Redefining Scientific Thinking for Higher Education Higher-Order Thinking, Evidence-Based Reasoning and Research Skills

This book examines the learning and development process of students’ scientific thinking skills. Universities should prepare students to be able to make judgements in their working lives based on scientific evidence. However, an understanding of how these thinking skills can be developed is limited. This book introduces a new broad theory of scientific thinking for higher education; in doing so, redefining higher-order thinking abilities as scientific thinking skills. This includes critical thinking and understanding the basics of science, epistemic maturity, research and evidence-based reasoning skills and contextual understanding. The editors and contributors discuss how this concept can be redefined, as well as the challenges educators and students may face when attempting to teach and learn these skills. This edited collection will be of interest to students and scholars of student scientific skills and higher-order thinking abilities. 

PART I. Components of scientific thinking in higher education.- Chapter 1. Broadening the theory of scientific thinking for higher education; Mari Murtonen.- Chapter 2. The roles of epistemic understanding and research conceptions in students' scientific thinking; Heidi Salmento and Mari Murtonen.- Chapter 3. Enhancing scientific thinking through the development of critical thinking in higher education; Heidi Hyytinen, Auli Toom and Richard J. Shavelson.- Chapter 4. Evidence-based thinking for scientific thinking; Rebecca Shargel and Lisa Twiss.- PART II. Challenges for the development of scientific thinking in Higher Education.- Chapter 5. Students' difficulties during research methods training acting as potential barriers to their development of scientific thinking; Kieran Balloo.- Chapter 6. Threshold concepts of research in teaching scientific thinking; Margaret Kiley.- Chapter 7. The acculturation and engagement of undergraduate students in scientific thinking through research methods; Anesa Hosein and Namrata Rao.- PART III. Fostering the development of scientific thinking in higher education.- Chapter 8. Expertise development and scientific thinking; Erno Lehtinen, Jake McMullen and Hans Gruber.- Chapter 9. Developing scientific thinking and research skills through the research thesis or dissertation; Gina Wisker.- Chapter 10. Developing scientific thinking towards inclusive knowledge-building communities; Angela Brew, Lilia Mantai and April Miles.