The use of films as a pedagogical tool for the development of critical thinking skills of students: conceptual review

Abstract

In the current educational context, the use of films as a pedagogical tool generates great interest. These audiovisual supports are characterized by their narrative richness, dynamic and engaging dimension, which is likely to develop students’ analytical thinking and provoke deep reflections on complex ideas. But, despite the intensive use of these tools in teaching, their structured use to cultivate critical thinking regarding implicit messages remains insufficiently documented from a scientific standpoint. In other words, although they have the capacity to develop students’ critical thinking, particularly regarding the analysis of conveyed messages, they remain insufficiently exploited and theoretically poorly modelled. These considerations highlight the need to continue innovation and research in the use of films as an audiovisual pedagogical tool. Thus, the main objective of this study is to conceptualize the interactions between film, pedagogy, and the development of critical thinking.