ABSTRACT
The belief that critical thinking should be the prime goal of schooling has been enthusiastically and persistently espoused by American educators. Ironically, perhaps no other goal has been so consistently underachieved (Adler, 1986; Goodlad, 1984; Parker, 1991). This may be attributed to a number of factors: the existence of widely diverse interpretations of the term “critical thinking,” a proclivity for voguish, ill-conceived curricular innovations, the employment of programs based on hastily devised lists of skills and the utilization of faulty measures to assess their outcomes (Paul, 1990; Adler, 1986). Many educators believe that significant progress could be made if we would come to some agreement on a definition of critical thinking, formulate a common set of goals, and identify instructional methods which would accomplish those aims. (Parker, 1991; Paul, 1990; Sternberg, 1989).
