Critical Thinking in Higher Education: A Comparative Essay Analysis

This essay delves into the concept of critical thinking within the context of higher education, drawing on two key articles to explore different perspectives. The essay examines how students' perceptions and approaches to critical thinking vary, influenced by factors such as the university environment, teaching methods, and individual learning styles. It highlights the importance of critical thinking as a core skill for students, emphasizing its role in evaluating information, forming reasoned judgments, and engaging with complex ideas. The analysis includes discussions on how critical thinking is fostered through various stages, including setting learning objectives, employing questioning techniques, and providing opportunities for self-assessment. The essay concludes by underscoring the significance of disciplined learning and organized thinking in developing critical thinking abilities, ultimately preparing students to engage thoughtfully with the world around them.

Running Head: ENGLISH
English
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1ENGLISH
The two chosen articles that are relevant to the topic and can be used in the essay are:
Bahr, N. (2010). Thinking critically about critical thinking in higher education. International
journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 4(2),
- The article states that the thinking about the concept of higher education is not properly
understood as the perception of every student is different about higher education. They have
different view about the classrooms of the university, environment, professors, students,
faculties, education system and about the overall university life
(digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu). This article studies the students’ insight of critical
thinking in an Australian university and this article highlights the difference of thinking
between the students and the staffs. The way of critical thinking of the students and the staffs
changes the attribute of the student as a graduate and that of the staff as a guide. However,
this article also says that the students to some extent share the similar definition about the
critical thinking in spite of having different thoughts about critical thinking in higher
education. The allusions about critical thinking is that this is the desire to try to find new
things, the patience in spite of having doubts, the affection to meditate and the tardiness to
assert things and the steadiness to consider the new environment and the carefulness of the
students to set in the order of the university. This article also highlights the point that critical
thinking is gaining attention in the universities and is a key element for almost every
university. Critical thinking is important part of education for the schools and the definition
of successful learners is partially related to the critical thinking. The definition of a
successful learner is a student who has the power to think deeply, evaluate the evidences in
organised manner because of learning in a disciplined way.

2ENGLISH
Duron, R., Limbach, B., & Waugh, W. (2006). Critical thinking framework for any
discipline. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 17(2), 160-
166.
In the second article, thinking is marked to be a natural activity but it is often biased, partial
or prejudiced. However, critical thinking is known as the ability by which a student analyses
and evaluates information. The students who are critical thinkers often initiate various
questions on higher education and pursue different point of view about the university and its
related things. Critical thinking is very important as it is needed in the university and helps
the students deal with the questions that arise in them and to understand people and avoid
problems. Critical thinking of any student about higher education is dependent on the
teachers, the environment and the practices of development. This article states that there are
various stages, which initiate the critical thinking concept in the students. Those are to
determine the objectives of learning, teaching by use of questions, practising of the students
before the promoting the learning, monitoring of the review of the students and improving
them. After the improvement is done, providing the students to opportunity to have their own
self assessment so that the students can be able to determine their own skills and critically
think over it and finally target the students with critical thinking in higher education to
determine the objectives.
In the conclusion it can be said that, both the articles are based on the critical thinking about
the matter of higher education. The feedback of the student is very important because the
students have to think very critically to give a proper feedback. They have to think about the
overall learning objectives and then provide the feedback and this will give them the idea of
critical thinking and introduce in them various question which they will clarify themselves.

3ENGLISH
The disciplined and organised learning that the students have also constructs critical thinking
in the students and the students then needs to listen more than just to learn. So it can be said
that the critical thinking is the process of preparing a concept, evaluating the information and
then recasting the improved form of thinking.