Are You and Your Basic Business Students Asking the Right Questions?

The article focuses on the importance of critical thinking in education. Critical thinking can be defined from different perspectives. One idea is that critical thinking is a focused analysis in which one reviews available information and then decides which position is the most accurate or promotes the best outcome. Another component of critical thinking includes reflective thought about how and why one arrives at a particular decision. If professors want students to become good critical thinkers, curriculum must be structured to foster that outcome. Ideally, critical thinking skills are woven into the fabric of the course design from beginning to end. Instructors need to present students with the means (structures and processes) to develop and effectively use critical thinking in the classroom and in everyday life. One way to do this is to ask the right questions. For students who operate primarily at the conventional level (where the impact of issues on themselves is of primary concern), a number of teaching principles need to be considered when pursuing critical thinking activities.