Critical thinking as a catalyst - transforming first-year chemistry education

The study investigated integrating critical thinking skills in first-year university chemistry modules. It was guided by the research question: How are lecturers integrating critical thinking skills into their teaching to foster these skills in students?

The theoretical foundation of this study is grounded in the Paul and Elder Critical Thinking Framework, which provides a robust and well-structured basis for understanding the core components of critical thinking and their intended outcomes. One of the primary advantages of this framework is its widespread adoption by higher education institutions globally, making it one of the most extensively implemented models in critical thinking pedagogy (Han & Brown, 2013). The framework offers a comprehensive approach with an explicit and systematic process and illustrative examples (Payette & Ross, 2016).