Beyond the Buzzword: A Qualitative Document Analysis of Critical Thinking in Teacher Education Curricula Across Educational Levels in a Spanish University

This study examines how critical thinking (CT) is operationalized within teacher education curricula across three educational levels: primary, secondary, and higher education. Using a top-ranked Spanish university—representative of broader practices within the European Higher Education Area—as a case study, we compare the curricular articulation of CT across programmes. The analysis identifies the professional and pedagogical dimensions of the teaching profession associated with CT and reveals that the primary education curriculum offers the most comprehensive and evidence-based integration, linking CT to five dimensions and 13 sub-dimensions. In contrast, the secondary and higher education curricula address CT in only two and three dimensions respectively, and in a more generalized manner. Only one dimension—the assessment of teaching and learning—features consistently across all curricula, while two others (student learning and ethical practice) are shared by two. The findings highlight the need for greater coherence in CT integration across education levels.