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Abstract A tertiary course in Quantitative Reasoning (QR) has the potential to develop key practical and intellectual skills for citizenship, such as critical thinking, problem solving, quantitative literacy, and oral and written communication. In this article, we present research conducted on four instructors of such a QR course for students enrolled in a wide variety of nonscience degree programs at a university in the United States. The course used a student-inquiry approach to proportional reasoning, probability, statistical reasoning, and mathematical modeling. The findings are framed by a 5 C model of QR, which entailsCritical thinking to link real-worldContexts to mathematicalConcepts supported by studentCollaboration and QRCompetencies. The research addressed the questions of how university instructors support student development of the skills needed for critical citizenship and how this support relates to the 5 C model. We found that three of the four instructors viewed critical thinking as a central goal of the QR course and as supporting citizenship education. All four engaged students in tasks designed to develop a combination of skills associated citizenship, including critical thinking, self-questioning, collaboration, and communication. The discussion addresses such issues as the course’s merits and challenges, student engagement, the relative importance of the five Cs, the importance of instructional autonomy, and recommendations for related professional development and future research.
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This content will become publicly available on April 8, 2026
Quantitative reasoning in higher education: The 5C model
Quantitative reasoning (QR) enhances and lengthens lives. In this article, the author discusses how his team is improving QR instruction in U.S. higher education and explain the 5C model of student engagement in quantitative reasoning: (a) Critical thinking, (b) QR Competencies, (c) student Collaboration, (d) real-world Contexts, and (e) mathematical and statistical Concepts. Critical thinking is the heart of quantitative reasoning. QR Competencies and student Collaboration help students connect real-world Contexts to mathematical and statistical Concepts to make decisions about meaningful personal and professional issues.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2216197
- PAR ID:
- 10586407
- Publisher / Repository:
- Adjacent Digital Politics Limited
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Open access government
- Issue:
- 046
- ISSN:
- 2516-3817
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Quantitative reasoning Critical thinking QR competencies Student collaboration Real-world contexts Mathematical and statistical concepts
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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