Teaching Multiple Approaches to Management to Enhance Critical Thinking
Discuss about the Critical Thinking And Management Of Education.
The report focuses on reviewing an article that provides evidence about the manner in which critical thinking can be enhanced by teaching two different approaches to management. The authors Dyck et al. (2012) explore the possible effects that students may have while implementing one approach to management as compared with two such approaches. For conducting, the research in a proper manner a quasi-experiment was conducted which included a survey method, interview method and analysis of a case. The article focuses on the differences that are seen among students having knowledge about only one conventional approach to management with those that have been taught both conventional and alternative approaches. The article suggests that the students taught with only the conventional method may face problems in the application of management approaches in a practical manner. The conventional approach to management includes the emphasizing of the maximum productivity, competitiveness and profitability in an organisation. On the other hand, the alternative approach includes the balance of multiple wellbeing that assist stakeholders in the enhancement of critical thinking (Cottrell 2017). The application of both the conventional as well as the alternative approach is focused on this article along with its implications for the management of education.
Critical thinking and management of education is the main topic for the article. The article focuses on the manner in which agreement is posed in favour of teaching critical thinking to students. The most important focus for the application of such thinking is in the business schools. This is mainly because of the fact that these schools provide critical reflection as one of the main goals for gaining accreditation. Furthermore, the article states that critical thinking is an essential skill set for managers as it can be applied in any organisational settings. However, McPeck (2016) have criticised the concept of critical thinking and the manner in which it can be measured and the manner in which it can be developed among students. Management education in the case of literature cannot be linked with the critical thinking of the people. The article states that critical thinking has two basic dimensions that can be used to enhance the thought process among the students. These dimensions include the technical and philosophical dimension. According to Jackson (2015), critical thinking can be enhanced by focusing on the content and process. Research has suggested that business schools undertake a better job in teaching technical dimension than the philosophical dimensions.
Importance of Critical Thinking in Management Education
The literature review suggests that opportunities for improvement exist in the field of critical thinking. The focus is more on the business schools as it can help in increasing the focus by encouraging students to enhance the philosophical dimension and the content dimension. This is maybe because of the fact that the critical approach of the business school students lacks the idea of philosophical dimension than the technical dimension. However, Dean (2015) it has also been seen that the development of classrooms has focused more on the materials rather than the course. In this case, it can be said that the article creates a gap in the literature in the manner that in the modern business schools, the use of philosophical as well technical dimensions are given equal focus. The process used in business schools and the process used in the nurturing of students are similar thereby providing an opportunity that enhances the growth of the students. Every instructor in the business school needs to be well versed with the knowledge that highlights the technical as well the philosophical dimensions of critical thinking. Moreover, as observed by Shiraev, Shiraev and Levy (2016), the article has failed to explain the proper implementation of the critical thinking process for the convenience of the managers.
The article had conducted the research in six sections taking into consideration undergraduate introduction to the management course. The course was conducted during a 13-week semester at a large Canadian university. It has been seen that the research was in the form a quasi-experiment, which was done keeping in mind certain measures such as surveys, interviews, and an analysis of a case. The contents of the course were organised based on the four management functions of Fayol. Students were taught only one conventional management approach and three regular management approaches. The survey was conducted during the class time of the second last week. The course instructors were not involved in the data collection method and the survey contained nine items developed for critical thinking. The interview was conducted by recruiting students to participate in a 30-minute interview that was designed explore the issues that arise during the critical thinking process. The participants were even paid a sum of $20 to provide encouragement. The participants were asked to use a seven-point Likert-type scale to assist in the investigation of critical thinking both technically and philosophically. The third method that was conducted composed of analysing a case. The article was written after a considerable amount of research that involved both primary and secondary method of collection of data. The critical thinking of the students was based on a case analysis and responses were coded depending on the insight and logic level.
Opportunities for Improvement in Teaching Critical Thinking
The report is based on the survey, interview and case analysis. The survey showed that a one-way ANOVA revealed that the treatment group had higher scores as they used to think in a unique manner to approach a given solution. This is mainly seen among the people involved in the critical thinking of philosophical domain. However, after comparing with the second hypothesis significant differences had not been seen among the control group. For the interviews, the H1 and H2 were tested in three different manners. The analysis of the Likert-type scale of the student was conducted based on the one-tailed t-test. After this analysis, ratings of the comments of the interviewees were conducted. There was a significant difference between the students that were taught the only approach with the students taught more than one approach. The students in the treatment group were rated higher than the control participants. Finally, the transcripts of the interviews were analysed and similarities, as well as differences between the themes of the interviewees, were analysed. The authorities described both groups with processes that were important for critical thinking. The results from the case based analysis showed that the treatment group showed that thinking is more critical and less judgement in errors than the students involved in the control group. At the same time, the students in the thinking group were discriminated.
According to Cotter (2017), the management practice of critical thinking was mainly implied based on the scores of the survey, interview and case analysis. The overall score of the three measures showed that the students who were taught two different approaches for management had a higher score at a consistent level. The philosophical level and the critical thinking component were measured after analysing the three measures and it was proven that the critical thinking level of two managerial approaches was more effective than the one. As stated by LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (2017) the critical thinking needs to focus on the content of the things that are taught at the school level. The article was judged in the manner in which critical thinking can help individuals understand the deeper meaning the managerial aspects. The differences in the students enhanced the quality of thinking of the students. The treatment and the control groups were based on the critical analysis of the mentality of the students and the philosophical and technical dimensions were examined by identifying the capabilities of the students. The business schools were assisted with the philosophical and technical dimensions that were the main basis for the analysis of the critical thinking. The article focuses on the application of more than one form of management for the students.
Quasi-Experiment by Dyck et al. (2012)
Overall, the article provides valuable information about the manner in which critical thinking can be used for managerial purposes. The fact that practical and theoretical knowledge is important for increasing the opportunities for the students highlights the need for change in the courses adopted by the business schools. The institutional study made in the article may help in overcoming any type of obstacles and develop strategies for teaching alternative approaches in the management schools. The fact that three types of measures were conducted during the identification of the feasibility of critical thinking makes this article valid (Howard, Tang & Austin, 2015). The article provides strong results for the students seeking to improve critical thinking by applying management process. The benefits involved in the critical thinking are management courses that provided an introductory management course for the business schools. The article helps in making the idea of introducing two approaches of management necessary for the business schools. The article provides an analysis of the benefits and the manner in which it can be used for enhancing the critical thinking process of students. However, the perception of the students about the critical thinking ability need to be focused more so that future research can be developed.
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