Critical Thinking inside College Classrooms: Evidence from Four Institutional Case Studies. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

This comparative case study investigated instructional methods that effectively enhance the development of students' critical thinking. Four institutions were selected for study; two at which students reported experiencing high degrees of growth in the ability to think critically, and two at which students reported experiencing low degrees of growth. Analysis of the data, which came primarily from 55 interviews and 28 classroom observations, suggests that the development of critical thinking is linked to an emphasis on writing and rewriting. At the two schools scoring high on an institutional growth in critical thinking (IGCT) measure, there was a strong focus on writing, a focus absent from the two schools that scored low on IGCT. At one school (high IGCT, low selectivity) a curricular policy stipulates that writing be an integral part of all course programs (which are taught by a multi-disciplinary team of faculty members). Another classroom factor that appears related to the development of critical thinking is an emphasis on class discussion, which again exists at the two high IGCT institutions. Appendices include a table showing selection criterion for case study sites, a summary of classroom observation data, and descriptions of categories for the observation data. (Contains 38 references.) (RH)