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Developing Critical Thinking: A Review of Past Efforts as a Framework for a New Approach for Childhood Learning

Book cover Learning, Design, and Technology

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to establish a theoretically grounded and research-based framework to support the development of inquiry and critical thinking skills in children. As a first step in developing the framework, a review of the research literature on critical thinking and inquiry learning was conducted. Noteworthy efforts were found primarily in science domains, such as “The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury” and WISE (Web-based Inquiry Science Environment). Earlier attempts to use the Internet to promote inquiry and critical thinking involved such methodologies as webquests and computer-supported intentional learning environments (e.g., CSILE). One approach not involving modern technologies was the effort of Matthew Lipman to teach logic to young children (e.g., Harry Stottlemeier’s Discovery). Given a growing emphasis on twenty-first-century skills (e.g., communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity), and the evidence from prior work that it is possible to support inquiry learning and critical thinking with and without advanced technologies, an effort was made to see how curricula were changing to embrace those skills, especially at a middle school level when abstract reasoning and habits of mind are developing. We found very few examples of systemic or large-scale changes in curricula, although some organizations (e.g., The Critical Thinking Company) offer support materials. Very little empirical research has been done with young children or with the use of interactive technologies across multiple subject areas. Further, we found no efforts to create a sustained developmental path for the relevant skills and subskills, which are clearly emphasized in the literature on twenty-first-century skills, although rarely implemented on a sustained basic across multiple subjects and school years. As a consequence, we decided that it would be worthwhile to consolidate our findings in the form of a theoretically grounded and research-based framework that could be used to guide efforts to support the early development of inquiry and critical thinking skills in young children.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Learning Technologies, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA

    Shanshan Ma, J. Michael Spector & Lin Lin

  2. Centre for Educational Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India

    Kaushal Kumar Bhagat

  3. NetDragon, Fujian, China

    Dejian Liu

  4. East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Jing Leng

  5. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Dawit T. Tiruneh

  6. Private Consultant, Round Rock, Texas, US

    Jonah Mancini

Authors
  1. Shanshan Ma
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  2. Kaushal Kumar Bhagat
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  3. J. Michael Spector
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  4. Lin Lin
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  5. Dejian Liu
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  6. Jing Leng
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  7. Dawit T. Tiruneh
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  8. Jonah Mancini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Michael Spector .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Info, Ste G150, Univ of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA

    Michael J Spector

  2. School of Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Barbara B Lockee

  3. School of Education, Baker University, Overland Park, KS, USA

    Marcus D. Childress

Section Editor information

  1. Distance Education Center, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Hale Ilgaz

  2. Instituto Tecnológico de Saltillo, Saltillo, Mexico

    Gloria Natividad

  3. Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

    Arif Altun

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Ma, S. et al. (2020). Developing Critical Thinking: A Review of Past Efforts as a Framework for a New Approach for Childhood Learning. In: Spector, M., Lockee, B., Childress, M. (eds) Learning, Design, and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_161-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_161-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-17727-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-17727-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

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  1. Latest

    Developing Critical Thinking: A Review of Past Efforts as a Framework for a New Approach for Childhood Learning
    Published:
    07 July 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_161-2

  2. Original

    Developing Critical Thinking: A Review of Past Efforts as a Framework for a New Approach for Childhood Learning
    Published:
    14 January 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_161-1

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