What is this thing called critical thinking? Perspectives from business school academics.

In our ever-changing and complex world, we encounter difficult problems that demand sophisticated solutions. Critical thinking, a vital skill for modern survival, lies at the heart of higher education. It is what we should develop in students, arguably a concept that defines higher education. Critical thinking, however, is subject to wide interpretation and definition. This paper explores how business school academics conceptualise critical thinking in relation to final-year undergraduate students. Thematic analysis identified three core themes that combine to form critical thinking as concepts in the business school context, namely critical thinking as skills (predominantly of argumentation), critical thinking as dispositions (scepticism, open-mindedness and flexibility), and critical thinking as originality (creativity, contribution). Whilst the inclusion of skills and dispositions is confirmatory in line with broader conceptualisations of critical thinking in higher education, originality forms an additional, if contested, nuanced component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]