The Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Student Sucess

The ability to think critically appears to be the solution in an ever-changing world where nothing can be taken on faith for too long. Critical thinking is a way of approaching ideas that aim to understand core, primary truths, not simply what is most obviously visible (Hooks, 2010). The purpose of this essay is to take an in depth look into how essential critical thinking is in a university environment towards student success. This essay will discuss how critical thinking effects academic performance, how it improves the likelihood of students remaining in university, how it compares to rote learning, the impact that learning critical thinking in a university environment has on future careers and society and how critical thinking empowers students.

Critical thinking demonstrates significant relevance in numerous aspects of a students learning in a university environment and ultimately is the decider as to whether a student will perform well academically. This is the case because university is where learning and discussions of a variety of topics takes places. It is unnecessary for students to be solely dependent on their lectures, they are also required to enquire and do their own research. However it is quite clear that a vast majority of students do the bare minimum to support their studies, and such students are less likely to perform well as compared to those students who take initiative to do further research. Students relying solely on lectures are putting themselves at risk of failing classes as they are not putting in any effort; their thinking ability goes unattended to. This is quite problematic because what lecturers discuss in lectures are not always one hundred percent correct, they can make mistakes and thus it is ...

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...er. It is for such reasons that teachers should encourage the use of critical thinking skills to ensure that students feel empowered to speak freely in classes and to be open to sharing new judgements.

In conclusion, the educational process should not be simple and repetitive it must include analysis tools to allow for various new interpretations and judgements. A student who is taught to think critically will act accordingly as one of the best abilities which will be created for them to foresee the potential effects of their actions. By having students think critically, they are able to formulate the right questions, evaluate judgements and to formulate their own interpretations based on evidence. Critical thinking in the university environment has a positive impact on grades, retention, future careers and ultimately leads to student empowerment for the future.