“I liked your paper because your research failed”: Autoethnographic Reflections on Researching Critical Thinking in PME

Abstract

This paper reflects on a research project that aimed at generating a better understanding of critical thinking in Professional Military Education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. With an increasing amount of research focusing on how to enhance critical thinking in PME, the project sought to explore the link between experiential learning and critical thinking,
using Sandhurst as a case study. However, as this paper shows, the research outcomes painted an unexpected picture of officer cadets’ understanding of critical thinking, which changed the course of the project, and resulted in important lessons, interesting insights, and new research avenues. The article raises awareness for the importance of positionality in PME, where the proximity
between the researcher and the subject of analysis might affect the research design and outcomes, and applies an autoethnographic method to draw lessons from the reflection.