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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1494055
This article is part of the Research Topic Institutional Impact Measurement in Higher Education View all 11 articles
The Impact of VaKE-Driven Online Discussions on Critical Thinking Styles Among Chinese Undergraduates
Provisionally accepted- 1 Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 2 Macao Polytechnic University, Macau, Macao, SAR China
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This study examines the impact of VaKE-guided online discussion forums on the critical thinking (CT) styles of 100 undergraduate students in Southeast China, focusing on engagement and information-seeking tendencies. Unlike previous research on VaKE's impact on CT skills, this study investigates its effect on CT styles. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining the 24-item UFCTI and student reflective diaries.Results showed that the experimental group, engaged in VaKE-guided forums, exhibited improved engagement and information-seeking behaviors, while the control group, using traditional methods, saw a decline.Qualitative data further supported these findings, with students reporting enhanced understanding of social issues and increased cognitive flexibility. Challenges, including insufficient teacher-student interaction, were noted, emphasizing the need for careful facilitation. These findings contribute to the literature on ethical reasoning and CT styles, providing insights for educators seeking to enhance cognitive and moral development in higher education.
Keywords: Values and Knowledge Education (VaKE), Critical Thinking Styles, Online discussion forums, undergraduates, China
Received: 10 Sep 2024; Accepted: 20 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Su, Zhang, Lei and Ye. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yujie Su, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang Province, China
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