Implementing critical thinking in the curriculum at Texas State Technical College: An action research approach.

摘要

Texas State Technical College planned and implemented a critical thinking curriculum as a part of their Quality Enhancement Plan throughout all of the technical programs. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify the strengths and challenges of the critical thinking curriculum as perceived by the faculty who planned and implemented it in their classes, plus solicit their recommendations for making curricular improvements. The study was informed by qualitative data that were generated from focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews with faculty, and from historical records. The findings revealed a number of benefits: enhanced student learning, reduced superficial learning, providing a framework for teachers and students, improved student thinking, improved instruction, providing a method for measuring CT, consistent framework, available resources and providing an assessment tool. The faculty also identified challenges associated with implementing the critical thinking curriculum: faculty and student resistance, ineffective structure during roll-out, difficulty implementing the CT curriculum, trouble understanding and how to assess CT, leadership and change, and identifying how to assess CT. Their recommendations included provide more consistency, obtain faculty buy-in, and institute accountability throughout the instructional division, model and showcase success, and leadership. These recommendations will provide the next steps for building the critical thinking curriculum at Texas State Technical College as an ongoing action- oriented agenda.