Critical thinking and critical being; a study of international ITE students’ interpretations of criticality

This qualitative, phenomenological study examines understanding, development of and engagement with criticality for ten student-teachers on an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme to qualify to teach in the Post-Compulsory Education (PCE) sector. Throughout the ITE programme, analysis and evaluation of pedagogy is essential as the student-teachers develop into critically reflective teachers able to evaluate their pedagogical choices in specific contexts. The student-teachers selected for this study are ‘international’ as they have previous educational experiences and qualifications from other countries, and British as they emigrated to the UK as adults. A study of intercultural students’ educational experiences is under-represented amongst the abundant literature around international students’ experiences of studying in the west. Following semi-structured interviews that focused on the life stories of each individual student, the data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to gain insight into the lived experiences of each individual, and identify themes. Three themes emerged from the data: ‘perceptions of the self’, ‘relationships’ and ‘culture/tradition’ in relation to how each student interpreted and developed criticality during their ITE programme from their previous experiences. The themes highlighted the complexities in interpreting and developing criticality, and applying it to the ITE context. The thesis proposes a framework to develop criticality drawing on two definitions of criticality that emerged from the literature. The first, a ‘mechanistic’ critical thinking approach similar to aspects that make up ‘Study Skills’, and a second ‘critical being’ approach that draws on Freire’s definition of critical pedagogy, both of which are essential for ITE. Juxtaposing Freire’s notion of criticality with Habermas’ analysis of lifeworlds redefines the original framework to a revised one that includes a ‘critical space’. This space offers an opportunity for a nuanced definition of the emergence of criticality based on student-teachers’ previous lived experiences. Within the conclusion, I consider the implications of the study for the ITE programme, and suggest further research to define the ‘critical space’ with more clarity. The study highlights the importance of giving voice to individuals’ lived experiences to enable student-teachers to feel confident and heard when reflecting on how each developed and engaged with criticality.