Justification In Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a rational response to questions that cannot be answered definitively and for which all the relevant information may not be available. It is defined here as an investigation whose purpose is to explore a situation, phenomenon, question, or problem to arrive at a hypothesis or conclusion about it that integrates all available information and that can therefore be convincingly justified. In critical thinking, all assumptions are open to question, divergent views are aggressively sought, and the inquiry is not biased in favour of a particular outcome. The outcomes of a critical inquiry are twofold: a conclusion (or hypothesis) and the justification offered in support of it. These outcomes are usually set forth in the form of an argument, defined as "the sequence of interlinked claims and reasons that, between them, establish the content and force of the position for which a particular speaker is arguing" (Toulmin, Rieke, and Janik 1979).

To gain the ability of critical thinking, we must develop the skills in interpreting language, verifying truth claims, constructing and evaluation arguments and questioning the meaning, truth and logic of others’ thoughts as well as our own.

Critical thinking is general term given to a wide range of cognitive skills needed to effectively interpret, analyse and evaluate arguments and truth claims, to formulate logical arguments and to make reasonable and sound decisions. It is essential in college education as college students are expected not merely to absorb information and acquire knowledge but to question, examine and evaluate the ideas and information presented to them (Francis N. Evangelista, 2007, Critical Thinking: A college Student’s Introduction to

Logic).
UM Tagum College is one of the pioneering schools that offer Education courses for those students who want to become a teacher in the future. In addition, the school holds and adapt their Vision, Mission and Goal to their students. It has a good foundation for the student’s objectives and the program objective. The institution produces more top notches that will reflect the firm training and preparation to their students. Thus, we conduct the research on the selected freshmen students of UM Tagum College to assess their level of critical thinking using their prior knowledge in different categories such as; verbal reasoning, argument analysis, thinking as hypothesis testing, likelihood and uncertainty and decision making and problem solving.