Critical thinking in the community of inquiry framework: An analysis of the theoretical model and cognitive presence coding schemes

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has been widely used in online teaching in higher education over the past twenty years. Its goal is to support students' professional development while fostering their critical thinking. In this paper, we thematically analyze how the framework authors' interpretations of critical thinking translate into the construct of cognitive presence—operationalized in the Practical inquiry model—and its commonly used coding scheme(s). We show that the framework suffers from having become a “pragmatic” tool, thus compromising the intended dimension of fostering critical thinking. Furthermore, we draw attention to the “acting” role of coding schemes, which may have consequences for research and teaching practice. In a first step, we examine the theoretical assumptions based on Lipman's and Garrison and Archer's ideas about the target category of critical thinking incorporated in the CoI framework. Although the framework is informed by a community of inquiry in Lipman's sense, we show that the chief characteristic of critical thinking associated with facilitating good judgment is not sufficiently addressed. Critical thinking is conceptualized more as confirmation of knowledge structures and problem-solving thinking within the Practical Inquiry model. In a second step, we systematically analyze cognitive presence coding schemes as research tools for capturing critical thinking. We trace a narrowing view of critical thinking within the CoI framework and regarding the coding schemes that measure cognitive presence. Consequently, we raise awareness of the risks in educational research arising from the complexity-reducing modeling and operationalizing of multifaceted educational concerns, such as critical thinking in a community of inquiry. •The construct of critical thinking in the CoI framework is complex and changing.•Critical thinking is mainly understood as knowledge development and confirmation.•Cognitive presence coding schemes capture either varying or no aspects of critical thinking.•Simplification through modeling and operationalization can lead to a loss of key ideas.