CRITICAL THINKING, INTELLECTUAL FORMATION AND THE CULTURE OF INQUIRY IN NIGERIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

This conceptual paper examines critical thinking, intellectual formation and the culture of inquiry in nigerian higher education through a critical, literature-based analysis. It addresses the central philosophical and social problem by clarifying key concepts, reviewing relevant theoretical perspectives, and organising the discussion around critical thinking as intellectual formation, logical reasoning and evidence, dialogue, questioning and the classroom. The paper argues that the issue should not be understood through narrow causal or measurement language alone; it requires attention to values, institutions, professional judgement and the Nigerian context. The synthesis shows that durable educational and social outcomes depend on coherent relationships among ideas, practices and institutional conditions. Practical implications are developed for policy, professional practice and further scholarly debate. The paper concludes that a context-sensitive, ethically defensible and analytically integrated approach provides a stronger basis for action than isolated technical interventions.