© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Critical Thinking:Conceptual definition

Peter A. Facione Noreen C. FacioneSanta Clara U UC San Francisco

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Critical Thinking

Purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which manifests itself in reasoned consideration of evidence, context,

methods, standards, and conceptualizations in deciding what to believe or what to do.

The Delphi Report: Executive Summary: (1990), The California Academic Press, or ERIC Doc ED315 423

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Willing and Able to Think

Skills

Dispositions

Two aspects ofcritical thinking

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Core Critical Thinking Skills Interact

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Definition of Interpretation

To categorize

To decode the significance To clarify the meaning

To categorize

To decode the significance To clarify the meaning

Formulate categories, distinctions, or frameworks for understanding, describing or characterizing information.

The Delphi Report: Executive Summary: (1990), The California Academic Press, or ERIC Doc ED315 423

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

To categorize To decode the significance

To clarify the meaning

To categorize To decode the significance

To clarify the meaning

Detect or describe the content, affective purport, directive functions, motives, purposes, social significance, values, views, rules, criteria, or inferential relationships expressed in language, drawings, graphs, social behaviors, symbols, etc’Discern the use of irony or rhetorical questions.

Definition of Interpretation

The Delphi Report: Executive Summary: (1990), The California Academic Press, or ERIC Doc ED315 423

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

To categorize To decode the significance To clarify the meaning

Definition of Interpretation

To paraphrase the contextual or intended meanings of ideas, or make ideas more explicit, through stipulation, description, behaviors, symbols, rules, analogy or figurative expression, etc.To remove vagueness and ambiguity by developing distinctions for preserving conceptual differences and intended meanings.

The Delphi Report: Executive Summary: (1990), The California Academic Press, or ERIC Doc ED315 423

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

CT Skills Test Scores by SexCT Skills Test Scores by Sex

• Females: n =2,088, mean 15.40, s.d. 4.3• Males: n = 234, mean 15.42, s.d. 4.8

Finding: No significant difference at entry.

• Females: n = 924, mean 16.10, s.d. 4.3• Males: n = 103, mean 16.07, s.d. 5.3

Finding: No significant difference at exit.

• Females: n =2,088, mean 15.40, s.d. 4.3• Males: n = 234, mean 15.42, s.d. 4.8

Finding: No significant difference at entry.

• Females: n = 924, mean 16.10, s.d. 4.3• Males: n = 103, mean 16.07, s.d. 5.3

Finding: No significant difference at exit.

Facione,N. (1997). Nursing Aggregate Data Analysis Study

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Critical Thinking Skills by AgeCritical Thinking Skills by Age

n = 2,340 mean age = 28.31 years age, standard deviation = 8.97 r = -.007

Finding: Correlation of CT skills test scores with age is not significant.

n = 2,340 mean age = 28.31 years age, standard deviation = 8.97 r = -.007

Finding: Correlation of CT skills test scores with age is not significant.

Facione,N. (1997). Nursing Aggregate Data Analysis Study

Habits and SkillsNurtured and Honed by Use

Equally ImportantPractical

ExperienceContent

Knowledge

Critical Thinking

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

The Facione Model of Reasoned Judgment

Relevant KnowledgeEstimated Risk

Affective Responses

Perceived Consequences

HabitsFacilitating FactorsConstraining FactorsCultural Norms

Personality, Thinking Skills, Creativity, Philosophical Orientation

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

CT in Reasoned Judgment

Definition of the ProblemSelection of the Optimal ResolutionApplicability of each element of one’s

Philosophical Orientationquality and nature of evidencetheory, concepts, and constructsmethods and techniques of inquiryrelevance of standards/criteriacontext of this judgment relative to all else

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

What sort of person..? Makes purposeful self-regulatory

judgments by giving reasoned consideration to

• evidence• context• theory / conceptualizations• methods• standards

One driven by the consistent internal motivation to engage one’s cognitive skills in problem framing and solving

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Characteristics of a Critical Thinker

Truth-seekingOpen-mindedAnalyticalSystematicCT- Confident InquisitiveCognitively

Mature

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

CT Dispositional Pairings

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

How to Nurture Thinking in Working and Learning

Expect and reward virtueEvaluate processes, not results onlyPresent information from the bottom up,

explaining why, not just whatReplace rote training with thoughtful

mentoringBuild a culture of reasoned, evidence-

based thinking

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Professional Judgment:

A goal oriented decision-making or problem-solving

processcarried out by a professional

acting in the interests of a client.

In the process of making this judgment, the professional takesinto consideration the context, criteria, data, concepts, and methods.

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

The Contexts of Judgment

Novel ………………………………. Familiar

Complex………..……….....……… Singular High Stakes………………..….. Low Stakes Time Constrained….…………..… Relaxed Specialized………... Common Knowledge Spontaneous………..………….… Planned Individual…………....……....

Collaborative

How well do the teaching and testing contextsmatch the professional practice contexts?

© 1998, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA.

Critical thinking -

purposeful self-regulatory judgment - can be...

AssessedLearnedTaughtDefined