DO STUDENTS LEARN MORE WITH CHOICE? What New Research Says About Meaningful Assessment Excellent Educator, 3(11), 5-6, 2026 WHAT RESEARCH FOUND Authentic assessment is often associated with real-world tasks. However, researchers found that students frequently valued something else even more: choice. In a study examining highly engaging assessments, students reported stronger engagement when they could […]
WHY DO STUDENTS AVOID CRITICAL THINKING? What New Research Says About Building Cultures of Thinking Excellent Educator, 3(11), 3-4, 2026 WHAT RESEARCH FOUND Critical thinking is often described as an essential educational goal. Yet many students hesitate to engage in it, especially when problems lack clear answers. Researchers studying an active-learning university course found that
Discovery Learning and Critical Thinking Excellent Educator, Volume: 3, Issue: 7, Page: 1 Summary of Manurung and Pappachan (2025) Academic Insights Academic InsightsThis study examined how discovery learning helps university students build critical thinking while solving mathematical story problems. Using observations, interviews, and documentation with elementary education students, the researchers found that discovery learning encouraged
Drama Education and Critical Thinking Excellent Educator, Volume: 3, Issue: 7, Page: 3 Summary of Hu and Shu (2025) Academic Insights Academic InsightsThis study explored how drama education can improve critical thinking through collaboration and communication. Survey and interview data from university students showed that teamwork and expressive interaction in drama activities had significant positive
Critical Thinking in the Age of AI Excellent Educator, Volume: 3, Issue: 7, Page: 4 Summary of Papaneophytou and Nicolaou (2025) Academic Insights This review examines why critical thinking is increasingly important in biological sciences as artificial intelligence becomes more common in research and education. While AI can speed up analysis, personalize learning, and support
Social Media Use and Critical Thinking Excellent Educator, Volume: 3, Issue: 7, Page: 5 Summary of Galindo-Domínguez et al (2025) Academic Insights Academic InsightsThis research studied how university students’ social media use relates to critical thinking and found that the strongest predictor was not social media itself, but students’ competence in learning to learn. Social
Interactive Learning for Critical Thinking Excellent Educator, Volume: 3, Issue: 7, Page: 2 Summary of Blyznyuk and Kachak (2024) Academic Insights This article highlights how interactive learning strengthens students’ critical thinking by making them active participants in the learning process. Instead of passively receiving information, students engage in problem solving, discussion, collaboration, reflection, and practical
Learning Critical Thinking Excellent Educator, Volume: 3, Issue: 7, Page: 7 Summary of Indrašienė et al. (2023) Academic Insights This qualitative study explored how students reflect on their experiences of learning critical thinking in higher education. The findings show that critical reflection is not just about understanding ideas, but about connecting personal experience, theoretical knowledge,
