Critical thinking is a major and enduring aspect of higher education and the development of criticality in students has long been a core aim. However, understandings of criticality are conceptually and empirically unclear. The book combines a well developed conceptual discussion of the nature of criticality appropriate for the twenty-first century, the extent to which it is attainable by arts and social science undergraduates, and the paths by which it is developed during students' higher education experiences. Drawing upon empirical accounts and case studies of teaching and learning in different disciplines, this book critically analyses higher education curriculum and policy documentation to explore higher educational processes, encouraging a re-evaluation of practice and educational values, and enabling the development of curricula which incorporate systematic attention to the development of student criticality. This book proposes a rounded conceptual vision of criticality in higher education for the twenty-first century.

Author Biography

Peter Ford was Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Southampton, UK. Rosamond Mitchell is Professor in the School of Humanities and Director of the Centre for Applied Language Research at the University of Southampton, UK. Florence Myles is Professor in the School of Modern Languages and Director of the Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences at the University of Newcastle, UK. Brenda Johnston is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, UK.