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RDST, n°28/2023

Esprit critique et enseignement des sciences et des technologies

Edited by Manuel Bächtold, Magali Fuchs-Gallezot

RDST - Recherches en didactique des sciences et des technologies



Critical thinking and science and technology education

In a context of strong institutional pressure to practise and develop critical thinking in the teaching of science and technology, the RDST editorial board felt it appropriate to examine research in the field of science and technology education on this subject.

Critical thinking in science education is at the heart of both scientific and citizenship education and is a complex construct that can be defined in a variety of ways. It has been the subject of various lines of empirical research and more theoretical approaches, which are reflected in the papers published in this issue.

The six papers in this issue reflect various aspects of these concerns and are organised as follows: the first two papers provide theoretical and empirical information on the construct "critical thinking", the representations that science and technology teachers may have of it and how they see themselves teaching it; the next two papers look at the development of critical thinking in relation to scientific practices (investigation and problematisation); finally, the last two papers examine the question of teaching critical thinking in the context of debates on socio-scientific issues.