This comparative qualitative research aimed to explore critical thinking in teachers’ accounts and curriculum documents of religious education in two different sectors in Scottish Education: non-denominational and Roman Catholic. While previous research examined critical thinking in different curriculum areas and there are empirical studies on religious education from different perspectives, there was a lack of research on critical thinking in religious education particularly in the Scottish context. What makes exploring critical thinking in religious education particularly interesting is the complex relationship between faith and reason, and the importance attached to personal beliefs within the subject, unlike in other curriculum areas. My research consists of three different studies to answer the research questions. In the first study, I designed a framework of critical thinking drawing on analysis and synthesis of critical thinking definitions and frameworks dominant in the literature. Having investigated the most-cited taxonomies and frameworks of thinking skills and critical thinking such as those presented by Bloom, Ennis, Halpern and Paul, I designed a hierarchical framework of critical thinking. This conceptual framework covers lower level thinking skills, higher level (cognitive and meta-cognitive) thinking skills and dispositions. In the second study I used this framework to analyse and compare the explicit and implicit incorporation of critical thinking and its elements in RE curriculum documents in the two education sectors. The purpose was to identify different types of critical thinking in these documents. The third study focused on teachers’ understanding of critical thinking in religious education by conducting semi-structured interviews with RE teachers in secondary schools in Scotland: 5 in 5 non-denominational schools and 4 in 3 Roman Catholic schools. Analysis of curriculum documents and teachers’ interviews based on the framework of critical thinking revealed the workability and originality of this designed framework. One of the key findings of this study is that although the elements of critical thinking evident in RE curriculum documents of both sectors and the terminology used in them is the same, different approaches to religion and truth results in different approaches to critical thinking being implicit in those documents: critical thinking within religion, critical thinking between religions and critical thinking concerning religion. Moreover the study shows the vagueness of all RE curriculum documents in defining the term critical thinking and its development, and the lack of comprehensive knowledge amongst teachers of critical thinking integrated in these documents. Another finding of this research is that although there is some similarity in RE teachers’ explicit approaches to critical thinking, teachers have individual perceptions of critical thinking which does not seem to be influenced by the sector in which they worked. I suggest that this is due to their different personal and social backgrounds shaping their understanding, combined with the absence of clear definition of critical thinking in RE curriculum documents. Regarding the intertwined relation between critical thinking and religious education, the study suggests that it would be beneficial to include a clear definition of critical thinking and the methods by which it can be developed in curriculum documents.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Royce Ann Collins / There is a need for critical thinking skills in our society. This research study examines graduate student’s growth in critical thinking after experiencing a specifically designed curriculum. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer Common Core Course to change student critical thinking skills and habits of the mind attributes, and further examined instructor perceptions of the curriculum, instructional methods, and instructor skills and behaviors that impact student critical thinking development within the Core Course. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method research design in order to answer the four research questions and test their respective hypotheses. Eight student staff groups (n=120) were selected from the Command and General Staff Officer Common Core Course Class 15 population, and the quantitative data used to conduct the analyses was derived from a pretest and posttest using the Military and Defense Critical Thinking Inventory (MDCTI), a nationally recognized instrument designed specifically for individuals in the defense and military profession. The qualitative component of the study consisted of focus group interviews conducted with instructors from the eight selected staff groups (n=24) to examine their perceptions on the role of the curriculum, instructional methods, and instructor skills and behaviors in developing student critical thinking. The data collected from these interviews were analyzed and presented using a collective case study approach. Analysis of the student pretest and posttest score change results indicated statistically significant changes in analysis, induction, deduction, and overall critical thinking skills, and in the communicative confidence, professional confidence, expression, and directness habits of the mind attributes. Further analysis indicated that there was no statistically significant change differences in critical thinking skills or habits of the mind attributes between the teaching team groups. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed nine themes that were categorized within the theoretical framework of curriculum, instructional methods, and instructor skills and behaviors. Four additional themes emerged which did not address the role of curriculum, instructional methods, and instructor skills and behaviors in developing student critical thinking. These themes included: lack of contact time, the importance of the physical classroom configuration, the military/school culture, and student attributes.

Orientador: Denise Bertoli Braga / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T08:36:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Magnani_LuizHenrique_M.pdf: 1674239 bytes, checksum: 476a03035b5b11a114643e0763dca29d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: O presente estudo reflete sobre a possibilidade de desenvolvimento da consciência crítica a partir da interação com jogos digitais. Nessa direção, a pesquisa revê uma literatura mais geral sobre jogos, apontando diferentes abordagens teóricas e sugere uma análise de videogames a partir de uma perspectiva discursiva. Devido à preocupação com a reflexão social crítica, o estudo examina cinco propostas diferentes realizadas na linha dos jogos sérios (serious games). Essa análise é desenvolvida a partir do olhar do próprio pesquisador, enquanto especialista, no ato de interagir com cada jogo. Os resultados obtidos indicam possibilidades e limites das estratégias utilizadas em cada uma dessas propostas para o desenvolvimento da consciência crítica. A pesquisa propõe um esquema para se entender como as vozes sociais se reproduzem tanto no processo de criação de um videogame, como na interação entre jogador e máquina. Mostram-se, no trabalho, duas maneiras de se apropriar subversivamente de jogos digitais existentes no mercado, para instigar no jogador um olhar crítico sobre seu sistema de crenças e valores. Além disso, com base no estudo empírico, a dissertação aventa caminhos possíveis para a produção de videogames engajados com a reflexão crítica / Abstract: The study reflects upon the potential of digital gaming for raising critical awareness. A general review of the literature on different theoretical perspectives of gaming is presented and articulated with discursive frames of analysis. As it is concerned with critical thinking about social reality, the study examines five different proposals of serious games from the perspective of the author himself, seen as an expert, in his interaction with the games. The findings reveal possibilities and limits of the strategies used in each those proposals for the development of critical counciousness. A model is proposed that allows for the reader to understand how the social voices implicated in the game are reproduced both in the process of creation of the game and in the game-gamer interaction. Two modes of subversive appropriation of digital games currently available in the market are shown that may instigate the gamer to look critically at his/her own beliefs and value systems. In addition to that, the study presents an empiric section that focuses on possible ways to producing videogames that are conducive to critical thinking / Mestrado / Linguagem e Tecnologia / Mestre em Linguística Aplicada

M.Tech. (Radiography) / The ability to think critically is a vital skill for health care professionals in an era of rapidly advancing technology. Critical thinking skills improve problem solving ability, quality of clinical service and efficiency in delivering a clinical service. Although no specific curriculum exists within the Department of Radiography for teaching critical thinking, assessments given to students progress from the lower levels of learning, which include knowledge and understanding of information in first year, to the higher levels of learning, which include analysis, synthesis and evaluation in third year. The status of the students’ ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills needed to be explored for the Department of Radiography to develop a more explicit curriculum to facilitate these skills. The research question that arose was: To what extent could third-year radiography students demonstrate critical thinking skills and how can the design and delivery of the new professional bachelor’s degree be adapted to make provision for and best facilitate the teaching of these skills? The aim of this descriptive exploratory study was to determine the ability of third-year radiography students at a comprehensive university in Gauteng, South Africa, to think critically. The study employs a descriptive exploratory design. The participants responses to vignettes (in the form of clinical scenarios) were analyzed using a Likert scale and action verbs developed for evaluating evidence of critical thinking skills, providing quantitative data. Field notes were made whilst analyzing responses to each question, providing qualitative data.

In this case study I document a group of youth, ages thirteen to fifteen, as they investigate and explore social justice issues and personal beliefs in order to create a community service learning project. Ideas are presented through the introduction of activist art and also by the viewing of recordings of a variety of perspectives on social justice issues and community involvement from a diverse population. The vehicle of inquiry in the study is the production of a visual journal in which thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and ideas will be examined and considered through art making. A review of literature related to the benefits of artmaking and individual storytelling, teaching social justice issues, and the influence of visual culture provide insight and foundation for the study. Qualitative research methods are incorporated to determine the effectiveness of connecting the making of art to the instigation of community involvement. The data collected and interpreted to inform the conclusions are interviews, discussions, and visual and written responses by the participants in the study. The conclusions may be used in either a classroom or community art forum and contribute to the foundational body of knowledge that asserts that art making and critical thinking are necessary components of contributing to today's society.

Many community development programmes are initiated without taking the community members and their needs into consideration. The question arose as to whether, by implementing Paolo Freire's theory concerning the process of conscientisation, sustainable community development could be successfully accomplished in Ivory Park, a developing community in Midrand. The conscientisation process has four components: desocialization, critical thinking, power awareness and self-organization. The participants were guided to become involved in making use of introspection, by means of which they started to find solutions to their problems. The object of this introspection was to impact their decision-making abilities and their sense of self-worth, thus empowering them to reach out to the community in an effort to combine resources in initiating community development programmes. The researcher made use of a participatory research approach during this study, in which concrete and abstract goals were identified. The concrete goals were achieved through the community development process by the participants themselves, whereas the abstract goals were realized through the process of conscientisation. These two processes are closely linked together. The data were collected by means of a tape-recorder during weekly discussions, and then transcribed to enable the researcher to describe the process of community development that took place. Using Miles and Huberman's (1994) data analysis techniques, the transcribed data were analysed according to the four categories from the process of conscientisation, i.e. desocialization, critical thinking, power awareness and self-organization. Interpretations could then be made and a conclusion drawn as to whether, by awakening a critical consciousness, sustainable community development could be initiated. In conclusion: community development programmes can be sustainable only if they have been initiated by the community itself by the implementation of Paolo Freire's process of conscientisation. Key words: process of conscientisation, desocialization, critical thinking, power awareness, self-organization, introspection, Paolo Freire, sustainable community development, participatory research, active participation. / Dissertation (M Cur (Clinical))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Nursing Science / unrestricted

Values education in geography can be seen as a way of educating pupils to think critically and independently on matters to which they can readily relate. It also involves the relating of facts and concepts of a subject area to the pupils ' own lives. There is, therefore, a need to introduce values education in geography at our schools. The DET geography syllabuses offer many topics of social and environmental concern. Valuing processes, based on values analysis and values clarification, can be used to teach these topics. Through values education, geography pupils can become more purposeful, more enthusiastic and positive in their learning. This study investigates the effectiveness of valuing strategies in the teaching of geography. A broad overview of the literature on valuing in general and valuing in geographical education in particular, was analysed. Three teaching units were then devised and tried out in KwaZulu schools. The responses of pupils to these units were then investigated through questionnaires. Teachers were also interviewed to find the extent to which valuing approaches were being used. The principal findings of the study are, firstly, that the pupils responded well to the valuing units. Secondly, that teachers were not using valuing strategies in schools and, lastly, that the units in the research could be effective in teaching values geography. From the findings of this research, it is evident that values geography has an important place in the South African school curriculum

This thesis reports on a responsive action research case study undertaken to teach student teachers to read critically. I undertook this research to gain a basic knowledge about critical reading as well as to form a knowledge base that would enable me to teach it effectively. First, I gave students a diagnostic assessment activity, analyzed the result and established the students’ ability to read a text critically. After I had established the students’ strengths, weaknesses, and the requirements to move students from their existing critical reading competency to an improved one, I reviewed the literature to provide me with a theory of teaching critical reading. The lessons were then planned and taught. The lessons; focus group interviews; researcher’s diary; students’ reflections and non-participant observer comments formed the data of the study. The data were analyzed using the framework of “what went well”, “what did not go well” and “what needs to be improved if the lessons were to be repeated”. The main purpose was to address the goals of the research, which were to find effective ways of teaching critical reading, appropriate critical reading materials, and to identify any pedagogic shortcomings. The 30 students who took part in this research were third-year students studying English Second language and Mother tongue pedagogies to become specialists in the teaching of both at Junior Secondary level (grades 8 – 10). The study was guided by constructivist theory, which underpins learner-centred education, which continues to inform and shape the development of curricula in Namibia.

The South African education system is based on learner centred principles and encourages the development of critical thinking. This approach is reflected in the South African Qualifications Framework, which identifies critical thinking as a primary outcome of education. In the vocational Tourism programme, there is a link between the subject learning outcomes and critical crossfield outcomes. The role of the vocational college educator is central in facilitating the development of critical thinking skills of all learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the selected Tourism educators develop critical thinking skills of risk L2 students. I conducted the study in a selected FET College using a qualitative case study in order to gain deeper understanding of how the educators implement curriculum policy in their classrooms. This study used four data collection instruments to gain an in-depth understanding of the research topic. The findings of the study reveal that educators understand the value of teaching critical thinking. However, there is a gap between educators’ conceptual understanding of critical thinking and their instructional practice to develop critical thinking skills during classroom instruction. The findings also reveal that there are factors that hinder the development of at risk students’ critical thinking skills such as; limited English language proficiency, poor behaviour, and subject guidelines which do not provide educators with guidance on teaching critical thinking skills. The study recommends in-service training sessions that will support educators on how to teach critical thinking skills explicitly. This study also recommends the development of practical guidelines to enhance educators’ critical thinking teaching strategies. The findings of this research will assist me in improving the support that I provide to Tourism educators.

In today’s society it is expected that individuals completing teacher education programs harness the skill of critical thinking before entering into the classroom practice. This qualitative case study focuses on three (3) pre-service teachers’ experience in a teacher education course that was redesigned to foster and develop critical thinking skills and knowledge growth by the introduction of online discussion forums. This study was guided by the following question “How has the implementation of online discussion boards in the redesign of the two sections of a mandatory course of the Bachelor of Education program at a Canadian university supported the development of pre-service teachers critical thinking and contributed to their knowledge growth related to course content”? Data was collected from three (3) participants enrolled in the course, using semi-structured interviews and the data from the online discussion threads. Results show participants do not have a unified understanding of critical thinking and that online discussion boards can impact participant’s critical thinking development and knowledge growth provided they are given a strong foundation in the content area and have adequate time to reflect on the information presented. As well, findings revealed that participants used online discussion boards as a type of social media interface. By examining the participant’s perceptions and postings of online discussion boards, this study provides insights into how critical thinking can be developed in pre-service teachers through an online medium. Additionally, this study considers and how these skills might be translated into classroom practice.