The competence model of scientific thinking and reasoning for various work positions in pharmaceutical, biotechnological and agrochemical companies
Abstract
Participating in a knowledge society, meeting complex challenges, fulfilling civic responsibilities, and living rewarding lives, including professional lives in the globalized World requires a broad set of skills and abilities, called the 21st century skills. Scientific thinking and reasoning involving critical thinking, evidence-based thinking and epistemic understanding is one of these skills that needs to be acquired (e.g.
Trilling & Fadel, 2009). This is especially the case in higher education where teachers should prepare students for very complex tasks of working live.
However, can scientific thinking and reasoning skills be assessed as really relevant for all university students? In fact, only a few university graduates will become pure researchers, while a majority will pursue careers in professions that are not predominantly scientific (Lehtinen et al., 2019). Even in pharmaceutical, biotechnological or agrochemical companies, there are highly specialized professions like quality assurance experts or quality control analysts that are not primarily considered scientific positions.