THE WAY EXAMINERS ASSESS CRITICAL THINKING IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION THESES

Did a set of examiner's reports written on educational theses subscribe to a common view of critical thinking? An analysis indicated that an idealized style of critical thinking was embodied in examiners' comments, one which combined the imagery of detached rationality with the imagery of imaginative insight. This functional definition, applied for the purpose of assessment, appears to represent a mixture of assumptions taken from traditional and emergent research traditions in educational administration. It is conjectured that this functional definition may represent a negotiated meaning, arrived at in the light of conflicting intellectual and cultural pressures experienced in the academic study of educational administration.