Introduction and Background
Topic based on the article
Instruction provides the students with the capability of applying their thinking skills. This thought process is a further assistance in terms of incorporating logical reasoning in every activity, which they perform. However, according to the propositions of the article, exposing better performance in the post-test is considered as an advanced stage from the instructions. The dispositions related to thinking possess relationship with the performance, which the students exposed in taking the preparation of the test (Heijltjes et al., 2014). The focus is on the students, pursuing economic in their coursework, which helps in the assessment of their approach towards the decision making in terms of logical reasoning and thinking skills.
Gap in literature
The article fails to present the effects of the dispositions and instruction on the students within the actual business context. This compels the students to apply their thinking and reasoning skills entirely based on their imaginative power. Along with this, segmentation of the participants into various categories destroyed the flow of critical thinking, which can be considered as an interruption into the pre-requisites needed for taking beneficial and prospective decisions. The article lacks the time, which needs to be provided to the participants after the post test. This is a strain on their mind, hampering their usual developmental process (Heijltjes et al., 2014). The sequence gets interrupted after the results through the proposition of the effects of the results on the students. However, deducing conclusions and suggesting recommendations would have enhanced the clarity of the readers in terms of the structure of research.
How was the research conducted?
The experiment was carried out through five steps. The first step was the preparation of the tests. After this, the instructions were levied to the participants depending on the condition. This allowed them to apply their thinking and logical reasoning skills. As a sequential step, the participants were given practical business scenario for which they had to apply their decision-making skills. Next, post tests conditions were taken into consideration. This helped the researchers to assess the capability of the participants in applying logical reasoning and thinking skills for taking appropriate decisions. Immediacy in the post tests were helped in saving a lot of time, which could be devoted to the other research related activities (Heijltjes et al., 2014). The last stage was the delayed post test. In the stage of testing the reasoning skills on business case, condition was the main factor for assessing the practice regarding the application of the thinking and reasoning skills. In the prompting conditions, spontaneity of the participants was considered as one of the most important criteria.
Procedure and Results of the Study
Anticipated findings
In order to analyze the collected data, a scale of 0.05 was used. In the post hoc exceptions, the scale of 0.05-0.06 helped in the anticipated findings. Random probability of the samples proved beneficial for assessing the success of the participants towards exposing proper response to the condition. There was no difference between the conditions used for the assessment of the students’ approach towards the application of the thinking skills in the preparation stage. In terms of post-delayed tests, the response test was 45% (Heijltjes et al., 2014). This included the control factors, critical instructions for thinking skills and self-explanation attempts. Here, special attention was given on the spontaneity towards undertaking the decisions.
Logical regression process was used for investigating the number of participants, who can complete the immediate post test. The results indicated that these participants differed from the samples who emerged successful in completing both the immediate post test and the delayed post test.
Implications of the findings on management practice
Keeping the lower range for assessing the capability of the participants proved effective in terms of the grasping skills of the staffs. This is because the staffs in a workplace have different grasping skills. Random selection of the participants is a wise step towards saving lot of time, which can be devoted towards executing the other research related activities. Countering this, the time and financial constraints cannot be averted. Lack of difference between the conditions in critical thinking on pre-tests is appropriate (Heijltjes et al., 2014). This reflects the different circumstances in which the staffs prepare for the tests related to logical reasoning and thinking skills. Some of the staffs do not have the necessary requirements regarding the workplace scenario.
Considering of the educational background is appropriate in terms of maintaining the workplace culture. However, rationality needs to be maintained in this consideration in terms of extending helping hand to the students, who failed to take adequate preparation for the test. This rationality would be crucial in terms of averting the instances of conflicts, discrimination and biasness between the students. Consideration of critical thinking dispositions could have been from a liberal approach. This is because not all of the students would be able to apply their logical reasoning and thinking skills immediately after the results (Cottrell, 2017). They would some time for reaching into the depth of the lecture delivered.
The results for delay post test are appropriate. This is because delay in the tests means the students got extra time for preparing for the tests. However, in their unconscious mind, there is a fear regarding the questions they would be asked. This is not the case for all the students, as some of the students just revised the answers. Typical evidence of this is the 45% response in the delayed post test (Heijltjes et al., 2014). This figure includes control over the test, critical thinking, self-explanation prompts and activation prompts, which lead to critical thinking.
Analysis of Collected Data
Logical regression reflected the difference between the students, who could complete the immediate post test and delayed post test. However, all the times logic is not the right choice for evaluating the performance of the students. Sometimes, liberal approach towards the ways and means adopted by the students helps the teachers to enhance their academic establishment (McPeck, 2016).
Overall evaluation
Structure wise, the article aligns with the structure of research. However, proposing the impact of the results in one of the areas, where the article fails to follow the traditional research format. Even though the information are enough to enrich the preconceived information of the economic students, improper structure can make them confused in terms of taking appropriate decisions.
According to the propositions and arguments, the article gets full marks. An insight into the variables of the research and the anticipated findings validates the attempts of the authors to illuminate the aspect of critical thinking and decision making. Within this, consideration of the conditions for decision-making is enough for making the students aware of the application of logical reasoning (Heijltjes et al., 2014). One of the important points here is the disposition of lectures, which the teachers deliver. Most of the students take little time for grasping these lectures, which compels the students to face difficulties in answering the questions. This is more difficult when the students are randomly picked for answering the question. The major drive behind this is the incapability to apply the logical reasoning and thinking skills spontaneously.
The aspect of self explanation prompts can be related with the act of evaluating the performance in class. Emerging successful in justifying the kind of behavior exposed in class inculcates self-organizational skills within the students. This success includes planned behavior and reasoned action for reciprocating the disposed lectures in an efficient and effective manner. Delving deep into the aspect, applying logical reasoning is both planned action and reasoned behavior in case of the students towards responding to the delivered lectures (Huber & Kuncel, 2016). Promptness can be both a reasoned action and planned behavior. For example, if nobody is able to answer the question posed by the teacher and one of the students promptly answers the questions, it is the logical and reasoned behavior. The student has taken the right decision spontaneously in order to manage the situation.
Focusing on the economic students might not be a wise selection. This is because the students from other fields also need to take important decision, which needs the application of logical reasoning and thinking. Countering this, the field of economics can be considered as a mere example to enliven the process, condition and pre-requisites for taking a decision. In terms of the prevision sentence, economics is a part for the whole of the professions, where the individuals really work hard to think logically and take the right decision (Bensley & Spero, 2014).
One of the other dimensions of the article is the relationship between the teacher and the student. The base of this relationship is the support, guidance towards the students by the teachers in terms of shaping their future. Asking the students to apply logical reasoning and thinking skills, for taking decisions, can be considered as their attempt to push the students towards maturity, a step closer to their personal development. Training is the support, which helps the students to improve their thinking skills and progress towards a better future (Dwyer, Hogan & Stewart, 2014).
References and bibliography
Bensley, D. A., & Spero, R. A. (2014). Improving critical thinking skills and metacognitive monitoring through direct infusion. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 12, 55-68.
Cottrell, S. (2017). Critical thinking skills. Macmillan Education.
Dwyer, C. P., Hogan, M. J., & Stewart, I. (2014). An integrated critical thinking framework for the 21st century. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 12, 43-52.
Heijltjes, A., Van Gog, T., Leppink, J., & Paas, F. (2014). Improving critical thinking: Effects of dispositions and instructions on economics students’ reasoning skills. Learning and Instruction, 29, 31-42.
Huber, C. R., & Kuncel, N. R. (2016). Does college teach critical thinking? A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 86(2), 431-468.
McPeck, J. E. (2016). Critical thinking and education. Routledge.