Systematic review of thinking skills in the classroom (2000-2013)

Abstract

Since the second half of the twentieth century, there has been a growing interest in the use of learning methods to assess and encourage the development of thinking skills in the classroom instead of the vertical transmission of a specific content. This study takes 60 academic articles published between 2000 and 2013 which had thinking skills as the central topic and analyzes their level of evidence and grade of recommendation following the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). The main findings were: most studies are developed with empirical analytical approaches and quasi-experimental designs; there are a variety of stimulation programs and data collection instruments that hinder a systematic analysis of programs; there are very different samples and intervened population used; and, finally, most studies are located at average levels of evidence and grades of recommendation.