Critical thinking in science and mathematics education: a systematic literature review

The present study analyzes articles on critical thinking in Science and Mathematics Education, as well as identifies the research contexts in which critical thinking is present. The analytical procedures were performed based on the steps of a systematic review, described by Okoli (2015). Through an inventory, the characteristics of the publications were identified, and categories were established regarding: the references presented in the articles; definitions of critical thinking; and the research contexts. The results showed: reduced number of articles involving the theme (22 articles); 8 articles (36%) that mentioned the term critical thinking without citing authors who discuss this theme; and that, 13 articles (59%) did not present definitions for the term critical thinking. Regarding the research contexts, 13 articles (59%) reported that certain teaching approaches can promote critical thinking, without entering into discussions about how or why these processes occur. Regarding the conclusions, the following stand out: the predominance of using only qualitative methods to assess critical thinking and the need for more research that uses measures in combination with qualitative and quantitative instruments; the dominant trend (20 articles, 91%) to study the relationship between critical thinking and teaching proposals and the need for research that investigates other contexts (curriculum, perceptions of undergraduates and teachers, and assessment); and the scarcity of studies on critical thinking in Science Education in the national context, pointing out the need to develop this line of research nationally.