On Strengthening the Socratic Strain in Higher Education

1986 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Furedy ◽  
Christine Furedy

A questioning, critical attitude—the Socratic strain—is accepted as essential in higher education, but it has been subject to little effective examination. This paper begins by considering the role of Socrates in the distinction between higher education and indoctrinational or merely instructional education. The place of critical thinking in the modern university is discussed, followed by a consideration of some specific approaches to teaching that may promote critical thinking. Finally, there is an outline of some ideas for research on the Socratic strain in higher education.

Author(s):  
Violla Makhzoum ◽  
Lama Komayha

Purpose: This research study aims to address the role of higher education programs in developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, emphasizing on the importance of the university professors’ role in nurturing these skills through the means they use in the classroom. The research also aims to highlight the difference in developing these skills among students between universities that follow the Francophone system and universities that follow the American system. Approach/Methodology/Design: To achieve the goal of this research, a descriptive approach was adopted to test the validity of the research hypotheses which are based on correlations between research variables related to higher education programs and the skill of critical thinking. A questionnaire was employed to collect data from the sample, which consisted of four private universities, divided into two groups which are two private universities that follow the American system, and two private universities that follow the Francophone system. The sample consisted of 120 students from universities that follow the American system, and 132 students from universities that follow the Francophone system. The students were selected from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. Findings: It was found out that there are statistically significant differences between the students’ answers regarding the extent of their ability to possess the skills of critical thinking and problem-solving in concerning to the universities in which they study, and we have also found that there are statistically significant differences in the student’s acquisition of these skills between the programs of Francophone and American universities according to their demographic characteristics and majors. Practical Implications: The study will be of great use for concerned authorities, emphasizing on critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Originality/value: The findings revealed a significant correlation between university programs and critical thinking and problem solving skills.


Author(s):  
Eva Cendon

This chapter explores the role of reflection and the development of reflexivity in programs of professional studies in higher education. Serving as empirical basis is a qualitative explorative longitudinal study with students in different master's programs at a University for Professional Studies, considering the students' perspective and their changing understanding and practice of reflection both at the workplace and in their studies. The students' perspective is complemented by an analysis of interviews with teachers in professional master's programs about their teaching strategies supporting students' learning. Linking these two perspectives leads to a developmental model of reflection over the course of studies that allows new ways of interpreting the reflective practitioner in higher education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Lena Pauler-Kuppinger ◽  
Regina Jucks

Many debates in higher education center around the role of approaches to teaching (measured with ATI-R) and impact of academic disciplines (soft vs. hard) on teaching practice, e.g. advice giving. An online study with N = 70 academic teachers was conducted and the advice given was content analyzed. Regression analyses showed that academics with a higher student focus (ATI-R) advised more deep learning strategies. Academics from the soft disciplines wrote longer answers, advised more resource management strategies, and provided more reasons for student self-learning that contained fewer external motivators. Hence, the study supports the role of approaches to teaching and academic disciplines on teaching practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 456-466
Author(s):  
Kateryna Kolesnikova ◽  
Dmytro Lukianov ◽  
Tatyana Olekh

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Landman

A majority of the black community of Dullstroom-Emnotweni in the Mpumalanga highveld in the east of South Africa trace their descent back to the southern Ndebele of the so-called ‘Mapoch Gronden’, who lost their land in the 1880s to become farm workers on their own land. A hundred years later, in 1980, descendants of the ‘Mapoggers’ settled in the newly built ‘township’ of Dullstroom, called Sakhelwe, finding jobs on the railways or as domestic workers. Oral interviews with the inhabitants of Sakhelwe – a name eventually abandoned in favour of Dullstroom- Emnotweni – testify to histories of transition from landowner to farmworker to unskilled labourer. The stories also highlight cultural conflicts between people of Ndebele, Pedi and Swazi descent and the influence of decades of subordination on local identities. Research projects conducted in this and the wider area of the eMakhazeni Local Municipality reveal the struggle to maintain religious, gender and youth identities in the face of competing political interests. Service delivery, higher education, space for women and the role of faith-based organisations in particular seem to be sites of contestation. Churches and their role in development and transformation, where they compete with political parties and state institutions, are the special focus of this study. They attempt to remain free from party politics, but are nevertheless co-opted into contra-culturing the lack of service delivery, poor standards of higher education and inadequate space for women, which are outside their traditional role of sustaining an oppressed community.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Manosalvas Vaca ◽  
Luis Manosalvas Vaca ◽  
Ruth Barba

La presente investigación, analiza los conceptos más importantes del pensamiento Crítico, así como su importancia y utilidad en los procesos de formación profesional a nivel de Posgrado. Se hace un análisis detallado de los conceptos más ampliamente aceptado y de los factores inmersos en el desarrollo y aplicación de este tipo de pensamiento. Finalmente se propone un modelo que engloba los conceptos y factores analizados y como se interrelacionan entre ellos; el objetivo final es brindar a los docentes y directivos de Instituciones de Educación Superior, una herramienta que posibilite la inclusión de este tipo de pensamiento en sus procesos enseñanza-aprendizaje con el fin último de mejorar la calidad de los procesos de formación. Palabras Clave: Pensamiento Crítico, Educación Superior, Educación ABSTRACT This research analyzes the most important concepts of critical thinking as well as their importance and usefulness for the educational processes at graduate level. A detailed analysis of the most widely accepted concepts and factors involved in the development and application of this kind of thinking has been made. Finally, a model that includes the concepts and analyzed factors and their interrelations is proposed; the ultimate goal is to provide teachers and directors of Institutions in Higher Education, a tool that enables the inclusion of this type of thinking in their teaching and learning processes with the ultimate intention of improving the quality of the training processes. Keywords: Critical thinking, Higher Education, Education Recibido: mayo de 2016Aprobado: septiembre de 2016


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