Military instruction: A mixed-methods study of strategies for teaching critical thinking to enlisted military personnel

This study examines the role of multiple instructional strategies in developing critical thinking in enlisted military personnel. The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of modeling, problem solving, and lecture-based instructional strategies on students' acquisition of critical thinking skills in a military training environment. Literature about teaching critical thinking in the military has focused almost exclusively on the impact to the officer ranks with few studies being done about teaching critical thinking to the enlisted ranks. To date, no systematic investigation has considered how to develop a critical thinking mindset in enlisted military personnel within the time frame allowed by their training. Using a collective case study mixed methods approach, this research explores the role of three different instructional strategies for developing critical thinking in enlisted military personnel. The findings from this research illustrate how even within the limited time frame of military training the nucleus of critical thinking can be generated using certain instructional strategies. By analyzing both quantitative and qualitative results the conclusions offered insights into how differing instructional strategies can improve critical thinking comprehension to enlisted military personnel.