Nurturing critical thinking for implementation beyond the classroom: Implications from social psychological theories of behavior change

Critical thinking is a higher order mental function influenced by social factors and performed within a social context. The aim of this paper is to suggest guidelines for critical thinking education on the grounds of social psychological theories of behavior change. Based on reviews of literature on the Reasoned Action Approach (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2011), and Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986), this paper suggests that educators should direct learners' attention to concrete and good models of critical thinking as well as their positive consequences through various sources. Guiding learners to be mindful about social pressures and their own personal biases that inhibit critical thinking should also facilitate critical thinking in actual circumstances.