This paper describes a research project focused on identifying student-teachers’ critical thinking performance levels in scientific reasoning and, secondly, on analyzing the reliability level of the Critical Thinking Tasks test (CTT). As part of the methodology, a non-probabilistic sample of 129 teacher education students from different majors at Bio-Bio University was considered, and the Critical Thinking Task test was applied to collect data. The data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, reliability measures and mean score differences. The data showed that the instrument is reliable (α=0,79); there is also a relatively low performance in the global test and its dimensions; and there are differences between the different teacher education programs. It is concluded that the instrument is reliable, and findings support the idea that knowledge-based areas influence critical thinking. Finally, it is necessary to strengthen specific sub-skills to enhance critical thinking as a contribution for scientific reasoning.

Este ensayo tiene como objetivo reflexionar acerca de los cambios y la transformación que ha generado el modelo educativo centrado en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes respecto a la formación del profesorado, la que se ha visto enfrentada a la necesidad de desarrollar competencias socioemocionales en los docentes, debido a que es una variable relevante, según distintas investigaciones, que incide no sólo en el rendimiento académico de los alumnos; sino que favorece el clima en el aula, la convivencia escolar y la formación ciudadana. En la actualidad se observa que la pedagogía contemporánea valora la incidencia que tienen las emociones en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje, al plantear la necesidad de generar programas de formación docente en competencias socioemocionales y el interés por investigar cuatro ámbitos: las competencias socioemocionales de los docentes, las competencias socioemocionales de los estudiantes, la formación cívica y ciudadana, y las competencias para el desarrollo del clima y convivencia escolar.

The importance of initial teacher training that considers education in and for diversity under an inclusive approach has generated interest in educational research and the dissemination of successful experiences. It is therefore that this review aims to analyze research related to teaching and training programs for teachers in and for diversity, describing their conditions, characteristics and challenges. The method corresponding to a systematic review of articles published between 2015 and 2020 in the Web of Science (WOS), Scopus and SciELO databases, which have been descriptively analyzed. The main findings indicate that the revised curricula (study plans and projects) present deficiencies, such as a scarce and isolated curricular coverage and a lack of articulation with the school reality. These deficiencies could be overcome by considering the principles of gradualness, reflexivity and theory-practice integration. It is believed that the results of this review may constitute a report for the preparation of current and future initial teacher training proposals.

This paper analyzes the concept of critical thinking according to the perspective of a group of preservice teachers from a Chilean university; they are currently in the fourth year of their program. Twenty future teachers participated in a focus group discussion in which they expressed their perspectives on the subject. The answers collected were analyzed using the content analysis technique, which allowed the creation of different categories. Among the most recurrent concepts about critical thinking, we could find: analyzing, reflecting, reasoning, change generation and problem solving. The students defined a critical thinker in their different dimensions: as someone competent, both cognitively and socially, and, at the same time, as someone who takes personal and collective aspects into account. The interviewees also mentioned their role of educating critical thinkers, and explained some of the key elements for making that possible. Some of them were: teaching the importance of feeding on reliable information sources, and accepting feedback from their peers. After a comparison between the interviewees’ conceptualizations and the existing literature, it is found that the students’ perspectives are closely related to those of theory.

Critical thinking has become one of the most notable cognitive skills in education in recent decades since it offers skills for improving knowledge, making decisions, and creativity, among others. While it is considered a mainly cognitive process, recent years have seen strong proposals regarding its relationship with motivational and emotional processes. A study is presented that analyzes the relationship between critical thinking and emotional intelligence, analyzing the relations and influences between these variables. Two instruments were applied to 658 Chilean pedagogy students with ages ranging from 19 to 47 years old. The results indicate a moderate level of critical thinking and a high level of emotional intelligence, along with a positive and significant but moderately low relationship between emotional intelligence and critical thinking. There are no gender differences, meaning that men and women developed these skills in a similar way, but differences were found between age groups. The study highlights the relevance of promoting both critical thinking and emotional intelligence in training future teachers and the need to generate new studies about how these skills are developed in teacher training.