The Concept of Critical Thinking in Teacher Education: A Systematic Review

This systematic review sheds light on the scientific landscape of critical thinking (CT) in teacher education (TED) by synthesizing how CT in TED has been investigated in terms of selected features of international scholarship on the topic and how CT has been conceptualized in this scholarship. Based on 208 included studies, our results show heterogeneity in targeted educational levels, school subjects, geography and adopted methodologies. A sharp increase in publication rates is also documented. We show further that conceptualizations nested in argumentation theory predominate. Often, scholars offer implicit definitions and use varied, related terminology, blurring CT as a concept. Lastly, explicit clarifications on the role of disciplinary knowledge in CT are often absent. We argue for an emphasis on conceptual clarity in future scholarship on CT in TED, consider the implications of our findings and offer actionable proposals for theory and practice.