Critical Thinking In Stem: A Qualitative Study Of Community College Teaching Techniques

Abstract

There is evidence in the literature that teaching critical thinking in college courses helps students to gain critical thinking skills. There is also a lack of research on what community college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers are doing to teach critical thinking skills. This qualitative research study was conducted to discover what techniques community college teachers in STEM disciplines believe are useful for teaching critical thinking skills. The research was conducted using a basic qualitative research design that employed interviews to discover the instructional experiences of community college teachers currently teaching in STEM disciplines. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparative method to determine common themes. Findings of the study included descriptions of modeling critical thinking skills, allowing students to practice using the skills, and assessing the critical thinking skills using a skills-based assessment. The described useful practices also included the requirement of analysis throughout, including analysis of data, analysis of process, and analysis of thinking.