How Is Teacher Critical Thinking Approached, Defined, Measured, and Evaluated? A Systematic Methodological Review

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Synthesizing Research on Critical Issues in Education and Discussing Best Practices for Doing So (Table 31)

Abstract

This systematic review analyzes the research methodologies of 98 peer-reviewed empirical studies on teacher critical thinking published between 2011 and 2021. The results show that teacher critical thinking: 1) is mainly approached through quantitative research methodologies and positioned as a dependent variable; 2) lacks clear definitions especially the ones taking the uniqueness of teachers’ professional work into consideration; 3) is measured by multiple forms of instruments with differing validity and reliability; 4) is predominantly evaluated through within-sample comparison and criteria-based assessment while no study uses norm-based evaluation. These research findings constitute a critical description of the methodological landscape of the existing literature on teacher critical thinking and suggest needed and promising lines of inquiry for future research.

Authors

• Wei Liao, Beijing Normal University

• Wei Liu, Guizhou Normal University

• Rui Yuan, University of Macau