critical thinking skills for your social work degree

Helping you to thrive and succeed in your chosen profession  

Critical Thinking Skills for your Social Work Degree

• Nursing & Midwifery
• Social Work

Research output : Book/Report › Book

Publication series

T1 - Critical Thinking Skills for your Social Work Degree

AU - Bottomley, Jane

AU - Cartney, Patricia

AU - Pryjmachuk, Steven

PY - 2019/4

Y1 - 2019/4

SN - 9781912508655

T3 - Critical Study Skills

BT - Critical Thinking Skills for your Social Work Degree

PB - Critical Publishing

CY - St Albans

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Health & Nursing

Courses and certificates.

• Bachelor's Degrees
• View all Business Bachelor's Degrees
• Business Management – B.S. Business Administration
• Healthcare Administration – B.S.
• Human Resource Management – B.S. Business Administration
• Information Technology Management – B.S. Business Administration
• Marketing – B.S. Business Administration
• Accounting – B.S. Business Administration
• Finance – B.S.
• Supply Chain and Operations Management – B.S.
• Accelerated Information Technology Bachelor's and Master's Degree (from the School of Technology)
• Health Information Management – B.S. (from the Leavitt School of Health)

Master's Degrees

• View all Business Master's Degrees
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• MBA Information Technology Management
• MBA Healthcare Management
• Management and Leadership – M.S.
• Accounting – M.S.
• Marketing – M.S.
• Human Resource Management – M.S.
• Master of Healthcare Administration (from the Leavitt School of Health)
• Data Analytics – M.S. (from the School of Technology)
• Information Technology Management – M.S. (from the School of Technology)
• Education Technology and Instructional Design – M.Ed. (from the School of Education)

Certificates

• View all Business Degrees

Bachelor's Preparing For Licensure

• View all Education Bachelor's Degrees
• Elementary Education – B.A.
• Special Education and Elementary Education (Dual Licensure) – B.A.
• Special Education (Mild-to-Moderate) – B.A.
• Mathematics Education (Middle Grades) – B.S.
• Mathematics Education (Secondary)– B.S.
• Science Education (Middle Grades) – B.S.
• Science Education (Secondary Chemistry) – B.S.
• Science Education (Secondary Physics) – B.S.
• Science Education (Secondary Biological Sciences) – B.S.
• Science Education (Secondary Earth Science)– B.S.
• View all Education Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in Education Degrees

• Educational Studies – B.A.

Master of Science in Education Degrees

• View all Education Master's Degrees
• Curriculum and Instruction – M.S.
• Educational Leadership – M.S.
• Education Technology and Instructional Design – M.Ed.

Master's Preparing for Licensure

• Teaching, Elementary Education – M.A.
• Teaching, English Education (Secondary) – M.A.
• Teaching, Mathematics Education (Middle Grades) – M.A.
• Teaching, Mathematics Education (Secondary) – M.A.
• Teaching, Science Education (Secondary) – M.A.
• Teaching, Special Education (K-12) – M.A.

Licensure Information

• State Teaching Licensure Information

Master's Degrees for Teachers

• Mathematics Education (K-6) – M.A.
• Mathematics Education (Middle Grade) – M.A.
• Mathematics Education (Secondary) – M.A.
• English Language Learning (PreK-12) – M.A.
• Endorsement Preparation Program, English Language Learning (PreK-12)
• Science Education (Middle Grades) – M.A.
• Science Education (Secondary Chemistry) – M.A.
• Science Education (Secondary Physics) – M.A.
• Science Education (Secondary Biological Sciences) – M.A.
• Science Education (Secondary Earth Science)– M.A.
• View all Technology Bachelor's Degrees
• Cloud Computing – B.S.
• Computer Science – B.S.
• Cybersecurity and Information Assurance – B.S.
• Data Analytics – B.S.
• Information Technology – B.S.
• Network Engineering and Security – B.S.
• Software Engineering – B.S.
• Accelerated Information Technology Bachelor's and Master's Degree
• Information Technology Management – B.S. Business Administration (from the School of Business)
• View all Technology Master's Degrees
• Cybersecurity and Information Assurance – M.S.
• Data Analytics – M.S.
• Information Technology Management – M.S.
• MBA Information Technology Management (from the School of Business)
• Full Stack Engineering
• Web Application Deployment and Support
• Front End Web Development
• Back End Web Development

3rd Party Certifications

• IT Certifications Included in WGU Degrees
• View all Technology Degrees
• View all Health & Nursing Bachelor's Degrees
• Nursing (RN-to-BSN online) – B.S.
• Nursing (Prelicensure) – B.S. (Available in select states)
• Health Information Management – B.S.
• Health and Human Services – B.S.
• Psychology – B.S.
• Health Science – B.S.
• Healthcare Administration – B.S. (from the School of Business)
• View all Nursing Post-Master's Certificates
• Nursing Education—Post-Master's Certificate
• Nursing Leadership and Management—Post-Master's Certificate
• Family Nurse Practitioner—Post-Master's Certificate
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner —Post-Master's Certificate
• View all Health & Nursing Degrees
• View all Nursing & Health Master's Degrees
• Nursing – Education (BSN-to-MSN Program) – M.S.
• Nursing – Leadership and Management (BSN-to-MSN Program) – M.S.
• Nursing – Nursing Informatics (BSN-to-MSN Program) – M.S.
• Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (BSN-to-MSN Program) – M.S. (Available in select states)
• Nursing – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (BSN-to-MSN Program) – M.S. (Available in select states)
• Nursing – Education (RN-to-MSN Program) – M.S.
• Nursing – Leadership and Management (RN-to-MSN Program) – M.S.
• Nursing – Nursing Informatics (RN-to-MSN Program) – M.S.
• Master of Healthcare Administration
• MBA Healthcare Management (from the School of Business)
• Business Leadership (with the School of Business)
• Supply Chain (with the School of Business)
• Back End Web Development (with the School of Technology)
• Front End Web Development (with the School of Technology)
• Web Application Deployment and Support (with the School of Technology)
• Full Stack Engineering (with the School of Technology)
• Single Courses
• Course Bundles

Apply for Admission

Admission requirements.

• New Students
• WGU Returning Graduates
• WGU Readmission
• Enrollment Checklist
• Accessibility
• Accommodation Request
• School of Education Admission Requirements
• School of Business Admission Requirements
• School of Technology Admission Requirements
• Leavitt School of Health Admission Requirements

Additional Requirements

• Computer Requirements
• No Standardized Testing
• Clinical and Student Teaching Information

Transferring

• FAQs about Transferring
• Transfer to WGU
• Transferrable Certifications
• Request WGU Transcripts
• International Transfer Credit
• Tuition and Fees
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships

Other Ways to Pay for School

• Tuition—School of Business
• Tuition—School of Education
• Tuition—School of Technology
• Tuition—Leavitt School of Health
• Your Financial Obligations
• Tuition Comparison
• Applying for Financial Aid
• State Grants
• Consumer Information Guide
• Responsible Borrowing Initiative
• Higher Education Relief Fund

FAFSA Support

• Net Price Calculator
• FAFSA Simplification
• See All Scholarships
• Military Scholarships
• State Scholarships
• Scholarship FAQs

Payment Options

• Payment Plans
• Corporate Reimbursement
• Current Student Hardship Assistance
• Military Tuition Assistance

WGU Experience

• How You'll Learn
• Scheduling/Assessments
• Accreditation
• Student Support/Faculty
• Military Students
• Part-Time Options
• Virtual Military Education Resource Center
• Student Outcomes
• Return on Investment
• Students and Gradutes
• Career Growth
• Student Resources
• Communities
• Testimonials
• Career Guides
• Skills Guides
• Online Degrees
• All Degrees
• Explore Your Options

Admissions & Transfers

• Admissions Overview

Tuition & Financial Aid

Student Success

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Military and Veterans
• Commencement
• Careers at WGU
• Advancement & Giving
• Partnering with WGU

WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY

Developing your critical thinking skills, critical thinking skills, critical thinking skills are the navigational tools needed for everyday life and in any professional journey. they enable you to analyze and solve complex problems effectively, allowing you to gain a competitive edge and empowering you to make smarter decisions.    .

With these skills, you’ll be able to think outside the box, adapt to change, and handle risks with greater efficiency. By improving your critical thinking abilities, you're setting yourself up to succeed in any field. 

This guide explores different types of critical thinking skills and how you can learn and apply them in your everyday life.

What Are Critical Thinking Skills?

Critical thinking skills refer to your ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret information in a logical and systematic manner to determine possible solutions. Think of it as employing objective reasoning and sound judgment to assess situations, solve problems, make decisions, and draw meaningful conclusions.

These skills assist you in thinking clearly and making sensible decisions when needed to solve problems, make better choices, think independently, consider multiple viewpoints, and apply thoughtful analysis to complex issues.

Why Are Critical Thinking Skills Important?

Critical thinking skills are highly valued by employers and are crucial in today's job market for several reasons. Let’s have a look at why these skills are important:

• Decision-making: You can make informed decisions based on careful analysis, which leads to more effective decision-making, minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities. 
• Effective problem-solving: These skills provide the foundation for effective problem-solving in different professional contexts. These skills equip you to effectively identify, define, and analyze problems from different perspectives.
• Promote open-mindedness: Critical thinking leads to innovative ideas and approaches that will make you challenge assumptions. These challenges lead to innovative ideas and approaches. 
• Effective communication: By enabling you to clearly organize your thoughts and articulate ideas, critical thinking skills promote effective communication.

What are the Benefits of Having Critical Thinking Skills?

As mentioned above, critical thinking skills are crucial in every profession and enable you to stand out and succeed in your field. Let’s explore some of the benefits of critical thinking skills and how they add value to your profession:

Stronger analytical abilities: You enhance your analytical thinking capabilities, allowing you to gather, assess, and interpret data effectively. Using logical reasoning, you can identify patterns, extract relevant insights, and draw meaningful conclusions from complex information. This skill is valuable in problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic planning.  

Flexibility: Being flexible enables you to adapt to changing circumstances and swiftly navigate uncertainties. By considering multiple perspectives, evaluating information gathered, and adjusting your thinking, you can adapt your strategies and approaches to respond effectively to evolving situations. This adaptability is crucial in today's fast-changing work environments. 

Lifelong learning: By embracing a growth mindset and engaging in lifelong learning, you can acquire new skills, question assumptions, seek new knowledge, critically evaluate your beliefs, and stay relevant in your chosen field.  

Vision clarity: Having a clear vision enables you to forecast situations and goals. Critical thinking skills provide a framework for purposeful action. This concept also guarantees that your efforts are consistently directed toward achieving the desired outcomes.

Endless possibilities: Solid critical thinking skills allow you to uncover an array of potential outcomes, ideas, and opportunities to go beyond the familiar. 

Examples of Critical Thinking Skills in the Workplace

Critical thinking skills can be applied in many ways across various professions. Here are some practical examples:

Analysis: You can ask relevant questions, evaluate evidence, and draw logical conclusions based on available information. You can uncover a trend or problem through analysis and make a well-informed decision based on your findings. 

Evaluation: You can weigh different perspectives, consider biases or limitations, and make informed judgments about the quality and validity of information or claims presented. You can distinguish between credible and unreliable sources by evaluating evidence, claims, or proposals and determining the best cause of action.

Creative thinking: Thinking creatively means being innovative, embracing new perspectives, and engaging in divergent thinking to discover fresh insights and possibilities.  

Inference: You can draw logical conclusions based on available evidence, observations, or patterns. By making reasoned judgments and connecting pieces of information, you can delve deeper into complex situations leading to better solutions. 

Reflection: You can critically examine your thoughts, beliefs, and experiences. By displaying self-awareness and introspection, you enhance self-directed learning and promote continuous improvement.  

How Will I Use Critical Thinking Skills?

By developing and applying critical thinking skills, you will be better equipped to navigate complex work environments, contribute to organizational success, and excel in your chosen career path. 

These skills are applicable across various professional roles and industries. For example, with IT careers, you can use critical thinking skills in the following fields:

IT Career: In the IT industry, critical thinking skills are essential for problem-solving and troubleshooting. For example, you’ll be able to analyze the symptoms, gather relevant information, and evaluate potential causes. IT careers such as risk analysts , information manager and IT manager require solid critical thinking skills.

With health careers you can use critical thinking skills in the workplace. This includes:

Accurate diagnoses and treatment decisions: Critical thinking skills are crucial for the hospital environment and beyond.  For instance, as a nurse or doctor with strong critical thinking skills, you will carefully assess a patient's symptoms, review medical history, and analyze test results. Most careers in healthcare such as community health workers , ICU nurses , medical records manager , etc., require these skills.

With education careers, you’ll discover how critical thinking skills are useful in the classroom and beyond:

Designing engaging classroom activities: As a teacher with strong critical thinking skills, you’ll design engaging classroom activities and questions. You can promote problem-solving and creative learning. Most careers in education such as teaching assistants , preschool teachers , and even high school teachers need these skills.

With business professions you incorporate critical thinking skills into everyday decisions in the workplace:

Evaluating market trends: As a decision-maker in business, critical thinking skills help you evaluate market trends, analyze financial data, and assess potential risks and opportunities. You’ll use logical reasoning and sound judgment to make informed business-related decisions such as product development, resource allocation, and business strategies. Most business-related careers such as project management, actuary , human resources management , etc., need these skills.

Critical thinking skills provide a foundation for thoughtful approaches in each field.

How Can I Learn Critical Thinking Skills?

At WGU, our curriculum is designed to foster critical thinking skills by incorporating interactive and thought-provoking course content. 

Our courses are structured to encourage active learning and provide opportunities to apply critical thinking skills in different subject areas.  

For example, in the Leavitt School of Health , the following degree programs teach critical thinking as part of the coursework:

• BS Nursing (BSRN) 
• BS Nursing (RN- to BSN Degree), BSNU
• BS Nursing-Prelicensure (BSPRN) 

In nursing and other health-related degrees, you’ll learn to:

• Identify reliable and credible sources of information. 
• Identify different academic arguments concerning a particular issue.
• Identify potential sources of bias when analyzing a given issue. 
• Gather relevant facts to form a judgment.
• Analyze data from various sources and contexts. 

In critical thinking courses, you’ll encounter challenging concepts, case studies, and real-world scenarios that require critical analysis and problem-solving. 

You’ll be able to engage in collaborative learning activities, such as group projects, discussions, and simulations. You’ll also complete a capstone project that integrates and applies the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired. 

These activities encourage you to share ideas, consider diverse perspectives, and provide an opportunity to demonstrate your proficiency in critical thinking while also showcasing your ability to apply it practically. 

Our goal at WGU is to provide a comprehensive learning experience that enhances your critical thinking skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is critical thinking used in everyday life?

You can apply critical thinking to various aspects of everyday life, such as:

• Making logical decisions when solving problems. 
• Assessing the credibility of the information you encounter online to avoid being misled or scammed.
• Understanding and questioning norms, biases, and stereotypes leading to a change in policies and social justice. 

How do you say you’re good at critical thinking in your résumé?

You must provide concrete examples to demonstrate your abilities as a critical thinker in your résumé. 

For example, you can describe situations where you successfully applied critical thinking to solve problems or make decisions. 

You can also provide relevant certifications or coursework if you’ve completed any courses or certifications related to critical thinking. Make sure that you highlight them in the education section of your résumé.

What are the barriers to critical thinking?

There are various factors that can limit your ability to think critically:

• Allowing emotions to influence your thinking process.
• Conforming to cultural and social norms.
• Lacking access to accurate information about a subject. 
• Having insufficient time to thoroughly evaluate information.
• Lacking exposure to situations that require critical thinking.

Find Your Degree

Are you ready to embark on an exciting journey where your analytical reasoning and problem-solving abilities set you apart? 

Take the degree quiz and find the perfect degree program for you. Prepare to embrace a future of exciting possibilities and success in every facet of your life.

The University

For students.

• Student Portal
• Alumni Services

Most Visited Links

• Business Programs
• Student Experience
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Student Communities

Research Repository

All Output Person Project

Critical thinking skills for your social work degree.

Henderson, lauren.

Lauren Henderson

This book is one of four key titles in a new series of study skills texts for social work students. The material contained in the book focuses on the foundations of critical thinking, reflective practice, and critical reading and writing. A link is made to the British Association of Social Workers’ [BASW] Professional Capabilities Framework, highlighting this as a key professional document in relation to critical thinking, in social work education and practice. The book is aimed at all students and social workers in training, including international students. The book is intended to guide students towards an understanding of the meaning of ‘critical thinking’ and how to apply this to practice. Reflective practice is viewed as central to this process, with the aim of supporting students to find, what the authors refer to as, their ‘own voice’.

HENDERSON, L. 2020. Critical thinking skills for your social work degree. Journal of social work [online], 20(5), pages 696-697. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017320939368

HENDERSON 2020 Critical thinking (112 Kb) PDF

Licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

You might also like

Weathering the storm. (2022) Presentation / Conference

Downloadable Citations

About OpenAIR@RGU

Administrator e-mail: [email protected]

This application uses the following open-source libraries:

SheetJS Community Edition

Apache License Version 2.0 ( http://www.apache.org/licenses/ )

Font Awesome

SIL OFL 1.1 ( http://scripts.sil.org/OFL )

MIT License ( http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html )

CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ )

Powered by Worktribe © 2024

Advanced Search

all of any of

London Metropolitan University Library Guides

• Library services
• Special collections
• Partnerships
• Materials & Products collection
• Reading for Pleasure and Wellbeing
• Visual Arts Library
• Reading lists
• Reading lists guide
• Reading lists website

Social Work

• Key databases
• Key Journals
• Housing Studies
• Other resources
• Study and Research Skills
• Research tools
• Referencing This link opens in a new window

Study skills for Social Work

Research, Dissertations, Projects and Theses for Social Work

General Study Skills

• Academic Writing Hub (student's area) Contains short videos and examples on academic writing for students in higher eduation.

• << Previous: Other resources
• Next: Research tools >>
• Last Updated: Mar 7, 2024 3:19 PM
• URL: https://libguides.londonmet.ac.uk/social-work

Open Access is an initiative that aims to make scientific research freely available to all. To date our community has made over 100 million downloads. It’s based on principles of collaboration, unobstructed discovery, and, most importantly, scientific progression. As PhD students, we found it difficult to access the research we needed, so we decided to create a new Open Access publisher that levels the playing field for scientists across the world. How? By making research easy to access, and puts the academic needs of the researchers before the business interests of publishers.

We are a community of more than 103,000 authors and editors from 3,291 institutions spanning 160 countries, including Nobel Prize winners and some of the world’s most-cited researchers. Publishing on IntechOpen allows authors to earn citations and find new collaborators, meaning more people see your work not only from your own field of study, but from other related fields too.

Brief introduction to this section that descibes Open Access especially from an IntechOpen perspective

Want to get in touch? Contact our London head office or media team here

Our team is growing all the time, so we’re always on the lookout for smart people who want to help us reshape the world of scientific publishing.

Home > Books > Empathy Study

Critical Thinking in Social Work Training

Submitted: 14 July 2019 Reviewed: 04 September 2019 Published: 15 November 2019

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.89538

Cite this chapter

There are two ways to cite this chapter:

From the Edited Volume

Empathy Study

Edited by Makiko Kondo and Bala Nikku

To purchase hard copies of this book, please contact the representative in India: CBS Publishers & Distributors Pvt. Ltd. www.cbspd.com | [email protected]

Chapter metrics overview

1,262 Chapter Downloads

Impact of this chapter

Total Chapter Downloads on intechopen.com

Total Chapter Views on intechopen.com

It is the look at the that leads us to questioning and the answers guide us to updating and the production of knowledge. There is always, in the debates of social work professionals, the question of the search for an intervention project that gives a new meaning to the profession in order to respond, not only theoretically coherent but also efficiently, to the demands placed upon them. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the importance of critical thinking in the training of social workers. The research is based on an exploratory study carried out with recently graduated university students, whose results point to the benefits of this soft skill in the ability to analyze, understand interactions, detect inconsistencies, systematic problem-solving, reflect on beliefs and values, and reintegrate information as a whole.

• critical thinking
• social work
• soft skills

Author Information

Helena belchior-rocha *.

• Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal

Inês Casquilho-Martins

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

1. Introduction

The development of skills in critical thinking by students of higher education is nowadays, faced by the challenges of society and the job market place, essential for professional and personal success. This theme has been the subject of increasing reflection and encouragement by different national and international bodies and entities, such as A3ES, 1 the European Commission, OECD, the World Economic Forum, etc. However, despite the interest expressed, there is still a long way for critical thinking to be a generalized priority in the pedagogical practices of teachers, promoted in an intentional, systematic, and transversal way to any area of knowledge.

Thinking about it, in 2009, the Soft Skills Lab (SSL) with the intention of giving students the possibility of complementing their curriculum with soft skills, among which is critical thinking, was created in our university. 2 Being both teachers in social work and critical thinking at the LCT, we decided to carry out this exploratory study to understand the impact of this curricular unit on newly graduated students.

A partial and non-critical view can compromise the performance of any professional, and it is no different with social workers. Common sense concepts are so embedded in our society that even social work students, most of the time, at the beginning of the graduation have a completely wrong idea about what the profession is. The knowledge provided by common sense lead people to believe that the social worker is a kind of a good Samaritan, and this is only one of the challenges students are going to face.

Over time, reality is altered and new conceptions are incorporated into the way of living, learning, acting, interacting, and thinking. The new resources that are constantly added to the already existing ones have or should have the purpose of better serving the individual and society in general. Dealing with the new and complex situations of the contemporary world requires more and more expertise in ways of thinking and acting and relating. Faced with this reality of constant transformations, how can we find autonomy to decide on what is relevant, important, pertinent, and ethical? Critical thinking fits into this question, when it serves as a filter to select what should be harnessed or discarded in this actual avalanche of instantaneous information.

Reflective analysis on the theoretical foundations and intervention models allows social workers to re-equate the directionality of professional action in the context of critical thinking that frames objectivity and questions the reality where it is intervened, as well as the meaning of this intervention in its micro, meso, and macro levels from local to global and from global to local, an exercise that social works constantly need.

As Granja says:

Knowing in Social Work means understanding the social problems as total social phenomena that arise from the operation of the structures and social relations, without denying the particularity of the individual processes and act with a mission to prevent and repair the structural inefficiencies that prevent the poorest from accessing indispensable resources for building themselves as full citizens [ 1 ].

Knowledge about the transformation of social reality requires an investment that results from a reflexive activity involving professionals, in a link between theoretical knowledge and practice, through an interdisciplinary approach that requires a theoretical synthesis built with other areas of social sciences, namely psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics, law, public and social policies, among others, which aims to “change the systems of opportunities, promote social relations dynamics and overcoming the deficit of civic participation” [ 1 ].

Social work practice focuses on social problems, that is, lack of income, unemployment, isolation and breakdown of social ties, domestic violence, children and young people at risk, school drop-out and failure, and migrants and refugees, among many others which by their complexity require a multidimensional combination of vulnerability and the articulation with structural phenomena and current social policies.

It is better evident for all the importance that critical thinking has in the education of future professionals, although it is nothing new, given the fact that is always in the debates of social work professionals the question of the search for an intervention project that gives a new meaning to the profession in order to respond, not only theoretically coherent but also efficiently, to the demands placed.

Social work as a profession has always demanded critical abilities and qualities from its practitioners because decisions have to be made “on the spot” and under pressure. With practice situations being so complex, the consequences of any decisions and action are extremely important [ 2 ].

A reflexive practice leads to thinking through the mediation of concepts and allows to reconstruct the problems and to construct new ways of solving problems. The ability to select data and identify patterns in the professional activity in order to be recognized and transmissible to become sources of knowledge and to be prepare for lifelong learning. For the development of this reflection, it is necessary to have a structured thought about the phenomena that allow analyzing and constructing operational representations.

This requirement goes beyond “competent practice” and demands “critical practice” [ 3 ], and the development of “critical being,” that is, a person who not only reflects critically on knowledge but also develops their powers of critical self-reflection and critical action [ 4 ].

In the research that Ford et al. [ 5 , 6 ] made on criticality with students in social work education, these ideas have been explored and they conclude that the intellectual resources for critical thinking are: (1) background knowledge; (2) critical concepts; (3) critical thinking standards; (4) strategies; and (5) habits of mind. This allows us to realize that this process has to be permanent and rooted as a mindset.

The more we know about a situation and the circumstances that caused it, the better we can articulate with a structural question, be it social, economic, cultural, or political, including beliefs, values in order to clarify the range of available options and solutions, so that the professional can make an informed decision about the problems that are dealing with.

Beginning to deal with this type of “how to” knowledge is where a practitioner’s ignorance becomes obvious and can cause anxiety. It may well be the reason why many new qualified workers take a very prescriptive, rule-based approach to try to ensure they do not do anything wrong. In many ways such a focus on detail and correctness ensures that practitioners can be more critically aware of what they are doing than experienced workers who have established routines [ 2 ].

Gray et al. add that “Social workers need to examine closely the strengths and limitations of research evidence. Regardless of how strong the evidence for a particular intervention might be, social workers are in a position where they must critically reflect on their work in the political, social, organizational, and interpersonal contexts, make professional judgements, engage in debate with decision-makers about resource allocation, negotiate appropriate practices and, when necessary, argue convincingly for the effectiveness of the work that is done. This requires skills in formulating and presenting well-supported arguments and the interpersonal and written communication skills to convey a position convincingly” [ 7 ].

Based on these assumptions, we did a review of the literature and developed an exploratory study with the aim of understanding the perception of recent students in social work about the importance of critical thinking.

2. The importance of critical thinking in education

According to the literature, the importance of critical thinking skills is recognized in the academic and professional contexts, in which the need to implement measures that facilitate their development and awareness of their usefulness is mentioned.

We find several approaches to critical thinking, some more vague, others more objective, but we cannot easily find a consensus between them, either in terms of definition, in terms of the terminology used, or in the type of methodology designed to develop it [ 8 , 9 ].

The scientific areas in which we can find greater literary production and investigation around critical thinking are philosophy, psychology, and education [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].

We find different contributions from the disciplinary areas mentioned above in an attempt to define critical thinking, and there are no definitions that fit exclusively in one or another area, since many of these authors cross the areas in terms of the research they develop. It is not our goal to find the best definition of critical thinking, or even the most complete one. The various theories focus on different aspects, put the focus on different circumstances, conceptualized in a way that is not always consensual and sometimes even antagonistic. Despite the differences, we find, in these definitions, points of convergence that we think allow us to have a perception about what critical thinking might actually be [ 10 , 13 ].

An argument goes from the premises to the conclusion and is one in which there are good reasons for the assumptions to be true, and in addition, the premises have good reasons to support or support the conclusion.

It is focused initially on the holistic assessment of a situation, not explicit reasoning and analysis. In other words, they establish the inductive or deductive links necessary to bring the different parts of a situation into a meaningful whole, to allow it to make sense. Every situation one experiences and faces may be different, but it is imperative to know enough of the parties to make general sense of the whole in order to start dealing with it.

The foundation for critical thinking defines critical thinking as:

the type of thinking—about any subject, content, or problem—in which the thinker improves the quality of his thinking by competently analyzing, evaluating and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective. It presupposes consent to rigorous standards of excellence and a conscious control of its use. It implies effective communication and problem-solving skills, as well as a commitment to surpass our natural egocentrism and sociocentrism [ 14 ].

According to the Delphi Report, referenced by Facione, in addition to the skills associated with critical thinking, there are still a set of aptitudes, divided into two approaches: one related to life skills in general, and another related to specific issues, doubts, and problems. Regarding the first, the Delphi Report describes the following as critical thinker’s skills: (1) curiosity over a wide variety of issues; (2) concern about becoming and staying well informed; (3) alert to opportunities to use critical thinking; (4) trust in the rational research process; (5) confidence in your own reasoning abilities; (6) open mind regarding divergent views about the world; (7) flexibility when considering alternatives and opinions; (8) understanding of the opinions of others; (9) honesty in the evaluation of reasoning; (10) honesty when confronted by our own egocentric and sociocentric prejudices, stereotypes, and tendencies; (11) caution in the suspension, elaboration or alteration of judgments; and (12) predisposition to reconsider and revise viewpoints, where honest reflection suggests change is necessary [ 15 , 16 ].

Regarding the approach related to specific issues, the Delphi Report refers the following as aptitudes: (1) clarity in affirming an issue or concern; (2) method in dealing with complexity; (3) diligence in searching for relevant information; (4) reasonability in the selection and application of criteria; (5) concern to focus attention on the subject; (6) persistence despite any difficulties that may arise; and (7) accuracy to the level allowed by subject and circumstance.

Critical thinking is multidimensional, encompassing the intellectual (logic, rationality), psychological (self-consciousness, empathy), sociological (in terms of socio-historical context), ethics (norms and moral evaluation), and philosophical (meaning of nature and human life) [ 17 ].

It is also due to its characteristics of transversatility and multidimensionality that the authors argue that critical thinking has for centuries been the basis for the creation and maintenance of a democratic and democratically participative society, qualified by an active, pluralistic, and autonomous citizenship [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].

In education, we highlight pioneering authors who have emphasized critical thinking (although with other terminologies), from the Greek philosopher Socrates and the concepts of “knowledge” and “maièutica,” to the American philosopher, psychologist, and educator John Dewey, and reflection on “thinking” and “reflecting” [ 23 , 24 ].

Dewey is even considered the “father” of the modern tradition of critical thinking [ 25 ] when, in the early twentieth century, he advocated the need for education to prepare students for the complex demands of citizenship and the world of work [ 26 ].

The debate about the operationalization of critical thinking, the development and teaching of critical thinking, the skills of critical thinking, and the evaluation of critical thinking, are thus essential topics in education from the last decades of the twentieth century until now, specifically for social work, a recent study in this area recommends a future research agenda for critical thinking [ 27 ]. As competence, or set of competencies, critical thinking can be developed and evaluated. In this sense, the exploratory study presented here intends to contribute to the evaluation of the importance that students attribute to critical thinking, as well as to the evaluation of critical thinking as competence.

2.1 Social work education and critical thinking

The twentieth century imposes on contemporary social work the challenge of establishing theoretical categories and methodologies that broaden its interdisciplinary horizon and stimulate the conception of the human being as a builder of its own reality [ 28 ]. The increasing complexity leads us to the search for alternatives, skills, and a competence to manage the theoretical-practical process, related to the attempt to understand the reality in constant movement, the tendencies and the possibilities that are put to our daily lives.

Social work education in Portugal according to Branco [ 29 ] “focuses on the dynamics of break and continuity between its pivotal socio-political periods and international influences” the same author in its latest article marks these periods saying that:

The social work education itinerary in Portugal during the period between the Republican Regime foundations (1910), the constitution of Estado Novo (1933–1945), the succession of Salazar (1968), the revolutionary crises associated with the Carnation Revolution of 1974 and the academisation period (1989 to the present) [ 29 ].

Questions related to the production of knowledge and the dissemination of this same knowledge arise later (also for socio-historical reasons), with the affirmation of the profession as a specific area of knowledge. In Portugal, with the development of the academic career in the area of social work, (undergraduate, master, and doctorate), the theoretical and practical dimensions, namely training, intervention, and research, have been developing and, consequently, we have assisted to a greater theoretical production (in the form of theses, dissertations, articles, and books) and an intensification of the research effort and its dissemination, which has given to Portuguese social work a greater visibility among the scientific community [ 30 ].

Consequently, the construction of knowledge was imposed as a means of awareness of the subjects involved in the teaching-learning process, in a critical perspective of knowledge as a tool for the realization of the political-professional ethical project and for the transformation of the socio-institutional and political- cultural reality. This awareness has undoubtedly been one of the means for advancing professional maturity.

The experience of this critical thinking course comes from the university, where the study was done through the creation in 2009 of a Cross Skills Laboratory to give students extra skills with the aim of developing a reflexive practice that, rather than aiming at the constitution of a stabilized knowledge, intends to develop the capacities of reflexivity and action; understand the importance of critical thinking in academic and professional context; identify the elements and analyze simple and complex arguments; recognize errors on daily speech; assess the quality of arguments and argumentative texts; and create simple and complex arguments in oral debates and written texts. The students that successfully complete this curriculum unit will be able to analyze arguments regarding their structure and content; argue on an issue; identify the deductive validity on propositions; and question arguments, identifying its weaknesses.

According to Jones “Critical thinking can lead us to open up self-doubt and this is a good thing because it lead us to really examine why we think and act as we do” [ 31 ] and “Developing an ability to understand why you react and think as you do is part of a recognition of you own inner resources” [ 31 ] this author also argues that:

To be able to think about how we, and others, think—thinking about thinking. In doing this you will be thinking about the reasoning, motives and arguments of others. You will have the ability to see all sides of the question and analyze its strengths and weak-in these [ 31 ].

And is corroborated by other authors that alert us by saying that

The technical rationality model also fails to recognize how understanding is developed from the integration of theory and practice (…) Reflective learning incorporates both theoretical and practical themes and issues and seeks to integrate these—to open a dialogue between theory and practice [ 32 ].

It is a continuous process of reflection and allows the interveners to develop their theory directly from their experience. In addition, it allows you to “tailor” your intervention to each specific context using a range of non-defined skills and perspectives.

3. Methodology

The present study is exploratory and quantitative and aims to understand the perception of recent graduate students in social work on the importance of learning critical thinking in higher education and its impact on the labor market.

It aims to identify the potential of learning critical thinking during its formation, including future usefulness in the professional field. Although we do not intend to prove hypotheses, we seek to explore the results based not only on the perception of the respondents, but also to categorize the critical-thinking skills acquired as potentialities in teaching in social work and as knowledge of support to the professional exercise.

In a universe of 154 newly graduated students between 2015 and 2017, whose training integrated the curricular unit of critical thinking in their curriculum, we used an intentional sample of 79 individuals recently graduated in social work.

A bibliographical review was made on the subject and we used as a data collection technician, a questionnaire in which we used a Likert scale of level 5. The Likert scales [ 33 ] are widely used to measure postures and opinions with a higher level of a question of “yes” or “no,” in this questionnaire was composed of a set of sentences (items) in relation to each one of which the respondents were asked to express the degree of agreement from the non-positive (level 1), until very positive (level 5). We also added two questions to understand the degree of satisfaction with the critical thinking training with a scale from 0 to 10, in which 0 was totally dissatisfied and 10 totally satisfied and an open question to perceive the benefits and disadvantages of learning critical thinking.

The questionnaire was divided into two parts: socio-demographic characterization and the identification of the importance of critical thinking contribution as training in its learning.

The age of the participants is between 21 and 45 years, with an average of 24.5 years, mostly females, 87.3, 91.1% Portuguese and 78.5% is inserted in the job market (as social workers) and 94.4% attended this curricular unit in the first year of the degree.

Ability to analyze

Systematic problem solving

Understand interactions and detect inconsistencies

Reflection on beliefs and values

The reintegration of information as a whole

We are aware that one of the limitations of this study is that there is no credit for its generalization [ 34 ] given the fact that it has a small sample (although representative in terms of results for our university) and is exploratory.

Another limitation is that the respondents themselves may have given skewed responses because they know the purpose of the study, they may want to appreciate the university that formed them and give answers that they consider “correct.” It was attempted to overcome this limitation by saying that both the institution and the participants would be anonymous.

We intend to continue this study in a first phase at national level with partnerships with other universities and later extend to a study in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal-Spain).

The results show that the majority of respondents considered that the contents seized in their critical thinking training were positive or very positive with Likert scores (1–5) between 4.53 and 3.89. The average of responses in the different categories considered the impact of the contents acquired positive 50.55% and very positive 35.27%, understanding this competence as an active element of learning as students, stimulating a clear, logical, and organized thinking, helping to develop the necessary skills during the frequency of higher education and currently in the labor market ( Figure 1 ).

Distribution of respondents’ answers on the current impacts of content acquired during their training.

According to the results, the greatest impact of learning was reflected in the development of strategies for decision-making and in the capacity to train a rigorous analytical view, both with a mean score in the answers of 4.53 (Likert scale-Ls). These figures translate into the impacts of these two categories, which were considered positive by 36.71% of the respondents and very positive by 58.23%. It is also noted that 5.06% of the respondents consider neither positive nor negative.

The identification of the barriers to critical thinking obtained the highest percentage of answers with the classification of positives (67.09%) along with the diagnosis in problem solving (63.29%). In the categories of preparation for problem solving and articulation of daily information, there was a balanced preference for responses, mainly considering positive or very positive.

Respondents answered that the impact on the preparation for problem solving was both very positive (44.30%) and positive (44.30%), considering neither positive or negative 10.13% nor negative 1.27%. In the articulation of information with the everyday situations, 46.84% was very positive, 44.30 positive, and 8.86 neither positive nor negative.

Regarding the ability to identify argumentation errors, 25.32% of the respondents answered that the impacts were neither positive nor negative. This is the category in which neutrality assumes greater expression, although it continues to be less than the responses that consider the very positive (37.97%) and positive (36.71%).

As for the less-valued aspects, but still with an average that considers these competences as positive, are the dimensions of acquisition of learning strategies through reading (3.89 Ls) and acquisition of learning strategies through listening (3.99 Ls). The responses in these two categories vary in their distribution, and the acquisition of learning strategies through reading 32.91% of the respondents considered that the impact of this competence was neither positive nor negative, while 45.57% considered that it was positive and 21.52% which was very positive.

Regarding the acquisition of learning strategies through listening 20.25% considered that was very positive, 59.49% positive, 18.99% that was neither positive nor negative, and 1.27 responded that the impact was negative.

In the acquisition of research techniques and information systematization, most of the answers were positive 55.23%, positive for 22.78% of the respondents, and 16.46% neither positive nor negative. This competence was the one with a residual value, presented the highest percentage of responses that considered the negative impact (2.53%).

The comprehension of the structure of an argumentative text and the acquisition of competences for an argumentative discourse were both considered 55 by 0.70% of the respondents as having a positive impact. The understanding of the structure of an argumentative text also registered 34.18% of responses that indicate a very positive impact and 10.13% that consider that the impact was neither positive nor negative.

In the acquisition of competences for a care argumentative discourse 33.91% considered to have had a very positive impact and 11.39% did not have a positive or negative impact. The ability to develop abstract reasoning was for 26.58% of the respondents considered very positive, 53.16% positive, and 20.25% neither negative nor positive. The break with common sense was perceived as a competence with a very positive impact by 53.16% of the respondents, 37.97% answered that the impact on this competence was very positive, and the remaining ones were neither positive nor negative, 8.86%.

Finally, the acquisition of skills for clear and objective writing had 48.10% considering that the impact of the contents acquired was positive, followed by 26.71% of the responses as very positive and 15.19% which was neither positive nor negative. Other aspects analyzed were the satisfaction with the curricular unit of critical thinking and professional satisfaction, as well as the aspects that were considered as advantages or disadvantages in their training.

Using a satisfaction scale of 0–10 in which 0 is totally unsatisfied and 10 is fully satisfied, the highest number of equal answers with the classification 8 regarding satisfaction with the program they had in their training of critical thinking was 32.91% of the respondents and 34.18% with the same classification relative to the importance in the labor market. The answers ranged from 4 to 10 in both questions, with the average rating being 7.57 and 7.67, respectively.

In addition to the satisfaction with critical thinking learning in both academic and professional spheres, among the main advantages, respondents identified the improvement of their attention and observation abilities of the real world, as well as the contribution in the decision-making supported by an exercise of rational discernment. It was also mentioned the improvement of the capacities to identify key ideas avoiding irrelevant elements, the facilitation in the process of transmitting ideas and perspectives, and the development of this competence to various situations and contexts. There were no disadvantages to register except for the reference to the difficulty in interpreting texts and access to scientific sources of information.

About the importance of critical thinking associated with the issue of values and beliefs and of a more comprehensive thinking, respondents considered the knowledge acquired with critical thinking as extremely important because it allows them to question universal opinions, general judgments, and mind-beliefs, in order to be able to perform quality work in their intervention with people.

5. Discussion

This exploratory study gives us the perception that the recent graduate students in social work who attended the critical thinking curricular unit valued this learning in their training, but also in the usefulness and articulation with the job market.

Participants’ responses show that the majority of respondents considered that the competences learned in their training in critical thinking were positive or very positive, with critical thinking being an active element in their higher education, stimulating reflection and acting capacities in the service domain of a clear, logical and systematized form, helping to develop the skills needed during higher education attendance and currently in the labor market.

5.1 Ability to analyze

Among the dimensions analyzed stand the development of strategies to support decision-making and analytical capacity through rigorous and systematized procedures. The development of strategies for decision-making includes efficient, quick, and objective forms of planning in the analysis of situations. Here, it includes the ways of acting in complex situations that aim for more efficient and effective responses through thought patterns that can increase the confidence and assertiveness of the responses when implementing them.

The training capacity of a rigorous analytical vision leads to a cognitive reflection, free of opinions and value judgments, focusing on a critical action of analysis of information, facts and events, and managing to select and systematize what is significant in an idea developed or presented. It also promotes a process of evaluation of evidence and facts at the expense of opinions, as well as a reflection on the issues in a structured, logical, and informed way.

The acquisition of research techniques and systematization of information refers to the training of valid and reliable bibliographic research and the careful use of information sources. It is necessary to establish critical thinking in premises based on evidence, supported by theoretical or empirical data.

Although with a less significant expression, the competences of acquiring learning strategies through reading and listening are also present in the development of this competence. It is important to apply research and information selection processes in written texts, the analysis of written narratives, and documentary information to support the development of critical thinking, as well as the listening of oral, synchronous, or asynchronous narratives that allow the acquisition of information to support the construction of logical and consistent reasoning.

5.2 Systematic problem solving

It is also highlighted the importance of critical thinking as support for diagnosis and problem solving, focusing on the ability to analyze and evaluate situations, looking at them by different prisms, particularly in relation to issues associated with ideologies, religion, ethics, or human behavior.

The preparation of these professionals for the resolution of problems and for the articulation of daily information promotes competences for an accuracy in the way they reflected and act when facing questions that imply the analysis of a complex situation, dilemmas or unforeseen situations, developing the training for think and anticipate problems critically, generating solutions that are useful in solving problems, in project management or in the way different parts of an activity or task is developed.

In this field, the capacity to observe reality and current analysis through the collection and application of information in plural and multidimensional contexts is highlighted and allows the development of forms of analysis and adaptation in different areas and groups in the face of a diversified reality of constant transformations.

5.3 Understand interactions and detect inconsistencies

The understanding of the structure of an argumentative text and the acquisition of competences for the construction of a discourse are developed competences that allow the identification of reasons and conclusions, together with the evaluation of the premises that support the presented conclusions.

It encompasses the ability to identify points of view in a clear, systematic, and objective way, identifying simple and complex lines of reasoning. It also contributes to a better communication and interaction with others, achieving through a clearer discourse to present convincing quality arguments and reinforcing points of view in a structured way.

This relates to a process that involves conscious choices, supported by evidence that gives strength to our discourse, be it oral or written, allowing cumulatively to be able to interpret and deconstruct our ideas and others ideas. It also allows for an evolution in the capacities of relationship and communication, making possible the selection about what is more or less relevant.

The ability to detect inconsistencies in performance, through the identification of fallacies, refers to the development of the ability to recognize the most common argumentations failures and to be attentive to failures in the arguments of others.

It makes possible to identify errors of argumentation with a competence that contributes to finding weaknesses and strengths in the discourses of others and be able to counteract them, as well as to formulate its own arguments. It also highlights the ability to recognize information manipulation techniques and fallacies and present a well-grounded, clear, and organized perspective in order to convince others. It also promotes a correct grammatical and conceptual use, avoiding abstract, vague or general terms that compromise attention-getting to what is central to the argument, through precise, specific, and concrete language.

5.4 Reflection on beliefs and values

The importance of overcoming the barriers to critical thinking are recognized as a relevant aspect that refers to the pertinence of the approach of this theme, resulting in the development of skills of conceptualization of criticism and overcoming inhibition to criticism and in the ability to be free of emotional influences or affective, avoiding that they affect the clarity of the reasoning and must be analyzed by the evidences.

Also, it is recognized that common sense is capable of creating absolutisms all the time and the tendency of the great mass of our society is to absorb them easily; creating a vision of the world capable of guiding our whole existence. We are hardly willing to question what is going on around us and seek a second opinion of the facts. Instead, we prefer the convenience of thinking like others, following the vast majority, prefer superficiality. Because it is hard work creating critical thinking, these students create added value in both professional and personal life and it’s a lifelong tool.

5.5 The reintegration of information as a whole

The capacity for development of abstract reasoning aims to identify the positioning of others, arguments, and conclusions, leading to innovation processes. It develops concepts and ideas analysis skills from a more systemic and global perspective. Rupture with common sense contributes to the use of facts as support for action to the detriment of individual knowledge supported by lack of evidence, aiding in the foundation of arguments, and ideas that are proven theoretically or empirically.

Some research [ 35 ] refers that as they are in control of their thoughts, that is, they are aware, understand, self-direct, and self-evaluate; have “tacit knowledge” groups that form “patterns” and represent the learning and generalization of previous experiences, research, and theory; recognize other significant patterns and principles and irrelevant aspects in a situation and bind to these existing known patterns and thus assess in depth (patterns or contours formed in the mind) that when adapted to the problem suggest solution procedures and periodically checks us for review, progress, and evaluate results.

6. Conclusions

Teaching is a privileged context for the development of critical thinking in individuals, and the teacher plays a fundamental role in the conduct of this complex process with theoretical, practical, and motivational components of active learning [ 10 ].

Experts in the area of critical thinking collaborated in the definition of strategies and methodologies of approach for the operationalization of the development of these competences in educational contexts, as in the case of the Delphi Report already mentioned, that resulted from the meeting of a group of experts with the objective, through the Delphi Method, to constitute a set of propositions and recommendations that would act as guiding lines for education agents and other professionals related to this area, regarding teaching, and evaluation of critical thinking.

In pedagogical terms, there are different ways of teaching and exercising critical thinking among students. The two most common approaches are: the creation of a course or program specifically dedicated to the development of critical thinking; and the incorporation of the development of critical thinking in curricular subjects.

Based on the literature, we cannot say that one approach is more effective than the other, but we can say that the perception of the key benefits that our graduated students report in conducting our critical thinking programs refers to ensuring good practice that is already being realized through discussions with others and the link between theory and practice to rethink their practices, allowing them to perceive when they fall into the bureaucratic routine and adopt more appropriate methods and approaches.

An awareness and acceptance of uncertainty in the practice of any professional is an important way to lessen stress. There are no perfect solutions out there to find, so we cannot be called on to work perfectly. If we accept the fact that the things we do or decide on are still dependent on something uncertain or on future happenings, and work in a way that takes account of that (i.e. constantly reviewing the things we deal with, decide on, or do), then this is really what “thinking critically” is all about [ 2 ].

The key is to strike a balance between the need for certainty and the need to be aware of other ways of doing or thinking about practice. This is where critical reflection (especially involving others) can play a key role in building trust by analyzing practice based on strengths, but also allows consideration of alternative options, points of view, etc., within a space safe, and where uncritical rigidity is not established.

These characteristics should be present not only in the students but also in the teachers. They must know how to model the learning they want to pass. Is it possible to give classes that do not develop these skills but reach other academic goals? Of course yes. But, it is also possible to achieve academic goals, curricular goals, and programmatic content by developing these skills at the same time.

Not least, we find the evaluation. In order to gauge how the process is going, we must evaluate. It is a great challenge to evaluate these skills, it is true. It will be easier to evaluate if you have memorized dates and locations. But as it is a challenge to know how much a student contributed in a group work and not fail to do so, we cannot give up to train our students in skills that will be valid for the rest of their lives because of the difficulty we encounter in the evaluation and the technology resources that allow new forms of formative and summative evaluation.

It cannot be forgotten that the surprises with which every social worker is confronted in everyday contacts and relationships need to be analyzed not only with common sense look but also with critical thinking and the autonomy of a thought based on solid concepts should be a factor of considerable importance. This will mean that in each complex situation, the values that underpin knowledge are at the service of conscious decision-making.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful and want to thank all the participants for their availability and collaboration, so that this study was possible.

The publication of this paper was supported by Portuguese national funds through Foundation for Science and Technology in the scope of the UID / SOC / 03126/2019 project. We appreciate the support given by the CIES-IUL and the funding of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

• 1. Granja B, Queirós MC. Problemas e desafios da investigação em serviço social. Intervenção Social. 2011; 38 :233-251. ISSN: 0874-1611 (Portuguese)
• 2. Brown K, Rutter L. Critical Thinking for Social Work. 2nd ed. Southernhay East: Learning Matters Ltd.; 2008. 3, 42, 47 p. ISBN: 978 1 84445 157 9
• 3. Adams R, Dominelli L, Payne M, editors. Critical Practice in Social Work. Basingstoke: Palgrave; 2002
• 4. Barnett R. Higher Education: A Critical Business. Buckingham: Society for Research in Higher Education and Open University Press; 1997. ISBN: 0 335 19703 5
• 5. Ford P, Johnston B, Mitchell R, Myles F. Social work education and criticality: Some thoughts from research. Social Work Education. 2004; 23 (2):185-198. DOI: 10.1080/0261547042000209198
• 6. Ford P, Johnston B, Mitchell R, Myles F. Practice learning and the development of students as critical practitioners: Some findings from research. Social Work Education. 2005; 24 (4):391-407. DOI: 10.1080/02615470500096910
• 7. Gray M, Plath D, Webb SA. Evidence-Based Social Work: A Critical Stance. London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group; 2009. ISBN 0-203-87662-89
• 8. Bailin S, Case R, Coombs JR, Daniels LB. Conceptualizing critical thinking. Journal of Curriculum Studies. 1999; 31 (3):285-302. DOI: 10.1080/002202799183133
• 9. Washburn P. The Vocabulary of Critical Thinking. New York: Oxford University Press; 2010. ISBN: 0195324803
• 10. Almeida LS, Franco AHR. Critical thinking: Its relevance for education in a shifting society. Revista de Psicología. 2011; 29 (1):176-195. ISSN 0254-9247
• 11. Baker M, Rudd R. Relationships between critical and creative thinking. Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research. 2001; 51 :173-188. http://www.jsaer.org/pdf/vol51Whole.pdf
• 12. Lai ER. Critical Thinking: A Literature Review—Research Report [Online]. Pearson Education; 2011. Available from: http://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/CriticalThinkingReviewFINAL.pdf [Accessed: 23 May 2019]
• 13. Halpern D. Teaching for critical thinking: Helping college students develop the skills and dispositions of a critical thinker. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 1999; 80 :69-74. DOI: 10.1002/tl.8005
• 14. Foundation for Critical Thinking. Our Concept and Definition of Critical Thinking [Internet]. 2007. Available from: https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/our-conception-of-critical-thinking/411 [Accessed: 02 June 2019]
• 15. Facione PA. Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction—Executive Summary “The Delphi Report” [Internet]. 1990a. Available from: http://assessment.aas.duke.edu/documents/Delphi_Report.pdf [Accessed: 02 June 2019]
• 16. Facione PA. Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction—Research Findings and recommendations (ERIC Report No. ED315423) [Internet]. 1990b. Available from: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED315423.pdf [Accessed: 23 May 2019]
• 17. Paul R, Elder L, Bartell T. California Teacher Preparation for Instruction in Critical Thinking (ERIC Report No. ED437379) [Internet]. 1997. Available from: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED437379.pdf [Accessed: 23 May 2019]
• 18. Angeli C, Valanides N. Instructional effects on critical thinking: performance on ill-defined issues. Learning and Instruction. 2009; 19 :322-324. DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.010
• 19. Brookfield SD. Developing Critical Thinkers: Challenging Adults to Explore Alternative Ways of Thinking and Acting. Buckingham: Open University Press; 1991. ISBN: 978-1-555-42356-8
• 20. Dewey J. Democracy and Education [Internet]. Penn State Electronic Classics Series Publication; 2001. Available from: https://nsee.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/KnowledgeCenter/BuildingExpEduc/BooksReports/10.%20democracy%20and%20education%20by%20dewey.pdf [Accessed: 24 May 2019]
• 21. Freire P. Educação Como Prática da Liberdade. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Paz e Terra; 1967 (Brasilian)
• 22. Kuhn D. A developmental model of critical thinking. Educational Research. 1999; 28 (2):16-46. DOI: 10.3102/0013189x028002016
• 23. Riddell T. Critical assumptions: Thinking critically about critical thinking. The Journal of Nursing Education. 2007; 46 (3):121-126. https://www.healio.com/journals/jne/2007-3-46-3/%7Bfd7bf35f-0615-4e21-9291-56bf66297a8f%7D/critical-assumptions-thinking-critically-about-critical-thinking#
• 24. Wang S-Y, Tsai J-C, Chiang H-C, Lai C-S, Lin H-J. Socrates, problem-based learning and critical thinking—A philosophic point of view. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences. 2008; 24 (3 Supplement):S6-S13. DOI: 10.1016/s1607-551x(08)70088-3
• 25. Fisher A. Critical Thinking: An intrOduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2001
• 26. Halpern D, Nummendal SG. Closing thoughts about helping students improve how they think. Teaching of Psychology. 1995; 22 (1):82-83. DOI: 10.1207/s15328023top2201_24
• 27. Verburgh A. Effectiveness of approaches to stimulate critical thinking in social work curricula. Studies in Higher Education. 2019; 44 (5):880-889. DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2019.1586336
• 28. Belchior Rocha H, Marques Ferreira P, Silva TP, Braz Ramalho V. Serviço social crítico: da modernidade à contemporaneidade. Alternativas: Cuadernos de Trabajo Social. 2013; 20 :79-90. DOI: 10.14198/ALTERN2013.20.05
• 29. Branco F. Social work education: The Portuguese story in a local and global perspective. Practice. 2018; 30 (4):271-291. DOI: 10.1080/09503153.2018.1485144
• 30. Leitão Ferreira J. Serviço social: Profissão e ciência. Contributos para o debate científico nas ciências sociais. Cuadernos de Trabajo Social. 2014; 27 (2):329-341. DOI: 10.5209/rev_CUTS.2014.v27.n2.44782
• 31. Jones S. Critical Learning for Social Work Students. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd; 2009. 93, 109 p. ISBN-13: 978-1844452019
• 32. Thompson N, Pascal J. Developing critically reflective practice. Reflective Practice. 2012; 13 (2):311-325. DOI: 10.1080/14623943.2012.657795
• 33. Lima L. Atitudes: Estrutura e mudança. In: Vala J, Monteiro MB, editors. Psicologia Social. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian; 2000 (Portuguese)
• 34. Kates S. A qualitative exploration into voters’ ethical perceptions of political advertising: Discourse, disinformation, and moral boundaries. Journal of Business Ethics. 1998; 17 (16):1871-1885. DOI: 10.1023/a:1005796113389
• 35. Macaulay C. Transfer of learning. In: Cree VE, Macaulay C, editors. Transfer of Learning in Professional and Vocational Learning. London: Routledge; 2000. pp. 1-26. ISBN: 0415204194
• A3ES is our National Accreditation Agency for higher education courses.
• It is a public University with 15 graduations, 49 masters, 22 PhDs, and around 8868 students.

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Continue reading from the same book

Edited by Makiko Kondo

Published: 09 September 2020

By Makiko Kondo, Sachie Okanishi, Etsuko Arai, Kumiko...

771 downloads

By Noriko Okabe

1781 downloads

By José de Almeida Brites, Américo Baptista, Catarina...

1241 downloads

Work Life is Atlassian’s flagship publication dedicated to unleashing the potential of every team through real-life advice, inspiring stories, and thoughtful perspectives from leaders around the world.

Contributing Writer

Work Futurist

Senior Quantitative Researcher, People Insights

Principal Writer

How to build critical thinking skills for better decision-making

It’s simple in theory, but tougher in practice – here are five tips to get you started.

Get stories like this in your inbox

Have you heard the riddle about two coins that equal thirty cents, but one of them is not a nickel? What about the one where a surgeon says they can’t operate on their own son?

Those brain teasers tap into your critical thinking skills. But your ability to think critically isn’t just helpful for solving those random puzzles – it plays a big role in your career. 

An impressive 81% of employers say critical thinking carries a lot of weight when they’re evaluating job candidates. It ranks as the top competency companies consider when hiring recent graduates (even ahead of communication ). Plus, once you’re hired, several studies show that critical thinking skills are highly correlated with better job performance.

So what exactly are critical thinking skills? And even more importantly, how do you build and improve them? 

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate facts and information, remain objective, and make a sound decision about how to move forward.

Does that sound like how you approach every decision or problem? Not so fast. Critical thinking seems simple in theory but is much tougher in practice, which helps explain why 65% of employers say their organization has a need for more critical thinking. 

In reality, critical thinking doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us. In order to do it well, you need to:

• Remain open-minded and inquisitive, rather than relying on assumptions or jumping to conclusions
• Ask questions and dig deep, rather than accepting information at face value
• Keep your own biases and perceptions in check to stay as objective as possible
• Rely on your emotional intelligence to fill in the blanks and gain a more well-rounded understanding of a situation

So, critical thinking isn’t just being intelligent or analytical. In many ways, it requires you to step outside of yourself, let go of your own preconceived notions, and approach a problem or situation with curiosity and fairness.

It’s a challenge, but it’s well worth it. Critical thinking skills will help you connect ideas, make reasonable decisions, and solve complex problems.

7 critical thinking skills to help you dig deeper

Critical thinking is often labeled as a skill itself (you’ll see it bulleted as a desired trait in a variety of job descriptions). But it’s better to think of critical thinking less as a distinct skill and more as a collection or category of skills. 

To think critically, you’ll need to tap into a bunch of your other soft skills. Here are seven of the most important. 

Open-mindedness

It’s important to kick off the critical thinking process with the idea that anything is possible. The more you’re able to set aside your own suspicions, beliefs, and agenda, the better prepared you are to approach the situation with the level of inquisitiveness you need. 

That means not closing yourself off to any possibilities and allowing yourself the space to pull on every thread – yes, even the ones that seem totally implausible.

As Christopher Dwyer, Ph.D. writes in a piece for Psychology Today , “Even if an idea appears foolish, sometimes its consideration can lead to an intelligent, critically considered conclusion.” He goes on to compare the critical thinking process to brainstorming . Sometimes the “bad” ideas are what lay the foundation for the good ones. 

Open-mindedness is challenging because it requires more effort and mental bandwidth than sticking with your own perceptions. Approaching problems or situations with true impartiality often means:

• Practicing self-regulation : Giving yourself a pause between when you feel something and when you actually react or take action.
• Challenging your own biases: Acknowledging your biases and seeking feedback are two powerful ways to get a broader understanding. 

Critical thinking example

In a team meeting, your boss mentioned that your company newsletter signups have been decreasing and she wants to figure out why.

At first, you feel offended and defensive – it feels like she’s blaming you for the dip in subscribers. You recognize and rationalize that emotion before thinking about potential causes. You have a hunch about what’s happening, but you will explore all possibilities and contributions from your team members.

Observation

Observation is, of course, your ability to notice and process the details all around you (even the subtle or seemingly inconsequential ones). Critical thinking demands that you’re flexible and willing to go beyond surface-level information, and solid observation skills help you do that.

Your observations help you pick up on clues from a variety of sources and experiences, all of which help you draw a final conclusion. After all, sometimes it’s the most minuscule realization that leads you to the strongest conclusion.

Over the next week or so, you keep a close eye on your company’s website and newsletter analytics to see if numbers are in fact declining or if your boss’s concerns were just a fluke. 

Critical thinking hinges on objectivity. And, to be objective, you need to base your judgments on the facts – which you collect through research. You’ll lean on your research skills to gather as much information as possible that’s relevant to your problem or situation. 

Keep in mind that this isn’t just about the quantity of information – quality matters too. You want to find data and details from a variety of trusted sources to drill past the surface and build a deeper understanding of what’s happening. 

You dig into your email and website analytics to identify trends in bounce rates, time on page, conversions, and more. You also review recent newsletters and email promotions to understand what customers have received, look through current customer feedback, and connect with your customer support team to learn what they’re hearing in their conversations with customers.

The critical thinking process is sort of like a treasure hunt – you’ll find some nuggets that are fundamental for your final conclusion and some that might be interesting but aren’t pertinent to the problem at hand.

That’s why you need analytical skills. They’re what help you separate the wheat from the chaff, prioritize information, identify trends or themes, and draw conclusions based on the most relevant and influential facts. 

It’s easy to confuse analytical thinking with critical thinking itself, and it’s true there is a lot of overlap between the two. But analytical thinking is just a piece of critical thinking. It focuses strictly on the facts and data, while critical thinking incorporates other factors like emotions, opinions, and experiences. 

As you analyze your research, you notice that one specific webpage has contributed to a significant decline in newsletter signups. While all of the other sources have stayed fairly steady with regard to conversions, that one has sharply decreased.

You decide to move on from your other hypotheses about newsletter quality and dig deeper into the analytics. 

One of the traps of critical thinking is that it’s easy to feel like you’re never done. There’s always more information you could collect and more rabbit holes you could fall down.

But at some point, you need to accept that you’ve done your due diligence and make a decision about how to move forward. That’s where inference comes in. It’s your ability to look at the evidence and facts available to you and draw an informed conclusion based on those. 

When you’re so focused on staying objective and pursuing all possibilities, inference can feel like the antithesis of critical thinking. But ultimately, it’s your inference skills that allow you to move out of the thinking process and onto the action steps. 

You dig deeper into the analytics for the page that hasn’t been converting and notice that the sharp drop-off happened around the same time you switched email providers.

After looking more into the backend, you realize that the signup form on that page isn’t correctly connected to your newsletter platform. It seems like anybody who has signed up on that page hasn’t been fed to your email list. 

Communication

3 ways to improve your communication skills at work

If and when you identify a solution or answer, you can’t keep it close to the vest. You’ll need to use your communication skills to share your findings with the relevant stakeholders – like your boss, team members, or anybody who needs to be involved in the next steps.

Your analysis skills will come in handy here too, as they’ll help you determine what information other people need to know so you can avoid bogging them down with unnecessary details. 

In your next team meeting, you pull up the analytics and show your team the sharp drop-off as well as the missing connection between that page and your email platform. You ask the web team to reinstall and double-check that connection and you also ask a member of the marketing team to draft an apology email to the subscribers who were missed. 

Problem-solving

Critical thinking and problem-solving are two more terms that are frequently confused. After all, when you think critically, you’re often doing so with the objective of solving a problem.

The best way to understand how problem-solving and critical thinking differ is to think of problem-solving as much more narrow. You’re focused on finding a solution.

In contrast, you can use critical thinking for a variety of use cases beyond solving a problem – like answering questions or identifying opportunities for improvement. Even so, within the critical thinking process, you’ll flex your problem-solving skills when it comes time to take action. 

Once the fix is implemented, you monitor the analytics to see if subscribers continue to increase. If not (or if they increase at a slower rate than you anticipated), you’ll roll out some other tests like changing the CTA language or the placement of the subscribe form on the page.

5 ways to improve your critical thinking skills

Beyond the buzzwords: Why interpersonal skills matter at work

Think critically about critical thinking and you’ll quickly realize that it’s not as instinctive as you’d like it to be. Fortunately, your critical thinking skills are learned competencies and not inherent gifts – and that means you can improve them. Here’s how:

• Practice active listening: Active listening helps you process and understand what other people share. That’s crucial as you aim to be open-minded and inquisitive.
• Ask open-ended questions: If your critical thinking process involves collecting feedback and opinions from others, ask open-ended questions (meaning, questions that can’t be answered with “yes” or “no”). Doing so will give you more valuable information and also prevent your own biases from influencing people’s input.
• Scrutinize your sources: Figuring out what to trust and prioritize is crucial for critical thinking. Boosting your media literacy and asking more questions will help you be more discerning about what to factor in. It’s hard to strike a balance between skepticism and open-mindedness, but approaching information with questions (rather than unquestioning trust) will help you draw better conclusions. 
• Play a game: Remember those riddles we mentioned at the beginning? As trivial as they might seem, games and exercises like those can help you boost your critical thinking skills. There are plenty of critical thinking exercises you can do individually or as a team . 
• Give yourself time: Research shows that rushed decisions are often regrettable ones. That’s likely because critical thinking takes time – you can’t do it under the wire. So, for big decisions or hairy problems, give yourself enough time and breathing room to work through the process. It’s hard enough to think critically without a countdown ticking in your brain. 

Critical thinking really is critical

The ability to think critically is important, but it doesn’t come naturally to most of us. It’s just easier to stick with biases, assumptions, and surface-level information. 

But that route often leads you to rash judgments, shaky conclusions, and disappointing decisions. So here’s a conclusion we can draw without any more noodling: Even if it is more demanding on your mental resources, critical thinking is well worth the effort.

Advice, stories, and expertise about work life today.

10 Skills Needed for Social Work

Social work is a field committed to improving the well-being of individuals and communities. As such, social workers play a vital role in helping people navigate life’s challenges and access necessary resources.

To excel in this field, social workers must possess a diverse set of skills that enable them to connect with clients, advocate for their needs, and facilitate positive change. Here, SocialWorkDegrees.org explores the ten key skills that every social worker will need.

Probably the most important trait of a social worker is empathy . Social workers must work to genuinely understand the structural, institutional, and even day-to-day challenges that their clients face. Empathy is the foundation that social workers must rely on to build trust in clients. And when clients can open up and share their concerns, social workers are better equipped to address their specific needs. As a skill, empathy drives social workers to take action to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life for those they serve.

2. Active Listening

To fully engage with clients’ needs and concerns, social workers need to engage in active listening . In other words, social workers need to give their full attention, ask clarifying questions, and provide verbal and non-verbal cues to signal their engagement. When social workers are able to actively listen to the people and communities they serve, they can make them feel heard and valued. And when clients feel listened to, social workers are able to create a more meaningful, collaborative, and therapeutic relationship.

3. Communication

Effective communication is a cornerstone of social work. Social workers must be proficient in both written and verbal communication to convey information clearly and advocate for their clients. They often need to collaborate with other professionals, document case notes, and make presentations, making strong communication skills essential.

4. Cultural Competence

Social workers work with diverse populations, and cultural competence is vital in understanding and validating the different backgrounds and experiences that clients will bring to the working relationship. Being culturally competent means being aware of your own biases and stereotypes and working to overcome them. It also involves actively seeking to learn about different cultures, customs, and belief systems to provide culturally sensitive and competent services.

5. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Social work often involves addressing complex and challenging issues. Social workers need strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills to assess situations, identify underlying problems, and develop effective intervention strategies. As social workers aim to find creative solutions that best meet their clients’ needs, they must be able to think quickly, refocus a support strategy or treatment plan, and adapt. And when social workers are able to apply this problem-solving skill through a human-centered approach, clients can get the help they need more efficiently and get back on their feet more quickly.

6. Advocacy

Advocacy is a central tenet of social work. Because social workers practice advocacy for their clients, practitioners are able to help them access necessary resources and services and ensure their rights are protected. Importantly, advocacy requires knowledge of policies and systems on a comprehensive, structural level. Additionally, social workers with advanced advocacy skills are better equipped to navigate bureaucracies and work towards policy changes that benefit marginalized populations.

7. Boundary Setting

Maintaining professional boundaries in social work is crucial. While empathy and compassion are essential, social workers must also protect themselves from emotional burnout by trying their best to remain objective. For many practitioners, this is one of the most difficult areas in the profession. Still, to help mitigate that challenge, social workers must be able to set clear boundaries. And when social work practitioners are able to establish these kinds of boundaries, they’re better prepared to provide consistent, effective support to clients while tending to their own mental health.

8. Flexibility

Social work often involves dealing with unpredictable and rapidly changing situations. Because of this characteristic of the field, social workers must be adaptable and flexible in how they approach their practice. Every client will have unique needs that will require unique support. As a result, social workers should remain open to different interventions and strategies that will ensure the best possible care for their clients.

9. Patience

Many social workers are quick to recognize how rewarding and fulfilling the career path is. Just as many practitioners will admit that social work can be challenging and emotionally demanding. Clients may not always be able to make progress as quickly as they need to, and setbacks of all kinds are common across the board. Patience is essential in maintaining a positive and supportive attitude while continuing to work towards long-term goals with clients.

10. Self-Care

Social work is by no means an easy career path. To best prepare for unsettling, sometimes heartbreaking news on the job, social workers must prioritize self-care . The emotional toll of the job can be significant, and it’s crucial for social workers to take care of their own mental and emotional well-being. Engaging in self-care activities , seeking supervision and support, and recognizing when to seek help themselves are all essential aspects of maintaining their ability to provide effective care to clients.

Take Your Social Work Skills to the Next Level

In conclusion, social work is a multifaceted profession that requires a diverse set of skills. From empathy and compassion to problem-solving and self-care, social workers must continually develop and hone these skills to effectively support their clients and communities. By possessing these ten essential skills, social workers can make a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of those they serve, promoting positive change and social justice.