Integrating critical thinking skills into the mathematics curriculum of the Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona)

The purpose of this study is to define critical thinking and its characteristics that are appropriate for integration into the mathematics curriculum of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Once identified, this definition and its characteristics will provide a focus for the mathematics faculty who adopt them to enhance the rigorous, reasonable, and reflective thinking of mathematics students.; After a review of the related literature, definitions and characteristics of critical thinking were considered as representative examples of the varied definitions and characteristics found during the examination. The Delphi Technique was used to convene an expert panel of Maricopa County Community College District faculty members to determine the most representative definition of critical thinking, as it applies to the mathematics curriculum, and a desired list of critical thinking skills that graduates of Maricopa Community Colleges' associate degree programs should possess.; Through the use of the Delphi Technique, the study determined that critical thinking was a process that: evaluates information and ideas; distinguishes between relevant and extraneous information; determines whether a conclusion is warranted based on observations, experiences, or reflections; and utilizes this conclusion as a basis for belief or action.; Improved critical thinking abilities will provide graduates of Maricopa Community Colleges' associate degree programs with valuable skills that may be applied to other academic disciplines, as well as to real world personal, business, and career situations.