scholarly journals Importance and possibilities of development of critical thinking in the university: the teacher's perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
María-José Bezanilla ◽  
Héctor Galindo-Domínguez ◽  
Manuel Poblete

In our globalised, pluralistic, and often information-swamped society, critical thinking is recognised as an important competence to be developed in university education. In order to investigate this, 142 Latin American and Spanish teachers were asked about the importance of and potential for developing critical thinking in university education. Their responses were subjected to an inductive analysis, which lead to 13 categories about the reasons why it is important, and 11 categories about the potential and limitations for developing it in university education. These categories were found to remain statistically unchanged regardless of age, years of teaching experience, area of knowledge, gender and geographical area. Results show that teachers consider important to teach critical thinking at university and mainly for students to become good professionals in a complex world. Teachers believe it is possible to teach it, as long as active methodologies are used, in addition to other reasons, such as taking into account the lack of interest and preparation about critical thinking that students bring to university. Getting to know university teacher´s views about the importance and possibilities of teaching and learning critical thinking is crucial for the establishment of meaningful curriculum plans and learning activities for its development. 

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12730
Author(s):  
Diego Vergara ◽  
Álvaro Antón-Sancho ◽  
Jamil Extremera ◽  
Pablo Fernández-Arias

Given that the university teachers with more experience in the use of virtual reality are those corresponding to the areas of Health Sciences and of Engineering and Architecture, this article analyzes the assessment these teachers make about virtual reality as a teaching resource in their respective disciplines. The study uses a questionnaire that assesses the technical aspects and future projection of virtual reality, its drawbacks and the perception of the different dimensions of the participants’ knowledge about virtual reality and its didactic employability. The questionnaire was answered by a sample of 423 university teachers of different genders, ages, academic level and teaching experience, whose teaching activity is developed in various Latin American universities in the area of Health Sciences or in the area of Engineering/Architecture. Their answers have been analyzed descriptively and Spearman’s r statistics and the Multifactor ANOVA test have been used to verify the existence of significant differences in their evaluations for the different variables considered, cross-referencing them with the field of knowledge. Within the main results, gaps by area, years of teaching experience and academic level in the participants’ evaluations have been identified and discussed.


Author(s):  
Sebastian D.G. Knowles

At Fault: James Joyce and the Crisis of the Modern University argues that American universities have lost their way and that the works of James Joyce will put them back on the scent. In American university education today, an excess of caution has led to a serious error in our education system. To be “at fault” is to have lost one’s path: the university’s current crisis in confidence can be addressed by attending to the lessons that Joyce teaches us. Joyce models risk-taking in all three areas of the academic enterprise: research, teaching, and service. His texts go out of bounds, resisting the end, pushing beyond themselves. Joyce writes in an outlaw language, and the acknowledgment of failure is written into every right action. At stake is the enterprise of humanism: without an appreciation of error, and an understanding of infinite possibility, the university will calcify and lose its right to lead the nations of the world. The book draws upon the author’s thirty years of teaching experience to demonstrate what works in the classroom when teaching Joyce and makes a powerful contribution to debates on interdisciplinarity and university teaching. There are chapters on centrifugal motion, gramophones, elephants, fox-hunting, philately, brain mapping, and baseball: a compendium of approaches befitting the ever-expanding world of James Joyce.


GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 21-28
Author(s):  
Abasiama G. Akpan ◽  
Chris Eriye Tralagba

Electronic learning or online learning is a part of recent education which is dramatically used in universities all over the world. As well as the use and integration of e-learning is at the crucial stage in all developing countries. It is the most significant part of education that enhances and improves the educational system. This paper is to examine the hindrances that influence e-learning in Nigerian university system. In order to have an inclusive research, a case study research was performed in Evangel University, Akaeze, southeast of Nigeria. The paper demonstrates similar hindrances on country side. This research is a blend of questionnaires and interviews, the questionnaires was distributed to lecturers and an interview was conducted with management and information technology unit. Research had shown the use of e-learning in university education which has influenced effectively and efficiently the education system and that the University education in Nigeria is at the crucial stage of e-learning. Hence, some of the hindrances are avoiding unbeaten integration of e-learning. The aim of this research is to unravel the barriers that impede the integration of e-learning in universities in Nigeria. Nevertheless, e-learning has modified the teaching and learning approach but integration is faced with many challenges in Nigerian University.


Author(s):  
Alshaima Saleh Alyafei

The current study investigates the beliefs held by science teachers on constructivism and a traditional approach in Qatar government primary schools. More specifically, it aims to investigate the challenges that science teachers experience during inquiry-based learning implementation. A web-based survey was conducted in order to collect data from grades 4 to 6 science teachers. A total of 112 science teachers responded and completed the survey on a voluntary basis. The results indicate that science teachers hold a higher beliefs in constructivism than traditional approach. A T-test and ANOVA analysis have showed that there is no significant differences between the beliefs of science teachers’ and their gender, level of education, and years of teaching experience. In addition, science teachers faced challenges in lesson planning, assessment, and teacher support.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Ribeiro ◽  
Juliana Paulin

Context: Rethinking mathematics teaching practices in a university context is an emerging research theme. Objectives: In this article, we aim to discuss the limits and possibilities of using mathematical tasks in the teaching and learning processes of the concepts of Derivative, Integral and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Design: The study is based on a qualitative-interpretative perspective of research, with methodological procedures inspired by a Design-Based Research. Environment and participants: The research was developed with students attending a Functions of a Variable class in a public university in the state of São Paulo. Data collection and analysis: Data were collected through mathematical tasks on Differential and Integral Calculus solved by students. The protocols produced were analysed, pointing out the main aspects identified, which led us to organize categories of analysis and dimensions (i) knowledges mobilized and developed by students in relation to mathematical concepts; (ii) main errors and difficulties presented by students in the development of tasks; (iii) limits and possibilities of the practice of exploratory teaching in the university context. Results: The results reveal aspects that characterize a process of resignifying the mathematical concepts discussed with the students and a deepening of their knowledge about the concepts of the DIC. Conclusions: As future notes, we suggest rethinking university teaching practice, since the study indicated possibilities and potentialities of the use of exploratory tasks in the teaching of Differential and Integral Calculus.


2022 ◽  
pp. 76-94
Author(s):  
Nicoleta Duță

This chapter approaches the problematic of communication in teaching-learning activities in higher education during the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors have proposed to present a theoretical and practical approach to the effective communication in teaching, with the objective of knowing which are the opinions of students on communication skills and motivation of them in the classroom. The study included a total of 261 students from different faculties at the University of Bucharest, who were a Likert-scale survey in the period May -July 2020. Results of the analysis of research data shows that students have seen their ability to concentrate and motivation to perform tasks affected, but they did not leave university. In this respect, most difficulties were in carrying out teamwork than individual. The adaptations made by the university during confinement have been positively appreciated. The research findings coming according to recent studies confirm that without communication the teaching and learning process will not take place.


2019 ◽  
Vol 292 ◽  
pp. 03011
Author(s):  
Whe-Min Wang ◽  
Horng-Jinh Chang

In the beginning of 21 century, there is dramatically change in education, whatever students’ age, all enthusiastic in cell-phone and game playing, as my experience teaching in the university of OIT, how can I draw students’ attention in the class is difficult. This article is from the perspective of a teacher to understand the current teaching problems. Including the two courses I taught, economic and management, I used the comparison of average score and standard deviation, which have a slowly upward. I also compare students’ learning questionnaires which I conducted in 2014-2017, it reflects students’ learning dilemmas, these deserves our in-depth study. Why students skip classes? Why their learning effectiveness decreasing, also the problems emerges and this point to school teachers, I inspect teachers’ performance in the paper to assure if there is room for teachers’ improvement.


Author(s):  
Herland Franley Manalu ◽  
Diana Anggraeni ◽  
Asrul Munazar

The increment of concern in the use of online learning tools into English Language Teaching to adopt the Industrial Revolution 4.0 has inspired this study to examine students’ thoughts on Edmodo, as one of the online learning tools, at the English Literature department within the University of Bangka Belitung. Edmodo is used by the researchers to discuss the students’ attitude in improving their English skills. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and interview. A Likert scale questionnaire was administered and open-ended interviews were conducted to get more information from the students. Data were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed by using SPSS v.22 Software. The results reveal that the Edmodo usage is aiding students’ cooperation in small group discussions, reflecting that teaching and learning activities established on the ground of communicative teaching method were able to improve cooperation and communication, raising students’ motivation to take part and involve in various learning and also empowering them to be self-determining and be more responsible for their own learning. This study is an endeavor to attract more researchers to do further investigations on this area within the Indonesian English learners at the university level.


Author(s):  
Marie Vander Kloet

It is increasingly understood that university education must be accessible to persons with disabilities. The responsibility to make the university accessible is arguably shared by all of us and yet, the extent to which it has become fully accessible is certainly suspect. By undertaking qualitative, discursive analysis of websites, online texts and other materials provided by Ontario’s teaching and learning centres, this paper seeks to do two things. First, it provides a critical overview of the types of training currently available at Ontario universities for teaching assistants on accessibility and teaching. This review will outline initiatives directed towards compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements, those focused on education and advocacy (as well as areas of overlap) and broader equity training which encompasses accessibility. Second, this paper, considering the content of the reviewed material and informed by critical disability studies, offers up an articulation of future directions for research, writing, advocacy, and training on teaching assistant development on accessible teaching. Il est de plus en plus accepté que l’éducation universitaire doit être accessible aux personnes handicapées. Certes, la responsabilité de rendre l’université accessible est partagée par tous et pourtant, la mesure dans laquelle celle-ci est devenue totalement accessible est sans nul doute suspecte. Après avoir entrepris des analyses qualitatives et discursives de sites web, de textes en ligne et d’autres documents fournis par des centres d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de l’Ontario, on cherche dans cet article à accomplir deux choses. Tout d’abord, l’article présente un aperçu critique des types de formation disponibles à l’heure actuelle dans les universités de l’Ontario à l’intention des enseignants auxiliaires sur l’accessibilité et l’enseignement. Cet examen va décrire les initiatives mises en place en vue de répondre aux exigences de la Loi sur l’accessibilité pour les Ontariens handicapés, ainsi que celles qui se concentrent sur l’éducation et la promotion des intérêts (et sur des domaines qui se chevauchent) et celles qui se rapportent à une formation plus vaste sur l’équité qui englobe l’accessibilité. Ensuite, prenant en considération le contenu des documents examinés et des études critiques sur la situation des personnes handicapées, l’article offre des propositions de directions futures pour la recherche, la rédaction, la promotion des intérêts et la formation en vue du développement professionnel des enseignants auxiliaires en matière d’enseignement accessible.


2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-27
Author(s):  
Tidita Abdurrahmani

The study aims to analyse the results of “Teacher Qualification Exam” in Albania, and to link these results with teacher preparation curricula taught in public universities. The methodology of research includes desk research on the literature about curricula and teacher continuous professional development, elaboration of the results of the testing of 3064 teachers, analysis of the university teacher preparation curricula in terms of skills development, the elaboration of the results of questionnaires developed by novice teachers, and in depth interviews with students graduating from the education departments. As a result, the research shows the relationships amongst the curricula developed in the teacher preparation faculties in Albania, the poor results of novice teachers involved in the induction scheme, and the comparatively low results of teachers pertaining to the third category of the Qualification Scheme (novice teachers having no more than 5 years of teaching experience) in Albania. It is advisable to adopt a better professional development scheme. Key words: desk research, novice teachers, teacher qualification.


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