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.