Critical thinking skills are fundamental for both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the academic environment. These skills allow students to question and reflect on the knowledge and information presented to them. These skills can be learned differently through various instruments. This chapter explores how this game can contribute towards teaching critical thinking skills. There are various indigenous games played in Vhavenda culture. The researchers focus on an indigenous game, Duvheke. The chapter employs game-based pedagogy as a theory that underpins this study. Methodologically, the chapter assumes a qualitative complexion because it seeks to collect in-depth information about Duvheke and how it can be used in teaching critical thinking skills first entering students in a rural university. The data collection method used is interviews which were collected from first entering students. Preliminary findings suggest that critical thinking is needed to play Duvheke. The chapter suggests that Duvheke can be a valuable tool in teaching critical thinking skills.
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Critical thinking is a cognitive action which is connected to the ability to use the mind effectively. Learning to think critically, analyse and evaluate ways is interpreted as the demonstration of mental processing of attention, categorisation, selection and judgment (Cotrell, 2017). Critical thinking (CT) is an operative example of higher order thinking that can be accounted for due to reliable and validated tests. In the literature, CT has been defined as a skill of taking responsibility and control of our own mind (Paul, 1996), or as a logical and reflective thought which focuses on a decision in what to believe and what to do (Ennis, 1985). Linn (2000) mentions that critical thinking skills include the individual ‘ability to identify the source of information, analysing its credibility, reflecting on whether that information is consistent with their prior knowledge, and drawing conclusions based on their critical thinking. University of Venda in its mission aims to produce students that are globally competitive future citizens and to achieve this aim, the University should be able to build students with high cognitive skills who can think critically, make decisions and solve problems. Ben-Chaim, Ron, & Zoller, 2000 alluded that in order to develop higher-order thinking skills, or higher order cognitive skills , there should be students’ transmission of knowledge and skills into responsible action, regardless of their particular future role in society. Meeting this challenge requires, among others, the development of students’ capacities of critical thinking (CT), which is necessary for the analysis of unfamiliar situations, so that their question-asking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities will be based on a framework of rational thinking (Ennis, 1989; Zoller, Ben-Chaim, Ron, Pentimalli, & Borsese, 2000).
Students with critical thinking skills can use scepticism and doubt constructively to analyse that which is before them(Cotrell,2017). In other words, they do not take information at face value but pound over it before they can digest information for use. Critical thinkers can make informed decisions based on rationality, judging its truthfulness and worth unlike acting on their first thought as the brain may assume that whatever comes is right. Critical thinker’s reasons and make conclusion based on reasons (Kahneman, 2011). In doing so they do not miss relevant information nor omit it. A person who reasons makes conclusions based on facts that should support the concluded evidence.
In this study, we want to explore the possibility of using indigenous games to a teach high ordered skill which is critical thinking. We assume that there is rich knowledge hidden in one indigenous game, duvheke as we advocate for its use to enhance critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills that we are interested in are based on the work of Cotrell (2017) which includes: