Teachers’ Views and Strategies for Improving Children’s Critical Thinking Skills

Year 2024, Volume: 44 Issue: 1, 801 - 827, 30.04.2024

Kevser Tozduman Yaralı , Hurşide Kübra Özkan Kunduracı

https://doi.org/10.17152/gefad.1273732

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate preschool teachers' perceptions regarding the enhancement of children's critical thinking skills, as well as their employed strategies for fostering such skills. The study was designed as a case study, a qualitative model. The sample group consisted of 30 preschool teachers from Turkey. Data were collected using online interviews and examined using descriptive and content analysis. According to the preschool teachers, the study findings showed that Turkish-language and science-math activities are the activities that contribute most to improving children’s critical thinking skills. Furthermore, the preschool teachers stated that they mainly used the strategy of asking open-ended questions during book reading activities and least used the strategy of promoting the interaction/collaboration among students to improve children’s critical thinking skills.

Keywords

Thinking skills, Critical thinking, High-level thinking, Preschool period, Preschool teachers

Çocukların Eleştirel Düşünme Becerilerinin Geliştirilmesine Yönelik Öğretmen Görüşleri ve Stratejileri

Abstract

Bu araştırmada, çocukların eleştirel düşünme becerilerinin geliştirilmesine yönelik okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin algılarını ve çocukların eleştirel düşünme becerilerini geliştirmek için kullandıkları stratejileri belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla yapılan araştırmada nitel model ve durum deseni kullanılmıştır. 30 okul öncesi öğretmeninin çalışma grubunu oluşturduğu araştırmada veriler çevrim içi görüşmeler aracılığı ile toplanmış, betimsel ve içerik analizi yapılarak değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmanın sonucunda öğretmenlerin, çocukların eleştirel düşünme becerilerini geliştirmede en fazla katkı sağladığını düşündükleri etkinliklerin Türkçe-dil ve fen-matematik olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca öğretmenlerin çocukların eleştirel düşünme becerisini geliştirmek için en fazla kullandıkları stratejinin kitap okuma etkinliği sırasında açık uçlu sorular sorma olduğu; en az kullandıkları stratejinin ise öğrenciler arası etkileşimi/iş birliğini teşvik etme olduğu görülmüştür.

Keywords

Düşünme becerileri, Eleştirel düşünme, Üst düzey düşünme, Okul öncesi dönem, Okul öncesi öğretmenleri

Supporting Institution

destekleyen kurum bulunmamaktadır

Thanks

Araştırmamıza katılan tüm okul öncesi öğretmenlerine teşekkür ederiz.

References

• Aubrey, C., Ghent, K., and Kanira, E. (2012). Enhancing thinking skills in early childhood. International Journal of Early Years Education, 20(4), 332-348. doi: 10.1080/09669760.2012.743102
• Beyer, B.K. (1985). Critical thinking: What is it?. Social Education, 49, 270-276. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ316044.
• Bruning, R., Schraw, G., and Ronning, G. G. (1995). Cognitive psychology and instruction. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.
• Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö.E., Karadeniz, Ş., and Demirel, F. (2017). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri [Scientific research methods]. Ankara: Pegem.
• Causey, C. B. (2016). Scientific reasoning in preschoolers (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Alabama, ABD. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (UMI No. 10149553).
• Chandra, J. S. (2008). A Vygotskykian perspective on promoting critical thinking in young children through mother-child interaction (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Murdoch, Australia. Retrieved from https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/713/1/01Front.pdf
• Chatzipanteli, A., Grammatikopoulos, V., & Gregoriadis, A. (2014). Development and evaluation of metacognition in early childhood education. Early child development and care, 184(8), 1223-1232. Children. New Directions for Child Development, 53, 39-46.
• Costa, A. L. (1985). Developing minds: A resource book for teaching thinking. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Creswell, J. W. (2014). Nitel, nicel ve karma yöntem yaklaşımları araştırma deseni [Qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches research design]. (S. B. Demir, trans.). Ankara: Eğiten Kitap.
• Davis-Seaver, J. (1994). Critical thinking in young children (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of North Carolina, ABD. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (UMI No. 9520525).
• Davis-Seaver, J., Smith, T., and Leflore, D. (2003). Constructivism: A path to critical thinking in early childhood. International Journal of Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity, 7(1), 1-7. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.580.9991&rep=rep1 type=pdf.
• Dovigo, F. (2016). Argumentation in preschool: A common ground for collaborative learning in early childhood. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24(6), 818-840. doi: 10.1080/1350293X.2016.1239327
• Ennis, R. H. (1985). A logical basis for measuring critical thinking skills. Educational Leadership, 43(2), 44-48. Retrieved from https://jgregorymcverry.com/readings/ennis1985assessingcriticalthinking.pdf.
• Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assesment and instruction-executive summary-The Delphi Report. Retrieved from https://philpapers.org/archive/faccta.pdf
• Facione, P. A. (2019). Top 10 critical thinking FAQs. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336589731_Top_10_Critical_FAQs
• Facione, P.A. (1984). Toward a theory of critical thinking. Liberal Education, 70 (3), 253-261. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ310214
• Fernández-Santín, M. and Feliu-Torruella, M. (2020). Developing critical thinking in early childhood through the philosophy of Reggio Emilia. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 37, 100686. doi: 10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100686
• Galinsky, E. (2019). Gelişen zihin: Her çocuğun ihtiyaç duyduğu yedi temel yaşam becerisi [Developing mind: Seven essential life skills that every child needs]. (Kevser T. Yaralı and Elifcan Cesur, trans.) Ankara: Nobel.
• Galinsky, E. and Gardner, N. (2016). Skill 5: Critical thinking. Teaching Young Children, 10(2), 5-7. Retrieved from https://uploadsssl.webflow.com/5b69a01ba2e409501de055d1/5e6a53808f1274 548bd7b8ab_Skill%205-%20Critical%20Thinking.pdf
• Gürkaynak, İ., Üstel, F., and Gülgöz, S. (2003). Eleştirel düşünme [Critical thinking]. İstanbul: Eğitim Reformu Girişimi.
• Heyman, G. D. (2008). Children’s critical thinking when learning from others. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(5), 344-347. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00603.x
• Hirose, S. (1992). Critical thinking in community colleges. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED363932.pdf#page=85.
• Huitt, W. (1998). Critical thinking: an overwiew. Educational Psychology Interactive, 3(6), 34-50. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/critthnk.
• Karadağ, F. and Demirtaş, V. Y. (2018). The effectiveness of the philosophy with children curriculum on critical thinking skills of pre-school children. Education and Science, 43(195), 19-40. doi:10.15390/EB.2018.7268
• Kurnaz, A. (2013). Eleştirel düşünme öğretimi etkinlikleri planlama-uygulama ve değerlendirme. [Critical thinking teaching activities planning, implementation and evaluation]. İstanbul: Eğitim Kitabevi.
• Lewis, A., and Smith, D. (1993). Defining higher order thinking. Theory Into Practice, 32(3), 131-137. doi:10.1080/00405849309543588
• Merriam, S.B. (2015). Nitel araştırma desen ve uygulama için bir rehber [A guide to qualitative research patterns and practice]. (S.Turan, trans.). Ankara: Nobel.
• Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. ThousandOaks, California: SAGE.
• Nosich, G. M. (2016). Eleştirel düşünme ve disiplinler arası eleştirel düşünme rehberi [Critical thinking and interdisciplinary critical thinking guide]. (B. Aybek, trans.), Ankara: Anı.
• Olson, D., and Astington, J. (1993). Thinking about thinking: Learning how to take statements and hold beliefs. Educational Psychologist, 28(1), 7-23. doi: 10.1207/s15326985ep2801_2
• Paul, R. (1990). Critical thinking. Rohnert Park, CA: Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique, Sonoma State University.
• Potts, B. (1994). Strategies for teaching critical thinking. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 4(1), 3. doi: 10.7275/hdhj-fc81.
• Quinn, V. (1997). Critical thinking in young minds. London: David Fulton. Ruggiero, W. R. (2019). Eleştirel düşünme için bir rehber. (Ç. Dedeoğlu, trans.) İstanbul: Alfa.
• Salmon, A. K. (2010). Tools to enhances young children’s thinking. Young Children, 2(3), 26-32. Retrieved from https://www.smartbeginningsse.org/wp- content/uploads/2016/03/tools_to_enhance_young_childrens_thinking.pdf
• Sternberg, R. J. (1987). Teaching critical thinking: Eight ways to fail before you begin. Phi Delta Kappan, 68(6), 456-459. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20403395.
• Tama, M. C. (1989). Critical thinking: promoting it in the classroom. ERIC Clearinghouse. Retrieved from http://www.learn2study.org/teachers/critical.htm.
• Tan, C. (2017). Teaching critical thinking: Cultural challenges and strategies in Singapore. British Educational Research Journal, 43(5), 988-1002. doi:10.1002/berj.3295.
• Tozduman Yaralı, K. and Aytar, F. A. G. (2021). The effectiveness of storyline-based education program on critical thinking skills of preschool children. Education and Science, 46(205), 137-159. doi: 10.15390/EB.2020.8698
• Tozduman Yaralı, K. (2019). Gelişimsel açıdan eleştirel düşünme ve çocuklarda eleştirel düşünmenin desteklenmesi. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 48, 454-479. doi: 10.9779/pauefd.536546
• Walsh, D., and Paul, R. W. (1986). The goal of critical thinking: from educational ideal to educational reality. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED295916.
• Walsh, G. Murphy, P., and Dunbar, C. (2007). Thinking skills in the early years: A guide for practitioners. Written in collaboration with the early years enriched curriculum evaluation Project team. Retrieved from http://www. nicurriculum. org.uk/docs/skills_and_capabilities/foundation/ThinkingSkillsintheEarlyYears
• Watson, G. and Glaser, E. M. (1980). Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Cleveland, OH: Psychological Corporation.
• Williams Howe, C. (2016). How to raise critical thinkers in a world that desperately needs them. Retrieved from http://www.parent.com.
• Yıldırım, A. and Şimşek, H. (2016). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri [Qualitative research methods in the social sciences]. Ankara: Seçkin.