Concept clarification and critical thinking: integrated processes.

Abstract

Concept clarification is centrally important to theory development. While often understood as a formula-driven task, concept clarification is really a process that engages critical thinking. Clarification creates multiple meanings through: (1) formulating purposes, (2) choosing, examining, and integrating data sources, and (3) representing a final conceptualization that can also be examined for adequacy. Within each of these processes, critical thinking is engaged as: (1) assumptions are identified and challenged, (2) the importance of context in creating meaning is revealed, (3) alternative interpretations are imagined and explored, and (4) reflective skepticism is cultivated. The central challenge in concept clarification is to understand how words create things.