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How to Improve Undergraduate Students’ Critical Thinking in the Classroom: From the Perspective of Critical Theory

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Education and Mobilities

Part of the book series: Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming Education ((PRRE))

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Abstract

A large quantity of research found that Chinese college students are still week at critical thinking. The essay mainly wants to discuss the following questions from the perspective of critical theory: what is critical thinking? Why does critical thinking matter? Why is Chinese undergraduate students’ critical thinking weaker and how to improve their critical thinking in the classroom? Rather than cultural background, the essay argues that students’ previous study experience would influence their critical thinking. University faculty evaluation system and students’ evaluation system would make a difference as well. Given those Chinese existing situation, university faculty evaluation system and students’ evaluation system are strongly recommended to have a change. What’s more, problem-based teaching and dialogue teaching also would be effective.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Ying Zhang

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  1. Ying Zhang
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Correspondence to Ying Zhang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Xudong Zhu

  2. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Jiayong Li

  3. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Mang Li

  4. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Qiang Liu

  5. UCL Institute of Education, London, UK

    Hugh Starkey

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Zhang, Y. (2020). How to Improve Undergraduate Students’ Critical Thinking in the Classroom: From the Perspective of Critical Theory. In: Zhu, X., Li, J., Li, M., Liu, Q., Starkey, H. (eds) Education and Mobilities. Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9031-9_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9031-9_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-9030-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-9031-9

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