Research on the Mechanism of Blended Teaching Empowering the Development of College Students’ Critical Thinking
Download PDF

Keywords

Blended teaching
Critical thinking
Mechanism
Teaching reform
Higher-order thinking

DOI

10.26689/erd.v8i7.15932

Published : 2026-08-13

Abstract

Against the backdrop of deepening digital transformation in higher education, blended teaching has become the mainstream model of classroom teaching reform in universities, profoundly reshaping college students’ learning styles and thinking development paths. As the core component of college students’ higher-order thinking ability, critical thinking is a key competency for cultivating innovative talents, supporting academic inquiry, and realizing lifelong development. It also serves as an important goal of morality education and ability-oriented cultivation in colleges and universities. This paper deconstructs the internal mechanism of blended teaching empowering the development of college students’ critical thinking and analyzes the practical problems existing in the current implementation of blended teaching. Furthermore, it proposes optimization paths for the better development of blended teaching, aiming to provide theoretical references and practical insights for universities to deepen higher-order thinking education and improve the critical thinking cultivation system via blended teaching.

References

Wu ZH, Gong YL, 2026, Higher Education Reform in the Era of Generative AI: Ontological Challenges, Alienation Risks and System Reconstruction. Journal of Xiangtan University (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 2026(5): 1–7.

Peng YL, Ma QR, 2010, Logic Dictionary. Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House, Shanghai.

Zhong QQ, 2020, Critical Thinking: Concept Definition and Teaching Strategies. Global Education Outlook, 49(1): 3–16.

Dewey J, 1933, How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. Henry Regnery Company, Chicago.

Glaser EM, 1941, An Experiment in the Development of Critical Thinking. AMS Press, New York.

Curtis J, 2008, The Handbook of Blended Learning: Global Perspectives, Local Designs. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 7: 132–133.

Sun H, Li YR, Xie M, 2024, Research on New Blended Teaching in Universities from the Perspective of Future Education. Heilongjiang Researches on Higher Education, 42(1): 17–22.

Wang YM, Chen XY, Shi GQ, 2025, Dilemmas and Solutions of Subject Ability Cultivation in Blended Teaching in the Digital Era. Journal of Teaching and Management, (S1): 64–68.

Zhou LB, Zhang MY, Zhang CH, 2023, Cultivation of Teachers’ Digital Literacy Under the Background of Digital Transformation: Era Value, Practical Dilemmas and Breakthrough Paths. E-Education Research, (10): 98–105.

Yu FL, 2021, Research on the Improvement Path of College Teachers’ Information Literacy Under the Blended Teaching Model. China University Teaching, (3): 86–90.

Cao PJ, 2018, Smart Education: Educational Reform in the Era of Artificial Intelligence. Educational Research, 39(8): 121–128.

Zhang QW, Zhang M, Yang CX, 2022, Readiness of College Teachers for Blended Teaching: Current Situation, Challenges and Suggestions. E-Education Research, 43(1): 46–53.

Cai YW, Chen Z, 2025, The Double-Edged Sword: The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on College Students’ Critical Thinking. Journal of Central China Normal University (Humanities and Social Sciences), 64(6): 146–159.

Huang LH, 2026, Formation and Countermeasures of “Information Cocoons” in Generative AI. Library and Information Service, 70(1): 94–103.

Deng M, Hu Y, 2022, Innovation and Practice of Blended Teaching for First-Class Undergraduate Courses. Journal of Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, 44(S2): 152–154.