Developing critical thinking in university students – future service experts – through training in examination of service objects and systems

The aim of this study is to identify and substantiate effective methods for developing critical thinking skills among students during the course "Examination of Service Objects and Systems," thereby contributing to the formation of professional competencies. The article focuses primarily on the implementation and analysis of the effectiveness of interactive teaching methods – namely, case studies and “discussion platforms” – within this discipline. The results of a pedagogical experiment conducted during the 2024–2025 academic year with a second-year student group enrolled in the program 43.03.01 “Service,” specializing in “Service in the Fashion and Beauty Industry,” demonstrate a significant improvement in critical thinking indicators: students showed enhanced ability to analyze complex professional situations and identify hidden problems in expert documentation. Statistical data confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methods, with 79% of participants exhibiting sustained development of metacognitive skills essential for professional expert activity. The scientific novelty of the research lies in a comprehensive methodological approach that combines adapted case methods and interactive discussion formats to foster critical thinking among students in the 43.03.01 “Service” program, alongside the development of a classification system for typical errors in expert activities, enabling targeted training for their identification and prevention in the educational process.