Page 15 - SREENARAYANAGURU OPEN UNIVERSITY

like psychology and sociology also allow commerce and
management students to gain perspectives from different
angles. People-skills are important in business, not just
technical skills.

Inquiry research keeps students curious and prompts them
to constantly question and learn. This curiosity helps them

Research nourishes become wise managers, not just efficient managers. It brings
wisdom meaning and purpose to their studies. So keeping an open
and learning mindset through inquiry research is important in
commerce and management education. This helps steer these
fields to benefit society, not just make money. Understanding
people through research brings humanity into the work.

1.1.2 Causative Premises of Inquiry

Inquiry-based learning is about sharpening your critical
thinking abilities through questioning. Answers are
discovered through this questioning process. In this, concepts
are investigated through research and analysis using critical
thinking abilities. What is critical thinking? You know that
there are all kinds of information out there in the world. You
Enhancing critical get them from different sources. Some are reliable, others
thinking through not so. People, media, books, and internet search engines
inquiry give you information. Many of these are contradictory and

confusing; some information with a wide following and
support may be irrational, illogical and even inaccurate.
Critical thinking makes you ask questions without accepting
all that is popular and helps you decide between contradictory
bits of information. Critical thinking refers to the mental
process involved in processing information, keeping an open
mind and asking questions about the information to arrive at
discoveries or solutions to problems, by thinking critically.

Four types of thinking skills are recognised: convergent
thinking, divergent thinking, critical thinking and creative
thinking.

1. Convergent Thinking

When the Pandavas entered the wax palace, Yudhishthira
immediately noticed the peculiar texture of the floor. He used
convergent thinking to analyse the situation, considering
Logical deduction the available clues, and concluded that something was
amiss. His logical approach allowed him to make informed
decisions and assess the potential dangers hidden within the
palace. Thus convergent thinking is the ability to gather and
analyse information, find the best solution, and draw logical

SGOU - SLM - Foundational Skills for Research and Writing 9