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Developing Critical Thinking Skills: Assessing The Effectiveness Of Workbook Exercises
Abstract
To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills in college students, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of cognitive exercises in developing those skills. The study uses Critical Thinking: Building the Basics by Walter, Knudsvig, and Smith (2003). This workbook is specifically designed to exercise and develop critical thinking skills. The authors use it as the intervention tool. Freshman students enrolled in a first-year experience course participated in the study; one group used the book, the other did not. Students spent a few weeks in class working through the problems, and at the end of the semester, both groups completed the iCritical Thinking Skills Test. Analysis of final test scores prove the effectiveness of exercises on improving the critical thinking skills of college freshmen.
... The result is supported by previous studies that instructional materials contribute to the achievement of objectives of the subject and provide for the development of higher cognitive skills [14] [15]. The results are also affirmed by the findings of previous studies that effective utilisation of instructional materials helps maximise the chances of student participation and improves students' performance in academic assessments [16][17]. ...
... Hence, the use of the proposed work text was effective in improving the performance of the students in solid mensuration. Other studies also affirmed that instructional material was found to be effective in improving students' understanding and performance [9][12] [14]. As shown in Table 5, the pre-test mean score of the control group was 16.96, while the post-test mean score was 25.08. ...
... The result clearly shows that that the obedized work text in solid mensuration helped in improving the students' performance in the experimental group. The results of this study are consistent with the findings of previous studies that the use of instructional material in the teaching and learning process was found to be significant in affecting the performance of the students [14][18] [19]. Further, modules were valid as instructional material, as revealed by the high performance of the experimental group in their pre-test and post-test results [20]. ...
Outcomes-based education (OBE) has been a new educational reform, especially among higher education institutions in the world. With this, teachers need to carefully design activities placing the students at the centre of the education, viz. by creating instructional materials and work texts. The quasi-experimental research described in this article was conducted to assess the effectiveness of using obedized work texts to improve the achievement of engineering students in solid mensuration employing a pre-test/post-test method for an experimental and control group. The results reveal that students from the experimental group achieved higher scores than students from the control group. Hence, the use of obedized work text was effective in improving engineering students’ achievement in solid mensuration.
... The second group consists of studies that focus on the relationship between the didactic-methodical aspect of teaching and critical thinking, which refers to teaching methods and activities that involve the active approach of students in teaching (Fung, 2014;Lewine et al., 2015;Piergiovanni, 2014;Shim & Walczak, 2012;Tiruneh et al., 2014). In addition to the above, there is a third group of research related to approaches to teaching critical thinking, which follows the author's discussion of directly teaching critical thinking skills in class (Alwehaibi, 2012;Cotter, 2009;Wallace & Jefferson, 2015;Marin & Halpern, 2011). Shim and Walchak (2012) studied the relationship between different teaching practices that involve guiding students and developing critical thinking skills. ...
... Directly teaching students critical thinking skills in class has been shown to be more effective than other teaching approaches. Wallace and Jefferson (2015) also addressed the question of whether students' critical thinking skills are enhanced in class when they are given direct instruction, examining the differences between two groups of students, where one group of students used a manual to practice and develop critical thinking skills when solving problems set in class. The group of students who used the manual showed better results on a test measuring critical thinking skills compared to the group of students who did not use the manual. ...
... Berpikir kritis merupakan bagian dari berpikir tingkat tinggi. Tahap awal keterampilan berpikir kritis dapat dikembangkan dengan praktek, latihan mengelola mental dan mengembangkan kesadaran dari cara berpikir yang paling efektif dalam memecahkan masalah (Wallace & Jefferson, 2015). ...
... (3) Melalui pengembangan peta konsep dan buku kerja khusus yang bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruhnya terhadap peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa latihan berpikir kritis melalui buku kerja khusus, efektif mengembangkan keterampilan berpikir kritis siswa sedangkan hasil dari posttest menunjukkan bahwa peta konsep juga memiliki pengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kemampuan berpikir kritis peserta didik (Wallace & Jefferson, 2015), (Khodadady & Ghanizadeh, 2011 (Rustaman, 2002). ...
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan workbook pada tema sistem transportasi untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kritis siswa SMP Kelas VIII. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah Research and development (RnD) Thiagarajan dengan desain penelitian kuasi-eksperimen. Tahapan penelitian ini terdiri dari tahap 1 define; tahap 2 design; tahap 3 development; tahap 4 dissemination. Aspek keterampilan berpikir kritis dalam penelitian ini mengacu pada kerangka kerja Robert H.Ennis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa workbook yang dikembangkan dapat meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kritis dengan perolehan N-gain berturut-turut sebesar 0,68 dan 0,66 yang termasuk dalam kategori tinggi. Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan uji dampak, diperoleh nilai 1,57 untuk peningkatan keterampilan berpikir kritis sehingga termasuk dalam kategori efektif. Berdasarkan data di atas dapat disimpulkan, workbook yang telah dikembangkan ini efektif meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kritis siswa SMP kelas VIII.
... Despite the lack of consensus over ideas about whether CT should be viewed as a set of dispositions, higher-order thinking skills (Davies & Barnett, 2015;Shahri, 2018), or a non-overt social practice (Atkinson, 1997), we embrace the view that rather than looking at different approaches to CT as incongruous with each other, they should be seen holistically as complementary. In practice, and for the purpose of our work, we do not wish to justify the exclusion or inclusion of a particular stance on CT; rather, we acknowledge and support the idea that CT is a skill and can therefore be taught and developed (see Wallace & Jefferson, 2015), and that it is, what Benesch (1993) calls, 'a learning process for democracy', notion that relies heavily upon the principles of critical pedagogy. ...
... 546). A far less cognitive-dominant view of CT is put forth by Wallace (2015) who states that "criticality cannot be linked to innate linguistic competence but is socially and educationally learned" (p. 4), notion that tacitly touches on the uniqueness and distinctiveness of CT approaches across cultures. ...
The present study reports on the challenges of implementing an approach to critical thinking and critical reading in English language teaching (ELT) in Chile. Participants in this research are in-service teachers of English enrolled in a Master’s course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Chile. In order to develop and construct a thorough understanding of the participants’ past and present academic literacy experiences, they were invited for one-to-one meetings (semi-structured interviews) where, rather than reminiscing about past literacy experiences, they were encouraged to engage in narratives about their experiences with and challenges of developing a socially critical awareness of literacy at university, and in their current teaching practices. Analysis of the participants’ accounts revealed, first and foremost, the pervasive presence of literacy practices that reflect and favor a strong culture of compliance over critical reflection, and, secondly, great concerns about the lack of systematic preparation in English teacher education (ETE) programs to develop and implement a more critical stance toward critical thinking and critical reading. The paper concludes by interrogating and challenging current university practices that, based on the participants’ views, seem to replicate a culture that reproduces both social and cultural inequalities.
... The teacher can assemble problem-solving activities to enhance critical thinking (Howard et al., 2015;McPeck, 2016). Also, the teacher can combine this strategy with promoting the complex problem-solving (Howard et al., 2015;Wallace & Jefferson, 2015). Complex problems are problems which someone can't indirectly solve with one procedure or particular perspective, but they need higher order thinking skills to find and combine various facts to get problem-solving (Carter et al., 2014;Shiraev et al., 2016). ...
... By considering the nature of each knowledge dimension, in the process of measuring critical thinking skills, a contextual problem or test question which is not artificial can be developed. To solve it, it needs skills to combine concepts, formula, principles, and rules which meet the learning goals (Howard et al., 2015;Pitt et al., 2015;Wallace & Jefferson, 2015). ...
Critical thinking as an outcome of learning is an essential issue in education. The application of the concept of Open Educational Resources or OER provides opportunities for students to obtain information more efficiently to support their learning. On the other hand, the collaborative learning is believed to be a robust pedagogical approach to build a good learning experience. This research describes and explores how the application of collaborative learning by using OER can enhance critical thinking skills. The method of this study was the pre-test and post-test one group design in physics lessons at secondary school students. Statistical analysis used paired t-test with an error of 5%. The teacher can measure the critical thinking skill by giving essay test. Scoring considered the process undertaken in problem-solving. The results of this study showed an increase in critical thinking skills significantly. This study also further discusses the implications associated with this research on learning physics.
... The most common way is to divide critical thinking training and interventions into "generic" thinking skills (such as interpretation and argument analysis) and "discipline-specific thinking skills", for example, skills needed in nursing [26,27] or psychology [28][29][30]. The mixed method, where critical thinking is taught independently and then applied in the course, works the best because, to learn critical thinking [31], students need a theoretical background, but the practice is necessary for building skills [32], aligning with students' preferences [33]. ...
Critical thinking is essential when navigating, evaluating, and interacting with media; therefore, it is important to investigate if adults’ critical thinking skills can be trained. This paper describes an experiment investigating the impact of video lectures about enthymemes and critical thinking skills on participants’ (N = 176) critical thinking skills, measured by the Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) and on their ability to identify clickbait headlines. Participants were adults recruited through the Prolific Platform, and they were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: an enthymeme lecture, a general critical thinking lecture, or a control condition. The results indicated no significant improvement in critical thinking scores across the conditions, as measured by the WGCTA. Similarly, no significant differences were found in the participants’ ability to identify clickbait headlines. However, a significant positive correlation was observed between higher critical thinking scores and better clickbait recognition. These results suggest that a short lecture-based intervention may not be sufficient to significantly improve adult learners’ critical thinking. Perhaps this study indicates the need for more in-depth or interactive interventions to effectively support media literacy. The material presented here is a kind of counterexample of what should be done. For this reason, it may prove useful in future research to avoid certain experimental dead-ends.
... This will ensure that the individual differences will be considered. In addition, analysis of final test scores proves the effectiveness of using workbook on improving the critical thinking skills of college freshmen (Wallace and Jefferson, 2015). Experiential tasks and learning packages used within the lecture format were also perceived by the students as effective (Butler, 1992). ...
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of lecture and workbook in improving the academic performance of students in ecology at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, Philippines. This an action research that made use of actual scores and interventions to improve the academic performance of 44 students enrolled in Ecology. There were 22 students in the A group (lecture) and another 22 students in the B group (workbook). The pure lecture was applied to group A (lecture) and the workbook was utilized in group B. The frequency, percentage, and average mean were utilized to compare the performance of both groups in the pre-test and post-test. A T-test was used to determine the difference in students’ performance. Both groups, group A (lecture) and group B (workbook) performed poorly (59%) before the utilization of lecture to group A and workbook to group B as interventions. The average performance of group A (lecture) after the implementation of the lecture as the intervention was very good (89%) with 21.38% progress while group B (workbook) got (90%) equivalent to very good performance with 23.09% progress. Both groups have improved their academic performance in ecology after using interventions, but the use of a workbook was more advantageous.
... Aside from the module, the worktext also effectively develops critical thinking skills. Suppose educational institutions include comparable activities in their curricula; future students/citizens will be equipped with these much-needed abilities when they reach the job (Wallace & Jefferson, 2013). Also, the contents of the worktext aligned to their passion and interest may address the cognitive needs of the students (Aureada, 2017). ...
Science, Technology, and Society is one of the new General Education courses offered under the Philippine educational reforms implementing the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (Republic Act 10533). The teaching of STS presents significant challenges in ensuring that the students acquire the necessary competencies they ought to learn. Instructional materials in STS are only slightly adequate and slightly available. The study aimed to create a worktext that could serve as a valuable resource for educating students about the course. This study's research and developmental method involved creating and evaluating the worktext. The study used the 5E model of instructional design to develop the worktext. It was evaluated for its validity in terms of content, clarity, appeal to the target user, and originality. The evaluation revealed that it is highly valid and readable by the intended target users. It is recommended that the STS worktext be used in the course's teaching-learning process and should undergo an evaluation to further validate its effectiveness and practicability. Teachers should be trained and encouraged to develop their instructional materials related to their field of specialization with the support of the university administration.
... Despite being unwieldy, this definition has become widely accepted and provided the framework for the most comprehensive meta-analysis regarding the instruction of critical thinking (Abrami et al., 2008). Moreover, this definition embodies the similarities identified across different conceptualisations of critical thinking regarding its reference to questioning assumptions, employing higher-level thinking and problem solving (Wallace & Jefferson, 2015). ...
Critical thinking is an essential skill for life‐long learning, and, given its increasing importance as a graduate attribute, it is vital to evaluate how educational systems can best improve students' critical thinking through their curricula and classroom practices. This study evaluates the differences in the critical thinking skills of students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP), which explicitly emphasises critical thinking development in its curriculum and has been shown to facilitate classroom strategies to develop critical thinking, versus students enrolled in the national curricula in Australia, England and Norway. The study comprised 870 students across the MYP (n = 386) and non‐MYP (n = 484) curricula in Grades 9 and 10 across 21 schools. Data were remotely collected on their critical thinking skills, and several other relevant cognitive, non‐cognitive and background characteristics. A propensity score matching approach was used to match the MYP and non‐MYP groups on these characteristics and their critical thinking skills were compared using weighted regression. Findings showed that, overall, MYP students possessed higher levels of critical thinking skills than their non‐MYP peers with a moderate effect size (β = 0.38). This advantage also held at both grade levels and across Australian and English students, with no difference for Norwegian students. Thus, the MYP appears to be a promising exemplar for enhancing critical thinking among secondary‐aged students, although context needs to be considered. Based on these findings, recommendations of specific instructional strategies are offered, as well as future research to inform criticalthinking pedagogy.
... As a result, students' basic accounting understanding is reduced. Learning that does not allow students to make connections and feel their relevance to their daily lives is likely to result in a lack of engagement and difficulty obtaining or retaining the material offered (Wallace & Jefferson, 2015). This deviates from the norm because teacher performance significantly impacts student learning quality (Purwaningsih & Wangid, 2021). ...
Education is fundamental to the survival of a nation in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, one strategy to provide quality education is to conduct effective and contemporary learning activities. This study analyzes how video-based learning materials enhance students' critical thinking. The method employed in this study is the qualitative descriptive method. South Lampung district's SMK N 1 Kalianda was the site for collecting research data. Using video scribe learning media on accounting topics in the industrial era 4.0 at SMK N 1 Kalianda, South Lampung Regency, makes it easier for teachers to express the learning process and interact with students, according to the findings of this study. The disadvantage of Videoscribe Learning Media is that the movie plays too quickly, requiring students to pause it temporarily to comprehend the material better.
... [29]; design thinking promotes critical thinking, making it a vital quality for 21st-century students. [30]. Production involves the interaction of the embodied mind and its physical surrounds to articulate meaning, designers can engage with and discuss ideas regarding an object's physical presence use their physical surroundings to articulate their thought and communicate it with the instructors. ...
... [29]; design thinking promotes critical thinking, making it a vital quality for 21st-century students. [30]. Production involves the interaction of the embodied mind and its physical surrounds to articulate meaning, designers can engage with and discuss ideas regarding an object's physical presence use their physical surroundings to articulate their thought and communicate it with the instructors. ...
... One of the main objectives of education is promoting the ability to think critically. Research (Hughes, 2014;Shim & Walczak, 2012;Wallace & Jefferson, 2015) asserted that one of the primary goals found in college and university mission statements and a key study skill of higher education is to promote students' ability to think critically. In a nutshell, Feng (2013) believed that critical thinking has been regarded as an essential and indispensable outcome of education, so college students must receive a formal explicit instruction to foster their critical thinking skills. ...
... Consequently, such activities are often absent from their classes for the same reason, and this often results in generally poorer school achievement. Wallace & Jefferson (2015) suggest that strategies that will develop critical thinking are highly desirable in the teaching process, emphasizing that it is desirable to teach students directly through these strategies. Given that many authors have concluded much earlier how important this development is, it is commendable that a certain percentage of teachers develop critical thinking during almost every class. ...
The content that is taught in school, but also outside it, needs to be connected with real (everyday) life. Teachers need to turn content into experience for their students, which is no easy task. The aim of this research is to determine the extent to which primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, and higher education teachers use this method in their work in order to develop critical thinking in their students and how much importance they attach to it during their work in teaching. A questionnaire on critical thinking and experiential learning (N = 168) was conducted, the results of which were analyzed with regard to gender, level of education, work experience, diluted to teach the work environment. The results show that the method of experiential learning with the aim of developing critical thinking is used to a greater extent in teaching (mean = 4.17, SD = 0.55). Differences were observed only with respect to work experience, where teachers with more work experience work statistically significantly more (F = 0.027; t = 3.31; p < 0.01) on developing critical thinking. On the other hand, the need for further awareness, especially of younger teachers, on how to apply experiential learning and what it is important for has been proven. This research has shown the already recognized importance and aspiration to develop critical thinking in students at all levels of education, which will ultimately result in both developed and self-aware individuals and society. It is worrying that about 40% of teachers still do not conduct interactive learning on a regular basis, but it is encouraging that most teachers still recognize how important it is and apply it on a daily basis.
... Thus, it caused students' lower understanding of learning mathematics. Learning that does not facilitate students to connect and see their relevance to their daily environment tends to result in a lack of participation and difficulty achieving or maintaining information that is presented (Hootstein, 1994;Wallace, 2015). This is certainly a gap in the expected situation, because basically, teacher performance greatly affects the quality of learning (Tjabolo & Herwin, 2020). ...
This study aims to improve the students’ critical thinking skills using time bar media in mathematics learning for in grade IIIA of State Primary School Kotagede I. It used classroom action research as design by Kemmis and McTaggart. The subjects of this research were grade 3th State Primary School Kotagede I with a total of 30 students. The data were collected through observation, written tests, and interviews. The research instrument used was the teacher's activity observation sheet in mathematics learning, written test questions, and interview guides for teachers and students. The instrument of the test each test question there are 6 items in the description. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results showed that the use of time bar media in mathematics learning could improve students' critical thinking skills. The critical thinking skills covered: providing simple explanations, building basic skills, concluding, providing further explanations, and arranging strategies and tactics. The increase in students' critical thinking skills was seen based on the test results in the pre-action (43%) which increased to 80% in the first cycle and increased to 90% in the second cycle. Keywords: students', critical thinking skills, time bar media
... Critical thinking enhances decision-making and problem-solving skills whether in professional or personal matters and it is thus crucial that the instructors recognize the importance of developing such skills in their students. Discussions of the responsibility for teaching students to use higher level thinking skills has been on educators' agenda since the 1980s [29]. There are many teachers that support the concept of critical thinking and its implementation in curriculum, but at the same time they lack confidence or fear the lack of capacity to do it. ...
One of the main goals of any higher education system is developing students’ critical thinking. Critical thinking contributes to decision-making and problem-solving skills, whether for professional or personal purposes. Teaching, on the other hand, has been largely influenced by new information technologies which have changed some of the related concepts and tools. The quality of the teaching process is multidimensional which is why no single unit of its measurement has been developed yet, in spite of numerous surveys that have collected massive amounts of information from the existing practice. The aim of this paper is to establish the most appropriate higher education quality measure, which would consist of all relevant indicators from different aspects, including implementation of critical thinking in the teaching process, weighting by two main groups of participants in the process - teachers and students. Multicriteria decision-making has been recognised as a suitable framework for achieving this goal. In fact, the problem of measuring teaching staff performance could be set up as a classical problem of multicriteria decision-making. With this approach the quality of teaching process should be simultaneously estimated by n quality assurance criteria and in accordance with those criteria m alternatives (professors) would be ranked or estimated.
... Ennis (2011) defines critical thinking as a reflective and reasonable thinking on a decision, in which reflects what we need to believe or do. Wallace & Jefferson (2015) on the other hand describes critical thinking as a process to generate commonsensical assessments by employing logical and multi-faceted points or arguments. It involves "skilled judgment or observation" in analyzing information, devising problems, interpreting abstract ideas and communicating with people effectively. ...
... In addition, Strachan initiated several questions in the learning process in the form of questions about making assumptions about the topics or problems at hand, questions about understanding interests and power relationships, questions to explore alternative ways of acting, and questions about making ethical choices [13]. Wallace & Jefferson provide four question criteria, namely regarding topic, class, description, and relevance [14]. Thus, the right form of questions is the key to successful solving of mathematical problems. ...
... Ennis (2011) defines critical thinking as a reflective and reasonable thinking on a decision, in which reflects what we need to believe or do. Wallace & Jefferson (2015) on the other hand describes critical thinking as a process to generate commonsensical assessments by employing logical and multi-faceted points or arguments. It involves "skilled judgment or observation" in analyzing information, devising problems, interpreting abstract ideas and communicating with people effectively. ...
... Critical thinking is one characteristic of people aware of their obligations and responsibilities. It is supported by the opinion of Wallace & Jefferson (2015) states that the ability to think critically is the initial stage of human intelligence that can be developed by developing awareness and habit of solving and overcoming problems. ...
Educational issues require special attention, especially those related to character. Learning in boarding-based schools is one option to overcome character problems, especially disciplined characters. This research was conducted at MBS Muhiba Yogyakarta as one of the boarding-based schools in the city of Bantul, Yogyakarta. This research was a descriptive research with a qualitative approach. Data collection was obtained by observation, interviews, documentation, and questionnaires. The instruments were interview guidelines, observation guidelines, and documentation guidelines. The subjects in this study were the director and teacher. Data analysis techniques used interactive analysis which includes; data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The results showed that the strengthening students discipline character of learning in boarding-based schools was carried out through; use of the inquiry learning model based on contextual, Islamic habituation, one of rule, the provision of penalties and gifts, and role model. The obstacle reinforcement of strengthening discipline character of students at boarding-based school includes specific obstacles such as; difficulty in planning material concepts and difficulty in designing the flow of thought. General obstacles in learning include; the difficulty to cooperate with parents in implementing one of rule, the teacher's insistence to implement discipline, and the lack of attention given to learning.
... The abundant information makes students need to have ability to select the source and relevant information, find the best of resources, and conduct an assessment of the source of various aspects. This is in line with research which concluded that critical thinking skills are closely related to information literacy [11,12]. ...
Critical thinking and information literacy are skills that need to be developed to deal with the challenges of the 21 st century. This study aimed to enhance critical thinking skills and information literacy of secondary school students through developed integrated science teaching materials in theme interaction of light with organisms. This study used quasi-experimental methods and the matching-only pre-test – post-test control group design. Subjects of this study were eighth-grade students. This research used two classes selected purposely with experimental class using developed teaching materials and control class using teaching materials commonly used in school. There were two instruments applied in this study, critical thinking skills test and information literacy test. Data was analysed by normalized gains, Cohen’s D, and t-test. Based on the results of data analysis, it could be concluded that, the used of developed integrated science teaching materials was effective in enhancing critical thinking skills and information literacy.
... The findings of the study show academic experiences that engage students in analyzing ideas and exploring their own thoughts push them to think critically (Goodman, 2011). Wallace and Jefferson (2015) extend this research with their findings, whereby they confirm that the earliest stages of critical thinking can be developed with practice, training the mind to operate inquisitively (see Figure 2). ...
The problem of limited learning does not show signs of abating. There are three factors that
seem to exacerbate the problem: (1) rapidly evolving technology; (2) the values and mores of
Millennials; and (3) the academy’s skewed perspective on scholarship. The confluence of these factors is not only necessitating a change in the style and means of faculty/student interaction, but are also calling into question the current reward systems that tend to bias faculty away from student interaction. Nonetheless, these Millennials are our students now, and it is imperative that we find ways to reach and teach them. Experiential learning, or learning by doing, has the potential to bridge the challenges of technology, being what is termed “Me”llennial and the scholarly predilection away from teaching. Specifically, the “flipped classroom” combines technology with experiential learning in a way that may help universities and colleges to embrace and value nontraditional forms ofscholarship.
... Other than that, they also identified other factors such as assignments, problem-solving learning activities, and class discussions (small group tutorials) as a factor to be taken into account in promoting critical thinking skills. This opinion is also supported by Wallace and Jefferson (2015). Flores, Matkin, Burbach, Quinn, and Harding (2012) recommends that teachers use issues in the real world, open discussions and use an inquiry-based approach to critical thinking skills. ...
The purpose of this article was to explore the level of critical thinking and differences in critical thinking skills between student based on gender and their class. This study uses survey design and implemented on 103 students. The objectives of the study can be achieved through the use of an evaluation instrument related to critical thinking skills in the context of statistics. Objective results showed no significant difference in gender. There was no significant difference between all class. Overall this study provides the Institute of Teacher Education in Malay Language Campus a better understanding of the level of critical thinking skills for their Preparatory Program for Bachelor of Teaching students. There also have to take action about this skill and where these skills are being taught within the curriculum.
... (Borghans, Golsteyn & Zolitz, 2015) . (Wallace, 2015) . (Ruggeri, Caruso & Languirand, 2000) . ...
The study aimed at identifying the Jordanian universities students practicing degree of thinking skills. A
descriptive methodology was used, also a questionnaire was used as a study tool, and a stratified random
sample consisted of (556) students was selected from the University of Jordan, Yarmouk University, and
Mutah University.
The study findings showed that the Jordanian universities students practicing degree of thinking skills was
medium, and the dimensions came in descending order as follow: (the knowledge, the comprehensiveness,
the application, the analysis, the evaluation).
The finding showed that there are statistical significant differences in the dimensions of (the knowledge,
the application, the analysis, the evaluation), attributed to gender, in favor of males. And there are
differences in the comprehensiveness dimension attributed to cumulative average, in favor of very good.
And there weren’t statistical significant differences attributed to college.
Keywords: Thinking Skills, University Students.
... A study by Wallace and Jefferson (2015) measured critical thinking skills of college freshman after taking a course that used a workbook titled Critical Thinking: Building the Basics by Walter et al. (2003) as a resource. Results showed an improvement in cognitive abilities through the development of habits of mind that developed over the course of the semester, as measured by an assessment developed through the Educational Testing Service (ETS) called the iCritical Thinking Skills Test (ETS 2011). ...
The popular attraction of Donald Trump has been a conundrum for many educators who have tried to understand the rationale behind his support. This article presents a philosophical argument for what this implies for curriculum design and the intellectual temperament of the populace. There has been much written about the purpose of education to prepare students to be knowledgeable participants in the democratic process to further the best interests of the country. The foundational skills of critical thinking are an integral component of that process, and should be reevaluated for how they fit into the current curriculum model. Suggestions for how to integrate critical thinking within the traditional school day are presented, along with the rationale for doing so.
... Drugu skupinu čine istraživanja koja se fokusiraju na odnos didaktičko-metodičkog aspekta nastave i kritičkog mišljenja, što se odnosi na nastavne metode i aktivnosti koje uključuju aktivan pristup učenika u nastavi (Fung, 2014;Lewine et al., 2015;Piergiovanni, 2014;Razei, Derakshan i Bagherkazemi, 2011;Shim i Walczak, 2012;Tiruneh, Verburgh i Elen 2014). Uz navedeno, izdvaja se i treća skupina istraživanja povezanih s pristupima poučavanju kritičkog mišljenja gdje se prati rasprava autora o izravnom poučavanju vještinama kritičkog mišljenja u nastavi (Alwehaibi, 2012;Cotter, 2009;Wallace i Jefferson, 2015;Marin i Halpern, 2011). ...
This paper presents and discusses previous research on critical thinking in education. The aim of the proposed conference paper is to develop a theoretical framework and identify innovative directions for future research on the basis of previous research analyses of critical thinking in education. The paper includes a review and commentary on critical thinking concepts and previous research within the context of Croatian and international research. The results of previous research show the importance of developing and implementing teaching for critical thinking, as it increases the quality of the learning and teaching. Research shows that the teacher plays an important role in stimulating pupils’ critical thinking, foremost by applying active learning and teaching methods. In the conclusion, on the basis of the definition of the concept of critical thinking and a review of current research, a construct for teaching critical thinking is developed through its categorization and operationalization, which also presents a possible direction for future research.
... Interactive questions are used to determine the level of mastery of the material and the achievement of basic competence of each material. Wallace and Jefferson (2015) says that the analysis of the value of the final exam proves the effectiveness of exercises to improve students' critical thinking skills. An interactive e-learning environment that not only generates generic skills such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving, and written communication (Chellamani, 2014). ...
The purpose of this research is to develop interactive atomic electronic school book (IESB) to cultivate critical thinking skills and confidence of students grade 12. The method used in this research was the ADDIE (Analyze Design Development Implementation Evaluation) development procedure which is limited to the test phase of product design expert. The need analyze data is collected from students in Lampung Province Indonesia using questionnaires. Electronic book design tested by experts in the field of physics education. Data were analyzed quantitatively and descriptively. Based on the results of the questionnaire 65,2% of the students said that they need the IESB which contains an interactive question exercise with feedback for exam exercises and preparing for admission to the university. The current book has not given self efficacy to 83,9% of students. Expertial test results show that the IESB will be able to cultivate self efficacy and critical thinking skills is an interactive digital format with experimental simulation, interactive question on HOTS level with feed back, and hyperlink to other learning resources. Keywords: critical thinking skills, interactive electronic book, self efficacy. INTRODUCTION Electronic books currently used in Indonesia are static and non-interactive. Meanwhile the students' needs are electronic books that can be used independently and are interactive. Books like this will get students interested in learning physics and eager in learning, especially for physics lessons are known quite difficult and abstract. In addition, the need for books that can be used independently for the grade 12 last semester is very urgent because the grade 12 last semester in Indonesia has little time to study due to being pressured by time for national exams.
... Based on a cutscore of 260, 48% of the sample would be characterized as possessing a foundational level of digital literacy. Wallace and Jefferson (2015) 76 undergraduates enrolled in a first-year orientation seminar 25 students received a critical thinking workbook; the remaining 51 students did not. Overall, 20% scored above 240, the cutscore reported by the authors. ...
Digital information literacy (DIL)—generally defined as the ability to obtain, understand, evaluate, and use information in a variety of digital technology contexts—is a critically important skill deemed necessary for success in higher education as well as in the global networked economy. To determine whether college graduates possess the requisite knowledge and skills in DIL, higher education institutions must be able to administer and use results from valid assessments of DIL. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of existing definitions of this construct in major frameworks from higher education and the workforce and propose an operational definition of DIL. Next, we provide a review of existing assessments of information literacy and related constructs, including features of the assessments, construct alignment, and psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and validity evidence). Finally, we discuss challenges and considerations surrounding the design, implementation, and use of next-generation assessments of DIL. We offer this review as a resource for higher education institutions in selecting among existing assessments or in designing their own measures.
... A few methods which have been identified to promote critical thinking include group activities such as discussion, debate and case studies. However, carrying out activities like these take time away from lecture, which is a traditional method widely used by educators to deliver curriculum content (Wallace and Jefferson, 2015). In Malaysia where the education system is still very much exam-oriented and result-based, lecturers/teachers may hesitate to employ alternative methods to promote critical thinking, choosing instead to focus more on finishing the syllabus and teaching students how to score well in exams. ...
Critical thinking skills (CTS) have been shown to enhance English language competency. However, studies on what educators think of CTS and how they incorporate CTS in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classrooms remain limited. This paper explores the perceptions and teaching practices of five ESP lecturers/teachers using a qualitative approach. The study revealed that although lecturers/teachers observed a lack of CTS among learners, there was a lack of emphasis on developing CTS due to several factors. The results of this study provide insights for educators to reflect on their own teaching practices and incorporate CTS into English language teaching.
In recent years, the application of digital technologies for learning purposes is increasingly discussed as smartphones have become an integral part of students’ everyday life. These technologies are particularly promising in the so-called “transition-in” phase of the student lifecycle when first-year students start to develop a student identity and integrate into the university environment. At that stage, most premature dropouts are observed, presumably due to a lack of self-organization or self-responsibility. Considering this, a mobile app to tackle insufficient student experiences, support learning strategies, and foster self-organization in the “transition-in” phase was developed. The research at hand proposes a generalizable success model for mobile apps with a focus on first-year students, which is based on the IS success model (Delone and McLean in Inf Syst Res 3(1):60–95, 1992) and analyzes those factors that influence student satisfaction with such an app, the intention to reuse the app, and—foremost—students’ learning effectiveness. The results indicate that learning effectiveness is determined both by the perceived user satisfaction and users’ intention to reuse, which are particularly influenced by perceived enjoyment but also system and information quality. Finally, design principles are derived to develop similar mobile solutions.
Our experience with business and economic students indicates limited understanding and confidence when working with macroeconomic data such as unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, business cycles, and price indexes. To close this gap, the authors have developed and evaluated a college classroom experiential activity defined as the Storytelling Project (SP) conducted in nine principles of economics courses in a mid-size private university over a period of two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the SP, students wrote personal stories that assisted them in connecting with their audience and then visually presented complex economic data. A workbook supplemented the SP with learning objectives, tasks, multiple examples of data analysis, storytelling techniques, and videos. Participants completed a self-efficacy and attitude survey of perceived cognition, confidence, and motivation and took an assessment to evaluate cognitive competencies. The survey and assessment results were compared against students who did not complete the SP. Our results indicate that the SP and the workbook are effective experiential learning activities that improve data analysis and communication skills among college students. Students show more confidence and motivation in macroeconomics and data analysis at the end of the semester. Knowledge or cognitive competency is ranked higher among those completing the SP.
Critical thinking (CT) is widely recognized as an important skill and attitude in this modern world, but few apps (web-based or installed on devices) have been developed to effectively train it. There is also little research on what kind of content to put into such apps and in what order, if the content is a series of reasoning questions that are intended as CT exercises. Therefore, this research project, consisting of two studies, tries to demonstrate how exercise questions can be presented to learners to sustain their motivation to work on multiple-choice CT questions. In Study 1, question banks were drawn from popular workbooks for CT and verbal reasoning. The questions were ranked in terms of difficulty based on the participation of university students (N=73).
In Study 2, the questions were loaded onto two types of web-based apps: (1) one that sequentially gives multiple-choice questions with immediate feedback and (2) one with minimum gamification of group/individual competition. The experiment to examine the effect of the gamification was conducted (N=114). Both groups with and without gamification showed improvements in the scores of the pre-/post-tests using comparable questions, but there was no clear effect of gamification. These findings show that an effective CT app can be developed using existing question banks but that the effect of gamification needs further research.
The subject of this research was an investigation of critical thinking development in the classes of Islamic Religious Education. The aim of the research was to find out whether there is a statistically significant difference in the quality of school life, school climate and students’ participation in class activities between traditional classes and classes in which critical thinking development is promoted. We used an experimental method, a method of theoretical analysis, and a descriptive-analytical method, and a survey technique. The following instruments were employed: the Questionnaire on the Quality of School Life (Ainley & Bourke, 1992), ISC-S Inventory – the Estimate of School Climate (Brand, Felner, Shim, Seitsinger & Dumas, 2003) and the Questionnaire on Students’ Class Activities (Gentry, Gable & Ruzza, 2002). The research was conducted in two schools in the city of Zenica, one of which was an experimental group (elementary school Mak Dizdar, Zenica) and one a control group (Elementary school Musa Ćazim Ćatić, Zenica). The research sample comprised 300 6th and 8th grade elementary school students: 150 students in the experimental group and 150 in the control group. Both groups had 75 male and 75 female students. The research findings showed that the students in the classes in which critical thinking development was promoted had a statistically significantly better quality of school life, experienced better class climate and the better quality of class activities than those who attended traditional classes. These findings confirmed the importance of developing critical thinking in Religious Education and can be the basis for encouraging permanent education of all Islamic religion educators in terms of acquiring the competences for promoting critical thinking development in Religious Education classes.
Predmet ovog eksperimentalnog istraživanja bio je kvalitet školskog života učenika. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se ustanovi postoji li statistički značajna razlika u kvalitetu školskog života učenika u vjeronaučnoj klasičnoj nastavi i nastavi u kojoj se razvija kritičko mišljenje.
Od istraživačkih metoda korišteni su eksperimentalna metoda, metoda teorijske analize i deskriptivno-analitička metoda, a od istraživačkih tehnika anketiranje. U istraživanju je korišten Upitnik kvaliteta školskog života koji su konstruirali Ainley i Bourke (1992; Leonard 2002).
Istraživanje je provedeno u dvije gradske škole u Zenici od kojih je jedna bila eksperimentalna (Osnovna škola „Mak Dizdar“ Zenica) i jedna kontrolna (Osnovna škola „Musa Ćazim Ćatić“ Zenica). Istraživački uzorak je činilo 300 učenika 6. i 8. razreda osnovne škole: eksperimentalna grupa 150 i kontrolna grupa 150, a obje grupe imale su po 75 učenika muškog spola i 75 učenika ženskog spola.
Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali kako učenici s kojima se izvodi nastava Islamske vjeronauke u funkciji razvoja kritičkog mišljenja imaju statistički značajno veće opće zadovoljstvo školom, ostva-ruju bolji odnos sa nastavnicima, postižu veću socijalnu integriranost i imaju kvalitetniji doživljaj učenja od učenika s kojima se nastava izvodi na klasični način. Istovremeno, učenici s kojima se nastava izvodi na klasični način imaju statistički značajno veći negativni osjećaji prema školi od učenika s kojima se izvodi nastava Islamske vjeronauke u funkciji razvoja kritičkog mišljenja.
Rezultati istraživanja su potvrdili vrijednost razvoja kritičkog mišljenja u vjeronaučnoj nastavi.
Ključne riječi: kritičko mišljenje; zadovoljstvo školom; socijalna integriranost; školsko postignuće; doživljaj učenja
Computational Thinking is an idea of skills of universal competence that everyone should have in the 21st Century. There is gender gap in STEM and particularly Computer Science education. Over the last decades there has been an interest in developing computational thinking and also focus on how to integrate Computational thinking in the curriculum as a main concern. The research paper seeks to find the digital literacy of students, the use of computer science unplugged activities and plugged activities such as Scratch to develop the computational thinking. The research used a total of 201 sampled from 244 students of T.I Ahmadiyya Girls’ Senior High School in the Sekeyere East District of Ashanti Region Ghana .The paper used a diagnostic test Microsoft digital literacy test to determine the digital literacy. CS unplugged activities were adapted and used for weeks followed by the use of Scratch plugged activities. The scores were the dependent variable and students were independent variable for the study. The study employed Post-test Pre-test Experimental design .Data collected indicated that digital literacy levels were moderate and developing. The data of CS unplugged scores were collected and showed high levels of Computational Thinking. Dr. Scratch was used to collect data of students Scratch scores and it indicated that their CT had improved during the activities. Data also indicated a correlation between ICT scores and Math and Science. Hypothesis was tested and there was a significant difference in ICT scores after the Intervention.
In view of these results, it was recommended that stakeholders of education should appropriately supply and provide plugged and unplugged activities as part of the curriculum and implement it effectively.
Kathleen M. Goodman, Marcia Baxter Magolda, Tricia A. Seifert, and Patricia M. King review both quantitative and qualitative data to understand students' college experiences and provide powerful information to guide educators.
A review of the literature reveals that although the teaching of critical thinking skills is a significant aim of post-secondary pedagogy, much ambiguity exists regarding the topic. In fact, due to the lack of faculty familiarity with the concept compounded by student resistance to put forth the intellectual labor to take charge of their own thinking, matriculates are mainly exposed to didactic instruction that does not prepare them with real-world problem solving skills. This manuscript addresses these problems in the following way. First, it outlines a foundational conception of critical thinking as articulated by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. In doing so, it comments on the importance of student-centered instruction as key to fostering critical thinking skills and dispositions in the classroom. Second, it canvasses an example of what critical thinking instruction and learning can look like.
In a health care environment of increased patient acuity and greater demands on nursing practitioners, the ability to think critically is requisite to functioning safely and proficiently.
Definitions and tenets of critical thinking promulgated by Brookfield (1987) and Paul (1992) provided the theoretical foundation for Antidote Dilemma, an activity designed to promote critical thinking.
Nurses who participated in the activity identified plausible solutions to a nursing dilemma, considered context in identifying alternatives, and thought about their thinking.
Critical thinking is most likely to occur and continue when it is supported by others and repeatedly practiced. Continuing/staff-development educators play a vital role in promoting critical thinking among nursing practitioners.
The skillful teacher: On technique, trusts, and responsiveness in the classroom
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