Developing critical and creative thinkers

Abstract

One significant difference being a postgraduate student compared with an undergraduate is the requirement to make a knowledge contribution to the studied field. However, to be able to go beyond current knowledge and understanding, skills in critical thinking and creativity are necessary. For some students, learning these skills is a challenge. In this report, we have described supervisors' ways of supporting and encouraging critical thinking and creativity among doctoral students. We used qualitative interviews, including eleven supervisors from different disciplines, to explore how support and encouragement are carried out in practice. Our findings confirm what is revealed in the literature on how to encourage critical and creative thinking. However, among our interviewees it often seems to be done implicitly rather than explicitly. At the end of the report, we present a framework recommending how supervisors, doctoral students themselves and specific courses support developing these skills during doctoral education.