The effects of instruction in forming generalizations on high school students' critical thinking in world history /
| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1988.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of explicit teaching and traditional instruction on students' critical thinking ability in forming generalizations in World History classes. Students, enrolled two intact classes in a large suburban high school in Texas, participated in this study. One class received explicit instruction and another class received traditional instruction. Both classes had been given a pre-treatment essay, in which students stated and defended a generalization, and two pretests--Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Level X (Ennis, Millman, & Tomko, 1985) and a test on the Renaissance and Reformation. After treatment, students again were given a similar writing essay and the same tests. Composite scores from the students' Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Level E (Nelson & Denny, 1981) test were also used in the analyses. The explicit teaching group was given definitions for thought products and instructed by their teacher using explicit teaching. The traditional teaching group was instructed by the same teacher, using teacher-centered methods. Treatment consisted of two weeks of instruction dealing with the Renaissance and Reformation. Data analyses included both qualitative and quantitative measures. Qualitative measures included the researcher's observations of the classes, audio-taping, and field notes. Analyses of covariance were performed on the post-treatment data using pre-treatment scores and reading test scores as covariates. The results of the analyses demonstrated a significant difference between the groups on the quality and quantity of students' writing. The post-treatment scores were also used in multiple regressions. In these regressions, the pre-treatment generalization score was a predictor variable for the generalization posttest. Prewriting quantity scores were predictor variables for the knowledge posttest, postwriting quantity scores, and postwriting quality scores. Responses to the research questions indicated that students in the explicit methods class wrote essays assessed for quality and quantity of generalizations significantly better than students enrolled in the traditional instruction. Also, students taught with explicit methods did not score significantly higher on a teacher-made content knowledge test nor on a standardized critical thinking test. Students and teacher displayed similar attitudes toward instruction as they had displayed before the study. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Curriculum and Instruction." |
| Physical Description: | xi, 134 leaves ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-111). |