A Mixed Study of Beliefs about Critical Thinking in a Sample of Trainee Teachers in Argentina and Spain

Abstract

Critical thinking is a competence that is recommended to be learned with increasing emphasis from different national and international organizations in the fields of education and employability. The aim of this study was to analyze and describe the beliefs that Argentine and Spanish teachers who have received training in socioeducational intervention have about critical competence. A mixed-methods research study was developed by administering questionnaires and conducting focus group sessions in a sample of 153 trainee secondary school teachers holding different degrees. The results indicated that the sample subjects unanimously considered critical thinking to be essential for their professional development, but few teachers considered these skills to have been sufficiently developed. There were no significant differences between nationalities or between genders except for some variables linked to the role of universities. As a practical implication of these results, the importance of developing specific teaching–learning programs about critical competence in universities must be emphasized, especially in the degree programs whose ultimate aim is to educate individuals and groups.