Document Type
Conference Item
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Abstract
Critical thinking (CT) is a meta cognitive process, a considerable issue and a desirable outcome for higher education in the 21st century. CT is more noticeable when information users want to seek relevant information in an appropriate time and reasonable approach. Nowadays, CT is an equipment to be qualified in each dimension of life today, and also it can be an ability during the information seeking process (lSP). The aim of this paper is to find the level of CT of postgraduate students in the University of Malaya as well as investigating the Usage of CT when they seek for information. The study has adopted a quantitative research design. Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal- UK (WGCTA-UK) edition was used to find the level of CT of postgraduate students. Moreover, another survey was prepared by the authors to find whether postgraduate students use CTin ISP or not. Printed questionnaires are distributed among postgraduate students randomly as a pilot test, 45 out of 50 responded to the surveys comprehensively. This study uses the theory that "a critical thinker is able to seek information more precise and accurate than a person without critical thinking". The findings from the study revealed that those postgraduate students had the highest score in "recognition of assumptions" and the' lowest score in "inference". Furthermore, 71% of subjects are below average and average areas of CT. The result also shows that when students seek information, they use several CTskills and dispositions such as their inference, recognition of assumption, deduction and evaluation of arguments. This is the first attempt to show that postgraduate students use their critical thinking skills (CTS) and dispositions (CTD)when they seek information.
Keywords
Critical thinking, Information seeking behavior, Information seeking process
Divisions
fsktm
Event Title
5th International Conference on Libraries, Information and Society (ICOLIS 2014)
Event Location
The Boulevard Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Event Dates
4-5 November 2014
Event Type
conference
Additional Information
Conference paper