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This doctoral dissertation focuses on the prevalence of research integration in higher education and its relationship with the development of critical thinking. Establishing a close(r) relation between teaching and research is considered as a dignified aspiration in higher education. The value of the link is defended on the idea that research integration is beneficial for student learning, such as students’ development towards the ability to make reasoned judgements, in this doctoral dissertation referred to as critical thinking (CT). The recurrent proposals to make students more acquainted with the research field of their discipline, fit within this line of reasoning. By offering students more experience with research-based education or stated differently, by increasing research integration, the link between teaching and research would grow stronger and students would benefit. However, empirical studies investigating the assumption that research integration influences the development of critical thinking, are lacking, except for studies on undergraduate research, a specific research integration approach. Consequently, the argument of a positive effect remains mainly conceptual and theoretical. Moreover, studies investigating the prevalence of research integration are limited. The frequency of research integration and its different manifestations is largely unknown. The studies of this doctoral dissertation are done in Flemish higher education, with a main focus on university colleges. After the introduction (Chapter 1), that describes the background and the outline of the dissertation, an elaborated justification of the two main investigated variables on research integration is provided (Chapter 2). These variables are research-related learning outcomes (RR-learning outcomes) and research-integration approaches (RI-approaches). In Chapter 3 the prevalence of RR-learning outcomes is studied within 45 programmes of different institutions of higher education. All module descriptions of these programmes were analysed to find indications for the pursuit of six RR-learning outcomes. Three distinct patterns in the prevalence of RR-learning outcomes between programmes were identified: a low-attention pattern with an overall low attention for the research-related goals; a results pattern with a higher attention for the research-related goals, especially for acquiring knowledge of research results (Results); and a critical-thinking pattern with the main focus on Critical thinking, Practical research skills and the Competence to be a researcher.The subsequent studies concentrate on the first year of higher education. In Chapter 4 RI-approaches in the first year of four bachelor’s programmes at university colleges are documented. The results revealed differences in the prevalence of different variants of RI-approaches. The most frequent RI-approach was an approach in which students are confronted with research results as if they were facts. Involvement in authentic research was rare. In additionsix module types were identified. Module types are specific combinations of one of more RI-approaches within one module. These module types appeared to have privileged relationships with specific RR-learning outcomes (Chapter 5). Acquiring knowledge of research results (Results) or Competence to be a researcher, does not differentiate between first year module types, while specifications of practical research skills, Critical thinking or the attention for underpinnings of research (Underpinnings) does. Chapter 6 deals with the measurement of the development of CT. Since no validated instrument to assess CT in Dutch was available, two tests were translated and validated. The study investigated the psychometric quality of a translation of the Cornell Critical Thinking Test (CCTT) and the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment (HCTA) in a sample of Dutch-speaking first year students majoring in educational sciences. Results showed higher content validity and preference by students for the HCTA, while administration time for the CCTT was lower. Neither test showed a high overall reliability and there are questions about the construct validity of both tests. Based on the results of this study the Scipio-test was developed and used in the following study (Chapter 7) in which the relation between research integration and CT was studied. Results showed that students develop in CT. However, although students from different programmes were confronted with different research integration practices, they did not differ in their CT development. The doctoral dissertation ends with a discussions of the findings (Chapter 8). Whilst the results are coloured by the local context of higher education in Flanders, the findings are also relevant for the larger field as it challenges the assumption of a simplistic relationship between research integration and student learning. The broad interpretation of research integration used in this doctoral dissertation provokes the field to use perspicuous language when discussing research integration and the research-teaching nexus. In addition, the results point at the value of fine-grained analyses of research integration practices at the right level of specification for improving our understanding of the complexities involved. An agenda for future research on research integration concludes the dissertation.