ERIC Number: EJ1454385
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2331-186X
Mexican College Students' Perspectives on Teaching Practice and Critical Thinking Development
Cogent Education, v11 n1 Article 2385866 2024
Developing Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) has been a primary educational goal in developed countries for several decades. However, even though Mexico recently embraced this educational trend in higher education, there is uncertainty about CTS development occurring under current conditions. Despite the abundance of quantitative studies examining the impact of higher education on the development of CTS, there is a need to understand the conditions that support these improvements. This qualitative study sought to address this gap by exploring one of the critical factors influencing CTS development, namely, teaching practice, from the students' perspective. We used inductive methods to analyze data from 42 students (28 females and 14 males (M age = 21.7 years, SD = 2.4) purposefully sampled from Mexican public universities. We collected the data through in-depth interviews. The findings of inductive analysis revealed that students perceived learning experiences as crucial for CTS development. More specifically, students believed that the student-centered approach remained essential for CTS development, whereas the teacher-centered approach was partly perceived as an obstacle to such development. These results indicate that it is imperative for educational institutions in Mexico to re-evaluate and enhance their pedagogical approaches in a timely manner to foster the development of critical thinkers.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, College Students, Student Attitudes, Teaching Methods, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills, Skill Development, Public Colleges, Student Experience, Student Centered Learning, Active Learning, Problem Solving, Cooperative Learning, Learning Activities, Cognitive Processes
Cogent OA. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A