Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Undergraduate Students: A Mapping Study in Computing Education

Davy de Andrade Mota, Simone Santos

2025

Abstract

In the dynamic context of the digital age, academic training in information technology (IT) transcends the mere assimilation of theoretical knowledge, equally requiring the promotion of critical thinking among students. From this perspective, this research proposes a literary approach dedicated to investigating and analysing effective strategies for developing and stimulating critical thinking in IT students. In an environment where technology advances rapidly, it is crucial to equip future professionals in this field not only with solid technical knowledge but also with the intrinsic ability to critically analyse information and conceive innovative solutions in the face of emerging challenges. Thus, this study is motivated by the following research question: "How to develop critical thinking skills in IT undergraduate students?". To conduct this investigation, Kitchenham's systematic mapping studies method and the ChatGPT 4.0 version tool were used as instruments for formatting the extracted data, and visually, generating the charts and graphs. From 72 studies, the main highlighted results were observed, which reference the primary teaching methodologies and frameworks used, the benefits and limitations of these methods, as well as relevant information for understanding the courses in which these methods were applied, class sizes, course durations, and levels of education.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Mota D. and Santos S. (2025). Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Undergraduate Students: A Mapping Study in Computing Education. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU; ISBN 978-989-758-746-7, SciTePress, pages 481-492. DOI: 10.5220/0013212100003932

in Bibtex Style

@conference{csedu25,
author={Davy Mota and Simone Santos},
title={Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Undergraduate Students: A Mapping Study in Computing Education},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU},
year={2025},
pages={481-492},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013212100003932},
isbn={978-989-758-746-7},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 2: CSEDU
TI - Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Undergraduate Students: A Mapping Study in Computing Education
SN - 978-989-758-746-7
AU - Mota D.
AU - Santos S.
PY - 2025
SP - 481
EP - 492
DO - 10.5220/0013212100003932
PB - SciTePress