Philosophical and ideological tensions in Payne, Gainey, and Tsui texts

Tsui vs. Payne & Gainey

According to Lisa Tsui's article "Fostering critical thinking through effective pedagogy: evidence from four institutional case studies," while contemporary students might have greater access to data and formal institutions of learning than students of the past, their critical thinking skills remain underdeveloped. Tsui makes the case that the reduced emphasis on analytical thinking and problem solving in classes today are supported by empirical studies conducted upon students at virtually every grade level.

Tsui's literature review cites a number of studies that found deficits in students' ability to identify logical flaws and ambiguities in authors' arguments. However, the 'good news' is that there are demonstrable ways to improve student's critical thinking skills, including encouraging and praising student ideas; increasing "the amount and cognitive level of student participation in class;" and "the amount of interaction among students in a course (Tsui 2002). Having a culture on campus open to student learning and focusing upon individual research projects and assessment has also been shown to foster critical thinking. To remedy what she saw as a deficit in a literature that mainly emphasizes quantitative analysis, Tsui engaged in a qualitative research study which involved interviewing students, observing classes, and conducting focus groups at four diverse institutions. Writing skills that forced students to move beyond description and frequent class discussions were linked to demonstrable improvements in critical thinking.

Tsui is interested in developing critical thinking as a general skill. According to Brian K. Payne and Randy R. Gainey's article "Understanding and developing controversial issues in college courses," faculty must also critically analyze what as well as how they teach. Fostering critical thinking skills is best achieved by discussing controversial issues that are emotionally and intellectually resonant for students, according to Payne and Gainey. Rather than conducting a study of current praxis in the classroom, Payne and Gainey offer suggestions on how to approach four controversial issues in the classroom: the death penalty, alternative sentencing, gun control, and drug legalization. For each issue, the authors present the pros and cons of either side and state how the students they have encountered generally position themselves and grapple with the issue. They do so to better enable teachers to mediate discussion, and prevent one or two students from dominating the discourse. The article notes that on a practical level, teachers should be aware of likely polarization on the issue and how ethnic, gender, and racial biases may affect student perceptions of issues. Teachers must seek to involve all students to realize the goal of improving critical thinking, either by "calling on students by name, calling on students by general demographics, randomly selecting names from the roll, uncomfortable silence, and reflexive and empathetic comments" (Payne & Gainey 2002).