The critical thinking's development in the pre-service teacher training: analysis of a pedagogical strategy from the students' view

The new university framework, which is orientated to the acquisition of competences by students, has reinforced the need to learn how to learn and how to gain autonomy. Thus, it is necessary to delve into the implementation of pedagogical strategies that facilitate an adequate development of transversal competences such as reasoning, reflexive capacity, and critical thinking. The main goal of this paper is to analyze a pedagogical strategy application carried out between two subjects of Infant Education Grade of Teacher Training College of Vitoria-Gasteiz (UPV/EHU). More specifically, we want to analyze the participant students' view on their development of the critical thinking by means of the preparation, realization and revision of some academic debates, and whether they consider that activity has significantly helped them to develop the communicative and pedagogical competences inherent within the teaching profession. The main hypothesis that we had before doing the survey is that students consider that the academic debates task can be a resource to improve their critical thinking. According to the data collected, we can state that the academic debates task is seen in a very positive light by students, and they affirm these debates contribute significantly in order to enable them to develop their critical thinking.