CRITHINKEDU: from labor market needs to Critical Thinking across the European Higher Education Curricula

CRITHINKEDU:
from labor market needs to Critical Thinking across the
European Higher Education Curricula
Gonçalo Cruz1, Maria Nascimento12, Rita Payan-Carreira14, Caroline
Dominguez123, Helena Silva15 e Felicidade Morais16
1UTAD – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
2CIDTFF – Research Centre on Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers, Aveiro, Portugal
3CETRAD - Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies, Vila Real, Portugal
4CECAV - Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, Vila Real, Portugal
5CIIE - Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Porto, Portugal
6CELGA - Centre for Studies of General and Applied Linguistics, Coimbra, Portugal
EAIR Porto, 4th September 2017

Context
Project Number: 2016-1-PT01-KA203-022808
Funding: European Union
Programme: Erasmus+ / KA2 Action – Strategic
Partnerships
Budget: 397 478,00€
Duration: 2016-2019
Coordinator:
University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal
Partners:
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Universita Degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy
University of Western Macedonia, Greece
Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, Greece
University College Dublin, Ireland
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
UC Leuven, Belgium
Siuolaikiniu Didaktiku Centras, Lithuania
University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic
Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania

Context
CT is not only a systematic and intentional use of different thinking
mechanisms (skills), but also a way of being (dispositions).
Source: http://bit.ly/2wweZcl
(Facione, 1990; Ennis, 1991)

Problem
How do you imagine the future?
Source: http://bit.ly/2eAnFbx

Problem

Problem
Companies find students not prepared enough for
the challenges of the real world/labor market
(Ahern et al. 2011; McAleese et al. 2013; Schwab & Samans, 2016)
Source: http://bit.ly/2vDjLpZ

Problem
Source: http://bit.ly/2wwsHvZ

Aim
Collect evidence of needed critical thinking skills in different study areas
Source: http://bit.ly/2gvvUms

Methodology
Qualitative Research / 4 Focus Groups

Methodology
What CT skills are of the most importance
today in your area/profession?
... “which skills does your organization seek in candidates?”

Methodology
Number of participants

Methodology
Participants’ Profiles and Focus Groups’ Characterization

Methodology
Source:
Delphi Report “Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction” (Facione, 1990)
Direct Approach to Content Analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005)

Results and Discussion
Overall Results – Most mentioned CT skill

Self-regulation
“being in a constant process of analysis of your weaknesses and your strengths,
trying to connect this with the obstacles and with what we can take advantage from what
the world brings to us, doing that constant balance." (NGO_PT_1_ARTS).
“this analysis, to look was has succeeded or not, must constantly grow within each one of
us. It must be trained permanently.” (PB_PT_1_HEALTH).
“Because if people are not thinking on what they are doing and question themselves on
whether what they are doing is the best procedure or not, it is the most correct or if
there are other ways to do it better (even if it can be obvious to do this routine). Many
times, we cannot differentiate ourselves from what everybody else does, or from what the
individual alone can do.” (PR_PT_7_TOURISM).

Overall Results – CT skills mentioned by all the study areas

Interpretation
“If they have the ability to analyze a group right before they start the tour (...) they have
to figure out what they want in the first few minutes, otherwise they may have
problems, they will not be able to pass the message" (PR_PT_4_TOURISM)
“In the medicine field, we still have an education that relies largely on the ability to
memorize, without data, often fairly/not even organized […] We delay, for too long, the skill
to emit duly informed decisions […]. If the necessity for data acquisition exists, we should
be aware/know which data we are collecting” (PB_PT_1_HEALTH)
"I have to raise data, raise facts that allow me to understand the situation, without any
previous beliefs about it. Perceive the reasons and the causes of
things"(PR_PT_1_ENGINEERING)

Inference
“(...) we look at a particular situation and we must look with different views (...) completely
independent of the situation, in order to characterize the roots of problems and then point
out clues and recommendations so that our clients can overcome the problems."
(PR_PT_1_ENGINEERING)
"Here I also speak about the creation of some programs, as it was also said here, they
have to be able to elaborate these programs knowing that people also want to have time to
rest, want to have moments for shopping, want to have moments to be surprised, and the
program has to contemplate all these tools, all those moments. “
(PR_PT_7_TOURISM)
“Therefore, at/in that moment my head has already pass all the information we acquired
[during the consultation] and that allow recognizing if the situation is severe and, at the
same time, take the action of referring him for other service… ” (PB_PT_1_HEALTH)

Overall Results – categorized skills and uncategorized skills

Relative weight of the categorized and uncategorized skills

Results by study area

Results by study area
There are differences among areas in terms of which dimensions are emphasized:
• Biomedicine: Evaluation (9), Explanation (5), Interpretation (4) and Self-
regulation (4);
• STEM: Explanation (5) and Inference (4);
• Social Sciences: Self-regulation (5) and Interpretation (4);
• Humanities: Self-regulation (6).
These findings can be considered as tendencies (no statistical significance).

Conclusions
• Importance and need of CT skills in labor market, according to different
study areas, purposes and contexts, that should be trained systematically and
improved at the university.
• CT skills are particularly highlighted in Biomedicine and STEM areas, as a
requirement for professionals and seems to be related to the specific context of
each area. Here, the ability to Evaluate, Infer, Explain, and Self-regulate is of
utmost importance.
• Self-regulation is the most valued skill by all the study areas and seems to
be at the heart of CT and the basis for the development and progress of all the
professionals.
• Non-categorized CT skills were also highlighted, namely in the STEM and
Humanities areas. Professionals don’t dismiss the development and acquisition
of these skills (e.g. Creativity and Interpersonal skills) somehow related to CT,
which should also be included in university curricula.

Limitations
• Convenience sample (timetable constraints and access)
• Participants’ background on CT

Future Work
• CT Dispositions Analysis - September 2017
• CRITHINKEDU’ First Output - October 2017
• CRITHINKEDU’ Second Output - October 2017

Thank you vey much for your attention.
Join us and participate in our events!
goncaloc@utad.pt
Website: crithinkedu.utad.pt
E-mail: crithinkedu@utad.pt
Facebook: facebook.com/crithinkedu
Twitter: @crithinkedu_EU
Slideshare: slideshare.net/crithinkedu
Youtube: bit.ly/crithinkeduyoutube

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