Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce
Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce
We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming international conference on “Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce”. The conference is interdisciplinary, it will cover a diverse range of fields and perspectives on the development of critical thinking skills in different academic fields at universities and labour market institutions. Showcasing the holistic approach, the conference aims to explore the vital role of critical thinking in diverse academic disciplines and its significance in the ever-evolving landscape of labour market institutions.
The conference aims to bridge the gap between universities and labour market institutions, fostering a culture of critical thinking that thrives in the classroom and enhances professional growth in the workplace. This conference will serve as a platform for educators, researchers, and labour market professionals from diverse fields to explore innovative strategies, and share best practices and collaborate on integrating critical thinking skills into educational curricula.
Keynote speakers
Alistair Starling
Co-Founder and Managing Director of the European Diplomats
Luís Sebastião
Associate Professor in the Department of Pedagogy and Education, Director of the Center for Research in Education and Psychology, University of Évora
Dimitris Pnevmatikos
Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Western Macedonia
Erika Vaiginienė
Associate professor in the Department of Business, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vilnius University
Inga Jončienė
Head of Business Development at Alliance for Recruitment
Adam Mastandrea
Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, Institute of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University
Daiva Penkauskienė
Director of Modern Didactics Center, Associate Professor in the Institute of Educational Sciences and Social Work, Mykolas Romeris University
Sandra Kairė
Associate Professor, Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University
Kay Hemmerling
Dr Kay Hemmerling, Chairman at the Institute for Moral-Democratic Competence (IMDC e.V.)
Programme
Programme
H. Rebelo, L. Sebastião, R. Payan-Carreira, F. Tirapicos, A. Cristóvão
Can Critical Thinking Reduce the Gap Between Universities and Labour Market? A Study with Focus Groups and One in-depth Interview with Veterinarians
Hugo Rebelo
Research Centre in Education and Psychology,
University of Évora, Portugal
Luís Sebastião
Research Centre in Education and Psychology,
University of Évora, Portugal
Rita Payan-Carreira
Research Centre in Education and Psychology,
Comprehensive Health Research Centre
University of Évora, Portugal
Filipa Tirapicos
Research Centre in Education and Psychology,
University of Évora, Portugal
Ana Cristóvão
Research Centre in Education and Psychology,
University of Évora, Portugal
Every year, universities award graduating students with a diploma that enables them to enter the job market. The discussion about whether the profile these students possess is the one desired by employers is recurrent in the literature. Critical Thinking for Successful Jobs (Think4Jobs) was an Erasmus+ project (2020-1-EL01-KA203-078797) that, using a multidisciplinary approach, sought to develop critical thinking among higher education students, so that the incorporation of this skill would be an asset in the transition between academic and professional environments.
The purpose of this presentation is to understand if critical thinking, understood as the ability to analyse, evaluate, and decide objectively and based on evidence, can reduce the gap between universities and the labour market. In the context of veterinary medicine, two focus group interviews were conducted with 12 veterinarians (six in each group), followed by an in-depth interview to further explore the topics discussed. The interviews were transcribed, and the data were analysed using NVivo software, employing the reflexive thematic analysis technique.
The results highlighted the need to change some pedagogical practices used both in the university and in the professional internships, to enhance self-regulation and autonomy, and to promote skills in decision-making and clinical reasoning. The importance of incorporating industry needs into university course curricula was also emphasized. Veterinarians recognize that initial training and internships provide different opportunities for the development of critical thinking, which complement each other. They also note that newly graduated individuals with higher levels of critical thinking competence align more adequately with the desired profile for entering the profession.
Keywords: critical thinking; university-business collaboration; veterinarians; employability profile; soft skills
Hugo Ricardo Ferreira Rebelo: Degree in Biology and Geology (Teaching of) from the University of Évora, where he is studying for a PhD in Educational Sciences. Extensive experience in research activities, with advanced training in Data Analysis in Social Sciences. Science and technology manager at the Research Centre in Education and Psychology at the University of Évora.
Luís Miguel dos Santos Sebastião: Degree in Teaching Biology and Geology, PhD in Educational Sciences – Specialty Philosophy of Education, Associate Professor of the Department of Pedagogy and Education and Director of the Research Centre in Education and Psychology.
Rita Maria Payan Martins Pinto Carreira: Degree in Biotechnology, PhD in Veterinary Medicine and Philosophy, Researcher at the Centre for Integrated Health Research, and Full Professor at the Veterinary Department of the University of Évora.
Filipa de Jesus Magro Tirapicos: Degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Évora. Attends the Master's Degree in Human Resources Development Policies at ISCTE-IUL. Research Fellow at the Research Centre in Education and Psychology - University of Évora.
Ana Maria Lopes Cristóvão: Degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Lisbon, PhD in Educational Sciences, Guest Assistant of the Department of Pedagogy and Education at the University of Évora, Integrated Researcher at the Research Centre in Education and Psychology.
