PLAYING TO THINK CRITICALLY: A DELPHI STUDY ON DIGITAL GAMES FOR CRITICAL THINKING

Abstract

As advocated by many researchers, policymakers, and educational authorities, critical thinking, in its many forms and definitions, is a key to sustainable development, life, and career readiness, and therefore an essential component to be embraced by educational systems. One of the ways that the development of critical thinking could be supported is through the medium of digital technology and digital games. Current research on the relationship between digital games and critical thinking is in its infancy and this study aims to cover this research gap. This thesis explores the position of international subject-matter experts (SMEs) to present a comprehensive picture of how digital technologies and games can be used as a medium to develop critical thinking. The research employs a research design based on the “contributory” Kantian Delphi method that was chosen to provide as many perspectives on the nature of an under-researched phenomenon as possible. The study included three Kantian Delphi rounds deploying three anonymous questionnaires. Thirty-six SMEs joined Round 1 (22 SMEs—Round 2, nine SMEs—Round 3), all with diverse professional backgrounds related to education and technology. Participants included teachers, game developers, researchers, methodologists, and other specialists working with digital technology in education. The findings of the study demonstrate that SMEs conceptualize critical thinking in various ways. These differences were evident when analyzed with the theoretical framework of this study. SMEs’ definitions of critical thinking fit within the psychological (17 SMEs), philosophical (9 SMEs), and educational (8 SMEs) traditions of thought as theorized by Sternberg (1986). The majority of SMEs’ accounts of critical thinking included cognitive skills, judgments, and dispositions (23 SMEs), with some of them also exemplifying critical action (6 SMEs). SMEs emphasized both the relevance of critical thinking to an individual’s development (18 SMEs), as well as its importance to society (12 SMEs). At least 16 SMEs made connections to creative thinking, which, as discussed in this...