed with little conscious thought. Understanding is learning and reading without relating to other situations. Reflection concerns active, persistent, and careful consideration of any assumptions or beliefs grounded in our consciousness. Critical thinking is considered as a higher level of reflective thinking that involves us becoming more aware of why we perceive things, the way we feel, the way we act, and what we
Critical thinking, or commonly known as critical reflection, has been widely researched in various professional fields, such as psychology, education, teaching and learning, etc. (Grushka, McLeod, & Reynolds, 2005; Harrison, Lawson, & Wortley, 2005; Pedro, 2005; Willsen & Binker, 1993; Yanchar, Slife, & Warne, 2008). Furthermore, similar to the various theoretical frameworks of self-regulation that have been advocated (Weinstein, 1996), critical thinking has a number of diverse and varied definitions that reflect its complexity (Petress, 2004; Yanchar et al., 2008). For example, Scriven and Paul (cited in Petress, 2004, p. 463) refer to critical thinking as a process and not as an end in itself: "Critical thinking is the …show more content…
This emerging interest, as reflected by the recent appearance of a journal entitled Reflective Practice, pertains to the importance of critical thinking and how this practice fits in with teaching and learning processes, as well as the development of specific skills required …show more content…
A recent important line of research inquiry, namely Mezirow's (1991, 1998) theories regarding transformative education, has involved the theoretical postulation of reflective thinking as being categorised into four separate phases; in their order of complexity – habitual action, understanding, reflection, and critical thinking (Kember et al., 2000; Leung & Kember, 2003; Phan, 2007). The habitual action is a mechanical and automatic activity that is performed with little conscious thought. Understanding is learning and reading without relating to other situations. Reflection concerns active, persistent, and careful consideration of any assumptions or beliefs grounded in our consciousness. Critical thinking is considered as a higher level of reflective thinking that involves us becoming more aware of why we perceive things, the way we feel, the way we act, and what we