Critical Thinking Skills in Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Many educators' goals include preparing students to think critically, which is also a quality sought by employers of university graduates. As a result, critical thinking skill is seen as a significant factor in the educational process. Many academics and researchers have recently conducted studies on the advantages and impacts of critical thinking skills in various fields, the benefits of which have been widely addressed in educational curricula. The aim of this study is to analyze the existing literature related to critical thinking in educational curricula through a systematic literature review. This paper analyses literature through electronic databases obtained primarily from Scopus. 754 publications published between the years 1944 to 2020 were retrieved for further analysis. Various tools were employed, namely Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, and Harzing’s Publish or Perish. The results of this study are presented using common bibliometric indicators like as research productivity in term of publication year, document type, subject area, keywords analysis, authorship, and citation analysis. Overall, the increase in number of works on critical thinking in teaching indicates growing awareness on its importance and specific requirements in the 21st century learning education. This paper also discusses about the critical thinking skills that are employed in the field of education. Teachers can differentiate and comprehend the critical thinking skills approach in teaching strategy in order to reduce failures and boost productivity.