Democracy does not automatically maintain itself by prescribed constitutions and procedural codes (Dewey, 1939), but rather its citizens must have certain dispositions to protect and strengthen it (Biesta, 2006). According to John Stuart Mill (1859/1991), people can tyrannize one another within the structures of a democracy, a concept he phrased “tyranny of the majority” (p. 7). To safeguard against such tyranny and to maintain a democratic way of life conducive to progress, I contend that our schools must be tasked with developing critical thinking dispositions in our future adults. The literature on education for democracy was reviewed and aligned with the critical thinking dispositions defined in the present study. Critical thinking dispositions are taught through interactions that promote them, not only limited to methods of direct instruction, such that they are infused throughout all academic subjects at all grade levels (Facione, 1990). Therefore, the present study explored the relationship between teachers’ critical thinking dispositions and their teaching styles. The main research question was: How do critical thinking dispositions differentiate between teaching styles? To best answer this question 10 mixed methods case studies were conducted of the teachers at one private pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school. The data were collected through a quantitative questionnaire, the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI), and through qualitative observations and interviews. Subsequently, each strand, qualitative and quantitative, was analyzed individually and sequentially. Finally, through cross-case analyses, 10 distinctions in teaching styles were found for teachers who scored high on the critical thinking dispositions: truth-seeking to teacher explorer, truth-seeking to student teaching, open-mindedness to student teaching, inquisitiveness to fallibility, analyticity to emotional adaptability, analyticity to fallibility, analyticity to observational listening, systematicity to nurturing, confidence in reasoning to curriculum expansion, and confidence in reasoning to self-actualization. Understanding these relationships is the start of possibly being able to use teachers’ CCTDI profiles to predict teaching styles and to guide teacher education. Implications for future research include more focused studies around the consistent relationships emerging from the present study and research about students’ development of critical thinking dispositions in relation to teaching styles.

本研究的主要目的，在調查臺北縣市國小普通教室空間規畫之現況以及近十年內之趨勢，瞭解臺北縣市國小教師教學型態運用情形並探討其與教室空間規畫的關係、調查教師認為其教學所需之普通教室空間形式與附屬教學設備為何、進而提出對普通教室教學空間規畫的建議，俾作為未來普通教室空間規畫之參考。 本研究選取臺北縣、市各38所學校為研究對象，每所學校各抽取12位(偏遠學校為6位)班級的導師共864位為研究對象(有效樣本526人，包含臺北縣233人、臺北市293人)，進行問卷調查，並以次數百分比統計和卡方考驗進行分析，從研究結果發現中我們得到以下的結論： 壹、臺北縣市國小普通教室空間規畫之現況 一、近十年來之學校空間設計朝多元化、彈性化之開放空間的趨勢發展 1.教室平形狀擺脫標準之「傳統長方形平面」的窠臼 2.教室空間形式之設計趨向多邊形、開放、彈性之原則 3.教室走廊空間形式由單邊走廊之單一形式轉變為雙邊走廊之多用途形式 4.舊校設備比新校設備的數量多 二、班級座位安排法的多元化與校舍新舊、教室空間形式、課桌形式以及教師教學型態等因素的差異性達顯著 三、學習角落的設置需要空間，並和教師教學型態有關 貳、臺北縣市國小教師之教學型態及其與教學空間規畫之關係 一、教師教學型態多元化程度與普通教室空間形式、教室附屬教學設備多寡等教室空間設計因素的差異性達顯著 二、教師教學型態多元化程度與教室課桌形式、班級座位安排法以及學習角落設置個數等教室空間配置等因素的差異性達顯著 參、教學革新趨勢下教師理想中之普通教室空間規畫 　一、絕大多數教師心目中的理想教室空間為彈性、開放、多元化的空間 　二、有七成的教師認為理想的座位安排方式為小組式座位安排法，而有六成教師認為理想的課桌椅形式為長方形單人課桌 　三、有五成以上教師認為最需要的附屬教學設備以科技化教學設備為主，也有五成以上教師認為最需要設置的學習角落為語文圖書角、電腦角與遊戲角。 研究者根據文獻探討與研究發現，提出下列幾點建議： 一、普通教室平面形狀方面，應配合班級人數來設計長短邊之比例 二、普通教室空間形式方面，應以開放、彈性、多元化為原則 三、普通教室走廊空間的設計應以具多用途功能之空間為原則 四、普通教室附屬教學設備應增加科技化教學設備的設置 五、革新課桌椅形式，以利教師依教學需求變化班級座位安排 六、教師應依學生學習之需求彈性地調整教室空間的配置，並提昇使用教學設備的能力 七、未來研究可以進一步地針對不同教室空間的個案進行深入的觀察與訪談，來探討其對教師教學的影響

This study investigated the psychological approach and the classroom methodology needed by an educator to teach street children effectively in a special school created for them. Street children with their psychological trauma, their independent, self-sufficient outlook and educational deprivation make their adaption to the methods and educational environment of mainstream schooling difficult. To meet the special educational, psychological and emotional needs of street children, Masupatsela School was started. The study was carried out in this school. The qualitative research methodology used an action research design which consisted of a reconnaissance phase and three cycles. Each cycle made use of a planning, implementation and evaluation phase. A general plan was formulated after the reconnaissance phase and revised after each cycle. The teaching was done by the researcher using four grades of street children ranging form grade 7 to grade 10. Because of their specific psychological makeup, street children, who have lacked close, comforting and trusting relationships and role models, require a classroom environment, atmosphere and a relationship with the educator which is supportive, caring, warm and firm. To achieve this a client centred approach was used based predominantly on the therapeutic principles of congruence, empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard. The interaction with the children was based on openness, tolerance, the affirmation of others and honest firmness. The teaching methodology was an eclectic one which made use primarily of a cognitive teaching style which was introduced incrementally over the three cycles. The main components of this style consisted of cognitive questioning, cooperative learning and strategic reading for information. The results of the study showed that both the psychological and educational approach in the classroom to be very appropriate and successful. However the wider negative contextual influences such as the school organization, staffing and curriculum made the classroom strategies difficult to sustain. It is recommended that a programme using these educational and psychological approaches and incorporating functional literacy and numeracy, vocational skills, recreation and a therapeutic programme be incorporated when designing a programme for street children in a formal setting. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

This study investigated the psychological approach and the classroom methodology needed by an educator to teach street children effectively in a special school created for them. Street children with their psychological trauma, their independent, self-sufficient outlook and educational deprivation make their adaption to the methods and educational environment of mainstream schooling difficult. To meet the special educational, psychological and emotional needs of street children, Masupatsela School was started. The study was carried out in this school. The qualitative research methodology used an action research design which consisted of a reconnaissance phase and three cycles. Each cycle made use of a planning, implementation and evaluation phase. A general plan was formulated after the reconnaissance phase and revised after each cycle. The teaching was done by the researcher using four grades of street children ranging form grade 7 to grade 10. Because of their specific psychological makeup, street children, who have lacked close, comforting and trusting relationships and role models, require a classroom environment, atmosphere and a relationship with the educator which is supportive, caring, warm and firm. To achieve this a client centred approach was used based predominantly on the therapeutic principles of congruence, empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard. The interaction with the children was based on openness, tolerance, the affirmation of others and honest firmness. The teaching methodology was an eclectic one which made use primarily of a cognitive teaching style which was introduced incrementally over the three cycles. The main components of this style consisted of cognitive questioning, cooperative learning and strategic reading for information. The results of the study showed that both the psychological and educational approach in the classroom to be very appropriate and successful. However the wider negative contextual influences such as the school organization, staffing and curriculum made the classroom strategies difficult to sustain. It is recommended that a programme using these educational and psychological approaches and incorporating functional literacy and numeracy, vocational skills, recreation and a therapeutic programme be incorporated when designing a programme for street children in a formal setting. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)