Perceptions of Students' Learning Critical Thinking through Debate in a Technology Classroom: A Case Study.

Critical thinking is often a desired competency for graduates of a technology program. Organizational members have uttered concern about students’ inability to think critically. Although traditional pedagogical techniques, such as lectures and examinations, center on knowledge acquisition, debates in the technology classroom can effectively facilitate critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to gather via questionnaires the perceptions of technology students on the debate process used in the classroom to increase critical thinking. Overall, the students believed that the debate process was a useful learning activity. The results of the questionnaire revealed that students believed that the debates helped them understand the topic better, learn new knowledge, and gain an understanding of the debate process. In addition, students thought that the debates increased their critical thinking skills. Introduction Employers value employees who can solve complex problems, communicate effectively, and think critically (Gokhale, 1995). A function of higher education is to teach students to think. University accreditation boards, for example, the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT), the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) recognize competencies such as problem solving, communication, and teamwork (including critical thinking) in their accreditation criteria (NAIT, 2007; ABET, 2007; & ITEA, 2007). Despite the emphasis on these competencies, businessmen and businesswomen have expressed concern with students’ inability to integrate competencies, for example, teamwork, communication, and oral presentation skills with critical thinking (Roy & Macchiette, 2005). Bissell and Lemons (2006) ascer tained that faculty who teach at universities in a technology or engineering curriculum consider critical thinking a primary objective. It is a sad tr uth that the “average” college student does not think critically, and not all courses include critical thinking. Technology professors in higher education tend to focus on teaching discipline-specif ic content knowledge, but often they struggle with the time and resources needed to design ef fective strategies in order to teach critical thinking (Goodwin, 2003). Although traditional pedagogical techniques such as lectures and e xaminations center on knowledge acquisition, debates in the classroom can effectively facilitate critical thinking (Roy & Macchiette, 2005). Therefore, debate as a teaching tool, has a place in pedagogical methods because it allows students to enhance critical thinking through investigating arguments, engaging in research, gathering information, performing analysis, assessing arguments, questioning assumptions, and demonstrating interpersonal skills. Purpose Initially, the researcher used debate in a Science, Technology, and Society course as a tool to introduce an experiential learning opportunity. The main objective of the course was to use a selection of modern topics in science and technology to increase communication and critical-thinking skills. Debate was a natural f it for the course because the topics were tied to current events, and students were allowed to critically analyze a controversial topic while practicing other competencies like writing, presenting information and higher level thinking. Because the debate was a new experience for the students, it was essential to learn their perceptions of the debate process by asking the following questions: 1. What was their perception of the debate process in a technology classroom? 2. Did they believe the debates increased their critical-thinking ability? This study highlights the procedure the researchers used in implementing debates in the technology classroom. In addition, the perceptions of technology students will be discussed. Review of Literature How can professors transform the student from a passive learner to an active learner? The T h e J o u rn a l o f Te c h n o lo g y S tu d ie s