Fostering critical thinking dispositions in higher education: A process-driven curriculum model

When students come to study at Australian universities from other countries, they often bring with them experiences that can be vastly different to dominant epistemological and ontological frameworks manifest in Australia. It may be difficult for them to adjust to these dominant epistemological and ontological frameworks particularly if their formal educational backgrounds did not provide them with opportunities to engage in in-depth critical thinking (CT), which is foundational in Australian higher education. This paper therefore examines the way in which international students may be disposed towards engaging in CT in higher education settings. Five interviews were conducted with students enrolled in an in-sessional EAP program at one Australian university. Students were asked questions related to their family, cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds, their understanding of CT, their confidence using it in academic contexts, and their perceptions of the impact of AI on their ability to think critically. The RICA CT curriculum model, which is based on dialogic theory and informed by these students’ narratives, is then presented. This model utilises a sequential iterative design to help students build confidence using CT, thus enabling them to better apply CT skills in their academic activities.