The nurturing of critical thinking skills is one of the cornerstones of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This study investigated to what extent teachers create classroom climates that nurture the development of critical thinking abilities. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and nature of the development of critical thinking skills, and to establish the relationship between classroom climate and the development of critical thinking abilities. The use of teaching methods and strategies, learning activities, questioning techniques, the role of the teacher and the role of the learner during teaching and learning in the classroom were explored. The literature review provided the conceptual framework for the study, as well as the framework for designing a questionnaire that was utilized to obtain the perceptions of teachers and learners regarding the opportunities provided by teachers for the development of critical thinking abilities in the classroom. By means of quantitative, non-experimental descriptive survey research, a self-constructed questionnaire was administrated to a convenient sample of a purposively selected group of Grade 9 and Grade 11 teachers (n=241) and learners (n=403) in the Sedibeng West District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The triangulation of learner and teacher data revealed differences and similarities in opinion related to the classroom climates that teachers create for nurturing critical thinking. In essence, the data revealed that teachers are, to some extent, creating classroom climates that nurture critical thinking through their choice of teaching methods and strategies, questioning techniques and the learning activities that they choose. However, the responses did not convincingly indicate to the researcher that the nurturing of critical thinking skills takes place on a regular and frequent basis. According to the learner responses, it appeared that teaching and learning methods and strategies that promote interactive learning, are underutilized by the teachers. This study is concluded with recommendations to teachers on how to create classroom climates that promote the development of critical thinking skills. Key words: cognition, cognitive development, critical thinking, classroom climate, teaching methods and strategies, learning activities, questioning techniques. / M.Ed., North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010

The quality of education in especially the Further Education and Training phase (FET) is recognised as one of the most significant challenges facing the South African government. Low teacher morale, lack of parental involvement, learners' ignorance in taking responsibility for their own learning and other educational problems are all identified as contributing factors. This study was undertaken to investigate how critical thinking skills can contribute to promoting quality teaching and learning in secondary schools with specific reference to the FET phase. The study also sought to make recommendations that will assist teachers to integrate critical thinking skills into the teaching and learning experiences in the FET phase. The nature of quality teaching and learning, the nature of critical thinking skills and the correlation between the concepts to improve the quality of education were researched by means of a literature study. A quantitative research design followed, using questionnaires as research instrument. From the research conducted it was found that learners in the FET phase do not take responsibility for their learning and therefore many of these learners still do not perceive learning as important. However, effective learning could take place if learners are confident, independent, active participants and explore a variety of learning strategies. Teachers, on the other hand, should adopt particular forms of behaviour to foster certain types of learning. The ability to teach critical thinking skills to learners poses a great challenge as many teachers are not trained to do so. This has a great influence on the exposure of an integrated constructivist method of teaching and learning and therefore inflicts on the delivery of quality teaching and learning in the FET phase of secondary schools in South Africa. / MEd, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

The teaching of mathematics frequently comes in the line of fire due to under achievement and a lack of critical thinking. Accordingly educationists and mathematicians continually seek ways to overcome this hurdle. Against this backdrop, this study attempts to determine if the acquiring of learning-functions will improve academic achievement as well as critical thinking in mathematics. By means of a literature study the nature and importance of learning-functions for the development of critical thinking skills and the improvement of academic achievement are highlighted. The literature shows that critical thinking skills such as reasoning, analysis, hypothesising, making of decisions and problem solving are important skills for the mastering of mathematics. The learning-functions decoding of knowledge, synthesis and integration of knowledge, comparison, application of knowledge, generating hypotheses and reflection have been identified as the learning-functions which can develop the necessary skills for the mastering of mathematics. As the research stems from a combined interpretivist-positivist paradigm, the researcher used a combined qualitative and quantitative study. As part of the qualitative research, observation has been used. For the quantitative research the true experimental research method with a post-test control group design was chosen. The focus was on the qualitative collection of data, supported by the quantitative data. Twenty-three first year education students, with mathematics as major subject were used for this study. By means of systematic random sampling the students were assigned, as participants to an experimental and a control group. During contact sessions the participants of the experimental group were subjected for a period of eight weeks to an intervention programme with the focus on guided learning of the learning - functions decoding of knowledge, synthesis and integration of knowledge, comparisons, application of knowledge, generation of hypotheses and reflection. The control group received normal classroom instruction with no focus on guided learning of learning - functions. With the implementation of the intervention programme the experimental group was observed with regard to their progressive development of the application of these learning - functions. To determine any signs of progressive improvement of achievement and critical thinking skills in the experimental group during the implementation of the intervention programme, class tests and assignments were completed. Both the experimental- and the control group wrote the same tests and completed the same assignments. The post -test was a final examination paper which was written after the completion of the intervention by both groups to determine to which extent achievement and critical thinking skills improved within the experimental group. It can be inferred from the results of the empirical research that the guided learning of the learning -functions decoding of knowledge, synthesis and integration of knowledge, comparison, application of knowledge, generating hypotheses and reflective thought in the course of teaching mathematics, appeared to have enhanced learners' academic achievement and critical thinking. From a combination of the prominent findings of the empirical research, together with the knowledge gained from the literature study, justified recommendations were made regarding the learning of learning -functions in order to promote critical thinking and achievement in the teaching of mathematics. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

This study was undertaken in the Johannesburg South district (D11). Primary school language teachers in this district (D11) were invited to participate in this study by means of a questionnaire. This study investigated which kind of teaching methods teachers are currently using to develop and enhance critical thinking skills of ESL learners in language classrooms. Teachers' knowledge of Blooms' Taxonomy of cognitive objectives and how to use this taxonomy to develop ESL learners' critical thinking skills were also scrutinized. Since many ESL learners' language proficiency in English is also limited the responses of the teachers indicated that this could have a negative influence on their critical thinking development. This study accentuates the need for the use of a variety of teaching methods to enhance ESL learners' critical thinking skills in language in the Johannesburg South District (D11). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

The teaching of mathematics frequently comes in the line of fire due to under achievement and a lack of critical thinking. Accordingly educationists and mathematicians continually seek ways to overcome this hurdle. Against this backdrop, this study attempts to determine if the acquiring of learning-functions will improve academic achievement as well as critical thinking in mathematics. By means of a literature study the nature and importance of learning-functions for the development of critical thinking skills and the improvement of academic achievement are highlighted. The literature shows that critical thinking skills such as reasoning, analysis, hypothesising, making of decisions and problem solving are important skills for the mastering of mathematics. The learning-functions decoding of knowledge, synthesis and integration of knowledge, comparison, application of knowledge, generating hypotheses and reflection have been identified as the learning-functions which can develop the necessary skills for the mastering of mathematics. As the research stems from a combined interpretivist-positivist paradigm, the researcher used a combined qualitative and quantitative study. As part of the qualitative research, observation has been used. For the quantitative research the true experimental research method with a post-test control group design was chosen. The focus was on the qualitative collection of data, supported by the quantitative data. Twenty-three first year education students, with mathematics as major subject were used for this study. By means of systematic random sampling the students were assigned, as participants to an experimental and a control group. During contact sessions the participants of the experimental group were subjected for a period of eight weeks to an intervention programme with the focus on guided learning of the learning - functions decoding of knowledge, synthesis and integration of knowledge, comparisons, application of knowledge, generation of hypotheses and reflection. The control group received normal classroom instruction with no focus on guided learning of learning - functions. With the implementation of the intervention programme the experimental group was observed with regard to their progressive development of the application of these learning - functions. To determine any signs of progressive improvement of achievement and critical thinking skills in the experimental group during the implementation of the intervention programme, class tests and assignments were completed. Both the experimental- and the control group wrote the same tests and completed the same assignments. The post -test was a final examination paper which was written after the completion of the intervention by both groups to determine to which extent achievement and critical thinking skills improved within the experimental group. It can be inferred from the results of the empirical research that the guided learning of the learning -functions decoding of knowledge, synthesis and integration of knowledge, comparison, application of knowledge, generating hypotheses and reflective thought in the course of teaching mathematics, appeared to have enhanced learners' academic achievement and critical thinking. From a combination of the prominent findings of the empirical research, together with the knowledge gained from the literature study, justified recommendations were made regarding the learning of learning -functions in order to promote critical thinking and achievement in the teaching of mathematics. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

This study was undertaken in the Johannesburg South district (D11). Primary school language teachers in this district (D11) were invited to participate in this study by means of a questionnaire. This study investigated which kind of teaching methods teachers are currently using to develop and enhance critical thinking skills of ESL learners in language classrooms. Teachers' knowledge of Blooms' Taxonomy of cognitive objectives and how to use this taxonomy to develop ESL learners' critical thinking skills were also scrutinized. Since many ESL learners' language proficiency in English is also limited the responses of the teachers indicated that this could have a negative influence on their critical thinking development. This study accentuates the need for the use of a variety of teaching methods to enhance ESL learners' critical thinking skills in language in the Johannesburg South District (D11). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

While the challenge of improving young North Americans’ civic engagement seems to lie in the hands of schools, studying alternative ways of teaching citizenship education could benefit the current educational system. In this context, free schools (i.e., schools run democratically by students and teachers), guided by a philosophy that aims at engaging students civically through the democratic activities that they support, offer a relatively unexplored ground for research. The present inquiry is a case study using tools of ethnography and drawing upon some principles of complexity thinking. It aims at understanding students’ citizenship education experiences during democratic activities in a Canadian free school. It describes many experiences that can arise from these activities. They occurred within a school that operated democratically based on a consensus-model. More precisely, they took place during two kinds of democratic activities: class meetings, which regulated the social life of the school, and judicial committees, whose function was to solve conflicts at the school. During these activities, students mostly experienced a combination of feelings of appreciation, concernment and empowerment. While experiencing these feelings, they predominantly engaged in decision-making and conflict resolution processes. During these processes, students modified their conflict resolutions skills, various conceptions, and their participation in democratic activities and in the school. Based on these findings, the study concludes that students can develop certain skills and attitude associated to citizenship education during these activities and become active from a citizenship perspective. Hence, these democratic activities represent alternative strategies that can assist educators in teaching about citizenship.

The impact of Internet technology on critical thinking is of growing interest among researchers. However, there still remains much to explore in terms of how critical thinking can be fostered through online environments for higher education. Ten years ago, Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) published an article describing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework which provided an outline of three core elements that were able to describe and measure a collaborative and positive educational experience in an online learning environment, namely teaching presence (design, facilitation, and direct instruction), social presence (the ability of learners to project themselves socially and emotionally), and cognitive presence (the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse). This dissertation extends the body of research surrounding the CoI framework and also the literature on developing critical thinking in online environments by examining and exploring the extent to which teaching and social presence contribute to cognitive presence. The researcher was able to do this by offering 189 learners enrolled in 10 research methods courses and educational research courses an opportunity to use an innovative online resource (Research Design Learning Resource – RDLR) to assist them in learning about educational research and developing research proposals. By exploring how participants used this resource the researcher was able to gain insight into what factors contributed to a successful online learning experience and fostered cognitive presence. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches (mixed methods) were used in this study. The quantitative results indicated that both social and teaching presence had a strong positive relationship with cognitive presence and that learners generally perceived to have a positive learning experience using the RDLR. The qualitative findings helped elaborate the significant quantitative results and were organised into the following themes: making connections, multiple perspectives, resource design, being a self-directed learner, learning strategies, learning preferences, and barriers to cognitive presence. Future directions for critical thinking in online environments are discussed.

If today’s adolescents are not becoming critically literate, then the nearly infinite number of texts with which they engage, are being accepted blindly or simply ignored. There are adolescents who do question texts, but what are the meanings they make from them. This research focuses on the question, “How do adolescents use critical literacy to navigate/negotiate the texts in their lives?” Through classroom observation and interviews with the students as informants, I collected qualitative data that I used to develop a Critical Engagement Continuum. The Continuum provides a framework how adolescents engage with a variety of texts, from critical thinking to critical literacy. Conclusions show that most participants’ comments fell towards the critical thinking end of the continuum and few made mention of any social justice issues or transformative thinking which categorizes the critical literacy end. Recommendations are made for teachers looking to develop a critically literate classroom. / Graduate

Critical thinking is crucial in public health due to the increasingly complex challenges faced by this field, including disease prevention, illness management, economic forces, and changes in the health system. Although there is a lack of consensus about how practitioners and educators view critical thinking, such skills are essential to the functions of applying theories and scientific research to public health interventions (Rabinowitz, 2012). The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between critical thinking skills used by public health practitioners and critical thinking skills taught to graduate students in schools/programs of public health. Through interviews with public health practitioners and instructors twelve distinct critical thinking skills were identified. Findings of this study indicate that many critical thinking skills used by practitioners are aligned with those taught in courses, such as analysis, identification and assessment of a problem, information seeking, questioning, and reflection. This study also identified conceptualizing, evaluating, interpreting, predicting, reasoning, and synthesizing as critical thinking skills that may not be receiving the explicit attention deserved in both the workplace and the classroom. A high percentage of practitioners identified explaining as a critical thinking skill often used in the field, while few instructors reported teaching this skill. The results of this study have important implications for informing public health curricula and workforce development programs about critical thinking. Further, this research serves as a model for other professions to explore the relationship between critical thinking skills used by practitioners and those taught in higher education.