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Critical Reflection of Assumptions.2

The document discusses critical reflection and self-reflection of assumptions as essential components of critical thinking and transformative learning. It distinguishes between Critical Reflection of Assumptions (CRA), which focuses on external influences, and Critical Self-Reflection of Assumptions (CSRA), which examines internal beliefs and values. The text emphasizes the importance of critical reflection in understanding and transforming one's perspectives and assumptions.

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Giselle Joy Ancheta
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9 views3 pages

Critical Reflection of Assumptions.2

The document discusses critical reflection and self-reflection of assumptions as essential components of critical thinking and transformative learning. It distinguishes between Critical Reflection of Assumptions (CRA), which focuses on external influences, and Critical Self-Reflection of Assumptions (CSRA), which examines internal beliefs and values. The text emphasizes the importance of critical reflection in understanding and transforming one's perspectives and assumptions.

Uploaded by

Giselle Joy Ancheta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Critical Reflection of Assumptions (CRA) and

Critical Self-Reflection of Assumptions (CSRA)

Brookfield (1987) defined critical thinkers are people who “are good at thinking contextually and
flexible at adjusting assumptions, decisions, and behaviors according to the demands of the
particular contexts involved” (p. 247). Also, Mezirow (2009) clarified that “a critical thinker is one
who is apparently moved by reasons” (p. 96). Thus, critical thinking is rational-oriented and
justifiable thinking appropriate in a given context.
Dewey (1933) clearly distinguished between believing and reflectively thinking: Belief covers the
matters of which people do not have sufficient knowledge with sufficient confidence to act upon
and also the matters that people currently and certainly accept as truth or as knowledge.
Reflective thought is “active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form
of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it
tends” (Dewey, 1933, p. 9). In other words, believing is a kind of unconscious, mindless, or
assimilative thinking by picking and accepting the ideas of others because people have not yet
consciously and actively examined the idea for credibility/trustworthiness whereas the reflection
commences when people begin to inspect/investigate for the reliability or the worth if the idea
is supported/guaranteed with the existing data to justify its acceptance.
Later, Mezirow (1978, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1991a, 1995, 1996c, 1997a, 1998a, 2000, 2003, 2009;
Dirkx & Mezirow, 2006) established the transformative learning theory, emphasizing the
reflection's centrality in its process. Mezirow (2009) explained that “transformation theory in
adult education … involves how to think critically about one’s assumptions supporting
perspectives and to develop reflective judgment in the discourse regarding beliefs, values,
feelings and self-concept” (Mezirow, 2009, p. 98). Regarding critical reflection, Mezirow (1990)
stated that “reflection enables us to correct distortions in our beliefs and errors in problem-
solving. Critical reflection involves a critique of the presuppositions on which our beliefs have
been built” (p. 1). Also, Mezirow (1990) went on to make further clarification on the difference
between thoughtful action and reflective action. Thoughtful action involves reflection to think it
out based on one’s prior experience or learning but this reflection does not cause one to question
deep enough to reflect upon his/her underlying assumption (what and how). Reflective action
involves the reassessment of the unconsciously constructed value premise of current meaning
perspectives (why) built through “the process by which we tacitly construe our beliefs may
involve taken-for granted values, stereotyping, highly selective attention, limited
comprehension, projection, rationalization, minimizing or denial” (Mezirow, 2009, p. 95), and this
is the kind of reflection necessary for perspective transformation.
Mezirow (1998a) extended the notion of critical reflection and constituted a taxonomy of critical
reflection of assumptions. In this taxonomy, Mezirow (1998a) differentiated between critical
reflection of assumptions (CRA) (objective reframing) and critical self-reflection of assumptions
(CSRA) (subjective reframing). CRA (see Table 4) analyzes a problem about improving
performance, involving instrumental learning while CRSA (see Table 5) analyzes the psychological
or cultural assumptions that are the specific reasons for one’s conceptual and psychological
limitations, the constitutive processes or conditions of formation of one’s experience and beliefs,
involving communicative learning and emancipatory learning. The main difference between CRA
and CSRA would be that CRA is outward reflection to examine the external influence on one’s
situation whereas CRSA is inward reflection to examine one’s meaning structure as a base of
thinking.
Table 4:
Taxonomy of Critical Reflection of Assumptions (CRA)

TYPES OF CRA Description/Purpose


Narrative CR Critically examine the validity of the concepts,
beliefs, feelings or actions being
communicated to you (in speech, books,
paintings) by assessing the truth or
justification of taken-for-granted assumptions

Action CRA A pause in task-oriented problem-solving to


critically examine one’s own assumptions in
defining the problem in order to take more
effective action to solve it. The objective is
instrumental: to improve performance

Table 5
Taxonomy of Critical Self-Reflection of Assumptions (CSRA)

TYPES OF CSRA Description/Purpose


Narrative CSRA Application of Narrative CRA to oneself

Analysis of one’s own unwarranted


assumptions pertaining to the subject content
of the narrative
SystemIC CSRA Critical reflection on one’s own assumptions
pertaining to the economic, ecological,
educational, linguistic, political, religious,
bureaucratic, or other taken-for-granted
cultural systems
Critical reflection on the canons, paradigms,
or ideologies that have generated traditional
roles and relationships, and on how they have
shaped and limited the development of our
point of view and have fostered dependency
relationships

It often leads to some form of collective or


collaborative social action
Therapeutic CSRA Awareness and critical insight about
assumptions governing one’s problematic
feelings and related dispositions, and their
action consequences

Type of problem-posing and problem-solving


in which one examines the sources, nature,
and effect of assumptions governing the way
one feels and is disposed to act upon his or her
feelings
Epistemic CSRA Examination of assumptions and exploration
of the causes (biographical, historical,
cultural), the nature (including moral and
ethical dimensions), and consequences
(individual and interpersonal) of his or her
frames of reference to ascertain why he or she
is predisposed to learn in a certain way or to
appropriate particular goals

The reframing process is not directed at


solving an immediate problem but at explicitly
identifying one’s frames of reference

Taylor (1994a) argued about the necessity of critical reflection in the transformative process to
become interculturally competent and said that “perspective transformation is not contingent
upon critical reflection and that a nonreflective orientation [experiential learning, thoughtful
action, assimilative learning] can also lead to a change in a meaning perspective” (p. 171).
However, Mezirow (1998a) later rebutted Taylor’s argument and re-contended the importance
of critical reflection by explaining that nonreflective learning may result in changes in value, but
brainwashing, coercion, and indoctrination also happens as result of such learning.

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