Publication:
Critical thinking dispositions of new intake Engineering Technology students
Critical thinking dispositions of new intake Engineering Technology students
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Date
2010-11-12
Authors
Afiza Mohamad Ali
Muhammad Nadzri b. Abdul Aziz
Isarji Hj. Sarudin
Ainol Madziah Zubairi
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Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)
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Abstract
Problem-solving and critical thinking abilities serve as important outcomes of any engineering programme. Engineering students are expected to solve problems, ask questions, research and discover relevant information, and consider new ideas. This paper presents the findings a study to determine the initial critical thinking dispositions of new intake engineering technology students in the effort to provide base-line data for the integration of critical thinking (CT) in the English syllabus of the engineering technology programme. This is part of a larger English curriculum review exercise with a special focus on the integration of soft skills. A 10-item self-assessment questionnaire was distributed to 1425 new intake engineering students.When the findings of theCT dispositions are considered, CT dimension of detecting bias and exaggeration was cited the most among respondents. Low CT dimensions are evaluation and compare and contrast. Additional findings from focus group interviews reveal peculiar yet interesting insights on CT among the students. Implications of thefindings in relation to CT for engineering technology students arediscussed.
Description
The 2nd International Conference on the Roles of Humanities and Social Science in Engineering (ICoHSE 2010) organized by Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), 12th - 14th November 2010 at Bayview Beach Resort, Penang, Malaysia.
Keywords
Critical thinking dispositions,
Problem solving,
Engineering students,
Higher education,
Curriculum review,
English as a Second Language(L2) learners