Critical Thinking in Study Process and Labour Market: Phenomenographic Study

Abstract:

In many countries, higher education has similar goals – contributing to personal development and preparing students for the labour market and for life as active citizens in democratic societies. Critical thinking is a competence that is considered equally important for both personal growth and professional and social life. This is recognised not only by academia, but also by the world of labour.

The purpose of this chapter is to reveal how teachers, students, employers and employees understand critical thinking, and how critical thinking manifests itself in the specific context of studies and the labour market. This chapter consists of three sections. The first section discusses the research methodology of phenomenography. The choice of the phenomenographic research method, the characteristics of the research participants, the research performance and data analysis processes, and research ethics and validity are discussed in detail. The second section presents an analysis of the manifestation of critical thinking in the higher education study process. The understanding of critical thinking and teaching and learning experiences of higher education participants – teachers and students – are discussed. The third section presents the manifestation of critical thinking in the labour market. The understanding of critical thinking and the experience of critical thinking in real professional practice of the participants of the labour market process – employers and employees – are revealed.