This dissertation describes an action research study aimed at promoting critical thinking in learners while learning physical science within the South African national curriculum. The data were primarily qualitative in nature, and were collected primarily through participant observation, composed of audio- and video- recorded lessons, interviews, questionnaires, journal entries and written material. Data collection, analysis and interpretation were done in the inductive, cyclic manner of action research. This process was guided by research questions about task characteristics, their position in the teaching sequence, the role of the learning environment, and the need to adjust tasks to fit the needs of different learners, so as to effectively promote critical thinking. A pragmatic approach was used. It was found that it is possible, using particular strategies and tasks, to promote critical thinking while meeting the curriculum outcomes, although the intense syllabus pressure of the curriculum makes this challenging. Task design characteristics and positioning in the teaching sequence, and conditions of the learning environment, were found to affect a task’s effectiveness at promoting critical thinking. Various teaching strategies can improve attainability by a wider range of learners. An instructional model, The Ladder Approach, emerged as being most likely to promote success. This was found to be successful when evaluated against criteria of active engagement and interest by learners, attainability with effort, display of critical thinking traits, and compatibility with the South African curriculum. In this model, an interesting problem is posed at the start of a section, after which direct instruction and learner engagement with the problem run parallel to one another, linked by scaffolding tools which are engaged in individually and collaboratively. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

What strategies are effective for clinical nurse instructors to use in developing critical thinking in student nurses? Many clinical strategies have been discussed in, literature, but only a few have been verified through research as to their usefulness.This study used the qualitative research methodology of multiple case studies. Participants were six clinical nurse instructors. Nursing experience ranged from 17-27 years, teaching experience involved 2-24 years. Four instructors had doctorates, one nurse had a masters degree, and the sixth nurse lacked two courses before completing a masters degree. The six instructors were from five areas of nursing: medical/surgical (beginning and intermediate level), maternity, mental health, community health and management.Each instructor was interviewed three times during the same semester, approximately two weeks apart. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Spradley's (1979) domain and taxonomic analyses were used to analyze the data.Data analysis showed that some strategies were used by all instructors, with adaptations made for the specialty. The strategies used by all instructors were questioning, nursing care plans and clinical conferences. More than one instructor used student journals, teaching projects, research articles, milieu assessments, and case studies/scenarios.This research strongly supported the use of questioning to help the student progress in critical thinking. Contrary to some research, the present research found that questioning by the instructors was not detached but was situated in the client setting which helped the student synthesize facts into a whole. The research identified many questions used by the clinical nurse instructors.Instructors identified their role in assisting students toward critical thinking as helper, facilitator, coach and guide. Instructors also identified the following characteristics as necessary to help students: caring attitude, creativity, perseverance, knowledgeable, listener, encourager and learning attitude. The instructors motivated students as they progressed in critical thinking through verbal and nonverbal rewards. Students gained self-confidence as they experienced success in their journey towards critical thinking. Implications for nursing practice are provided. The importance of this research lies in the rich depth of discovering how these strategies, roles, characteristics, and motivators assist nursing students in developing critical thinking skills in different clinical settings.2 / Department of Educational Leadership

Are there differences among freshman, sophomore, junior and senior baccalaureate nursing students in levels of critical thinking skills? What demographic variables are related to critical thinking?Critical thinking was equated with the problem-solving process in the nursing process and defined as the ability to collect and interpret facts, develop problem statements, identify interventions and evaluate the outcomes.A stratified random sample of nursing students (N = 114) from freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes completed the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and a demographic questionnaire.No significant differences were found among the four grade levels in critical thinking skills (F = 2.506, p = .0628). Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) verbal and quantitative scores and grade point averages (r = .55, .30, .41 respectively) were positively correlated to critical thinking (p = .05). Age, total number of credit hours completed, credit hours completed In physical/earth/life sciences, behavior and social sciences, humanities and fine arts, professional nursing and general electives were also statistically significantly related (r < .30, indicates little practical significance) to critical thinking. SAT verbal, grade point average, humanities and fine arts entered a regression equation to collectively account for 41% of the variance in critical thinking (p = < .001).Either (a) critical thinking skills are not increasing, (b) the WGCTA does not measure the critical thinking skills used by nurses or (c) nursing curricula may not develop critical thinking skills in nursing students. using an analysis of the uniqueness of the nursing process, nurse educators should develop an instrument that measures the critical thinking "process" component of the nursing process as well as the "logic" component with items specific to the nursing knowledge base.If critical thinking skills are important to nursing practice, then curriculum content, teaching methodologies and learning experiences should increase critical thinking skills in nursing students. Longitudinal studies need to be conducted to determine what curriculum content, teaching methodologies and learning experiences are most effective in increasing the critical thinking skills in nursing students. / Center for Lifelong Education

Thesis (MEd (Education and Social Science))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / The purpose of this study is to discover the critical reader-responses of Grade 4 children to a novel written by Judy Blume (1980). The theoretical framework is based on the socio-cultural theories of learning, as well as Rosenblatt's critical reader response theory (1986). I examine the following issues: Cambourne's (2004) principles of engagement, Feuersteins' Mediated Learning Experience (1991), Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (1978), Erikson's Industry versus Inferiority (in Boeree, 2006), as well as Scaffolding (Vygotsky in Olivier 2010, 22-23). The literature review includes the most recent published literature pertaining to my research. Video interviews, as well as reflective journalling were used to gather data. My research answers the following research question: What are the critical reader responses of Grade 4 children to Superfudge, by Judy Blume? My argument, based on Rosenblatt's critical reader-response theory (1986) accurately reflected the manner in which the Grade 4 children rnade meaning of prescribed texts. My data was analysed qualitatively, using an inductive approach. In my findings five themes emerged: finding an authentic voice, gaining identity, the entertainment value of the novel, family dynamics with specific reference to siblings and the relocation of families. The discussion examines insights which emerged from my research. These insights are reviewed in relation to my theoretical frames and relevant literature. In conclusion the process of critical reader-response theory empowers children to develop critical thinking skills and habits that underlie effective reading.

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town, 2004. / The purpose of this research was to investigate the practices, understanding and application of critical thinking in the lives of learners, educators and parents. The research was conducted in the grade seven classes of three schools in the Western Cape. These schools are representative of the demography of the Western Cape. Initial questionnaires were sent to parents of the grade seven learners in this study to determine whether the home environment encourages critical thinking and whether or not the parents practice critical thinking in their home and personal lives. An interview was conducted with the 8 teachers of each grade seven class at the three schools, to determine their understanding of critical thinking, whether they use critical thinking in their personal capacity, and whether they nurture and teach critical thinking. Each learner completed a questionnaire to determine his or her knowledge and understanding of critical thinking, prior to teaching and learning interventions. The interventions occurred through a series of teaching/learning activities, and participative action research to facilitate the learning, understanding and application of critical thinking. Data was obtained from observation throughout intervention as well as from a final questionnaire at the end of the teaching/ learning activities. The data collected was analysed and the results and recommendations form part of this thesis. The results clearly indicated that it is possible to foster critical hoped that teachers' awareness of the need to teach and foster critical thinking in the classroom was aroused by this intervention. thinking through teaching and learning interventions. It also became evident that the influence of learners' home life plays a major role in children's thinking practices. It is hoped that teachers' awareness of the need to teach and foster critical thinking in the classroom was aroused by this intervention. / Peninsula Technikon

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed. / Humanity needs to survive both physically and emotionally in a rapidly changing postmodern world, which has numerous problems. Critical thinking, and particularly strong sense critical thinking, could be a powerful enabling factor when dealing with these challenges. Education has long recognised its responsibility of teaching learners to think, but it is doubtful whether this goal has been achieved. The paradigm shift from content-based to outcomes-based education, with critical thinking as one of the twelve essential outcomes, makes this time in the history of South African education a particularly positive period in which to teach critical thinking The problem is however that no research has been done regarding the teaching of critical thinking in History - a subject that can ideally promote critical thinking - in South African primary schools. Two subordinate research questions were posed, namely what repertoire of critical thinking skills grade seven students of multicultural primary schools commanded in the History class and whether grade seven teachers taught their History students critical thinking activities. These questions provided information that assisted in answering the main research question regarding the generation of a possible approach for the facilitation of critical thinking in the History class, that would enable the teachers of grade seven learners in multicultural primary schools in the N5 District to teach critical thinking, and that could be implemented by educational psychologists. The intermediate research objectives were to determine the presence and nature of the critical thinking skills of learners in a grade seven History class of a multicultural primary school in District N5 in Gauteng; and to explore whether the History teacher of the grade seven class in a multicultural school teaches critical thinking to his learners and if this did occur, to describe what methods the teacher follows to achieve it. These intermediate objectives were utilised to achieve the overall purpose of this study, namely to develop and describe an approach for the facilitation of critical thinking in grade seven History classes in District N5, that would enable teachers to teach critical thinking and could be implemented by the educational psychologist. This study comprised prolonged, in-depth observation by means of videorecordings, of the critical thinking activities of the learners in a grade seven History class and their teacher, for a period of ten months. It was found that very little critical thinking was demonstrated in the classroom. The results of this research, along with information gained from a literature study, formed the basis of principles which were developed for an educational psychological approach to critical thinking instruction. The initial group of principles alluded to the general aspects of a critical thinking instruction program; the school environment required for such a program to thrive; and the needs and circumstances of the teachers who are to implement it. The second group of principles referred to the program content and highlighted the importance of teaching for, of and about critical thinking; the need to include the three themes of critical thinking, namely affective critical thinking operations, macro critical thinking operations and micro critical thinking operations; as well as the need to facilitate metacognition, to teach critical thinking for transfer and to assess critical thinking. The third group of principles concerned the role of the teacher and were directed at classroom organisation and climate; the structure of the lessons; and the teaching methods to be considered. The final group of principles focused on the education of teachers, district officials, principals, school management teams and parents regarding critical thinking instruction. An educational psychological approach to critical thinking instruction, which was contextualised for a district based on the principles of project management, was described.

This study investigated whether critical thinking can be fostered in home economics through teaching a problem solving approach in Family Management. Secondarily, it investigated teacher behaviours which may foster critical thinking abilities, the moral and ethical issues which the teaching of critical thinking addresses, and whether the students were able to use problem solving in real life situations. The research involved the students and teacher in a Family Management eleven class in rural British Columbia. All students in the class chose to participate in the study. The study was conducted during twenty-six classroom hours. The study used action research as the research methodology. The research included action/research cycles with time between for analysis and reflection. The phase of data analysis and reflection was called the reconnaissance. Data was collected through audio tapes of the classes, entries in the teacher's journal, a checklist, and collected student work. The data collected in the first reconnaissance phase established a description which served as a point of reference for comparing and analyzing later observations. Two cycles of action/research followed. Observations were made and data collected as the critical thinking concepts were introduced. The introduction of the macro-thinking skill of problem solving was combined with the micro- thinking skills of avoiding fallacies, observing, reporting and summarizing. The research found that there was an increase in critical thinking activities at the end of the study. Factors that were found to have effected this change were: the teaching of a problem solving process, the teaching of micro-thinking skills, certain teacher behaviours, and the classroom atmosphere. Home economics was found to play a unique role in providing practice in real life problem solving. Further research is needed to determine if the skills the students learned while problem solving in Family Management will carry over to everyday life. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

M.Ed. / This study forms part of a greater, ongoing research project concerning teacher competence and its assessment. The project focuses on researching teacher opinion on teacher competences by the initial research. This research project is a group project initiated to investigate teacher competence, its measurement and the implication thereof for school effectiveness and improvement. The following factors were identified namely the learning environment, professional commitment, order and discipline, educational foundation, reflection, cooperative ability, effectiveness and management styles. What does the basic rights of education mean against the background of the past? Superordinate goals aim at improving matriculation results. The aim is to change the public school into a community school which means increased parental involvement. This could be done by legitimising civic groups. The problem facing the present educational system is to strategise and develop interest, remedy the lack of motivation, increase trust, and develop relevant management skills. The constitution guarantees equal access to basic education. Inequalities in education must be redressed. The principles include the development of independent and critical thinking. The overall aim is lifelong education and training of good quality. This would increase teacher competence. Teachers should Professor Bengu (1995:1) in the Hunter's Report commented that this present education system was the most fractured and inequitable on the face of the earth. Nevertheless the Hunter Report seems safe to assume that the commitment in the White Paper to ten years of free and compulsory education would satisfy the constitutional requirements of the right to basic education at this stage of our country's development. However teachers are seen as "aliens" by the school and community as they do not participate in village or farm life. The professional life of a teacher presents few challenges because they do not have access to ownership of land. Teachers have little legitimacy in their communities. The Hunter Report recommended that public schools entertain a partnership funding approach balancing the demand of the four key principles namely attaining equity, redressing past imbalances, advancing equality and improving efficiency. The Hunter Report suggested that training relevant to personnel should be established by an Educational Management Information System and an Educational Management Training Institute. Factors which could possibly have contributed to the poor matriculation results at the schools were evident in a summary of the Examiner's Reports(Education Bulletin, ex House of Representatives, 1995 : 345). These include many candidates who lack basic examination techniques that should have been taught and consolidated in Standard Nine. All the work in the syllabus was not covered. All this points to some form of teacher

This project has developed a resource guide that will help kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers implement an integrated history-social science curriculum that encourages children to become critical thinkers.