If today’s adolescents are not becoming critically literate, then the nearly infinite number of texts with which they engage, are being accepted blindly or simply ignored. There are adolescents who do question texts, but what are the meanings they make from them. This research focuses on the question, “How do adolescents use critical literacy to navigate/negotiate the texts in their lives?” Through classroom observation and interviews with the students as informants, I collected qualitative data that I used to develop a Critical Engagement Continuum. The Continuum provides a framework how adolescents engage with a variety of texts, from critical thinking to critical literacy. Conclusions show that most participants’ comments fell towards the critical thinking end of the continuum and few made mention of any social justice issues or transformative thinking which categorizes the critical literacy end. Recommendations are made for teachers looking to develop a critically literate classroom. / Graduate

Critical thinking is crucial in public health due to the increasingly complex challenges faced by this field, including disease prevention, illness management, economic forces, and changes in the health system. Although there is a lack of consensus about how practitioners and educators view critical thinking, such skills are essential to the functions of applying theories and scientific research to public health interventions (Rabinowitz, 2012). The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between critical thinking skills used by public health practitioners and critical thinking skills taught to graduate students in schools/programs of public health. Through interviews with public health practitioners and instructors twelve distinct critical thinking skills were identified. Findings of this study indicate that many critical thinking skills used by practitioners are aligned with those taught in courses, such as analysis, identification and assessment of a problem, information seeking, questioning, and reflection. This study also identified conceptualizing, evaluating, interpreting, predicting, reasoning, and synthesizing as critical thinking skills that may not be receiving the explicit attention deserved in both the workplace and the classroom. A high percentage of practitioners identified explaining as a critical thinking skill often used in the field, while few instructors reported teaching this skill. The results of this study have important implications for informing public health curricula and workforce development programs about critical thinking. Further, this research serves as a model for other professions to explore the relationship between critical thinking skills used by practitioners and those taught in higher education.

Sigrid Wangensteen has the recent years been engaged in doctoral studies at Karlstad University in combination with teaching at the bachelor program in nursing at Gjøvik Universtity College. This doctoral thesis is focused on newly graduated nurses, their perception of competence, critical thinking dispositions, research use and their experiences of being a nurse during their first year as a nurse. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. The very first period of time was experienced as tough but when looking back the newly graduated nurses appreciated the tough time. They described the need for a supportive environment, and gaining competence through managing challenging situations. The leadership role constituted the main difference between being a student and being a nurse. In the quantitative study the nurses perceived their competence as good, rating the Helping role competence category highest and the Ensuring quality competence category lowest. With respect to critical thinking the CCTDI total scores indicated a positive disposition. As regards the CCTDI subscale scores the nurses reported highest values for intellectual curiosity (Inquisitiveness) and lowest for intellectual honesty (Truth-seeking). The nurses reported a positive attitude towards research, but only 24% were classified as research users. Supportive environment was a significant predictor for research use. Critical thinking was a prominent predictor for attitude towards research, for research use and perception of competence. Nurse leaders in clinical practice and nurse educators in nursing education and clinical practice play an important role in nurturing student nurses and newly graduated nurses with respect to critical thinking. There is a need to assess whether teaching strategies meet the requirements of critical thinking and EBP in nursing education.

In 1995 an Aesthetics and Arts Criticism substrand was included in The Arts Curriculum and Standards Framework document for schools in Victoria, Australia. The researcher believed that in order to implement the new curriculum requirements and cope with the complexities that accompanied the emergence of postmodern art, teachers would need to alter their practice and find strategies for encouraging greater student participation and critical thinking in art room discussions. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (M. Ed.)--Kutztown University, 1989. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2749. Abstract precedes title page. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A. in education)--Washington State University, December 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-102). Also available via the World Wide Web

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 200-222).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tennessee Technological University, 2006. / Bibliography: leaves 46-53.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-46).

Thesis (M.I.T.)--The Evergreen State College, 2007. / Title from title screen viewed (4/10/2008). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-78).