an experiment in the development of critical thinking pdf

• DOI: 10.1177/016146814204300507
• Corpus ID: 152341828

An Experiment in Development of Critical Thinking

• Published 1 February 1942
• Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

494 Citations

Influence of ffa activities on critical thinking skills in texas three-star chapters.

• Highly Influenced

The Evaluation of Argument Mapping as a Learning Tool

• 12 Excerpts

An experiment in the development of critical thinking

By edward maynard glaser.

• ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.00 ·
• 40 Want to read
• 3 Currently reading
• 1 Have read

My Reading Lists:

Use this Work

Create a new list

My book notes.

My private notes about this edition:

Buy this book

This edition doesn't have a description yet. Can you add one ?

Showing 2 featured editions. View all 2 editions?

Add another edition?

Book Details

Edition notes.

Issued also as thesis (PH.D.) Columbia university

Bibliography: p. 181-199

Photocopy made by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1969

The Physical Object

Community reviews (0).

• Created December 30, 2008
• 2 revisions

Wikipedia citation

Copy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?

The Online Books Page

An experiment in the development of critical thinking.

Help with reading books -- Report a bad link -- Suggest a new listing

Home -- Search -- New Listings -- Authors -- Titles -- Subjects -- Serials

Books -- News -- Features -- Archives -- The Inside Story

Edited by John Mark Ockerbloom (onlinebooks@pobox.upenn.edu) Data for this curated collection listing is CC0. See OBP copyrights and licenses .

Due to major building activity, some collections are unavailable. Please check your requests before visiting. 

The Special Collections and Petherick Reading Rooms will be closed on Saturday 24 August. We will reopen on Monday 26 August in a new temporary location on Lower Ground 1. 

Learn more .

An experiment in the development of critical thinking / by Edward M. Glaser

• New York : Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1941
• Critical thinking
• Difference (Psychology)

In Copyright

You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.

Copyright status was determined using the following information:

Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections .

Request this item

Request this item to view in the Library’s reading room.

• Librarian View
• Export to EndNote
• Report an error

Enhancing Scientific Thinking Through the Development of Critical Thinking in Higher Education

• First Online: 22 September 2019

Cite this chapter

• Heidi Hyytinen 3 ,
• Auli Toom 3 &
• Richard J. Shavelson 4  

1496 Accesses

27 Citations

3 Altmetric

Contemporary higher education is committed to enhancing students’ scientific thinking in part by improving their capacity to think critically, a competence that forms a foundation for scientific thinking. We introduce and evaluate the characteristic elements of critical thinking (i.e. cognitive skills, affective dispositions, knowledge), problematising the domain-specific and general aspects of critical thinking and elaborating justifications for teaching critical thinking. Finally, we argue that critical thinking needs to be integrated into curriculum, learning goals, teaching practices and assessment. The chapter emphasises the role of constructive alignment in teaching and use of a variety of teaching methods for teaching students to think critically in order to enhance their capacity for scientific thinking.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save.

• Get 10 units per month
• Download Article/Chapter or eBook
• 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
• Cancel anytime
• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Fostering scientific literacy and critical thinking in elementary science education.

Critical Thinking

A Model of Critical Thinking in Higher Education

Abrami, P. C., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Wade, A., Surkes, M. A., Tamim, R., et al. (2008). Instructional interventions affecting critical thinking skills and dispositions: A stage 1 meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 78 (4), 1102–1134. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308326084 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Arum, R., & Roksa, J. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses . Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Google Scholar  

Ayala, C. C., Shavelson, R. J., Araceli Ruiz-Primo, M., Brandon, P. R., Yin, Y., Furtak, E. M., et al. (2008). From formal embedded assessments to reflective lessons: The development of formative assessment studies. Applied Measurement in Education, 21 (4), 315–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/08957340802347787 .

Badcock, P. B. T., Pattison, P. E., & Harris, K.-L. (2010). Developing generic skills through university study: A study of arts, science and engineering in Australia. Higher Education, 60 (4), 441–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9308-8 .

Bailin, S., Case, R., Coombs, J. R., & Daniels, L. B. (1999). Conceptualizing critical thinking. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 31 (3), 285–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/002202799183133 .

Bailin, S., & Siegel, H. (2003). Critical thinking. In N. Blake, P. Smeyers, R. Smith, & P. Standish (Eds.), The Blackwell guide to the philosophy of education (pp. 181–193). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Banta, T., & Pike, G. (2012). Making the case against—One more time . Occasional Paper #15. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. Retrieved from http://learningoutcomesassessment.org/documents/HerringPaperFINAL.pdf .

Barrie, S. C. (2006). Understanding what we mean by the generic attributes of graduates. Higher Education, 51 (2), 215–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-6384-7 .

Barrie, S. C. (2007). A conceptual framework for the teaching and learning of generic graduate attributes. Studies in Higher Education, 3 (4), 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701476100 .

Bell, S. (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 83 (2), 39–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098650903505415 .

Bereiter, C. (2002). Education and mind in the knowledge age . Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2009). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does (3rd ed.). Berkshire, England: SRHE and Open University Press.

Bok, D. (2006). Our underachieving colleges. A candid look at how much students learn and why they should be learning more . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Brooks, R., & Everett, G. (2009). Post-graduation reflections on the value of a degree. British Educational Research Journal, 35 (3), 333–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920802044370 .

Denton, H., & McDonagh, D. (2005). An exercise in symbiosis: Undergraduate designers and a company product development team working together. The Design Journal, 8 (1), 41–51. https://doi.org/10.2752/146069205789338315 .

Dewey, J. (1910). How we think . Boston, MA: D. C. Heath & Co.

Book   Google Scholar  

Dewey, J. (1941). Propositions, warranted assertibility, and truth. The Journal of Philosophy, 38 (7), 169–186. https://doi.org/10.2307/2017978 .

Dunlap, J. (2005). Problem-based learning and self-efficacy: How a capstone course prepares students for a profession. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53 (1), 65–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02504858 .

Ennis, R. (1991). Critical thinking: A streamlined conception. Teaching Philosophy, 14 (1), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.5840/teachphil19911412 .

Ennis, R. (1993). Critical thinking assessment. Theory into practice, 32 (3), 179–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849309543594 .

Evens, M., Verburgh, A., & Elen, J. (2013). Critical thinking in college freshmen: The impact of secondary and higher education. International Journal of Higher Education, 2 (3), 139–151. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v2n3p139 .

Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction. Research findings and recommendations (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED315423). Newark, DE: American Philosophical Association.

Fischer, F., Chinn, C. A., Engelmann, K., & Osborne, J. (Eds.). (2018). Scientific reasoning and argumentation: The roles of domain-specific and domain-general knowledge . New York, NY: Routledge.

Fisher, A. (2011). Critical thinking: An introduction . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gillies, R. (2004). The effects of cooperative learning on junior high school students during small group learning. Learning and Instruction, 14 (2), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(03)00068-9 .

Greiff, S., Wüstenberg, S., Csapó, B., Demetriou, A., Hautamäki, J., Graesser, A., et al. (2014). Domain-general problem solving skills and education in the 21st century. Educational Research Review, 13, 74–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2014.10.002 .

Halpern, D. F. (2014). Thought and knowledge (5th ed.). New York, NY: Psychology Press.

Healy, A. (Ed.). (2008). Multiliteracies and diversity in education . Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Helle, L., Tynjälä, P., & Olkinuora, E. (2006). Project-based learning in post-secondary education—Theory, practice and rubber sling shots. Higher Education, 51 (2), 287–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-6386-5 .

Hmelo-Silver, C. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16 (3), 235–266. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3 .

Hofstein, A., Shore, R., & Kipnis, M. (2004). Providing high school chemistry students with opportunities to develop learning skills in an inquiry-type laboratory—A case study. International Journal of Science Education, 26 (1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069032000070342 .

Holma, K. (2015). The critical spirit: Emotional and moral dimensions of critical thinking. Studier I Pædagogisk Filosofi, 4 (1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.7146/spf.v4i1.18280 .

Holma, K., & Hyytinen, H. (equal contribution) (2015). The philosophy of personal epistemology. Theory and Research in Education , 13 (3), 334 – 350. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878515606608 .

Hopmann, S. (2007). Restrained teaching: The common core of Didaktik. European Educational Research Journal, 6 (2), 109–124. https://doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2007.6.2.109 .

Hyytinen, H. (2015). Looking beyond the obvious: Theoretical, empirical and methodological insights into critical thinking (Doctoral dissertation). University of Helsinki, Studies in Educational Sciences 260. https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/154312/LOOKINGB.pdf?sequence=1 .

Hyytinen, H., Löfström, E., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2017). Challenges in argumentation and paraphrasing among beginning students in educational science. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 61 (4), 411–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2016.1147072 .

Hyytinen, H., Nissinen, K., Ursin, J., Toom, A., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2015). Problematising the equivalence of the test results of performance-based critical thinking tests for undergraduate students. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 44, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2014.11.001 .

Hyytinen, H., & Toom, A. (2019). Developing a performance assessment task in the Finnish higher education context: Conceptual and empirical insights. British Journal of Educational Psychology , 89 (3), 551–563. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12283 .

Hyytinen, H., Toom, A., & Postareff, L. (2018). Unraveling the complex relationship in critical thinking, approaches to learning and self-efficacy beliefs among first-year educational science students. Learning and Individual Differences, 67, 132–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.08.004 .

Jenert, T. (2014). Implementing-oriented study programmes at university: The challenge of academic culture. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung , 9 (2), 1–12. Retrieved from https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/publications/230455 .

Krolak-Schwerdt, S., Pitten Cate, I. M., & Hörstermann, T. (2018). Teachers’ judgments and decision-making: studies concerning the transition from primary to secondary education and their implications for teacher education. In O. Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, M. Toepper, H. A. Pant, C. Lautenbach, & C. Kuhn (Eds.), Assessment of learning outcomes in higher education—Cross-national comparisons and perspectives (pp. 73–101). Wiesbaden: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74338-7_5 .

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Kuhn, D. (2005). Education for thinking . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Marton, F., & Trigwell, K. (2000). Variatio est mater studiorum. Higher Education Research & Development, 19 (3), 381–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360020021455 .

Mills-Dick, K., & Hull, J. M. (2011). Collaborative research: Empowering students and connecting to community. Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, 17 (4), 381–387. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182140c2f .

Muukkonen, H., Lakkala, M., Toom, A., & Ilomäki, L. (2017). Assessment of competences in knowledge work and object-bound collaboration during higher education courses. In E. Kyndt, V. Donche, K. Trigwell, & S. Lindblom-Ylänne (Eds.), Higher education transitions: Theory and research (pp. 288–305). London: Routledge.

Neisser, U. (1967). Cognitive psychology . New York, NY: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Niiniluoto, I. (1980). Johdatus tieteenfilosofiaan . Helsinki: Otava.

Niiniluoto, I. (1984). Tieteellinen päättely ja selittäminen . Helsinki: Otava.

Niiniluoto, I. (1999). Critical scientific realism . Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Oljar, E., & Koukal, D. R. (2019, February 3). How to make students better thinkers. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-to-Make-Students-Better/245576 .

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2008). The thinker’s guide to scientific thinking: Based on critical thinking concepts and principles . Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Phielix, C., Prins, F. J., Kirschner, P. A., Erkens, G., & Jaspers, J. (2011). Group awareness of social and cognitive performance in a CSCL environment: Effects of a peer feedback and reflection tool. Computers in Human Behavior, 27 (3), 1087–1102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.06.024 .

Rapanta, C., Garcia-Mila, M., & Gilabert, S. (2013). What is meant by argumentative competence? An integrative review of methods of analysis and assessment in education. Review of Educational Research, 83 (4), 483–520. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654313487606 .

Ruiz-Primo, M., Schultz, S. E., Li, M., & Shavelson, R. J. (2001). Comparison of the reliability and validity of scores from two concept-mapping techniques. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38 (2), 260–278. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-2736(200102)38:2%3c260:AID-TEA1005%3e3.0.CO;2-F .

Samarapungavan, A. (2018). Construing scientific evidence: The role of disciplinary knowledge in reasoning with and about evidence in scientific practice. In F. Fischer, C. A. Chinn, K. Engelmann, & J. Osborne (Eds.), Scientific reasoning and argumentation: The roles of domain-specific and domain-general knowledge (pp. 56–76). New York, NY: Routledge.

Segalàs, J., Mulder, K. F., & Ferrer-Balas, D. (2012). What do EESD “experts” think sustainability is? Which pedagogy is suitable to learn it? Results from interviews and Cmaps analysis gathered at EESD 2008. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 13 (3), 293–304. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371211242599 .

Shavelson, R. J. (2010a). On the measurement of competency. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training , 2 (1), 41–63. Retrieved from http://ervet.ch/pdf/PDF_V2_Issue1/shavelson.pdf .

Shavelson, R. J. (2010b). Measuring college learning responsibly: Accountability in a new era . Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Shavelson, R. J. (2018). Discussion of papers and reflections on “exploring the limits of domain-generality”. In F. Fischer, C. A. Chinn, K. Engelmann, & J. Osborne (Eds.), Scientific reasoning and argumentation: The roles of domain-specific and domain-general knowledge (pp. 112–118). New York, NY: Routledge.

Shavelson, R. J., Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, O., & Mariño, J. (2018). International performance assessment of learning in higher education (iPAL): Research and development. In O. Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, M. Toepper, H. A. Pant, C. Lautenbach, & C. Kuhn (Eds.). Assessment of learning outcomes in higher education—Cross-national comparisons and perspectives (pp. 193–214). Wiesbaden: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74338-7_10 .

Siegel, H. (1991). The generalizability of critical thinking. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 23 (1), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-5812.1991.tb00173.x .

Strijbos, J., Engels, N., & Struyven, K. (2015). Criteria and standards of generic competences at bachelor degree level: A review study. Educational Research Review, 14, 18–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.01.001 .

Tomperi, T. (2017). Kriittisen ajattelun opettaminen ja filosofia. Pedagogisia perusteita. Niin & Näin , 4 (17), 95–112. Retrieved from https://netn.fi/artikkeli/kriittisen-ajattelun-opettaminen-ja-filosofia-pedagogisia-perusteita .

Toom, A. (2017). Teacher’s professional competencies: A complex divide between teacher’s work, teacher knowledge and teacher education. In D. J. Clandinin & J. Husu (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of research on teacher education (pp. 803–819). London: Sage.

Tremblay, K., Lalancette, D., & Roseveare, D. (2012). Assessment of higher education learning outcomes. In Feasibility study report. Design and implementation (Vol. 1) . OECD. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/skills-beyond-school/AHELOFSReportVolume1.pdf .

Trigg, R. (2001). Understanding social science: A philosophical introduction to the social sciences . Oxford: Blackwell publishing.

Utriainen, J., Marttunen, M., Kallio, E., & Tynjälä, P. (2016). University applicants’ critical thinking skills: The case of the Finnish educational sciences. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 61, 629–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2016.1173092 .

Vartiainen, H., Liljeström, A., & Enkenberg, J. (2012). Design-oriented pedagogy for technology-enhanced learning to cross over the borders between formal and informal environments. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 18 (15), 2097–2119. https://doi.org/10.3217/jucs-018-15-2097 .

Virtanen, A., & Tynjälä, P. (2018). Factors explaining the learning of generic skills: a study of university students’ experiences. Teaching in Higher Education , https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1515195 .

Zahner, D., & Ciolfi, A. (2018). International comparison of a performance-based assessment in higher education. In O. Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, M. Toepper, H. A. Pant, C. Lautenbach, & C. Kuhn (Eds.). Assessment of learning outcomes in higher education—Cross-national comparisons and perspectives (pp. 215–244). Wiesbaden: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74338-7_11 .

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Heidi Hyytinen & Auli Toom

Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Richard J. Shavelson

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heidi Hyytinen .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

Mari Murtonen

Department of Higher Education, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

Kieran Balloo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Hyytinen, H., Toom, A., Shavelson, R.J. (2019). Enhancing Scientific Thinking Through the Development of Critical Thinking in Higher Education. In: Murtonen, M., Balloo, K. (eds) Redefining Scientific Thinking for Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24215-2_3

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24215-2_3

Published : 22 September 2019

Publisher Name : Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-24214-5

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-24215-2

eBook Packages : Education Education (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research