Publication: The impact of critical thinking training through literary texts on pre-service teachers' critical thinking skills (edebi metinler kullanılarak verilen eleştirel düşünme eğitiminin öğretmen adaylarının eleştirel düşünme becerisine etkisi)
Abstract
Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956/ Yenilenmiş 2001)’i temel alan bu çalışmada, öğretmen adaylarının beş haftalık eğitim sonrasında eleştirel düşünme becerilerinde bir değişiklik olup olmadığı ve öğretmen adaylarının eleştirel düşünme becerilerinin cinsiyet ile ilişkisi araştırılmıştır. Çalışmada aşağıdaki araştırma soruları cevaplandırılmaya çalışılmıştır:1.İngilizce öğretmenliği bölümü aday öğretmenlerin eğitim öncesi eleştirel düşünme seviyeleri nedir?2.Aday öğretmenlerin eğitim öncesi ve sonrası eleştirel düşünme seviyeleri arasında bir fark var mıdır?Çalışmaya 4 yıllık bir program olan İngilizce öğretmenliği 3. sınıf öğrencilerinden, Edebiyat ile İngilizce Öğretimi I dersini alan 129 aday öğretmen katılmıştır. Katılımcılar rastlantısal olarak deney (71) ve kontrol (58) grubu olarak gruplandırılmıştır. Eğitimden önce, bütün gruplara Watson Glaser Eleştirel Düşünme testi (Watson & Glaser, 1964) uygulanarak, eleştirel düşünme becerileri ölçülmüştür. Deney grubundaki aday öğretmenlere, ilk haftası interaktif ders anlatımı olan ve takip eden haftalarda eleştirel düşünme becerilerini geliştirme odaklı dersleri içeren beş haftalık bir eğitim uygulanmıştır. Kontrol grubundaki aday öğretmenler ise geleneksel programlarına devam etmiştir. Deney grubunun ilk haftayı takip eden dersleri, aday öğretmenlerin alt ve üst düzey eleştirel düşünme becerilerini (hatırlama, anlama, uygulama, analiz, değerlendirme ve yaratma) geliştirmeye yönelik rehberlik etmek için dizayn edilmiş olup, iki roman alıntısı ve iki kısa hikaye üzerinde yapılan çalışmalardan oluşmaktadır. Analizler, eğitim öncesi ve sonrasında Watson Glaser Eleştirel Düşünme (WGCT-AT) testinden elde edilen sonuçların karşılaştırılması şeklinde yapılmıştır. Ayrıca, deney grubu öğretmen adayları eğitim sırasında, her bir ders için önceden hazırlanmış sorulara yazılı olarak cevap verdiler. Aday öğretmenlerin yazılı cevapları her hafta için dosyalandı ve Leist, Woolwine & Bays (2012)’nin eleştirel okuma analiz yönergesi yardımı ile notlandırıldı. Çalışma sonuçlarına göre, deney grubu aday öğretmenler (x̄= 72,24) kontrol grubu aday öğretmelere (x̄ = 70,92) göre gelişme göstermiştir ve elde edilen sonuç istatistiksel olarak önemlidir (p<,05). Niteliksel veri sonuçları ise göstermiştir ki; öğretmen adayları alt düzey düşünme becerilerinde (hatırlama, anlama, uygulama) oldukça başarılı olmakla beraber, üst düzey düşünme becerilerini de (analiz, değerlendirme, yaratma) geliştirmişlerdir. Genel olarak, çalışma sonuçları uygulanan eğitim programının öğretmen adaylarının eleştirel düşünme becerileri üzerinde olumlu bir etkisi olduğunu göstermiş ve deney grubunun lehine sonuçlanmıştır.
Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956/ Revised 2001), this study investigated whether there is a difference in pre-service teachers’ Critical Thinking (hencefort CT) levels before and after a 5-week treatment. The following questions were explored in the study:1.What are preservice EFL teachers’ levels of critical thinking before CT training? 2.Is there a difference in pre-service teachers’ critical thinking levels after CT training?The sample for the study consisted of 129 pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language in their 3rd year of a four-year teacher education programme, attending Teaching English Through Literature I course. Participants were randomly grouped as experimental (N=71) and control (N=58) groups. Before the treatment, all groups were applied Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test (Watson & Glaser, 1964) to measure CT levels before the treatment. Pre-service teachers in the experimental group had a five-week training including an interactive lecture on the first week and classes focused on improving CT skills on the following weeks while pre-service teachers in the control group attended their regular classes. Following an interactive lecture, the treatment included studying on two novel extracts and short stories which have been designed to guide the experimental group through lower and higher order thinking skills which are Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating and Creating. Analysis was conducted by measuring CT levels of pre-service teachers before and after the treatment with the help of Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test (henceforth WGCT-AT). Additionally, experimental group pre-service teachers responded in writing to the oriented questions which were presented as worksheets for each session during the treatment. The responses of pre-service teachers on worksheets were filed, analysed and graded for each participants weekly with the help of the rubric for critical reading analysis adopted from Leist, Woolwine & Bays, (2012).Results of the study indicated that experimental group pre-service teacher candidates (x̄ = 72,24) outperformed control group candidates (x̄ = 70,92) and the results was found statistically significant (p<,05). Regarding data obtained from woksheets, pre-service teacher candidates were found highly successful at lower level thinking skills (Remembering, Understanding, Applying) as well as improving their higher order thinking skills (Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating). In general, the results indicated that training had a positive effect on teacher candidates’ CT skills and made a difference for the benefit of experimental group participants.
Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956/ Revised 2001), this study investigated whether there is a difference in pre-service teachers’ Critical Thinking (hencefort CT) levels before and after a 5-week treatment. The following questions were explored in the study:1.What are preservice EFL teachers’ levels of critical thinking before CT training? 2.Is there a difference in pre-service teachers’ critical thinking levels after CT training?The sample for the study consisted of 129 pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language in their 3rd year of a four-year teacher education programme, attending Teaching English Through Literature I course. Participants were randomly grouped as experimental (N=71) and control (N=58) groups. Before the treatment, all groups were applied Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test (Watson & Glaser, 1964) to measure CT levels before the treatment. Pre-service teachers in the experimental group had a five-week training including an interactive lecture on the first week and classes focused on improving CT skills on the following weeks while pre-service teachers in the control group attended their regular classes. Following an interactive lecture, the treatment included studying on two novel extracts and short stories which have been designed to guide the experimental group through lower and higher order thinking skills which are Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating and Creating. Analysis was conducted by measuring CT levels of pre-service teachers before and after the treatment with the help of Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test (henceforth WGCT-AT). Additionally, experimental group pre-service teachers responded in writing to the oriented questions which were presented as worksheets for each session during the treatment. The responses of pre-service teachers on worksheets were filed, analysed and graded for each participants weekly with the help of the rubric for critical reading analysis adopted from Leist, Woolwine & Bays, (2012).Results of the study indicated that experimental group pre-service teacher candidates (x̄ = 72,24) outperformed control group candidates (x̄ = 70,92) and the results was found statistically significant (p<,05). Regarding data obtained from woksheets, pre-service teacher candidates were found highly successful at lower level thinking skills (Remembering, Understanding, Applying) as well as improving their higher order thinking skills (Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating). In general, the results indicated that training had a positive effect on teacher candidates’ CT skills and made a difference for the benefit of experimental group participants.