A Conceptual Framework for Critical Thinking-Based Implementations

Abstract

As definitions of thinking terms and their sub-components differ greatly, it is vital to border conceptual framework and set of definitions to be adopted within a scientific study in thinking fields. The present article aims to offer a conceptual framework for critical thinking-based implementations. The review article was carried out by two-stage content analysis. In the preliminary stage, Google, Google Scholar and Council of Higher Education Turkey National Thesis Center databases were scanned with “eleştirel düşünme” and “critical thinking” keywords. In the second stage, the review was deepen and broaden. The results of the review indicated that critical thinking should be taught in all age groups both in course contents in an interdisciplinary way and as a separate thinking skills course; critical thinking studies should be comprehensive and longitudinal; they should target improving critical thinking directly. Such studies should also present activities and daily life examples of critical thinking directing learners to use principal terms of thinking to regulate their thinking processes. It is possible to make comparisons with previously known templates such as taxonomy of learning objectives and the stages of scientific inquiry to support learners to understand critical thinking. It can be recommended that studies combine more than one higher order thinking skill such as critical thinking and creative thinking collectively as higher order thinking can be designed.