Due to the increasing complexity of the demands of the job market, the importance of generic competencies in pupils is increasingly emphasised in secondary vocational education programmes. In this context, critical thinking competency has been highlighted as the one that enables pupils to act as autonomous, competent, independent and reflective professionals who are also willing to change the status quo of existing labour market demands. However, the literature points out a major challenge in developing critical thinking competency in vocational programmes due to the lack of concrete approaches or even guidelines for developing critical thinking. Against this background, this paper aims to propose a theoretical model of teaching for critical thinking in vocational education and training. The model was derived from the generic model of teaching for critical thinking proposed by author Buchberger and was contextualised through an in-depth literature review within the six dimensions of teaching for critical thinking (learning outcomes aimed at developing critical thinking, critical approach to lesson content, active teaching methods, active assessment methods, critical action, and democratic classroom atmosphere). The contextualisation of the model of teaching for critical thinking in vocational education and training has shown that there are many specificities of vocational education that need to be addressed through the six dimensions of critical thinking teaching, which shows that the generic model of teaching for critical thinking provides a high-quality starting point for different levels and types of education. Therefore, the proposed model aims to support vocational teachers in teaching for critical thinking. However, it is noted that the model is open and flexible and can therefore be adapted to the needs of particular teaching practises in different learning contexts. © 2025 The Author(s). International Journal of Training and Development published by Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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