Book Review Chatfield, T. (2022) Critical Thinking: Your Essential Guide. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Abstract

For at least 60 years it has been recognised that students perform better if
they take a more critical approach to their studies (Flecker, 1959), and, more
recently, critical thinking has become ‘a defining characteristic of university
education’ (Ahern et al., 2012, 125). In essence, this book is a clarion call for
its readers to spend more time challenging and expanding their own views
rather than always believing what they hear, read or see, and only seeking
confirmation of their existing beliefs. For me, critical thinking seems to be a
broader version of scientific thinking whereby laboratory experiments are
deliberately designed to disprove pre-existing hypotheses; other academic
disciplines may also have their own terminology.