1.
CRITHINKEDU
Critical Thinking Across the European Higher Education Curricula
2017

2.
What employers think about critical thinking?
Preliminary research report
Daniela Dumitru, PhD (associate professor)
Bucharest University of Economic Studies
Present research report is a part of the project “Critical thinking across
higher education curricula – CRITHINKEDU” funded by European
Commission under an Erasmus+ grant.

3.
Critical thinking definition
• For this research the definition I use is from Delphi Report “Critical
Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of
Educational Assessment and Instruction” (Facione, 1990):
• Critical thinking skills
• Critical thinking dispositions
2016

4.
• Critical thinking is purposeful, self-regulatory judgment,
which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and
inference, as well as explanation of the evidential,
conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual
considerations upon which that judgment is based. Critical
thinking is an essential tool of inquiry (which also has the
meaning of research, interrogation or question).
• It becomes more and more interesting, because it unfolds
the implications in the personal and social context of the
critical thinking, stating that: critical thinking is a liberating
force in education and a powerful resource in one’s personal
and civic life.
2016

5.
Critical thinking skills
• Analysis
• Interpretation
• Evaluation
• Inference
• Explanation
• Self-regulation
2016

6.
Dispositions to think critically
• Critical thinking is not only cognition or argumentation, but a complex
psychological reality that can be described in terms of a personality
dimension.
• Truth-seeking
• Open-mindedness
• Analyticity
• Systematicity
• Self-confidence
• Inquisitiveness
• Cognitive maturity
2016

7.
• The phrase “disposition toward critical thinking” refers to a person’s
inner motivation toward critical thinking when confronted with
solving problems, evaluating ideas and making decisions (Facione et
al., 1997, apud. Giancarlo, 2004).
2016

8.
Focus groups with employers
• In total 4 focus groups were carried out, all in Bucharest (both face-
to-face and online), with 27 participants representing 3 different
sectors (NGO, public sector and private sector) and 5 different fields:
• Education
• Health
• Administration
• Real estate
• Information and communication technology
2017

9.
2017
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Interpretation
Analysis
Inference
Evaluation
Explanation
Self-regulation
CT skills - Education
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Truth-seeking
Self- confidence
Systematicity
Open-mindedness
AnalyticityInquisitiveness
Cognitive maturity
Social skills/pro-
social behaviour
NEW
Communication
NEW
CT Dispositions - Education

10.
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Interpretation
Analysis
Inference
Evaluation
Explanation
Self-regulation
Administration - CT Skills
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Truth-seeking
Self- confidence
Systematicity
Open-mindedness
AnalyticityInquisitiveness
Cognitive maturity
Social skills/pro-
social behaviour
Creativity
Administration - CT Dispozitions

11.
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Interpretation
Analysis
Inference
Self-regulation
Evaluation
Explanation
Real estate - CT skills
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Truth-seeking
Self- confidence
Systematicity
Open-mindednessInquisitiveness
Analyticity
Cognitive maturity
Real estate Dispositions

12.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
Interpretation
Analysis
Inference
Creativity NEWSelf-regulation
Evaluation
Explanation
Health - CT Skills
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Truth-seeking
Self- confidence
Systematicity
Open-mindedness
Inquisitiveness
Analyticity
Cognitive maturity
Humanistic vaalues
HEALTH - Dispositions

13.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
Interpretation
Inference
Analysis
Self-
regulation
Explanation
Evaluation
ICT - Skills
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Self-
confidence
Open-
mindedness
Inquisitiveness
AnalyticityTruth-seeking
Cognitive
maturity
Systematicity
ICT - Dispositions

14.
Discussions & Conclusions
• There are differences among fields in terms of which dimensions are
emphasized :
• Education: Analysis (S); Cognitive maturity & Communication (D)
• Administration: Interpretation, Analysis, Inference, Evaluation, Explanation
(S); Social skills/ pro-social behavior (D)
• Real estate: Analysis, Inference, Self-regulation (S); Inquisitiveness (D)
• Health: Analysis, Inference (S); Inquisitiveness (D)
• ICT: Evaluation & Self-regulation (S); Open-mindedness (D).
• These findings can be considered as tendencies (no statistical
significance.
2016

15.
Discussions & Conclusions
• Over all, there are fewer mentions of CT skills in comparison to
dispositions.
• It means that, for non-specialists, CT resembles a personality trait, a
part of common sense psychology, and not so much as an ability/skill.
• So it cannot be developed in a few classes, but something that
emerges from years of learning and effort.
• “It is important the development of the ability to look for personal
solutions, unique, original. The employee is responsible for
developing this ability, and then the institution” (employer from
administration).
2016