Perceptions of the use of critical thinking teaching methods.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Nina; Hackworth, Ruth; Case-Smith, Jane

2012-01-01

To identify the perceived level of competence in teaching and assessing critical thinking skills and the difficulties facing radiologic science program directors in implementing student-centered teaching methods. A total of 692 program directors received an invitation to complete an electronic survey soliciting information regarding the importance of critical thinking skills, their confidence in applying teaching methods and assessing student performance, and perceived obstacles. Statistical analysis included descriptive data, correlation coefficients, and ANOVA. Responses were received from 317 participants indicating program directors perceive critical thinking to be an essential element in the education of the student; however, they identified several areas for improvement. A high correlation was identified between the program directors' perceived level of skill and their confidence in critical thinking, and between their perceived level of skill and ability to assess the students' critical thinking. Key barriers to implementing critical thinking teaching strategies were identified. Program directors value the importance of implementing critical thinking teaching methods and perceive a need for professional development in critical thinking educational methods. Regardless of the type of educational institution in which the academic program is located, the level of education held by the program director was a significant factor regarding perceived confidence in the ability to model critical thinking skills and the ability to assess student critical thinking skills.

Improving High-Level Thinking Skills by Development of Learning PBL Approach on the Learning Mathematics for Senior High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Surya, Edy; Syahputra, Edi

2017-01-01

This study aims to improve the ability of high-level thinking by developing learning models based on problems in senior high school students. The type study is research development. The subject of dissemination consists in 3 district/city in North Sumatera, namely: SMK Negeri 6 Medan, MAN Deli Serdang Distric and SMA Yapim Taruna Langkat Distric,…

Bringing CASE in from the Cold: The Teaching and Learning of Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Mary; Venville, Grady

2017-01-01

"Thinking Science" is a 2-year program of professional development for teachers and thinking lessons for students in junior high school science classes. This paper presents research on the effects of "Thinking Science" on students' levels of cognition in Australia. The research is timely, with a general capability focused on…

High Level Thinking and Questioning Strategies. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Ella

2010-01-01

Higher-order thinking is an instructional strategy supported by research. Often referred to as critical thinking skills, it is more than simple recall of facts or information. It is a function of the interaction between cognitive strategies, meta-cognition, and nonstrategic knowledge when solving problems. Higher-order thinking is based on the…

An Analysis of Mathematics Teacher Candidates' Critical Thinking Dispositions and Their Logical Thinking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Incikabi, Lutfi; Tuna, Abdulkadir; Biber, Abdullah Cagri

2013-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the existence of the relationship between mathematics teacher candidates' critical thinking skills and their logical thinking dispositions in terms of the variables of grade level in college, high school type, and gender. The current study utilized relational survey model and included a total of 99 mathematics…

Metacognitive Analysis of Pre-Service Teachers of Chemistry in Posting Questions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoso, T.; Yuanita, L.

2017-04-01

Questions addressed to something can induce metacognitive function to monitor a person’s thinking process. This study aims to describe the structure of the level of student questions based on thinking level and chemistry understanding level and describe how students use their metacognitive knowledge in asking. This research is a case study in chemistry learning, followed by 87 students. Results of the analysis revealed that the structure of thinking level of student question consists of knowledge question, understanding and application question, and high thinking question; the structure of chemistry understanding levels of student questions are a symbol, macro, macro-micro, macro-process, micro-process, and the macro-micro-process. The level Questioning skill of students to scientific articles more qualified than the level questioning skills of students to the teaching materials. The analysis result of six student interviews, a student question demonstrate the metacognitive processes with categories: (1) low-level metacognitive process, which is compiled based on questions focusing on a particular phrase or change the words; (2) intermediate level metacognitive process, submission of questions requires knowledge and understanding, and (3) high-level metacognitive process, the student questions posed based on identifying the central topic or abstraction essence of scientific articles.

Students' Critical Thinking Ability: Description Based on Academic Level and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zetriuslita, Hj.; Ariawan, Rezi; Nufus, Hayatun

2016-01-01

This research aims to describe students' critical thinking ability based on the level academic and gender. The populations of this study were 132 students participating in five classes of Calculus course. The research data obtained through technical tests and interview techniques. This study found that the high level of capability, both male…

Critical Thinking Skills of Students through Mathematics Learning with ASSURE Model Assisted by Software Autograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristianti, Y.; Prabawanto, S.; Suhendra, S.

2017-09-01

This study aims to examine the ability of critical thinking and students who attain learning mathematics with learning model ASSURE assisted Autograph software. The design of this study was experimental group with pre-test and post-test control group. The experimental group obtained a mathematics learning with ASSURE-assisted model Autograph software and the control group acquired the mathematics learning with the conventional model. The data are obtained from the research results through critical thinking skills tests. This research was conducted at junior high school level with research population in one of junior high school student in Subang Regency of Lesson Year 2016/2017 and research sample of class VIII student in one of junior high school in Subang Regency for 2 classes. Analysis of research data is administered quantitatively. Quantitative data analysis was performed on the normalized gain level between the two sample groups using a one-way anova test. The results show that mathematics learning with ASSURE assisted model Autograph software can improve the critical thinking ability of junior high school students. Mathematical learning using ASSURE-assisted model Autograph software is significantly better in improving the critical thinking skills of junior high school students compared with conventional models.

The effect of role assignment in high fidelity patient simulation on nursing students: An experimental research study.

PubMed

Weiler, Dustin T; Gibson, Andrea L; Saleem, Jason J

2018-04-01

Previous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of high fidelity patient simulators (HFPS) on nursing training; however, a gap exists on the effects of role assignment on critical thinking, self-efficacy, and situation awareness skills in team-based simulation scenarios. This study aims to determine if role assignment and the involvement level related to the roles yields significant effects and differences in critical thinking, situation awareness and self-efficacy scores in team-based high-fidelity simulation scenarios. A single factorial design with five levels and random assignment was utilized. A public university-sponsored simulation center in the United States of America. A convenience sample of 69 junior-level baccalaureate nursing students was recruited for participation. Participants were randomly assigned one of five possible roles and completed pre-simulation critical thinking and self-efficacy assessments prior to the simulation beginning. Playing within their assigned roles, participants experienced post-partum hemorrhaging scenario using an HFPS. After completing the simulation, participants completed a situation awareness assessment and a post-simulation critical thinking and self-efficacy assessment. Role assignment was found to have a statistically significant effect on critical thinking skills and a statistically significant difference in various areas of self-efficacy was also noted. However, no statistical significance in situation awareness abilities was found. Results support the notion that certain roles required the participant to be more involved with the simulation scenario, which may have yielded higher critical thinking and self-efficacy scores than roles that required a lesser level of involvement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy among special education integration program teachers in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulaiman, Tajularipin; a/l Kuppusamy, Suresh Kumar; Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd; Rahim, Suzieleez Syrene Abdul

2017-01-01

This study aims to assess the level of critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy among the Special Education Integration Programme (SEIP) teachers in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The level of critical thinking dispositions and teaching efficacy in the SEIP were compared based on teaching experience and gender. The study also examined the relationship between critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy at SEIP. The research adopted a quantitative survey approach. A total of 190 primary school teachers from the SEIP in Negeri Sembilan were selected using proportional sampling method. The instrument used in this study comprised of three sections; demography, critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis. Analysis shows that the respondents have a moderate level of critical thinking disposition (M = 2.99, S.D = 0.160) and teaching efficacy (M = 3.01 S.D. = 0.128) was at a high level. For teaching experience, the analysis showed that thinking disposition of novice teachers (mean = 2.52, SD = .503) are significantly higher than experienced teachers (mean = 2.35, SD = .481, t = 2.244, p <.05). There was no significant difference between male and female SEIP teachers in critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy. Findings also indicated that there is a significant positive moderate relationship (r = .477) between critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy among SEIP teachers. This study suggests that critical thinking disposition and teaching efficacy play an important role to enhance the performance of SEIP teachers.

Gender differences in algebraic thinking ability to solve mathematics problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusumaningsih, W.; Darhim; Herman, T.; Turmudi

2018-05-01

This study aimed to conduct a gender study on students' algebraic thinking ability in solving a mathematics problem, polyhedron concept, for grade VIII. This research used a qualitative method. The data was collected using: test and interview methods. The subjects in this study were eight male and female students with different level of abilities. It was found that the algebraic thinking skills of male students reached high group of five categories. They were superior in terms of reasoning and quick understanding in solving problems. Algebraic thinking ability of high-achieving group of female students also met five categories of algebraic thinking indicators. They were more diligent, tenacious and thorough in solving problems. Algebraic thinking ability of male students in medium category only satisfied three categories of algebraic thinking indicators. They were sufficient in terms of reasoning and understanding in solving problems. Algebraic thinking ability group of female students in medium group also satisfied three categories of algebraic thinking indicators. They were fairly diligent, tenacious and meticulous on working on the problems.

Development of students' critical thinking: the educators' ability to use questioning skills in the baccalaureate programmes in nursing in Pakistan.

PubMed

Saeed, Tanveer; Khan, Shehla; Ahmed, Azra; Gul, Raisa; Cassum, Shanaz; Parpio, Yasmin

2012-03-01

To enhance the Critical Thinking skills of educators associated with the nursing baccalaureate programmes in Pakistan. By focusing on the type and level of questions asked by the educators. Ninety-one faculty members from 14 out of 17 schools participated in the study. Data on the faculty's questioning skills was obtained through classroom observations and field notes. The duration of the observations was 45-60 minutes. Using Bloom's Taxonomy for cognitive thinking, questions were categorised into high and low categories. Most of the questions (68.9 %) asked by the participants were of lower levels, while some (5.37 %) were ambiguous. In many instances, the participants did not allow a sufficient wait-time for students to think and respond. The findings suggest that educators must learn to use the questioning strategy effectively. They should ask higher level questions if they wish to inculcate Critical Thinking in students.

"Assessment Drives Learning": Do Assessments Promote High-Level Cognitive Processing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bezuidenhout, M. J.; Alt, H.

2011-01-01

Students tend to learn in the way they know, or think, they will be assessed. Therefore, to ensure deep, meaningful learning, assessments must be geared to promote cognitive processing that requires complex, contextualised thinking to construct meaning and create knowledge. Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive levels is used worldwide to assist in…

Pre-Service Science Teachers' Reflective Thinking Skills toward Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Can, Sendil

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the pre-service science teachers' reflective thinking skills toward problem solving and the effects of gender, grade level, academic achievement, type of graduated high school and father and mother's education level on these skills. The study was conducted through the survey method with the…

Developing thinking skill system for modelling creative thinking and critical thinking of vocational high school student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewanto, W. K.; Agustianto, K.; Sari, B. E.

2018-01-01

Vocational students must have practical skills in accordance with the purpose of vocational school that creating the skilled graduates according to their field. Graduates of vocational education are required not just as users, but be able to create. Thus requiring critical and creative thinking skills to assist students in generating ideas, analyzing and creating a product of value. Based on this, then this research aims to develop a system to know the level of ability to think critically and creative students, that resulted students can do self-reflection in improving the ability to think critically and creatively as a supporter of practical ability. The system testing using Naïve Bayes Correlation shown an average accuracy of 93.617% in assessing the students’ critical and creative thinking ability. By using modeling with this system will be known level of students’ critical and creative thinking ability, then the output of the system is used to determine the type of innovation in the learning process to improve the critical and creative thinking skills to support the practical skills of students as skilled vocational students.

The Factors Affecting Techno-Pedagogical Competencies and Critical Thinking Skills of Preservice Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildiz, Avni

2017-01-01

Students' high-level thinking skills, like critical thinking, have been developed thanks to the use of technology. When the previous researches in the literature are analyzed, it will be understood that this research is original by providing significant contributions to the literature. This research aims to investigate whether techno-pedagogical…

A Web Site that Provides Resources for Assessing Students' Statistical Literacy, Reasoning and Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garfield, Joan; delMas, Robert

2010-01-01

The Assessment Resource Tools for Improving Statistical Thinking (ARTIST) Web site was developed to provide high-quality assessment resources for faculty who teach statistics at the tertiary level but resources are also useful to statistics teachers at the secondary level. This article describes some of the numerous ARTIST resources and suggests…

Exploring students’ adaptive reasoning skills and van Hiele levels of geometric thinking: a case study in geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizki, H. T. N.; Frentika, D.; Wijaya, A.

2018-03-01

This study aims to explore junior high school students’ adaptive reasoning and the Van Hiele level of geometric thinking. The present study was a quasi-experiment with the non-equivalent control group design. The participants of the study were 34 seventh graders and 35 eighth graders in the experiment classes and 34 seventh graders and 34 eighth graders in the control classes. The students in the experiment classes learned geometry under the circumstances of a Knisley mathematical learning. The data were analyzed quantitatively by using inferential statistics. The results of data analysis show an improvement of adaptive reasoning skills both in the grade seven and grade eight. An improvement was also found for the Van Hiele level of geometric thinking. These results indicate the positive impact of Knisley learning model on students’ adaptive reasoning skills and Van Hiele level of geometric thinking.

Heuristics and biases: interactions among numeracy, ability, and reflectiveness predict normative responding

PubMed Central

Klaczynski, Paul A.

2014-01-01

In Stanovich's (2009a, 2011) dual-process theory, analytic processing occurs in the algorithmic and reflective minds. Thinking dispositions, indexes of reflective mind functioning, are believed to regulate operations at the algorithmic level, indexed by general cognitive ability. General limitations at the algorithmic level impose constraints on, and affect the adequacy of, specific strategies and abilities (e.g., numeracy). In a study of 216 undergraduates, the hypothesis that thinking dispositions and general ability moderate the relationship between numeracy (understanding of mathematical concepts and attention to numerical information) and normative responses on probabilistic heuristics and biases (HB) problems was tested. Although all three individual difference measures predicted normative responses, the numeracy-normative response association depended on thinking dispositions and general ability. Specifically, numeracy directly affected normative responding only at relatively high levels of thinking dispositions and general ability. At low levels of thinking dispositions, neither general ability nor numeric skills related to normative responses. Discussion focuses on the consistency of these findings with the hypothesis that the implementation of specific skills is constrained by limitations at both the reflective level and the algorithmic level, methodological limitations that prohibit definitive conclusions, and alternative explanations. PMID:25071639

Heuristics and biases: interactions among numeracy, ability, and reflectiveness predict normative responding.

PubMed

Klaczynski, Paul A

2014-01-01

In Stanovich's (2009a, 2011) dual-process theory, analytic processing occurs in the algorithmic and reflective minds. Thinking dispositions, indexes of reflective mind functioning, are believed to regulate operations at the algorithmic level, indexed by general cognitive ability. General limitations at the algorithmic level impose constraints on, and affect the adequacy of, specific strategies and abilities (e.g., numeracy). In a study of 216 undergraduates, the hypothesis that thinking dispositions and general ability moderate the relationship between numeracy (understanding of mathematical concepts and attention to numerical information) and normative responses on probabilistic heuristics and biases (HB) problems was tested. Although all three individual difference measures predicted normative responses, the numeracy-normative response association depended on thinking dispositions and general ability. Specifically, numeracy directly affected normative responding only at relatively high levels of thinking dispositions and general ability. At low levels of thinking dispositions, neither general ability nor numeric skills related to normative responses. Discussion focuses on the consistency of these findings with the hypothesis that the implementation of specific skills is constrained by limitations at both the reflective level and the algorithmic level, methodological limitations that prohibit definitive conclusions, and alternative explanations.

The Relationship between Higher Order Thinking Skills and Academic Performance of Student in Mathematics Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanujaya, Benidiktus; Mumu, Jeinne; Margono, Gaguk

2017-01-01

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) is one of important aspects in education. Students with high level of higher order thinking skills tend to be more successful. However, do this phenomenon also happen in the learning of Mathematics? To answer this question, this research aims to study the relationship between HOTS and students' academic…

An Integrated Contextual and Web-Based Issue Quest Approach to Improving Students' Learning Achievements, Attitudes and Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Han-Yu; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chang, Hong-Sheng

2015-01-01

In the era of computer and communication technologies, fostering students' high-level thinking abilities has become an important educational objective. Engaging students in web information searching to answer a series of questions related to a target issue has been recognized as a helpful approach for promoting students' thinking processes. In…

The Impact of a Reflective Thinking Intervention on Nursing Students in a Child and Family Nursing Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becherer, Vicky H.

2011-01-01

With the ever-changing healthcare systems, nursing students need to think at a high level by applying their knowledge from theory to the clinical setting by prioritizing, delegating, and problem solving to provide safe, competent, quality nursing care. Using action research, nursing students participated in R.A.V.E. (Reflective Thinking Allows…

Blended Learning Experience in a Programming Language Course and the Effect of the Thinking Styles of the Students on Success and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yagci, Mustafa

2016-01-01

High-level thinking and problem solving skill is one requirement of computer programming that most of the students experience problems with. Individual differences such as motivation, attitude towards programming, thinking style of the student, and complexity of the programming language have influence on students' success on programming. Thus,…

Strategic thinking and its related factors in a medical science university in Iran

PubMed Central

Salavati, Sedigheh; Veshareh, Effat Jahanbani; Safari, Hossein; Veysian, Amir; Amirnezhad, Ghanbar

2017-01-01

Background Having strategic thinking is necessary in order to anticipate future changes and make strategic decisions. This study was carried out to assess the strategic thinking level in managers and personnel of Ahvaz Jundishapour University of Medical Science (AJUMS) - a public university in Iran. Methods It was a cross-sectional and analytical study and all managers (50) as well as a sample of personnel (200) from AJUMS participated in it. A researcher-made questionnaire was used in order to measure four dimensions of strategic thinking, including system thinking, futurism, conceptual thinking, and intelligent opportunism along with demographic and organizational characteristics of respondents. Statistical analysis was done by Freedman ranking test, one-way ANOVA, and Independent-samples t-test in SPSS software version 16. Results Strategic thinking in managers (5.62±0.51) and personnel (5.22±0.4), was evaluated at a somewhat high level. The maximum score among strategic thinking dimensions in managers (5.62±0.42) and personnel (5.52±0.43) was related to conceptual thinking that was in “good” level. A significant relationship was seen between intelligent opportunism dimension with job location in managers and education degree in personnel (p≤0.005). Also, there was a significant relationship between future dimension in managers and personnel with education degrees (p≤0.005). There was a significant difference between managers and employees in future dimension (p=0.018). Conclusion It seems that the participants have acceptable strategic thinking levels, although there is still room for improvement. Therefore, considering the factors such as educational development of managers and personnel can be very useful in this regard. PMID:28713504

Strategic thinking and its related factors in a medical science university in Iran.

PubMed

Salavati, Sedigheh; Veshareh, Effat Jahanbani; Safari, Hossein; Veysian, Amir; Amirnezhad, Ghanbar

2017-05-01

Having strategic thinking is necessary in order to anticipate future changes and make strategic decisions. This study was carried out to assess the strategic thinking level in managers and personnel of Ahvaz Jundishapour University of Medical Science (AJUMS) - a public university in Iran. It was a cross-sectional and analytical study and all managers (50) as well as a sample of personnel (200) from AJUMS participated in it. A researcher-made questionnaire was used in order to measure four dimensions of strategic thinking, including system thinking, futurism, conceptual thinking, and intelligent opportunism along with demographic and organizational characteristics of respondents. Statistical analysis was done by Freedman ranking test, one-way ANOVA, and Independent-samples t-test in SPSS software version 16. Strategic thinking in managers (5.62±0.51) and personnel (5.22±0.4), was evaluated at a somewhat high level. The maximum score among strategic thinking dimensions in managers (5.62±0.42) and personnel (5.52±0.43) was related to conceptual thinking that was in "good" level. A significant relationship was seen between intelligent opportunism dimension with job location in managers and education degree in personnel (p≤0.005). Also, there was a significant relationship between future dimension in managers and personnel with education degrees (p≤0.005). There was a significant difference between managers and employees in future dimension (p=0.018). It seems that the participants have acceptable strategic thinking levels, although there is still room for improvement. Therefore, considering the factors such as educational development of managers and personnel can be very useful in this regard.

The Effect of Virtual vs. Traditional Classroom Instruction on Creative Thinking of Iranian High School EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varzaneh, Soheila Shafiee; Baharlooie, Roya

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effect of virtual vs. traditional classroom instruction on creative thinking among Iranian High school EFL Learners. One-hundred and forty three female of high and low level of proficiency, who were selected randomly, were assigned to two VLI (N = 60) and TCI group (N = 60) based on their scores in OPT. Then, each group…

Effectual Reasoning and Innovation among Entrepreneurial Science Teacher Leaders: a Correlational Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Anita M.; Abd-El-Khalick, Fouad; Mustari, Elisa; Price, Ray

2017-06-01

This is one of the first studies to examine the educational entrepreneur in K-12 public schools and the first to present an instrument designed to measure entrepreneurial thinking among teachers using a type of reasoning, effectual reasoning, which has been proposed in the business literature on entrepreneurs. This study situates entrepreneurial thinking within the K-12 education arena and examines the relationship between high school and middle school teachers' use of effectual reasoning and their corresponding implementation of high, medium, or low levels of innovation in STEM areas within their classrooms, districts, or across districts. Our findings correlated higher use of effectual reasoning, a component of entrepreneurial thinking, with higher levels of implementation of innovations among teachers within an NSF grant, Entrepreneurial Leadership in STEM Teaching and learning, which centered on deeper content, reform-oriented pedagogies, and entrepreneurial thinking. We found that high innovators viewed uncertainty' differently than low innovators by associating it with more positive cognitive structures and that innovators at different levels hold distinct notions of what constitutes high and low risk innovations. Contrary to the common notion that entrepreneurs are high-risk takers, results reveal that the types of innovations perceived by high innovators as low risk are viewed as high risk by low innovators. Furthermore, the results are consistent with the idea that entrepreneurs do certain types of things to lower/manage the risk of innovations before and, if necessary, during the implementation of an innovation. NSF: Award 0831820

The Impact of Problem-Based Learning Approach to Senior High School Students' Mathematics Critical Thinking Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Widyatiningtyas, Reviandari; Kusumah, Yaya S.; Sumarmo, Utari; Sabandar, Jozua

2015-01-01

The study reported the findings of an only post-test control group research design and aims to analyze the influence of problem-based learning approach, school level, and students' prior mathematical ability to student's mathematics critical thinking ability. The research subjects were 140 grade ten senior high school students coming from…

Development of System Thinking Skills in the Context of Earth System Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Orion, Nir

2005-01-01

The current study deals with the development of system thinking skills at the junior high school level. The sample population included about 50 eighth-grade students from two different classes of an urban Israeli junior high school who studied an earth systems-based curriculum that focused on the hydro cycle. The study addressed the following…

Bringing CASE in from the Cold: the Teaching and Learning of Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, Mary; Venville, Grady

2017-02-01

Thinking Science is a 2-year program of professional development for teachers and thinking lessons for students in junior high school science classes. This paper presents research on the effects of Thinking Science on students' levels of cognition in Australia. The research is timely, with a general capability focused on critical thinking in the newly implemented F-10 curriculum in Australia. The design of the research was a quasi-experiment with pre- and post-intervention cognitive tests conducted with participating students ( n = 655) from nine cohorts in seven high schools. Findings showed significant cognitive gains compared with an age-matched control group over the length of the program. Noteworthy is a correlation between baseline cognitive score and school Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA). We argue that the teaching of thinking be brought into the mainstream arena of educational discourse and that the principles from evidence-based programs such as Thinking Science be universally adopted.

Development of Assessment Instrument of Critical Thinking in Physics at Senior High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiarti, T.; Kaniawati, I.; Aviyanti, L.

2017-02-01

The result of preliminary study shows that the assessment of physics in school did not train students’ critical thinking skill. The assessment instrument just measured low cognitive aspects. Supposedly, critical thinking skill is trained in the assessment activity. The study aims to determine the characteristics and the quality of critical thinking skill instrument. It employs descriptive-qualitative method with research and development as the research design. The research participants are 35 students involved in the limited trial and 188 students in the wider trial from three public senior high school in Ciamis which in high level school. The data was collected through expert validation, tests and interviews. The results indicate that the characteristics of the assessment instrument of critical thinking skill is open-ended. The instrument fulfills some indicators namely analyzing argument, deduction, induction, and display information in the form of scenario, text, graphic and table. In addition, the data processing through V4 Anates program shows that the instrument reliability achieves 0.67 with high interpretation of 0.67 and the validity is 0.47 with enough interpretation. Thus, the assessment instrument of critical thinking skill in the form of open-ended essay meets the criteria of quality test, so it can use as instrument of assessment critical thinking skill.

The Van Hiele geometry thinking levels of mild mental retardation students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shomad, Z. A.; Kusmayadi, T. A.; Riyadi

2017-12-01

This research is to investigate the level of mild mental retardation geometry students thinking. This research focuses on the geometry thinking level based on Van Hiele theory. This study uses qualitative methods with case study strategy. Data obtained from observation and tests result. The subjects are 12 mental retardation students. The result show that ability of mild mental retardation students with each other is different but have same level of level thinking geometry. The geometry thinking level of mental retardation students was identified in level 1 of the Van Hiele theory. Based on the level thinking geometry of mental retardation students simplify geometry thinking teachers in selecting appropriate learning methods, choose the materials in accordance with ability, and can modify the material following the geometry thinking level of mental retardation students.

A Comparison of Higher-Order Thinking between the Common Core State Standards and the 2009 New Jersey Content Standards in High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sforza, Dario; Tienken, Christopher H.; Kim, Eunyoung

2016-01-01

The creators and supporters of the Common Core State Standards claim that the Standards require greater emphasis on higher-order thinking than previous state standards in mathematics and English language arts. We used a qualitative case study design with content analysis methods to test the claim. We compared the levels of thinking required by the…

Trait psychopathy, emotional intelligence, and criminal thinking: Predicting illegal behavior among college students.

PubMed

Fix, Rebecca L; Fix, Spencer T

2015-01-01

Research focusing on individuals high on trait psychopathy remains limited. Higher trait psychopathy is associated with lower levels of emotional intelligence and increased participation in illegal behavior. Additionally, research has confirmed significantly higher levels of criminal thinking and lower levels of empathy in the incarcerated psychopathic population. However, the relationships between trait psychopathy and criminal thinking have not been researched in the community or college population. To test for such differences, questionnaires containing relevant measures were administered to 111 college students. Results indicated that higher levels of trait psychopathy were significantly related to less caring for others, intrapersonal understanding, and general mood, and greater interpersonal functioning and stress management. Furthermore, trait psychopathy was a strong predictor of violent, property, drug, and status offenses. Power-oriented criminal thinking was also predictive of violent behaviors, and entitlement predicted property offending. Results suggest emotional intelligence is important for predicting psychopathy, and trait psychopathy is a strong predictor of all types of illegal behaviors among the non-incarcerated population. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Robust prediction of individual creative ability from brain functional connectivity.

PubMed

Beaty, Roger E; Kenett, Yoed N; Christensen, Alexander P; Rosenberg, Monica D; Benedek, Mathias; Chen, Qunlin; Fink, Andreas; Qiu, Jiang; Kwapil, Thomas R; Kane, Michael J; Silvia, Paul J

2018-01-30

People's ability to think creatively is a primary means of technological and cultural progress, yet the neural architecture of the highly creative brain remains largely undefined. Here, we employed a recently developed method in functional brain imaging analysis-connectome-based predictive modeling-to identify a brain network associated with high-creative ability, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired from 163 participants engaged in a classic divergent thinking task. At the behavioral level, we found a strong correlation between creative thinking ability and self-reported creative behavior and accomplishment in the arts and sciences ( r = 0.54). At the neural level, we found a pattern of functional brain connectivity related to high-creative thinking ability consisting of frontal and parietal regions within default, salience, and executive brain systems. In a leave-one-out cross-validation analysis, we show that this neural model can reliably predict the creative quality of ideas generated by novel participants within the sample. Furthermore, in a series of external validation analyses using data from two independent task fMRI samples and a large task-free resting-state fMRI sample, we demonstrate robust prediction of individual creative thinking ability from the same pattern of brain connectivity. The findings thus reveal a whole-brain network associated with high-creative ability comprised of cortical hubs within default, salience, and executive systems-intrinsic functional networks that tend to work in opposition-suggesting that highly creative people are characterized by the ability to simultaneously engage these large-scale brain networks.

Flexible or leaky attention in creative people? Distinct patterns of attention for different types of creative thinking.

PubMed

Zabelina, Darya; Saporta, Arielle; Beeman, Mark

2016-04-01

Creativity has been putatively linked to distinct forms of attention, but which aspects of creativity and which components of attention remains unclear. Two experiments examined how divergent thinking and creative achievement relate to visual attention. In both experiments, participants identified target letters (S or H) within hierarchical stimuli (global letters made of local letters), after being cued to either the local or global level. In Experiment 1, participants identified the targets more quickly following valid cues (80% of trials) than following invalid cues. However, this smaller validity effect was associated with higher divergent thinking, suggesting that divergent thinking was related to quicker overcoming of invalid cues, and thus to flexible attention. Creative achievement was unrelated to the validity effect. Experiment 2 examined whether divergent thinking (or creative achievement) is related to "leaky attention," so that when cued to one level of a stimulus, some information is still processed, or leaks in, from the non-cued level. In this case, the cued stimulus level always contained a target, and the non-cued level was congruent, neutral, or incongruent with the target. Divergent thinking did not relate to stimulus congruency. In contrast, high creative achievement was related to quicker responses to the congruent than to the incongruent stimuli, suggesting that real-world creative achievement is indeed associated with leaky attention, whereas standard laboratory tests of divergent thinking are not. Together, these results elucidate distinct patterns of attention for different measures of creativity. Specifically, creative achievers may have leaky attention, as suggested by previous literature, whereas divergent thinkers have selective yet flexible attention.

The Relationship Between Subthreshold Autistic Traits, Ambiguous Figure Perception and Divergent Thinking.

PubMed

Best, Catherine; Arora, Shruti; Porter, Fiona; Doherty, Martin

2015-12-01

This research investigates the paradox of creativity in autism. That is, whether people with subclinical autistic traits have cognitive styles conducive to creativity or whether they are disadvantaged by the implied cognitive and behavioural rigidity of the autism phenotype. The relationship between divergent thinking (a cognitive component of creativity), perception of ambiguous figures, and self-reported autistic traits was evaluated in 312 individuals in a non-clinical sample. High levels of autistic traits were significantly associated with lower fluency scores on the divergent thinking tasks. However autistic traits were associated with high numbers of unusual responses on the divergent thinking tasks. Generation of novel ideas is a prerequisite for creative problem solving and may be an adaptive advantage associated with autistic traits.

Computational and fMRI Studies of Visualization

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-31

spatial thinking in high level cognition, such as in problem-solving and reasoning. In conjunction with the experimental work, the project developed a...computational modeling system (4CAPS) as well as the development of 4CAPS models for particular tasks. The cognitive level of 4CAPS accounts for...neuroarchitecture to interpret and predict the brain activation in a network of cortical areas that underpin the performance of a visual thinking task. The

Students' Critical Mathematical Thinking Skills and Character: Experiments for Junior High School Students through Realistic Mathematics Education Culture-Based

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palinussa, Anderson L.

2013-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a quasi-experimental with pre-test-post-test design and control group that aims to assess students' critical mathematical thinking skills and character through realistic mathematics education (RME) culture-based. Subjects of this study were 106 junior high school students from two low and medium schools level in…

Enhancing students’ critical thinking skills through critical thinking assessment in calculus course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulfaneti; Edriati, S.; Mukhni

2018-01-01

This study aims to determine the development of students’ critical thinking skills through the implementation of critical thinking instruments in Calculus lectures. The instruments consist of observation sheets, critical thinking test, self-assessment, peer assessment and portfolio. The research was a qualitative research; with the participants were 53 first-year students who take Integral Calculus in Mathematics Education Department STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat representing high-ability students, medium and low. The data in this study were collected by tests, interviews, observations and field notes. Data were analyzed descriptively; data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. For testing the validity of data, it was used credibility test data by increasing persistence and triangulation. The results showed that in high-level students there is a change of ability from Critical enough to be Very Critical, in the students with moderate and low ability there is a change of ability from Uncritical to Critical. So it can be concluded that the assessment instruments have a good contribution and can improve the ability of critical thinking.

Disaster management and the critical thinking skills of local emergency managers: correlations with age, gender, education, and years in occupation.

PubMed

Peerbolte, Stacy L; Collins, Matthew Lloyd

2013-01-01

Emergency managers must be able to think critically in order to identify and anticipate situations, solve problems, make judgements and decisions effectively and efficiently, and assume and manage risk. Heretofore, a critical thinking skills assessment of local emergency managers had yet to be conducted that tested for correlations among age, gender, education, and years in occupation. An exploratory descriptive research design, using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal-Short Form (WGCTA-S), was employed to determine the extent to which a sample of 54 local emergency managers demonstrated the critical thinking skills associated with the ability to assume and manage risk as compared to the critical thinking scores of a group of 4,790 peer-level managers drawn from an archival WGCTA-S database. This exploratory design suggests that the local emergency managers, surveyed in this study, had lower WGCTA-S critical thinking scores than their equivalents in the archival database with the exception of those in the high education and high experience group. © 2013 The Author(s). Journal compilation © Overseas Development Institute, 2013.

What They Learned: Using Multimedia to Engage Undergraduates in Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artello, Kristine

2014-01-01

Today's employers seek high levels of creativity, communication, and critical thinking, which are considered essential skills in the workplace. Engaging undergraduate students in critical thinking is especially challenging in introductory courses. The advent of YouTube, inexpensive video cameras, and easy-to-use video editors provides…

Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) enhances divergent thinking.

PubMed

Colzato, Lorenza S; Ritter, Simone M; Steenbergen, Laura

2018-03-01

Creativity is one of the most important cognitive skills in our complex and fast-changing world. Previous correlative evidence showed that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is involved in divergent but not convergent thinking. In the current study, a placebo/sham-controlled, randomized between-group design was used to test a causal relation between vagus nerve and creativity. We employed transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique to stimulate afferent fibers of the vagus nerve and speculated to increase GABA levels, in 80 healthy young volunteers. Creative performance was assessed in terms of divergent thinking (Alternate Uses Task) and convergent thinking tasks (Remote Associates Test, Creative Problem Solving Task, Idea Selection Task). Results demonstrate active tVNS, compared to sham stimulation, enhanced divergent thinking. Bayesian analysis reported the data to be inconclusive regarding a possible effect of tVNS on convergent thinking. Therefore, our findings corroborate the idea that the vagus nerve is causally involved in creative performance. Even thought we did not directly measure GABA levels, our results suggest that GABA (likely to be increased in active tVNS condition) supports the ability to select among competing options in high selection demand (divergent thinking) but not in low selection demand (convergent thinking). Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Level of High-Order Thinking and Its Relation to Quality of Life among Students at Ajloun University College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Rabadi, Wail Minwer; Salem, Rifqa Khleif

2018-01-01

The study was designed to identify the effect of high-order thinking on the quality of life among Ajloun University students. The study used the associative method. The randomly selected sample consisted of 147 students from Ajloun University College. The study used two tools: The two measures were applied to the sample of the current study after…

Does good critical thinking equal effective decision-making among critical care nurses? A cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Ludin, Salizar Mohamed

2018-02-01

A critical thinker may not necessarily be a good decision-maker, but critical care nurses are expected to utilise outstanding critical thinking skills in making complex clinical judgements. Studies have shown that critical care nurses' decisions focus mainly on doing rather than reflecting. To date, the link between critical care nurses' critical thinking and decision-making has not been examined closely in Malaysia. To understand whether critical care nurses' critical thinking disposition affects their clinical decision-making skills. This was a cross-sectional study in which Malay and English translations of the Short Form-Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory-Chinese Version (SF-CTDI-CV) and the Clinical Decision-making Nursing Scale (CDMNS) were used to collect data from 113 nurses working in seven critical care units of a tertiary hospital on the east coast of Malaysia. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling in October 2015. Critical care nurses perceived both their critical thinking disposition and decision-making skills to be high, with a total score of 71.5 and a mean of 48.55 for the SF-CTDI-CV, and a total score of 161 and a mean of 119.77 for the CDMNS. One-way ANOVA test results showed that while age, gender, ethnicity, education level and working experience factors significantly impacted critical thinking (p<0.05), only age and working experience significantly impacted clinical decision-making (p<0.05). Pearson's correlation analysis showed a strong and positive relationship between critical care nurses' critical thinking and clinical decision-making (r=0.637, p=0.001). While this small-scale study has shown a relationship exists between critical care nurses' critical thinking disposition and clinical decision-making in one hospital, further investigation using the same measurement tools is needed into this relationship in diverse clinical contexts and with greater numbers of participants. Critical care nurses' perceived high level of critical thinking and decision-making also needs further investigation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systems Thinking and the Leadership Conundrum in Health Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marchildon, Gregory P.; Fletcher, Amber J.

2016-01-01

The ability to think in terms of a system is critical to achieving common direction, alignment, and commitment in highly distributed health systems. In Canada, provincial and territorial ministries of health provide leadership on the direction of health reform while leadership to align system levels is determined by a far more distributed group of…

Analytics for Knowledge Creation: Towards Epistemic Agency and Design-Mode Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Bodong; Zhang, Jianwei

2016-01-01

Innovation and knowledge creation call for high-level epistemic agency and design-mode thinking, two competencies beyond the traditional scopes of schooling. In this paper, we discuss the need for learning analytics to support these two competencies, and more broadly, the demand for education for innovation. We ground these arguments on a…

The Talents Dovetail: Initiative for Identifying Gifted and Talented Minority Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talents Unlimited, Inc., Mobile, AL.

The Talents Unlimited (TU) critical and creative thinking skills model is designed to help teachers recognize and nurture the multiple talents of all children. Research based on the work of Calvin Taylor, has identified high-level talent areas of productive thinking, communication, forecasting, decision making, and planning, in which all excel to…

A Personal Intelligent Mentor for Promoting Metacognition in Solving Logic Word Puzzles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baylor, Amy L.; Kozbe, Barcin

This paper describes a Personal Intelligent Mentor (PIM) that facilitates metacognitive development in the domain of solving logic word puzzles. Metacognition is an important aspect for critical thinking skills. High school students must develop logical and critical thinking abilities as a prerequisite for higher-level math and computer…

The Art of Thinking: Using Collage to Stimulate Scholarly Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Nicola; Daley, Shauna

2013-01-01

Integrating the arts into higher education pedagogy provides an opportunity for cultivating rich ideas and high-level thinking, capitalizing on the creativity that every person already possesses and uses (Livingston, 2010). As Newton and Plummer (2009) note "the use of the creative arts as pedagogical strategy enables individuals to better…

Implementing a High School Level Geospatial Technologies and Spatial Thinking Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Curtis P.; Oberle, Alex; Sugumaran, Ramanathan

2011-01-01

Understanding geospatial technologies (GSTs) and spatial thinking is increasingly vital to contemporary life including common activities and hobbies; learning in science, mathematics, and social science; and employment within fields as diverse as engineering, health, business, and planning. As such, there is a need for a stand-alone K-12…

Moderate Levels of Activation Lead to Forgetting In the Think/No-Think Paradigm

PubMed Central

Detre, Greg J.; Natarajan, Annamalai; Gershman, Samuel J.; Norman, Kenneth A.

2013-01-01

Using the think/no-think paradigm (Anderson & Green, 2001), researchers have found that suppressing retrieval of a memory (in the presence of a strong retrieval cue) can make it harder to retrieve that memory on a subsequent test. This effect has been replicated numerous times, but the size of the effect is highly variable. Also, it is unclear from a neural mechanistic standpoint why preventing recall of a memory now should impair your ability to recall that memory later. Here, we address both of these puzzles using the idea, derived from computational modeling and studies of synaptic plasticity, that the function relating memory activation to learning is U-shaped, such that moderate levels of memory activation lead to weakening of the memory and higher levels of activation lead to strengthening. According to this view, forgetting effects in the think/no-think paradigm occur when the suppressed item activates moderately during the suppression attempt, leading to weakening; the effect is variable because sometimes the suppressed item activates strongly (leading to strengthening) and sometimes it does not activate at all (in which case no learning takes place). To test this hypothesis, we ran a think/no-think experiment where participants learned word-picture pairs; we used pattern classifiers, applied to fMRI data, to measure how strongly the picture associates were activating when participants were trying not to retrieve these associates, and we used a novel Bayesian curve-fitting procedure to relate this covert neural measure of retrieval to performance on a later memory test. In keeping with our hypothesis, the curve-fitting procedure revealed a nonmonotonic relationship between memory activation (as measured by the classifier) and subsequent memory, whereby moderate levels of activation of the to-be-suppressed item led to diminished performance on the final memory test, and higher levels of activation led to enhanced performance on the final test. PMID:23499722

Moderate levels of activation lead to forgetting in the think/no-think paradigm.

PubMed

Detre, Greg J; Natarajan, Annamalai; Gershman, Samuel J; Norman, Kenneth A

2013-10-01

Using the think/no-think paradigm (Anderson & Green, 2001), researchers have found that suppressing retrieval of a memory (in the presence of a strong retrieval cue) can make it harder to retrieve that memory on a subsequent test. This effect has been replicated numerous times, but the size of the effect is highly variable. Also, it is unclear from a neural mechanistic standpoint why preventing recall of a memory now should impair your ability to recall that memory later. Here, we address both of these puzzles using the idea, derived from computational modeling and studies of synaptic plasticity, that the function relating memory activation to learning is U-shaped, such that moderate levels of memory activation lead to weakening of the memory and higher levels of activation lead to strengthening. According to this view, forgetting effects in the think/no-think paradigm occur when the suppressed item activates moderately during the suppression attempt, leading to weakening; the effect is variable because sometimes the suppressed item activates strongly (leading to strengthening) and sometimes it does not activate at all (in which case no learning takes place). To test this hypothesis, we ran a think/no-think experiment where participants learned word-picture pairs; we used pattern classifiers, applied to fMRI data, to measure how strongly the picture associates were activating when participants were trying not to retrieve these associates, and we used a novel Bayesian curve-fitting procedure to relate this covert neural measure of retrieval to performance on a later memory test. In keeping with our hypothesis, the curve-fitting procedure revealed a nonmonotonic relationship between memory activation (as measured by the classifier) and subsequent memory, whereby moderate levels of activation of the to-be-suppressed item led to diminished performance on the final memory test, and higher levels of activation led to enhanced performance on the final test. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of junior high school students' difficulty in resolving rectangular conceptual problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, Aliksia Kristiana Dwi; Mardiyana, Pramudya, Ikrar

2017-08-01

Geometry is one part of the mathematics that must be learned in school and it has important effects on the development of creative thinking skills of learners, but in fact, there are some difficulties experienced by the students. This research focuses on analysis difficulty in resolving rectangular conceptual problems among junior high school students in every creative thinking skills level. This research used a descriptive method aimed to identify the difficulties and cause of the difficulties experienced by five students. The difficulties are associated with rectangular shapes and related problems. Data collection was done based on students' work through test, interview, and observations. The result revealed that student' difficulties in understanding the rectangular concept can be found at every creative thinking skills level. The difficulties are identifying the objects rectangular in the daily life except for a rectangle and square, analyzing the properties of rectangular shapes, and seeing the interrelationships between figures.

Technology Underutilized: Principal's Role in Creating a Culture of High-Level Uses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, Darlene

2017-01-01

Teachers need to maximize technology to support student learning by drawing upon varying pedagogical orientations; however, teacher-centered, highly structured approaches that foster low-level thinking is more prevalent. Although highly structured approaches help develop students' foundational skills and content knowledge, student-centered,…

Identifying and Fostering Higher Levels of Geometric Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Škrbec, Maja; Cadež, Tatjana Hodnik

2015-01-01

Pierre M. Van Hiele created five levels of geometric thinking. We decided to identify the level of geometric thinking in the students in Slovenia, aged 9 to 11 years. The majority of students (60.7%) are at the transition between the zero (visual) level and the first (descriptive) level of geometric thinking. Nearly a third (31.7%) of students is…

Using metacognitive strategies to help students learn in pretest and posttest review.

PubMed

Poorman, Susan G; Mastorovich, Melissa L

2008-01-01

The authors discuss the use of several metacognitive strategies that can help turn test reviews into an active learning experience. With these strategies, test reviews can provide students with valuable tools to enhance their thinking and help them better prepare for the high-level thinking test questions that are seen on nursing examinations.

Education Level and Critical Thinking Skills among Substance Use Counselors Nationwide: A Descriptive Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eakman, Teresa L.

2017-01-01

As a high percentage of substance use counselors are in recovery, using adult learning methods such as constructivism and transformational learning are needed to neutralize any preestablished views of treatment modalities that may exist, as well as combat any possible issues of countertransference. Teaching critical thinking leads to student…

Measuring Senior High School Students' Self-Induced Self-Reflective Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Velzen, Joke H.

2017-01-01

Theoretically, reflection is known to be an essential skill for improving learning on a metacognitive level. In practice, students may not use it of their own accord to improve this kind of learning because it can be mentally demanding. The author reports on the legitimation of an instrument measuring self-induced self-reflective thinking, which…

Learning to See Teaching in New Ways: A Foundation for Maintaining Cognitive Demand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tekkumru Kisa, Miray; Stein, Mary Kay

2015-01-01

Students' opportunities to learn how to think are embedded in the instructional tasks with which they are invited to engage in the classroom. Prior research has revealed that the selection and use of cognitively demanding tasks does not guarantee high-level student thinking during their enactment. To address this challenge, we designed and…

How Dogmatic Beliefs Harm Creativity and Higher-Level Thinking. Educational Psychology Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ambrose, Don, Ed.; Sternberg, Robert J., Ed.

2011-01-01

In a world plagued by enormous, complex problems requiring long-range vision and interdisciplinary insights, the need to attend to the influence of dogmatic thinking on the development of high ability and creative intelligence is pressing. This volume introduces the problem of dogmatism broadly, explores the nature and nuances of dogmatic thinking…

Critical and Creative Thinking as Learning Processes at Top-Ranking Chinese Middle Schools: Possibilities and Required Improvements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Z. K.; He, J.; Li, B.

2015-01-01

Fostering and enabling critical and creative thinking of students is considered an important goal, and it is assumed that in particular, talented students have considerable potential for applying such high-level cognitive processes for learning in classrooms. However, Chinese students are often considered as rote learners, and that learning…

Web-Mediated Problem-Based Learning and Computer Programming: Effects of Study Approach on Academic Achievement and Attitude

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yagci, Mustafa

2018-01-01

In the relevant literature, it is often debated whether learning programming requires high-level thinking skills, the lack of which consequently results in the failure of students in programming. The complex nature of programming and individual differences, including study approaches, thinking styles, and the focus of supervision, all have an…

Interpersonal value profiles and analysis of adolescent academic performance and social thinking

PubMed Central

Gázquez, José J.; Sainz, Jorge; Pérez-Fuentes, María del C.; Molero, María del M.; Soler, Francisco J.

2015-01-01

The purposes of this study were to identify interpersonal value profiles and find out whether there were any differences in academic performance and social thinking. The study sample was 885 high school students of whom 49.8% (N = 441) were boys and 50.2% (N = 444) were girls. The results show that students with low Benevolence and Conformity levels showed higher prevalence of failures and repeated the year more often. Furthermore, students with a high level of Recognition and Leadership and low Conformity and Benevolence are socially incompetent students. Intervention programs should to achieve high levels of kindness and consideration, respect for rules and generosity, and diminish the perception of recognition by others and exertion of authority. Thus, this study shows the values that must be worked on to improve students’ Academic Performance and social competence. PMID:25999891

The effect of human patient simulation on critical thinking and its predictors in prelicensure nursing students.

PubMed

Shinnick, Mary Ann; Woo, Mary A

2013-09-01

Human patient simulation (HPS) is becoming a popular teaching method in nursing education globally and is believed to enhance both knowledge and critical thinking. While there is evidence that HPS improves knowledge, there is no objective nursing data to support HPS impact on critical thinking. Therefore, we studied knowledge and critical thinking before and after HPS in prelicensure nursing students and attempted to identify the predictors of higher critical thinking scores. Using a one-group, quasi-experimental, pre-test post-test design, 154 prelicensure nursing students (age 25.7± 6.7; gender=87.7% female) from 3 schools were studied at the same point in their curriculum using a high-fidelity simulation. Pre- and post-HPS assessments of knowledge, critical thinking, and self-efficacy were done as well as assessments for demographics and learning style. There was a mean improvement in knowledge scores of 6.5 points (P<0.001), showing evidence of learning. However, there was no statistically significant change in the critical thinking scores. A logistic regression with 10 covariates revealed three variables to be predictors of higher critical thinking scores: greater "age" (P=0.01), baseline "knowledge" (P=0.04) and a low self-efficacy score ("not at all confident") in "baseline self-efficacy in managing a patient's fluid levels" (P=.05). This study reveals that gains in knowledge with HPS do not equate to changes in critical thinking. It does expose the variables of older age, higher baseline knowledge and low self-efficacy in "managing a patient's fluid levels" as being predictive of higher critical thinking ability. Further study is warranted to determine the effect of repeated or sequential simulations (dosing) and timing after the HPS experience on critical thinking gains. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interactomes to Biological Phase Space: a call to begin thinking at a new level in computational biology.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davidson, George S.; Brown, William Michael

2007-09-01

Techniques for high throughput determinations of interactomes, together with high resolution protein collocalizations maps within organelles and through membranes will soon create a vast resource. With these data, biological descriptions, akin to the high dimensional phase spaces familiar to physicists, will become possible. These descriptions will capture sufficient information to make possible realistic, system-level models of cells. The descriptions and the computational models they enable will require powerful computing techniques. This report is offered as a call to the computational biology community to begin thinking at this scale and as a challenge to develop the required algorithms and codes tomore » make use of the new data.3« less

Einstein's creative thinking and the general theory of relativity: a documented report.

PubMed

Rothenberg, A

1979-01-01

A document written by Albert Einstein has recently come to light in which the eminent scientist described the actual sequence of his thoughts leading to the development of the general theory of relativity. The key creative thought was an instance of a type of creative cognition the author has previously designated "Janusian thinking," Janusian thinking consists of actively conceiving two or more opposite or antithetical concepts, ideas, or images simultaneously. This form of high-level secondary process cognition has been found to operate widely in art, science, and other fields.

[Proposal for a physiologic concept of thought based on the results of stereotaxic psychosurgery].

PubMed

Nádvorník, P; Pogády, J; Bernadic, M

2003-05-01

Authors have fifty years long experience with psychostereotactic surgery. On the bases of 209 operations of different types of mentally ill patients, authors built their own physiological conception of the central nervous system function. The new conception is described using block operators of thinking at the level of hypothalamus, limbic system, and neocortex in the hierarchic order. The basic physiological hypothalamic block contains two operators: stimulus evaluation and decision to act. Both operators together form reasonable, objective substantiation of thinking, which is transformed into psychological, subjective description at higher cerebral levels. New operator is added to the block diagram at the level of the limbic system: the choice of response base on experience stored in the high capacity memory. Vast neocortical memory creates a model of the individual world and it enables a new operator to be involved: prediction of the future events. Thinking, originally based on concrete images, is using abstract terms, subjected to the principles of grammar. Physiological basis of thinking enables the convergence of subjective and objective.

Teaching to the Test…or Testing to Teach: Exams Requiring Higher Order Thinking Skills Encourage Greater Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Jamie L.; McDaniel, Mark A.; Woodard, Steven M.; Kummer, Tyler A.

2014-01-01

In order to test the effect of exam-question level on fostering student conceptual understanding, low-level and high-level quizzes and exams were administered in two sections of an introductory biology course. Each section was taught in a high-level inquiry based style but was assigned either low-level questions (memory oriented) on the quizzes…

The Interface of Creativity, Fluency, Lateral Thinking, and Technology While Designing Serious Educational Games in a Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Richard; Annetta, Leonard; Vallett, David

2015-01-01

Introduction: Creativity is the production of the new, original, unique, and divergent products and ideas mediated through lateral thinking. Evidence suggests that high levels of creativity and fluency are important in the continued development of student interest, efficacy and ultimately career impact in the sciences. Method: In this study, 559…

Examining Students' Reflective Thinking from Keywords Tagged to Blogs: Using Map Analysis as a Content Analysis Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Ying; Sharma, Priya

2013-01-01

Reflective learning refers to a learner's purposeful and conscious manipulation of ideas toward meaningful learning. Blogs have been used to support reflective thinking, but the commonly seen blog software usually does not provide overt mechanisms for students' high-level reflections. A new tool was designed to support the reflective…

Nursing students' critical thinking disposition according to academic level and satisfaction with nursing.

PubMed

Kim, Dong Hee; Moon, Seongmi; Kim, Eun Jung; Kim, Young-Ju; Lee, Sunhee

2014-01-01

The development of critical thinking dispositions has become an important issue in nursing education in Korea. Nursing colleges in Korea have developed teaching strategies and curricula that focus on developing critical thinking dispositions. It is an imperative step that evaluates the changing pattern and development of students' critical thinking dispositions. This study identified critical thinking dispositions of Korean nursing students according to academic level and satisfaction with nursing. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 1074 students in four colleges who completed the self-reported Critical Thinking Disposition Scale. Descriptive and univariate general linear model analyses were performed. The critical thinking disposition score increased according to academic level until junior year, after which it decreased in the senior year. Nursing students who were satisfied with nursing reported higher levels of critical thinking than those who were not satisfied or who responded neutrally. The critical thinking scores of nursing students not satisfied with nursing dropped greatly in the senior year. These results suggest the importance of targeting the development of curriculum and teaching methods for seniors and students who have a lower level of satisfaction with nursing to increase their critical thinking dispositions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Review of teaching methods and critical thinking skills.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Nina

2011-01-01

Critical information is needed to inform radiation science educators regarding successful critical thinking educational strategies. From an evidence-based research perspective, systematic reviews are identified as the most current and highest level of evidence. Analysis at this high level is crucial in analyzing those teaching methods most appropriate to the development of critical thinking skills. To conduct a systematic literature review to identify teaching methods that demonstrate a positive effect on the development of students' critical thinking skills and to identify how these teaching strategies can best translate to radiologic science educational programs. A comprehensive literature search was conducted resulting in an assessment of 59 full reports. Nineteen of the 59 reports met inclusion criteria and were reviewed based on the level of evidence presented. Inclusion criteria included studies conducted in the past 10 years on sample sizes of 20 or more individuals demonstrating use of specific teaching interventions for 5 to 36 months in postsecondary health-related educational programs. The majority of the research focused on problem-based learning (PBL) requiring standardized small-group activities. Six of the 19 studies focused on PBL and demonstrated significant differences in student critical thinking scores. PBL, as described in the nursing literature, is an effective teaching method that should be used in radiation science education. ©2011 by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.

Systems Thinking : Ancient Maya's Evolution of Consciousness and Contemporary Systems Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jere Lazanski, Tadeja

2010-11-01

Systems thinking as a modern approach for problem solving was revived after WWII even though it had been an ancient philosophy. We can track systems thinking back to antiquity. Making a distinction from Western rationalist traditions of philosophy, C. West Churchman often identified with the I Ching as a systems approach sharing a frame of reference similar to pre-Socratic philosophy and Heraclitus. In this paper, we will compare the evolutionary system of consciousness, which was presented in the Tun calendar of Mayan Indians and contemporary systems theory and systems thinking, which is nothing else but highly evolved human consciousness in society. We will present Mayan calendar systems to contemporary systems thinking principles and explain the answer to the Ackoff's judgment on four hundred years of analytical thinking as the dominant mode of society. We will use the methods of historical comparison and a method of a systems approach. We will point out the big picture and Mayan divine plan as main systems principles. The Mayan numerical system and long count units has been proven as one of the most accurate systems for describing the present and future of the civilization in which we have all evolved. We will also explain the Mayan nine-level pyramids system that represents the evolutionary system, i.e. the consciousness, which in our time shows the actual level of human consciousness. Deriving from all described, we will show the main systems principles, discussed by contemporary systems authors and Mayan systems principles, which differ only in one expression—they named "the big picture" as "the divine plan". The final results can be perfectly applied to the society we live in. Seeing the world from the big picture point of view is reaching a level of awareness, in which linear thinking is replaced by systems thinking. The Mayans explained that the civilization would achieve the system of conscious co-creation. We can claim that linear thinking guides us to a limited consciousness, whereas systems thinking opens the possibilities of conscious co-creation for the benefits of sustainable society and future of the planet.

Process-oriented guided inquiry learning strategy enhances students' higher level thinking skills in a pharmaceutical sciences course.

PubMed

Soltis, Robert; Verlinden, Nathan; Kruger, Nicholas; Carroll, Ailey; Trumbo, Tiffany

2015-02-17

To determine if the process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) teaching strategy improves student performance and engages higher-level thinking skills of first-year pharmacy students in an Introduction to Pharmaceutical Sciences course. Overall examination scores and scores on questions categorized as requiring either higher-level or lower-level thinking skills were compared in the same course taught over 3 years using traditional lecture methods vs the POGIL strategy. Student perceptions of the latter teaching strategy were also evaluated. Overall mean examination scores increased significantly when POGIL was implemented. Performance on questions requiring higher-level thinking skills was significantly higher, whereas performance on questions requiring lower-level thinking skills was unchanged when the POGIL strategy was used. Student feedback on use of this teaching strategy was positive. The use of the POGIL strategy increased student overall performance on examinations, improved higher-level thinking skills, and provided an interactive class setting.

Investigating the interaction between schizotypy, divergent thinking and cannabis use

PubMed Central

Schafer, Gráinne; Feilding, Amanda; Morgan, Celia J.A.; Agathangelou, Maria; Freeman, Tom P.; Valerie Curran, H.

2012-01-01

Cannabis acutely increases schizotypy and chronic use is associated with elevated rates of psychosis. Creative individuals have higher levels of schizotypy, however links between cannabis use, schizotypy and creativity have not been investigated. We investigated the effects of cannabis smoked naturalistically on schizotypy and divergent thinking, a measure of creativity. One hundred and sixty cannabis users were tested on 1 day when sober and another day when intoxicated with cannabis. State and trait measures of both schizotypy and creativity were administered. Quartile splits compared those lowest (n = 47) and highest (n = 43) in trait creativity. Cannabis increased verbal fluency in low creatives to the same level as that of high creatives. Cannabis increased state psychosis-like symptoms in both groups and the high creativity group were significantly higher in trait schizotypy, but this does not appear to be linked to the verbal fluency change. Acute cannabis use increases divergent thinking as indexed by verbal fluency in low creatives. PMID:22230356

Learning to think like a nurse: the development of clinical judgment in nursing students.

PubMed

Ashley, Jane; Stamp, Kelly

2014-09-01

The purpose of this project was to examine the clinical judgment and reasoning skills of nursing students in high-fidelity simulation. Two levels of students (N = 104), novices and those who are slightly more advanced, participated in individual videotaped simulations. Afterward, interviews were conducted to explore what the student was thinking and feeling during simulation. Five themes emerged from the interviews: thinking like a nurse, assessment, looking for answers, communication, and magical or reflective thinking. There was a clear distinction in the reasoning skills of the novice students compared with students with more clinical experience. Tanner's model of clinical judgment in nursing is used to understand the findings of the study. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Jordanian TEFL Graduate Students' Use of Critical Thinking Skills (as Measured by the Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Level Z)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bataineh, Ruba Fahmi; Zghoul, Lamma Hmoud

2006-01-01

This study investigates the critical thinking skills of 50 students currently enrolled in the Master's TEFL Programme at Yarmouk University, Jordan. The Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Level Z is utilised to test the students' use, or lack thereof, of the critical thinking skills of deduction, semantics, credibility, induction, definition and…

Critical Sociological Thinking and Higher-Level Thinking: A Study of Sociologists' Teaching Goals and Assignments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Danielle; Otto, Kristin

2018-01-01

We argue that the literature on critical thinking in sociology has conflated two different skill sets: critical sociological thinking and higher-level thinking. To begin to examine how sociologists weigh and cultivate these skill sets, we interviewed 20 sociology instructors and conducted a content analysis of 26 assignments. We found that while…

Student Motivations as Predictors of High-Level Cognitions in Project-Based Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stolk, Jonathan; Harari, Janie

2014-01-01

It is well established that active learning helps students engage in high-level thinking strategies and develop improved cognitive skills. Motivation and self-regulated learning research, however, illustrates that cognitive engagement is an effortful process that is related to students' valuing of the learning tasks, adoption of internalized goal…

DOE's Yucca Mountain Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

This booklet is about the disposal of high-level nuclear waste in the United States with a particular focus on Yucca Mountain, Nevada as a repository site. Intended for readers who do not have a technical background, the booklet discusses why scientists and engineers think high-level nuclear waste may be disposed of safely underground. An…

Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning Strategy Enhances Students’ Higher Level Thinking Skills in a Pharmaceutical Sciences Course

PubMed Central

Verlinden, Nathan; Kruger, Nicholas; Carroll, Ailey; Trumbo, Tiffany

2015-01-01

Objective. To determine if the process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) teaching strategy improves student performance and engages higher-level thinking skills of first-year pharmacy students in an Introduction to Pharmaceutical Sciences course. Design. Overall examination scores and scores on questions categorized as requiring either higher-level or lower-level thinking skills were compared in the same course taught over 3 years using traditional lecture methods vs the POGIL strategy. Student perceptions of the latter teaching strategy were also evaluated. Assessment. Overall mean examination scores increased significantly when POGIL was implemented. Performance on questions requiring higher-level thinking skills was significantly higher, whereas performance on questions requiring lower-level thinking skills was unchanged when the POGIL strategy was used. Student feedback on use of this teaching strategy was positive. Conclusion. The use of the POGIL strategy increased student overall performance on examinations, improved higher-level thinking skills, and provided an interactive class setting. PMID:25741027

Scaffolding as an effort for thinking process optimization on heredity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizah, N. R.; Masykuri, M.; Prayitno, B. A.

2018-04-01

Thinking is an activity and process of manipulating and transforming data or information into memory. Thinking process is different between one and other person. Thinking process can be developed by interaction between student and their environment, such as scaffolding. Given scaffolding is based on each student necessity. There are 2 level on scaffolding such as explaining, reviewing, and restructuring; and developing conceptual thinking. This research is aimed to describe student’s thinking process on heredity especially on inheritance that is before and after scaffolding. This research used descriptive qualitative method. There were three kinds of subject degree such as the students with high, middle, and low achieving students. The result showed that subjects had some difficulty in dihybrid inheritance question in different place. Most difficulty was on determining the number of different characteristic, parental genotype, gamete, and ratio of genotype and phenotype F2. Based on discussed during scaffolding showed that the subjects have some misunderstanding terms and difficulty to determine parental, gamete, genotype, and phenotype. Final result in this research showed that the subjects develop thinking process higher after scaffolding. Therefore the subjects can solve question properly.

Analysis of critical thinking ability of VII grade students based on the mathematical anxiety level through learning cycle 7E model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widyaningsih, E.; Waluya, S. B.; Kurniasih, A. W.

2018-03-01

This study aims to know mastery learning of students’ critical thinking ability with learning cycle 7E, determine whether the critical thinking ability of the students with learning cycle 7E is better than students’ critical thinking ability with expository model, and describe the students’ critical thinking phases based on the mathematical anxiety level. The method is mixed method with concurrent embedded. The population is VII grade students of SMP Negeri 3 Kebumen academic year 2016/2017. Subjects are determined by purposive sampling, selected two students from each level of mathematical anxiety. Data collection techniques include test, questionnaire, interview, and documentation. Quantitative data analysis techniques include mean test, proportion test, difference test of two means, difference test of two proportions and for qualitative data used Miles and Huberman model. The results show that: (1) students’ critical thinking ability with learning cycle 7E achieve mastery learning; (2) students’ critical thinking ability with learning cycle 7E is better than students’ critical thinking ability with expository model; (3) description of students’ critical thinking phases based on the mathematical anxiety level that is the lower the mathematical anxiety level, the subjects have been able to fulfil all of the indicators of clarification, assessment, inference, and strategies phases.

Thinking aloud influences perceived time.

PubMed

Hertzum, Morten; Holmegaard, Kristin Due

2015-02-01

We investigate whether thinking aloud influences perceived time. Thinking aloud is widely used in usability evaluation, yet it is debated whether thinking aloud influences thought and behavior. If thinking aloud is restricted to the verbalization of information to which a person is already attending, there is evidence that thinking aloud does not influence thought and behavior. In an experiment, 16 thinking-aloud participants and 16 control participants solved a code-breaking task 24 times each. Participants estimated task duration. The 24 trials involved two levels of time constraint (timed, untimed) and resulted in two levels of success (solved, unsolved). The ratio of perceived time to clock time was lower for thinking-aloud than control participants. Participants overestimated time by an average of 47% (thinking aloud) and 94% (control). The effect of thinking aloud on time perception also held separately for timed, untimed, solved, and unsolved trials. Thinking aloud (verbalization at Levels 1 and 2) influences perceived time. Possible explanations of this effect include that thinking aloud may require attention, cause a processing shift that overshadows the perception of time, or increase mental workload. For usability evaluation, this study implies that time estimates made while thinking aloud cannot be compared with time estimates made while not thinking aloud, that ratings of systems experienced while thinking aloud may be inaccurate (because the experience of time influences other experiences), and that it may therefore be considered to replace concurrent thinking aloud with retrospective thinking aloud when evaluations involve time estimation.

Integrating Levels of Critical Thinking into Writing Assignments for Introductory Psychology Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, A. Sandra

Short analytical writing exercises were designed to develop critical thinking and writing skills; stimulate creative thinking and writing; promote learning of psychological concepts; and to assess student knowledge. Design of these assignments was based on Bloom's taxonomy of multiple levels of critical thinking: recall, comprehension,…

Exploration of Mathematics Problem Solving Process Based on the Thinking Level of Students in Junior High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahman, Abdul; Ahmar, Ansari Saleh

2016-01-01

Several studies suggest that most students are not in the same level of development (Slavin, 2008). From concrete operation level to formal operation level, students experience lateness in the transition phase. Consequently, students feel difficulty in solving mathematics problems. Method research is a qualitatively descriptive-explorative…

Young Children's Creativity and Pretend Play.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saracho, Olivia N.

2002-01-01

This article discusses commonalities among experts' descriptions of creative individuals, including rational thinking, high levels of emotional development, talent, and higher levels of consciousness. Maintains that creativity studies justify the development of educational creativity training programs. Asserts that teachers can promote children's…

Adopted Adolescents' Preoccupation with Adoption: The Impact on Adoptive Family Relationships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohler, Julie K.; Grotevant, Harold D.; McRoy, Ruth G.

2002-01-01

Examines relationship between intensity of adopted adolescents' thinking about their adoptions and their adoptive family relationships in 135 adopted adolescents. Adolescents with extremely high levels of preoccupation reported significantly higher levels of alienation and significantly lower levels of trust for their adoptive mothers and fathers.…

Workplace skills and the skills gaps related to employee critical thinking ability and science education curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, William A.

In recent years, business and industry have been vocal critics of education. Critics complain the American workforce, particularly young people, are deficient in workplace skills. A survey of 500 randomly selected Ohio businesses was used to determine opinions of respondents related to workplace skills gaps, rising skill levels, and level and type of critical thinking used on the job by all employees and entry-level employees. Four of 18 science outcomes promoted by the Ohio Department of Education had an application in business and these required critical-thinking skills to complete. These four formed the foundation in the survey because they provided a connection between thinking skills required on the Ohio 12 th Grade Proficiency Test and those required on the job. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to identify correlation between responses. The alpha level was p ≤ .05. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify significant (p ≤ .05) relationships between variables as represented by responses. In addition, one version of the Science Section of the Ohio 12th Grade Proficiency Test was analyzed for use of critical thinking using the SCAN's critical-thinking attributes as a standard. There were several findings related to workplace skills and critical thinking. Only 17.1% of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with the basic academic skill level of their employees. A majority (71.1%) of responding businesses perceived a lack of work ethic as more important than deficient academic skills. Only 17.1% of respondents reported the skill level of their entry-level employees was rising. Approximately 1/3 of responding businesses required no critical thinking at all from their entry-level employees. Small businesses were significantly more likely to require higher levels of critical thinking from their entry level employees than larger businesses. Employers who reported rising skill levels in entry-level employees required all of their employees to exhibit critical thinking similar to that required on the four tested outcomes on the Science Section, Ohio 12th Grade Proficiency Test.

The effects of belief in good luck and counterfactual thinking on gambling behavior.

PubMed

Kim, So-Ra; Kwon, Young-Sil; Hyun, Myoung-Ho

2015-12-01

One's belief in good luck, and belief that it is a personal trait, could play a crucial role in gambling behavior, and can lead gamblers to have an irrational anticipation to win and to over-generalize their subjective sense of control. And upward counterfactual thinking has been considered to be a factor that offsets those irrational beliefs. This study examined the effects of belief in good luck and of upward counterfactual thinking on gambling behavior. The subjects of the study were 52 college students who had been classified as non-problematic and non-pathological gamblers. They were assigned into one of two groups, distinguished by having either high (n = 25) or low (n = 27) levels of self-perception of luck, as determined by their scores on the Belief in Good Luck (BIGL) Scale. The subjects were assigned to different groups according to their reported experience of upward counterfactual thinking. We found that those who had high BIGL scores spent more money on gambling than those who had low BIGL scores. Moreover, after taking into account the upward counterfactual thinking, the subjects with high BIGL scores showed a dramatic decrease in their expectations of winning. The results indicate that to perceive luck as a personal and internal trait could affect gambling, which is one of the cognitive errors for gambling addiction. On the other hand, given that upward counterfactual thinking plays an important role in reducing cognitive errors, it could act as a protective factor against gambling addiction.

Professional Thinking in Occupational Therapy Education: Behaviors Indicative of Entry-Level Professional Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mary E.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the behaviors indicative of professional thinking in entry-level occupational therapists and the teaching methodologies used to facilitate professional thinking during education as described by a sample of experienced occupational therapy educators. The researcher used The Model of Professional…

A Study of Causal Thinking in Elementary School Children. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Edna M.

This study, which is a partial replication and validation of the 1962 Laurendeau and Pinard study of causal thinking, investigates cross-cultural differences among three age levels of Canadian and American school children in the development of causal thinking. Also studied is the relationship between level of development of causal thinking and…

Leveling Students' Creative Thinking in Solving and Posing Mathematical Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siswono, Tatag Yuli Eko

2010-01-01

Many researchers assume that people are creative, but their degree of creativity is different. The notion of creative thinking level has been discussed .by experts. The perspective of mathematics creative thinking refers to a combination of logical and divergent thinking which is based on intuition but has a conscious aim. The divergent thinking…

The Effects of Educational Technology upon the Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills of Below Grade-Level and or Non-College Bound High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santavenere, Alex

An action research study was undertaken to examine the effects of educational technology resources on critical thinking and analytical skills. The researcher observed 3 different 11th grade classes, a total of 75 students, over a week as they worked in the school's computer lab. Each class was composed of 25 to 30 students, all of whom were…

Level of Student's Creative Thinking in Classroom Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siswono, Tatag Yuli Eko

2011-01-01

It is reasonable to assume that people are creative, but the degree of creativity is different. The Idea of the level of student's creative thinking has been expressed by experts, such as Gotoh (2004), and Krulik and Rudnick (1999). The perspective of the mathematics creative thinking refers to a combination of logical and divergent thinking which…

Asking the Right Questions: Developing Thinking Skills through Wisconsin's Grade Level Foundations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratway, Beth

2008-01-01

In an attempt to deal with the problem of generating the thinking skills needed for the 21st century, this article discusses how a statewide of 30 teachers developed Grade Level Foundations. The core component of the Grade Level Foundations for Social Studies consists of a set of questions that are designed to stimulate higher level thinking about…

Proxy decision making and dementia: Using Construal Level Theory to analyse the thoughts of decision makers.

PubMed

Convey, Helen; Holt, Janet; Summers, Barbara

2018-07-01

This study explored the feasibility of using Construal Level Theory to analyse proxy decision maker thinking about a hypothetical ethical dilemma, relating to a person who has dementia. Proxy decision makers make decisions on behalf of individuals who are living with dementia when dementia affects that individual's decision making ability. Ethical dilemmas arise because there is a need to balance the individual's past and contemporary values and views. Understanding of how proxy decision makers respond is incomplete. Construal Level Theory contends that individuals imagine reactions and make predications about the future by crossing psychological distance. This involves abstract thinking, giving meaning to decisions. There is no empirical evidence of Construal Level Theory being used to analyse proxy decision maker thinking. Exploring the feasibility of using Construal Level Theory to understand dementia carer thinking regarding proxy decisions may provide insights which inform the support given. Descriptive qualitative research with semi-structured interviews. Seven participants were interviewed using a hypothetical dementia care scenario in February 2016. Interview transcripts were analysed for themes. Construal Level Theory was applied to analyse participant responses within themes using the Linguistic Category Model. Participants travelled across psychological distance, using abstract thinking to clarify goals and provide a basis for decisions. When thinking concretely participants established boundaries regarding the ethical dilemma. Construal Level Theory gives insight into proxy decision maker thinking and the levels of abstraction used. Understanding what dementia carers think about when making proxy decisions may help nurses to understand their perspectives and to provide appropriate support. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cartography teaching and the development of spatial thinking in Brazilian geography textbooks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Ronaldo G.

2018-05-01

Spatial thinking has been recognized as closely related to tools of representation (NRC, 2006) and the maps have been widely pointed out as crucial for the development of that kind of reasoning. Furthermore, the scientific com-munity dedicated to the field of the spatial thinking has been asserting that the abilities encompassed in such a complex cognition can and must be fostered in school. Considering these groundwork, our research focused on the decision to assess the effectiveness of the contribution for the development of student's spatial thinking, provided by the questions found in Brazilian middle school geography textbooks. The main concern was the proficiency regarding cartographic language. To assure the possibility of comparing our results with some other investigations we decided to use a methodology that was strongly based on the Taxonomy of Spatial Thinking, designed by Injeong Jo and Sarah Bednarz (2009). Counting on those powerful tools we analyzed 6.884 questions in the three most adopted geography textbooks sets in Brazilian middle schools (6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grades). For the purpose of enlarging the number of books and countries to be compared, we have also evaluated 2.073 questions that are present in a French geography textbook set edited for the same grades. Using the taxonomy enabled us not only to evaluate if the questions demanded or not the use of the spatial thinking by the students. It also showed us the three general levels of reasoning involved, allowing to discern between low, intermediate and high levels of spatial thinking.

Measuring Individual Differences in the Perfect Automation Schema.

PubMed

Merritt, Stephanie M; Unnerstall, Jennifer L; Lee, Deborah; Huber, Kelli

2015-08-01

A self-report measure of the perfect automation schema (PAS) is developed and tested. Researchers have hypothesized that the extent to which users possess a PAS is associated with greater decreases in trust after users encounter automation errors. However, no measure of the PAS currently exists. We developed a self-report measure assessing two proposed PAS factors: high expectations and all-or-none thinking about automation performance. In two studies, participants responded to our PAS measure, interacted with imperfect automated aids, and reported trust. Each of the two PAS measure factors demonstrated fit to the hypothesized factor structure and convergent and discriminant validity when compared with propensity to trust machines and trust in a specific aid. However, the high expectations and all-or-none thinking scales showed low intercorrelations and differential relationships with outcomes, suggesting that they might best be considered two separate constructs rather than two subfactors of the PAS. All-or-none thinking had significant associations with decreases in trust following aid errors, whereas high expectations did not. Results therefore suggest that the all-or-none thinking scale may best represent the PAS construct. Our PAS measure (specifically, the all-or-none thinking scale) significantly predicted the severe trust decreases thought to be associated with high PAS. Further, it demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties across two samples. This measure may be used in future work to assess levels of PAS in users of automated systems in either research or applied settings. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Tracking the dynamics of divergent thinking via semantic distance: Analytic methods and theoretical implications.

PubMed

Hass, Richard W

2017-02-01

Divergent thinking has often been used as a proxy measure of creative thinking, but this practice lacks a foundation in modern cognitive psychological theory. This article addresses several issues with the classic divergent-thinking methodology and presents a new theoretical and methodological framework for cognitive divergent-thinking studies. A secondary analysis of a large dataset of divergent-thinking responses is presented. Latent semantic analysis was used to examine the potential changes in semantic distance between responses and the concept represented by the divergent-thinking prompt across successive response iterations. The results of linear growth modeling showed that although there is some linear increase in semantic distance across response iterations, participants high in fluid intelligence tended to give more distant initial responses than those with lower fluid intelligence. Additional analyses showed that the semantic distance of responses significantly predicted the average creativity rating given to the response, with significant variation in average levels of creativity across participants. Finally, semantic distance does not seem to be related to participants' choices of their own most creative responses. Implications for cognitive theories of creativity are discussed, along with the limitations of the methodology and directions for future research.

The Effect of Integrated Learning Model and Critical Thinking Skill of Science Learning Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazriyah, N.; Supriyati, Y.; Rahayu, W.

2017-02-01

This study aimed to determine the effect of integrated learning model and critical thinking skill toward science learning outcomes. The study was conducted in SDN Kemiri Muka 1 Depok in fifth grade school year 2014/2015 using cluster random sampling was done to 80 students. Retrieval of data obtained through tests and analysis by Variance (ANOVA) and two lines with the design treatment by level 2x2. The results showed that: (1) science learning outcomes students that given thematic integrated learning model is higher than in the group of students given fragmented learning model, (2) there is an interaction effect between critical thinking skills with integrated learning model, (3) for students who have high critical thinking skills, science learning outcomes students who given by thematic integrated learning model higher than fragmented learning model and (4) for students who have the ability to think critically low yield higher learning science fragmented model. The results of this study indicate that thematic learning model with critical thinking skills can improve science learning outcomes of students.

Critical Thinking and Disposition Toward Critical Thinking Among Physical Therapy Students.

PubMed

Domenech, Manuel A; Watkins, Phillip

2015-01-01

Students who enter a physical therapist (PT) entry-level program with weak critical thinking skills may not be prepared to benefit from the educational training program or successfully engage in the future as a competent healthcare provider. Therefore, assessing PT students' entry-level critical thinking skills and/or disposition toward critical thinking may be beneficial to identifying students with poor, fair, or good critical thinking ability as one of the criteria used in the admissions process into a professional program. First-year students (n=71) from the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center completed the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI), and demographic survey during orientation to the DPT program. Three students were lost from the CCTST (n=68), and none lost from the CCTDI (n=71). Analysis indicated that the majority of students had a positive disposition toward critical thinking, yet the overall CCTST suggested that these students were somewhat below the national average. Also, individuals taking math and science prerequisites at the community-college level tended to have lower overall CCTST scores. The entering DPT class demonstrated moderate or middle range scores in critical thinking and disposition toward critical thinking. This result does not indicate, but might suggest, the potential for learning challenges. Assessing critical thinking skills as part of the admissions process may prove advantageous.

The GATE Way to Equity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belz, Helene F.

Systematic observations of thousands of high school students in the California Mentally Gifted Minors/Gifted and Talented Education programs identified five principles underlying the development of high level thinking skills in this population: (1) Exceptional performance on any criterion requires mutually reinforcing antecedents, the effects of…

Critical thinking traits of top-tier experts and implications for computer science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bushey, Dean E.

A documented shortage of technical leadership and top-tier performers in computer science jeopardizes the technological edge, security, and economic well-being of the nation. The 2005 President's Information and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) Report on competitiveness in computational sciences highlights the major impact of science, technology, and innovation in keeping America competitive in the global marketplace. It stresses the fact that the supply of science, technology, and engineering experts is at the core of America's technological edge, national competitiveness and security. However, recent data shows that both undergraduate and postgraduate production of computer scientists is falling. The decline is "a quiet crisis building in the United States," a crisis that, if allowed to continue unchecked, could endanger America's well-being and preeminence among the world's nations. Past research on expert performance has shown that the cognitive traits of critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving possessed by top-tier performers can be identified, observed and measured. The studies show that the identified attributes are applicable across many domains and disciplines. Companies have begun to realize that cognitive skills are important for high-level performance and are reevaluating the traditional academic standards they have used to predict success for their top-tier performers in computer science. Previous research in the computer science field has focused either on programming skills of its experts or has attempted to predict the academic success of students at the undergraduate level. This study, on the other hand, examines the critical-thinking skills found among experts in the computer science field in order to explore the questions, "What cognitive skills do outstanding performers possess that make them successful?" and "How do currently used measures of academic performance correlate to critical-thinking skills among students?" The results of this study suggest a need to examine how critical-thinking abilities are learned in the undergraduate computer science curriculum and the need to foster these abilities in order to produce the high-level, critical-thinking professionals necessary to fill the growing need for these experts. Due to the fact that current measures of academic performance do not adequately depict students' cognitive abilities, assessment of these skills must be incorporated into existing curricula.

Rubric Assessment on Science and Creative Thinking Skills of Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnasusanti, H.; Ana, A.; Nurafiati, P.; Umusyaadah, L.

2018-02-01

The result of the monitoring and evaluation of the latest Indonesian curriculum (the 2013 curriculum) implementation at junior high school level year of 2014 showed that one of the difficult things that learners had in implementation 2013 curriculum is doing the result. The characteristic of applying the 2013 curriculum is to emphasize the modern pedagogic dimension of learning, which is using scientific approach, which requires learners to have highlevel thinking skills, one of which is creative thinking skills. The aims of this research is to implement performance assessment in measuring the creative thinking of junior high school students on subject Prakarya. The form of the main performance assessment is the task and assessment criteria. The experimental method that been used is the Quasi Experiment with Non-Equivalent Design Group Research. Population in this study is the students of VIII class of junior high school in Bandung, Indonesia which consists of six classes. And two classes are selected for the sample from that six classes and VIII A class were chosen, while VIII F class has been chosen as control class. The result of this research showed that the rubics of performance assessment can be measure or identify the creative thinking skill, its prove by the result of pre-test dan post-test are more dominant. In material of identification student’s creative thinking skills are reached an average 85 compare 79 with the control class. while in the presentation the experimental class got an average of 85 bigger than the control class which only reached 79.

The effects of belief in good luck and counterfactual thinking on gambling behavior

PubMed Central

Kim, So-Ra; Kwon, Young-Sil; Hyun, Myoung-Ho

2015-01-01

Background and Aims One’s belief in good luck, and belief that it is a personal trait, could play a crucial role in gambling behavior, and can lead gamblers to have an irrational anticipation to win and to over-generalize their subjective sense of control. And upward counterfactual thinking has been considered to be a factor that offsets those irrational beliefs. This study examined the effects of belief in good luck and of upward counterfactual thinking on gambling behavior. Methods The subjects of the study were 52 college students who had been classified as non-problematic and non-pathological gamblers. They were assigned into one of two groups, distinguished by having either high (n = 25) or low (n = 27) levels of self-perception of luck, as determined by their scores on the Belief in Good Luck (BIGL) Scale. The subjects were assigned to different groups according to their reported experience of upward counterfactual thinking. Results We found that those who had high BIGL scores spent more money on gambling than those who had low BIGL scores. Moreover, after taking into account the upward counterfactual thinking, the subjects with high BIGL scores showed a dramatic decrease in their expectations of winning. Discussion The results indicate that to perceive luck as a personal and internal trait could affect gambling, which is one of the cognitive errors for gambling addiction. On the other hand, given that upward counterfactual thinking plays an important role in reducing cognitive errors, it could act as a protective factor against gambling addiction. PMID:26690618

Prior Education of Open University Students Contributes to Their Capability in Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Repo, Saara; Lehtinen, Taina; Rusanen, Erja; Hyytinen, Heidi

2017-01-01

The focus of this study is on Open University students' entry-level critical thinking skills. The research questions were: how are students' age, and level and discipline of previous education related to critical thinking skills; is the level and discipline of previous education connected to the accuracy of students' self-evaluation of their…

Abstract and concrete repetitive thinking modes in alcohol-dependence.

PubMed

Grynberg, Delphine; de Timary, Philippe; Philippot, Pierre; D'Hondt, Fabien; Briane, Yasmine; Devynck, Faustine; Douilliez, Céline; Billieux, Joël; Heeren, Alexandre; Maurage, Pierre

2016-01-01

Emotional and interpersonal deficits play a crucial role in alcohol-related disorders as they predict alcohol consumption and relapse. Recent models of emotion regulation in psychopathology postulate that these deficits are centrally related to increased abstract/analytic repetitive thinking, combined with reduced concrete/experiential repetitive thinking. As this assumption has not been tested in addictions, this study aimed at investigating repetitive thinking modes in a large sample of alcohol-dependent individuals. One hundred recently detoxified alcohol-dependent individuals (29 females; mean age = 49.51-years-old) recruited during the 3rd week of their treatment in a detoxification center were compared to 100 healthy controls (29 females; mean age = 48.51-years-old) recruited in the experimenters' social network, matched at the group level for age, gender, and educational level. All participants completed the Mini Cambridge Exeter Repetitive Thought Scale measuring abstract/analytic and concrete/experiential repetitive thinking modes as well as complementary psychopathological measures (Beck Depression Inventory and State/Trait Anxiety Inventory). Alcohol-dependent individuals have similar levels of concrete repetitive thinking as controls but report significantly higher levels of abstract repetitive thinking (p < 0.001; d = 1.28). This effect remains significant after controlling for depression and anxiety. Relative to healthy controls, alcohol-dependent patients report more frequent use of abstract/analytic repetitive thinking, with preserved concrete/experiential thinking. Despite the cross-sectional nature of the study, the frequent use of abstract repetitive thinking thus appears to constitute a main feature of alcohol-dependence.

Examples of geoscientists women in France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mognard-Campbel, N.; Cazenave, A.

2004-12-01

Although the presence of women in sciences has been increasing in the past few decades in Europe, it remains incredibly low at the top levels. Recent statistics from the European Commission indicate that now women represent 50 percent of first degree students in many countries. However, the proportion of women at each stage of the scientific career decreases almost linearly, reaching less than 10 percent at the highest level jobs. From my own experience, I don't think that this results from sexism nor discrimination. Rather, I think that this is a result of complex cultural factors making women subconsciously persuaded that top level jobs are destined to male scientists only. Many women scientists drop the idea of playing a role at high-level research, considering it as a way of exerting power (a matter reserved to men). Others give up the possibility of combining childcare and high level commitments in research. And too many (married women) still find only natural to sacrifice their own scientific ambitions to the benefit of their spouse's career. Examples of personal experiences in the French research system are presented. We discuss some choices of prioritizing scientific productivity and expertise against hierarchical responsibilities and of keeping a satisfactory balance between family demand and research involvement. This is somewhat facilitated by the French system, which provides substantial support to women's work (nurseries, recreation centers during school holidays, etc.). As a conclusion, we think that the most promising way of increasing the number of women at top levels in research is through education and mentality evolution.

A Preliminary Investigation into Critical Thinking of Urban Xi'an High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Qing; Wang, Xiang; Yao, Linna

2007-01-01

This paper reports the development of critical thinking of urban high school students in the Chinese city of Xi'an. It presents the assessment of the students' two components of critical thinking: dispositions towards critical thinking and critical thinking skills, using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and the California…

The Relationship between Academic Achievement, Reading Habits and Critical Thinking Dispositions of Turkish Tertiary Level EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genç, Gülten

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe EFL learners' critical thinking levels and to examine the relationship between participants' critical thinking levels and selected variables such as gender, academic achievement in EFL, subject area, and self-reported reading. The overall design of the study was based on the quantitative research method. Data…

The Relationships between Teachers' Instructional Practices and Their Learners' Level of Geometrical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleeker, Cheryl; Stols, Gerrit; Van Putten, Sonja

2013-01-01

This case study describes and investigates the instructional practices of Grades 1 to 5 teachers and the levels of geometry thinking of the learners, according to the Van Hiele model, with a view to determining whether there is a match between the instructional practice and the learners' level of thinking. The instructional practices of the…

The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ): validation of a content-independent measure of repetitive negative thinking.

PubMed

Ehring, Thomas; Zetsche, Ulrike; Weidacker, Kathrin; Wahl, Karina; Schönfeld, Sabine; Ehlers, Anke

2011-06-01

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) has been found to be involved in the maintenance of several types of emotional problems and has therefore been suggested to be a transdiagnostic process. However, existing measures of RNT typically focus on a particular disorder-specific content. In this article, the preliminary validation of a content-independent self-report questionnaire of RNT is presented. The 15-item Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire was evaluated in two studies (total N = 1832), comprising non-clinical as well as clinical participants. Results of confirmatory factor analyses across samples supported a second-order model with one higher-order factor representing RNT in general and three lower-order factors representing (1) the core characteristics of RNT (repetitiveness, intrusiveness, difficulties with disengagement), (2) perceived unproductiveness of RNT and (3) RNT capturing mental capacity. High internal consistencies and high re-test reliability were found for the total scale and all three subscales. The validity of the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire was supported by substantial correlations with existing measures of RNT and associations with symptom levels and clinical diagnoses of depression and anxiety. Results suggest the usefulness of the new measure for research into RNT as a transdiagnostic process. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-Fidelity Modeling of Computer Network Worms

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-22

plots the propagation of the TCP-based worm. This execution is among the largest TCP worm models simulated to date at packet-level. TCP vs . UDP Worm...the mapping of the virtual IP addresses to honeyd’s MAC address in the proxy’s ARP table. The proxy server listens for packets from both sides of...experimental setup, we used two ntium-4 ThinkPad , and an IBM Pentium-III ThinkPad ), running the proxy server and honeyd respectively. The Code Red II worm

Blueprint for Student Success: A Guide to Research-Based Teaching Practices K-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Susan J.

This book presents a reality-based approach to classroom instruction designed to help learners at all levels achieve lifelong success. It offers teaching strategies, activities, and applications to enhance student achievement, stressing the importance of learning through discovery, creativity, application, adaptation, and high level thinking. It…

Student teachers’ mathematical questioning and courage in metaphorical thinking learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendriana, H.; Hidayat, W.; Ristiana, M. G.

2018-01-01

This study was designed in the form of experiments with control group design and post-test only which aimed to examine the role of metaphorical thinking learning in the mathematical questioning ability of student teachers based on the level of mathematical courage. The population of this study was student teachers of mathematics education study program in West Java Province, while the sample of this study was 152 student teachers which were set purposively and then randomly to be included in the experimental class and control class. Based on the results and discussion, it was concluded that: (a) the mathematical questioning ability of student teachers who received Metaphorical Thinking learning was better than those who received conventional learning seen from mathematical courage level; (b) learning and mathematical courage level factors affected the achievement of student teachers’ mathematical questioning ability. In addition, there was no interaction effect between learning and mathematical courage level (high, medium, and low) simultaneously in developing student teachers’ mathematical questioning ability; (c) achievement of mastering mathematical questioning ability of student teacher was still not well achieved on indicator of problem posing in the form of non-routine question and open question.

Promoting middle school students’ abstract-thinking ability through cognitive apprenticeship instruction in mathematics learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusepa, B. G. P.; Kusumah, Y. S.; Kartasasmita, B. G.

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to get an in-depth understanding of students’ abstract-thinking ability in mathematics learning. This study was an experimental research with pre-test and post-test control group design. The subject of this study was eighth-grade students from two junior high schools in Bandung. In each schools, two parallel groups were selected and assigned into control and experimental groups. The experimental group was exposed to Cognitive Apprenticeship Instruction (CAI) treatment, whereas the control group was exposed to conventional learning. The results showed that abstract-thinking ability of students in experimental group was better than that of those in control group in which it could be observed from the overall and school level. It could be concluded that CAI could be a good alternative learning model to enhance students’ abstract-thinking ability.

Lean thinking transformation of the unsedated upper gastrointestinal endoscopy pathway improves efficiency and is associated with high levels of patient satisfaction.

PubMed

Hydes, Theresa; Hansi, Navjyot; Trebble, Timothy M

2012-01-01

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy is a routine healthcare procedure with a defined patient pathway. The objective of this study was to redesign this pathway for unsedated patients using lean thinking transformation to focus on patient-derived value-adding steps, remove waste and create a more efficient process. This was to form the basis of a pathway template that was transferrable to other endoscopy units. A literature search of patient expectations for UGI endoscopy identified patient-derived value. A value stream map was created of the current pathway. The minimum and maximum time per step, bottlenecks and staff-staff interactions were recorded. This information was used for service transformation using lean thinking. A patient pathway template was created and implemented into a secondary unit. Questionnaire studies were performed to assess patient satisfaction. In the primary unit the patient pathway reduced from 19 to 11 steps with a reduction in the maximum lead time from 375 to 80 min following lean thinking transformation. The minimum value/lead time ratio increased from 24% to 49%. The patient pathway was redesigned as a 'cellular' system with minimised patient and staff travelling distances, waiting times, paperwork and handoffs. Nursing staff requirements reduced by 25%. Patient-prioritised aspects of care were emphasised with increased patient-endoscopist interaction time. The template was successfully introduced into a second unit with an overall positive patient satisfaction rating of 95%. Lean thinking transformation of the unsedated UGI endoscopy pathway results in reduced waiting times, reduced staffing requirements and improved patient flow and can form the basis of a pathway template which may be successfully transferred into alternative endoscopy environments with high levels of patient satisfaction.

The results of STEM education methods for enhancing critical thinking and problem solving skill in physics the 10th grade level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soros, P.; Ponkham, K.; Ekkapim, S.

2018-01-01

This research aimed to: 1) compare the critical think and problem solving skills before and after learning using STEM Education plan, 2) compare student achievement before and after learning about force and laws of motion using STEM Education plan, and 3) the satisfaction of learning by using STEM Education. The sample used were 37 students from grade 10 at Borabu School, Borabu District, Mahasarakham Province, semester 2, Academic year 2016. Tools used in this study consist of: 1) STEM Education plan about the force and laws of motion for grade 10 students of 1 schemes with total of 14 hours, 2) The test of critical think and problem solving skills with multiple-choice type of 5 options and 2 option of 30 items, 3) achievement test on force and laws of motion with multiple-choice of 4 options of 30 items, 4) satisfaction learning with 5 Rating Scale of 20 items. The statistics used in data analysis were percentage, mean, standard deviation, and t-test (Dependent). The results showed that 1) The student with learning using STEM Education plan have score of critical think and problem solving skills on post-test higher than pre-test with statistically significant level .01. 2) The student with learning using STEM Education plan have achievement score on post-test higher than pre-test with statistically significant level of .01. 3) The student'level of satisfaction toward the learning by using STEM Education plan was at a high level (X ¯ = 4.51, S.D=0.56).

Collaborative Systems Thinking: A Response to the Problems Faced by Systems Engineering's 'Middle Tier'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phfarr, Barbara B.; So, Maria M.; Lamb, Caroline Twomey; Rhodes, Donna H.

2009-01-01

Experienced systems engineers are adept at more than implementing systems engineering processes: they utilize systems thinking to solve complex engineering problems. Within the space industry demographics and economic pressures are reducing the number of experienced systems engineers that will be available in the future. Collaborative systems thinking within systems engineering teams is proposed as a way to integrate systems engineers of various experience levels to handle complex systems engineering challenges. This paper uses the GOES-R Program Systems Engineering team to illustrate the enablers and barriers to team level systems thinking and to identify ways in which performance could be improved. Ways NASA could expand its engineering training to promote team-level systems thinking are proposed.

Theory of Mind Development in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: The Growing Complexity of Recursive Thinking Ability

PubMed Central

Valle, Annalisa; Massaro, Davide; Castelli, Ilaria; Marchetti, Antonella

2015-01-01

This study explores the development of theory of mind, operationalized as recursive thinking ability, from adolescence to early adulthood (N = 110; young adolescents = 47; adolescents = 43; young adults = 20). The construct of theory of mind has been operationalized in two different ways: as the ability to recognize the correct mental state of a character, and as the ability to attribute the correct mental state in order to predict the character’s behaviour. The Imposing Memory Task, with five recursive thinking levels, and a third-order false-belief task with three recursive thinking levels (devised for this study) have been used. The relationship among working memory, executive functions, and linguistic skills are also analysed. Results show that subjects exhibit less understanding of elevated recursive thinking levels (third, fourth, and fifth) compared to the first and second levels. Working memory is correlated with total recursive thinking, whereas performance on the linguistic comprehension task is related to third level recursive thinking in both theory of mind tasks. An effect of age on third-order false-belief task performance was also found. A key finding of the present study is that the third-order false-belief task shows significant age differences in the application of recursive thinking that involves the prediction of others’ behaviour. In contrast, such an age effect is not observed in the Imposing Memory Task. These results may support the extension of the investigation of the third order false belief after childhood. PMID:27247645

Cultivating Critical-Thinking Dispositions throughout the Business Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bloch, Janel; Spataro, Sandra E.

2014-01-01

Critical thinking is an essential component of managerial literacy, yet business school graduates struggle to apply critical-thinking skills at work to the level that employers desire. This article argues for a dispositional approach to teaching critical thinking, rooted in cultivating a critical-thinking culture. We suggest a two-pronged approach…

A systematic review of selected evidence on developing nursing students' critical thinking through problem-based learning.

PubMed

Yuan, Haobin; Williams, Beverly A; Fan, Lin

2008-08-01

Rapidly changing developments and expanding roles in healthcare environment requires professional nurses to develop critical thinking. Nursing education strives to facilitate students' critical thinking through the appropriate instructional approaches. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered approach to learning which enables the students to work cooperatively in small groups for seeking solutions to situations/problems. The systematic review was conducted to provide the available evidence on developing nursing students' critical thinking through PBL. The computerized searches from 1990-2006 in CINAHL, Proquest, Cochrane library, Pubmed etc were performed. All studies which addressed the differences in critical thinking among nursing students in PBL were considered. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each study, its level of evidence and the methodological quality. As a result, only ten studies were retrieved, they were: one RCT with a Jadad quality score of 3, one nonrandomized control study, two quasi-experimental studies with non-controlled pretest-posttest design, and six descriptive studies. The available evidence in this review did not provide supportive evidence on developing nursing students' critical thinking through PBL. Clearly, there is a need for additional research with larger sample size and high quality to clarify the effects of PBL on critical thinking development within nursing educational context.

Thinking Levels of Questions in Christian Reading Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Heather A.

2015-01-01

If Christian schools desire students to achieve higher-level thinking, then the textbooks that teachers use should reflect such thinking. Using Risner's (1987) methodology, raters classified questions from two Christian publishers' fifth grade reading textbooks based on the revised Bloom's taxonomy (Anderson et al., 2001). The questions in the A…

Solving Geometric Problems by Using Algebraic Representation for Junior High School Level 3 in Van Hiele at Geometric Thinking Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suwito, Abi; Yuwono, Ipung; Parta, I. Nengah; Irawati, Santi; Oktavianingtyas, Ervin

2016-01-01

This study aims to determine the ability of algebra students who have 3 levels van Hiele levels. Follow its framework Dindyal framework (2007). Students are required to do 10 algebra shaped multiple choice, then students work 15 about the geometry of the van Hiele level in the form of multiple choice questions. The question has been tested levels…

Android-assisted physics mobile learning to improve senior high school students' divergent thinking skills and physics HOTS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mardiana, Nana; Kuswanto, Heru

2017-08-01

The aims of the research concerned here were to reveal (1) the characteristics of Android-assisted PML (physics mobile learning) to improve SMA (sekolah menengah atas, Indonesian senior high school) students' divergent thinking skills and physics HOTS (higher order thinking skills); (2) the feasibility of the Android-assisted PML; and (3) the influence of using the Android-assisted PML on improvement in SMA students' divergent thinking skills and physics HOTS. The7 research was of the R&D (research and development) type, adapted from theBorg-&-Gall development model. The research data were analyzed by means of MANOVA with the significance level of 5%. The results are as follows. (1) The product of the development, a learning media in software form with the android package(apk) format, is named PML (to refer to Physics Mobile Learning), which has such characterictics as being operable with use of Android devicesand being very good in quality in the aspect oflearning, material, software technology, and audiovisual appearance. 2) The developed learning media referred to as PML is appropriate for learning activity according to evaluation by a material expert, a media expert, peer reviewers, and physics teachers as well as according to results of students' tryouts. (3) The use of the Android-assisted PML media product could improve SMA students' divergent thinking skillsand physics HOTS with the respective high-category gain scores of 0.701 and 0.759.

How to think about your drink: Action-identification and the relation between mindfulness and dyscontrolled drinking.

PubMed

Schellhas, Laura; Ostafin, Brian D; Palfai, Tibor P; de Jong, Peter J

2016-05-01

Cross-sectional and intervention research have shown that mindfulness is inversely associated with difficulties in controlling alcohol use. However, little is known regarding the mechanisms through which mindfulness is related to increased control over drinking. One potential mechanism consists of the way individuals represent their drinking behaviour. Action identification theory proposes that self-control of behaviour is improved by shifting from high-level representations regarding the meaning of a behaviour to lower-level representations regarding "how-to" aspects of a behaviour. Because mindfulness involves present-moment awareness, it may help to facilitate such shifts. We hypothesized that an inverse relation between mindfulness and dyscontrolled drinking would be partially accounted for by the way individuals mentally represent their drinking behaviour - i.e., reduced levels of high-level action identification and increased levels of low-level action identification. One hundred and twenty five undergraduate psychology students completed self-report measures of mindful awareness, action identification of alcohol use, and difficulty in controlling alcohol use. Results supported the hypothesis that high-level action identification partially mediates the relation between mindfulness and dyscontrolled drinking but did not support a mediating role for low-level action identification. These results suggest that mindfulness can improve self-control of alcohol by changing the way we think about our drinking behaviour. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Critical thinking, self-esteem, and state anxiety of nursing students.

PubMed

Suliman, Wafika A; Halabi, Jehad

2007-02-01

This study aimed at exploring the existing predominant critical thinking disposition(s) of baccalaureate nursing students and the relationship among their critical thinking (CT), self-esteem (SE), and state anxiety (SA). Cross-sectional correlational design was utilized to achieve the said aim. A voluntary convenient sample consisted of first year (n=105) and fourth year (n=60) nursing students. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory were used for data collection after their translation to Arabic language and test for validity and reliability. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Results showed that both groups overall CT was marginal indicating no serious deficiency, their SE was average, and their SA was relatively high; they reported analyticity, open-mindedness, systematicity, inquisitiveness, and truth seeking as predominant critical thinking dispositions with no significant difference between them. However, the two groups were weak with significant difference on CT self-confidence (t=-2.053, df=136.904, p=.042) with beginning students reporting poorer level of CT self-confidence. Significant correlation results showed that critical thinking is positively correlated with SE, negatively correlated with SA, and SE is negatively correlated with SA; however, all correlations were actually quite low.

It only takes once: The absent-exempt heuristic and reactions to comparison-based sexual risk information

PubMed Central

Stock, Michelle L.; Gibbons, Frederick X.; Beekman, Janine B.; Gerrard, Meg

2015-01-01

Three studies (N = 545) investigated the effects of social comparison on a type of heuristic called “absent-exempt” (AE; feeling exempt from future risk). Study 1 examined how comparison with an infected peer (comparison target) who was similar or non-similar in terms of sexual risk (number of partners, lack of condom use), influenced willingness and intentions to engage in sex without a condom and conditional perceived vulnerability to a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Participants generally reported lower willingness and higher conditional vulnerability if they compared with a similar-risk level target. However, high-risk students who compared with a low-risk comparison target engaged in what appeared to be AE thinking, reporting the highest willingness and lowest conditional vulnerability. Intentions to have sex without a condom were not influenced. Study 2 included a direct measure of AE thinking, and compared the impact of a low-risk comparison target with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) stating that negative outcomes (e.g., STDs) can happen even to low-risk targets. Among high-risk participants, comparing with the low-risk target led to an increase in AE thinking. As expected, the effects in Studies 1 and 2 were strongest among participants high in tendencies to socially compare. Study 3 explored whether AE thinking could be decreased by encouraging more reasoned processing. Results indicated that asking participants to think about the illogicality of AE thinking reduces AE endorsement and increases STD testing intentions. Findings suggest that comparison-based information can have a stronger influence on health cognitions than analytic-based information (e.g., most PSAs). Implications for dual-processing models of decision-making and their applicability to interventions and health messages are discussed. PMID:26098587

It only takes once: The absent-exempt heuristic and reactions to comparison-based sexual risk information.

PubMed

Stock, Michelle L; Gibbons, Frederick X; Beekman, Janine B; Gerrard, Meg

2015-07-01

Three studies (N = 545) investigated the effects of social comparison on the "absent-exempt" (AE) heuristic (feeling exempt from future risk). Study 1 examined how comparison with an infected peer (comparison target) who was similar or nonsimilar in terms of sexual risk (number of partners, lack of condom use), influenced willingness and intentions to engage in sex without a condom, and conditional perceived vulnerability to an STD. Participants generally reported lower willingness and higher conditional vulnerability if they compared with a similar-risk level target. However, high-risk students who compared with a low-risk target engaged in what appeared to be AE thinking, reporting the highest willingness and lowest conditional vulnerability. Intentions to have sex without a condom were not influenced. Study 2 included a direct measure of AE thinking and compared the impact of a low-risk comparison target with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) stating that negative outcomes (STDs) can happen even to low-risk targets. Among high-risk participants, comparing with the low-risk target increased AE thinking. The effects in Studies 1 and 2 were strongest among participants high in tendencies to socially compare. Study 3 explored whether AE thinking could be decreased by encouraging more reasoned processing. Results indicated that asking participants to think about the illogicality of AE thinking reduces AE endorsement and increases STD testing intentions. Findings suggest that comparison-based information can have a stronger influence on health cognitions than analytic-based information (e.g., most PSAs). Implications for dual-processing models of decision-making and their applicability to health messages are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and evaluation of web-based animated pedagogical agents for facilitating critical thinking in nursing.

PubMed

Morey, Diane J

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Web-based animated pedagogical agents on critical thinking among nursing students. A pedagogical agent or virtual character provides a possible innovative tool for critical thinking through active engagement of students by asking questions and providing feedback about a series of nursing case studies. This mixed methods experimental study used a pretest, posttest design with a control group. ANCOVA demonstrated no significant difference between the groups on the Critical Thinking Process Test. Pre- and post-think-alouds were analyzed using a rating tool and rubric for the presence of eight cognitive processes, level of critical thinking, and for accuracy of nursing diagnosis, conclusions, and evaluation. Chi-square analyses for each group revealed a significant difference for improvement of the critical thinking level and correct conclusions from pre-think-aloud to post-think-aloud, but only the pedagogical agent group had a significant result for appropriate evaluations.

Analyzing course objectives: assessing critical thinking in the pharmacy curriculum.

PubMed

Vuchetich, Phillip J; Hamilton, William R; Ahmad, S Omar; Makoid, Michael C

2006-01-01

Assessment of critical thinking objectives in a pharmacy program curriculum is an important part of program assessment. This study measures the proportion of cognitive learning objectives at various levels of Bloom's taxonomy throughout the required curriculum using the stated objectives in course syllabi (the explicit curriculum). In one entry level doctor of pharmacy program, 54.90% of cognitive objectives identified critical thinking outcomes using the rubric of Bloom's level 3 or higher as an indicator of critical thinking. In this program, there was a similar percent of critical thinking objectives in each of the first three years, but the final year of the curriculum had a higher percent of critical thinking objectives than each of the first three years (p = 0.0018, Kruskal-Wallis test). The increase in critical thinking in the final year suggests that the explicit expectations in the syllabi are weighted toward a higher percent of critical thinking objectives during clinical rotations. The methods described in the study may serve as tools for a curriculum committee or program assessment team to compare critical thinking in the curriculum at different points in time, and may assist in curricular mapping efforts. These methods may complement studies measuring the implicit curriculum (that which the faculty actually teach, which may not be stated in the explicit curriculum.).

[Silver Hills Junior High School Talent Pool].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace School District 393, ID.

The paper describes the Silver Hills (Idaho) Junior High School Talent Pool, a program designed to advance thinking skills through enrichment activities. The Talent Pool concept was established as an alternate means of identifying students eligible for gifted/talented services and programs. Students participate in three levels of enrichment…

The Early College Challenge: Navigating Disadvantaged Students' Transition to College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenbaum, James E.; Becker, Kelly Iwanaga

2011-01-01

Successful early college high schools (ECHSs) are formed through partnerships between high schools and colleges (usually community colleges). Think of it as preparation through acceleration. ECHSs enroll disadvantaged students who have not excelled with ordinary grade-level academic content and have them take college courses while still in high…

Development of Multiple Thinking and Creativity in Organizational Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Yin Cheong

2005-01-01

Purpose: Based on a typology of contextualized multiple thinking, this paper aims to elaborate how the levels of thinking (data, information, knowledge, and intelligence), and the types of thinking as a whole, can be used to profile the characteristics of multiple thinking in organizational learning, re-conceptualize the nature of creativity in…

The Greatest Learning Return on Your Pedagogical Investment: Alignment, Assessment or In-Class Instruction?

PubMed Central

Holt, Emily A.; Young, Craig; Keetch, Jared; Larsen, Skylar; Mollner, Brayden

2015-01-01

Critical thinking is often considered an essential learning outcome of institutions in higher education. Previous work has proposed three pedagogical strategies to address this goal: more active, student-centered in-class instruction, assessments which contain higher-order cognitive questions, and greater alignment within a classroom (i.e., high agreement of the cognitive level of learning objectives, assessments, and in-class instruction). Our goals were to determine which of these factors, individually or the interactions therein, contributed most to improvements in university students’ critical thinking. We assessed students’ higher-order cognitive skills in introductory non-majors biology courses the first and last week of instruction. For each of the fifteen sections observed, we also measured the cognitive level of assessments and learning objectives, evaluated the learner-centeredness of each classroom, and calculated an alignment score for each class. The best model to explain improvements in students’ high-order cognitive skills contained the measure of learner-centeredness of the class and pre-quiz scores as a covariate. The cognitive level of assessments, learning objectives, nor alignment explained improvements in students’ critical thinking. In accordance with much of the current literature, our findings support that more student-centered classes had greater improvements in student learning. However, more research is needed to clarify the role of assessment and alignment in student learning. PMID:26340659

The Greatest Learning Return on Your Pedagogical Investment: Alignment, Assessment or In-Class Instruction?

PubMed

Holt, Emily A; Young, Craig; Keetch, Jared; Larsen, Skylar; Mollner, Brayden

2015-01-01

Critical thinking is often considered an essential learning outcome of institutions in higher education. Previous work has proposed three pedagogical strategies to address this goal: more active, student-centered in-class instruction, assessments which contain higher-order cognitive questions, and greater alignment within a classroom (i.e., high agreement of the cognitive level of learning objectives, assessments, and in-class instruction). Our goals were to determine which of these factors, individually or the interactions therein, contributed most to improvements in university students' critical thinking. We assessed students' higher-order cognitive skills in introductory non-majors biology courses the first and last week of instruction. For each of the fifteen sections observed, we also measured the cognitive level of assessments and learning objectives, evaluated the learner-centeredness of each classroom, and calculated an alignment score for each class. The best model to explain improvements in students' high-order cognitive skills contained the measure of learner-centeredness of the class and pre-quiz scores as a covariate. The cognitive level of assessments, learning objectives, nor alignment explained improvements in students' critical thinking. In accordance with much of the current literature, our findings support that more student-centered classes had greater improvements in student learning. However, more research is needed to clarify the role of assessment and alignment in student learning.

Questioning for Controversial and Critical Thinking Dialogues in the Social Studies Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lennon, Sean

2017-01-01

The design and implementation of questioning, specifically in regards towards a higher level of thinking, is a common practice in many secondary social science classrooms (Bickmore & Parker, 2012). Questioning can help the teacher develop critical thinking concepts, scaffold discussions, and prod students towards an elevated level of cognition…

Following Alice: Theories of Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice in Action at Postgraduate Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanwick, Ruth; Kitchen, Ruth; Jarvis, Joy; McCracken, Wendy; O'Neil, Rachel; Powers, Steve

2014-01-01

This paper presents a flexible framework of principles for teaching critical thinking and reflective practice skills at the postgraduate level. It reports on a collaborative project between four UK institutions providing postgraduate programmes in deaf education. Through a critical review of current theories of critical thinking and reflective…

Online course design for teaching critical thinking.

PubMed

Schaber, Patricia; Shanedling, Janet

2012-01-01

Teaching critical thinking (CT) skills, a goal in higher education, is seldom considered in the primary design of either classroom or online courses, and is even less frequently measured in student learning. In health professional education, CT along with clinical reasoning skills is essential for the development of clinical practitioners. This study, measuring CT skill development in an online theory course, supports using a cyclical course design to build higher level processes in student thinking. Eighty-six Masters of Occupational Therapy students in four sections of an occupation-based theory course were evaluated on elements in the Paul and Elder CT Model throughout the course and surveyed for their perceptions in their ability to think critically at course completion. Results of this study demonstrated that the online theory course design contributed to improving critical thinking skills and student's perceived CT skill development as applicable to their future professional practice. In a focus group, eight students identified four effective course design features that contributed to their CT skill development: highly structured learning, timely feedback from instructor, repetition of assignments, and active engagement with the material.

Making Sense of Integrated Science: A Guide for High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Colorado Springs.

This guide outlines the initial work and includes recommendations for schools and districts on how to implement an integrated science program. Chapters include: (1) "What Is Integrated Science and What Does It Look Like at the High School Level?"; (2) "Coherence in High School Science" (F. James Rutherford); (3) "Thinking about Change: What Will…

Alternative Forms of Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doll, Ronald C.

1972-01-01

Author talked informally with young people between the ages of 11 and 19 to find out what they think about schooling and education. Proposes high-level deliberation about the full meaning and conduct of education in the United States. (Author/DR)

Teaching Critical Thinking and Civic Thinking in a First-Year College Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stearns, Donald E.; Houlihan, Adam J.; Corbo, Christopher P.; Mosher, Roy H.

2017-01-01

Two professors co-taught critical and civic thinking in the same first-semester course for four years. For the first year, they used computerized argument mapping and critical-thinking-for-civic-thinking (CT)[superscript 2] exercises based on open-ended scenarios framed within a civic context. The instructors assessed student skill levels using…

Learning Biology through Research Papers: A Stimulus for Question-Asking by High-School Students

PubMed Central

Brill, Gilat; Yarden, Anat

2003-01-01

Question-asking is a basic skill, required for the development of scientific thinking. However, the way in which science lessons are conducted does not usually stimulate question-asking by students. To make students more familiar with the scientific inquiry process, we developed a curriculum in developmental biology based on research papers suitable for high-school students. Since a scientific paper poses a research question, demonstrates the events that led to the answer, and poses new questions, we attempted to examine the effect of studying through research papers on students' ability to pose questions. Students were asked before, during, and after instruction what they found interesting to know about embryonic development. In addition, we monitored students' questions, which were asked orally during the lessons. Questions were scored according to three categories: properties, comparisons, and causal relationships. We found that before learning through research papers, students tend to ask only questions of the properties category. In contrast, students tend to pose questions that reveal a higher level of thinking and uniqueness during or following instruction with research papers. This change was not observed during or following instruction with a textbook. We suggest that learning through research papers may be one way to provide a stimulus for question-asking by high-school students and results in higher thinking levels and uniqueness. PMID:14673492

Malaysian Rural ESL Students' Critical Thinking Literacy Level: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baki, Nurshila Umar; Rafik-Galea, Shameem; Nimehchisalem, Vahid

2016-01-01

In recent years, there has been much interest in the development of thinking skills in the education circles in Malaysia. Nevertheless, more effort needs to be placed on providing skills in developing the critical thinking literacy level of English as a second language (ESL) secondary school students, and its implication on the practice of…

Multiple-Choice Exams: An Obstacle for Higher-Level Thinking in Introductory Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F.

2012-01-01

Learning science requires higher-level (critical) thinking skills that need to be practiced in science classes. This study tested the effect of exam format on critical-thinking skills. Multiple-choice (MC) testing is common in introductory science courses, and students in these classes tend to associate memorization with MC questions and may not…

Evaluation of Critical Thinking in Higher Education in Oman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar.R, Renjith; James, Rajani

2015-01-01

The study aims to identify the critical level thinking of students in higher education. It is focused to evaluate the level of critical thinking variables among the students in Nizwa College of Technology and to determine whether these variables are influenced by gender and department. The data for the research is collected from 281 diploma…

Systems thinking for assistive technology: a commentary on the GREAT summit.

PubMed

MacLachlan, Malcolm; Scherer, Marcia J

2018-07-01

The area of assistive technology has a long history of technological ingenuity and innovation. In order to ensure that the benefits of assistive technology are equitably distributed across the population and life course, it is necessary to adopt a systemic approach to the area. We describe examples of systems thinking and non-systems thinking across 10 Ps. These Ps are People (or users, as the primary beneficiaries of assistive technology), Policy, Products, Personnel, Provision (as key strategic drivers at systems level); and Procurement, Place, Pace, Promotion and Partnership (as key situational factors for systems). Together these Ps should constitute a framework for an "open" system that can evolve and adapt, that empowers users, inter-connects key components and locates these in the reality of differing contexts. The adoption of a stronger systems thinking perspective within the assistive technology field should allow for more equitable, more resilient and more sustainable assistive technology across high, middle- and low-income contexts and countries. Implications for Rehabilitation The progress of assistive technology provison has been hampered by disconnected initiatives and activities and this needs to be corrected. Systems thinking is a way of thinking about the connections between things and how these are influenced by contextual and other factors. By encouraging the providers and users of assitive technology to think more systemically we can provide a more cohesive and resilient systems. The user experience is the central component of systems thinking in assistive technologies.

The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire in Patients with Persecutory Delusions.

PubMed

Černis, Emma; Dunn, Graham; Startup, Helen; Kingdon, David; Wingham, Gail; Evans, Nicole; Lister, Rachel; Pugh, Katherine; Cordwell, Jacinta; Mander, Helen; Freeman, Daniel

2016-07-01

Ruminative negative thinking has typically been considered as a factor maintaining common emotional disorders and has recently been shown to maintain persecutory delusions in psychosis. The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) (Ehring et al., 2011) is a transdiagnostic measure of ruminative negative thinking that shows promise as a "content-free" measure of ruminative negative thinking. The PTQ has not previously been studied in a psychosis patient group. In this study we report for the first time on the psychometric properties of Ehring et al.'s PTQ in such a group. The PTQ was completed by 142 patients with current persecutory delusions and 273 non-clinical participants. Participants also completed measures of worry and paranoia. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the clinical group's PTQ responses to assess the factor structure of the measure. Differences between groups were used to assess criterion reliability. A three lower-order factor structure of the PTQ (core characteristics of ruminative negative thinking, perceived unproductiveness, and capturing mental capacity) was replicated in the clinical sample. Patients with persecutory delusions were shown to experience significantly higher levels of ruminative negative thinking on the PTQ than the general population sample. The PTQ demonstrated high internal reliability. This study did not include test-retest data, and did not compare the PTQ against a measure of depressive rumination but, nevertheless, lends support for the validity of the PTQ as a measure of negative ruminative thinking in patients with psychosis.

New Space Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, Rob

2014-01-01

Visitors from Moon Express, a privately funded commercial space company, will be visiting KSC Swamp Works. This presentation includes a high-level introduction to NASA and commercial partnerships, as well as brief background on the moon - what we used to think about it hundreds of years ago, and what we know today with advanced technologies.***This third part being added includes Swamp Works technical capabilities and has a high-level overview of a selection of projects.***

Analyzes of students’ higher-order thinking skills of heat and temperature concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slamet Budiarti, Indah; Suparmi, A.; Sarwanto; Harjana

2017-11-01

High order thinking skills refer to three highest domains of the revised Bloom Taxonomy. The aims of the research were to analyze the student’s higher-order thinking skills of heat and temperature concept. The samples were taken by purposive random sampling technique consisted of 85 high school students from 3 senior high schools in Jayapura city. The descriptive qualitative method was employed in this study. The data were collected by using tests and interviews regarding the subject matters of heat and temperature. Based on the results of data analysis, it was concluded that 68.24% of the students have a high order thinking skills in the analysis, 3.53% of the students have a high order thinking skills in evaluating, and 0% of the students have a high order thinking skills in creation.

Developing seventh grade students' systems thinking skills in the context of the human circulatory system.

PubMed

Raved, Lena; Yarden, Anat

2014-01-01

Developing systems thinking skills in school can provide useful tools to deal with a vast amount of medical and health information that may help learners in decision making in their future lives as citizen. Thus, there is a need to develop effective tools that will allow learners to analyze biological systems and organize their knowledge. Here, we examine junior high school students' systems thinking skills in the context of the human circulatory system. A model was formulated for developing teaching and learning materials and for characterizing students' systems thinking skills. Specifically, we asked whether seventh grade students, who studied about the human circulatory system, acquired systems thinking skills, and what are the characteristics of those skills? Concept maps were used to characterize students' systems thinking components and examine possible changes in the students' knowledge structure. These maps were composed by the students before and following the learning process. The study findings indicate a significant improvement in the students' ability to recognize the system components and the processes that occur within the system, as well as the relationships between different levels of organization of the system, following the learning process. Thus, following learning students were able to organize the systems' components and its processes within a framework of relationships, namely the students' systems thinking skills were improved in the course of learning using the teaching and learning materials.

Developing Seventh Grade Students’ Systems Thinking Skills in the Context of the Human Circulatory System

PubMed Central

Raved, Lena; Yarden, Anat

2014-01-01

Developing systems thinking skills in school can provide useful tools to deal with a vast amount of medical and health information that may help learners in decision making in their future lives as citizen. Thus, there is a need to develop effective tools that will allow learners to analyze biological systems and organize their knowledge. Here, we examine junior high school students’ systems thinking skills in the context of the human circulatory system. A model was formulated for developing teaching and learning materials and for characterizing students’ systems thinking skills. Specifically, we asked whether seventh grade students, who studied about the human circulatory system, acquired systems thinking skills, and what are the characteristics of those skills? Concept maps were used to characterize students’ systems thinking components and examine possible changes in the students’ knowledge structure. These maps were composed by the students before and following the learning process. The study findings indicate a significant improvement in the students’ ability to recognize the system components and the processes that occur within the system, as well as the relationships between different levels of organization of the system, following the learning process. Thus, following learning students were able to organize the systems’ components and its processes within a framework of relationships, namely the students’ systems thinking skills were improved in the course of learning using the teaching and learning materials. PMID:25520948

Challenges for a New Generation of STEM Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abeysekera, Krishani; Perkins-Hall, Sharon; Davari, Sadegh; Hackler, Amanda Smith

2017-01-01

STEM competitions are fairly widespread in middle schools and high schools, but do not commonly occur at the university level. We have developed a repeatable model for a one-day competition in which high school, community college and university students can build confidence in their own critical thinking abilities and develop enthusiasm for…

TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Junior High Projects for Volumes 3 & 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taitt, Henry A.

Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for intermediate learners at the junior high level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts learned in the accompanying instructional manuals (Volumes 3 and…

TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Advanced Projects for Junior High.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taitt, Henry A.

Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for advanced learners at the junior high level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts learned in the accompanying instructional manuals (volumes 5 and 6).…

Think to Learn (Creating a Standards-Driven Thinking Classroom). Occasional Paper Series. Volume 1, Number 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fluellen, Jerry E., Jr.

2006-01-01

Think to Learn. That's how Robert Sternberg boils down his approach for teaching thinking. In an urban technology high school, two Teacher Consultants in the District of Columbia Area Writing Project at Howard University co-constructed a prototype for creating standards driven thinking classrooms. With 132 high school students, they used the…

Critical Thinking Concept Reconstructed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minter, Mary Kennedy

2010-01-01

This paper explores the proposition that teaching of critical thinking (CT) should include: (1) identifying and addressing the many environmental variables acting as barriers to our human thinking, i.e., an open system approach, and (2) utilizing the interrelatedness of the CT building blocks, i.e., creative thinking techniques, levels of…

Thinking about Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Sarah J.

The teaching of decision-making, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking skills is necessary to ensure adaptability to our world of accelerated change. Living skills in the technology and information age will include the understanding and application of higher level thinking skills, which will be the educational "basics" of tomorrow.…

Improving Student Oral and Written Communication Skills through the Use of Higher Level Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovacevich, Karen; Price, Barbara; Ronna, Vicki; Xanos, Pamela

This study describes a program designed to increase the communication skills of at-risk students. The targeted population consists of kindergarten through third grade students in two elementary schools in a community in central Illinois. The status of family income ranges from low to high levels. Evidence for the existence of inadequate…

Barriers to critical thinking: workflow interruptions and task switching among nurses.

PubMed

Cornell, Paul; Riordan, Monica; Townsend-Gervis, Mary; Mobley, Robin

2011-10-01

Nurses are increasingly called upon to engage in critical thinking. However, current workflow inhibits this goal with frequent task switching and unpredictable demands. To assess workflow's cognitive impact, nurses were observed at 2 hospitals with different patient loads and acuity levels. Workflow on a medical/surgical and pediatric oncology unit was observed, recording tasks, tools, collaborators, and locations. Nineteen nurses were observed for a total of 85.2 hours. Tasks were short with a mean duration of 62.4 and 81.6 seconds on the 2 units. More than 50% of the recorded tasks were less than 30 seconds in length. An analysis of task sequence revealed few patterns and little pairwise repetition. Performance on specific tasks differed between the 2 units, but the character of the workflow was highly similar. The nonrepetitive flow and high amount of switching indicate nurses experience a heavy cognitive load with little uninterrupted time. This implies that nurses rarely have the conditions necessary for critical thinking.

A Comparative Study of Students' Happiness Levels and Thinking Styles in Physical Education and Sport Teaching, and Other Departments, in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tingaz, Emre Ozan; Hazar, Muhsin; Baydar, Hacer Özge; Gökyürek, Belgin; Çakiroglu, Temel

2018-01-01

The objectives of this research were to compare the happiness and thinking styles of undergraduate students in the Physical Education and Sports Teaching Department and different departments, and to examine the relations between the students' happiness levels and their thinking styles. Using the correlational study design 661, undergraduate…

The Effect of Designed Geometry Teaching Lesson to the Candidate Teachers' Van Hiele Geometric Thinking Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yilmaz, Gül Kaleli; Koparan, Timur

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to find out how designed Geometry Teaching Lesson affects candidate teachers' Van Hiele Geometric Thinking Levels. For that purpose, 14 weeks long study was performed with 44 candidate teachers who were university students in Turkey. Van Hiele Geometric Thinking Test was applied to candidate teachers before and after…

The Abstract Thinking Levels of the Science-Education Students in Gaza Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darwish, Ata H.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the abstract thinking levels of the science students attending the first and fourth year at two Palestinian Universities (Al-Aqsa and Al-Azhar). The sample consisted of 133 students from Science Education Departments (SE). The tool, used to measure abstract thinking, was one of the Science Reasoning Tasks…

Critical thinking skills profile of senior high school students in Biology learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saputri, A. C.; Sajidan; Rinanto, Y.

2018-04-01

Critical thinking is an important and necessary skill to confront the challenges of the 21st century. Critical thinking skills accommodate activities that can improve high-order thinking skills. This study aims to determine senior high school students' critical thinking skills in Biology learning. This research is descriptive research using instruments developed based on the core aspects of critical thinking skills according to Facione which include interpretation, analysis, evaluation, explanation, conclusion, and self-regulation. The subjects in this study were 297 students in grade 12 of a senior high school in Surakarta selected through purposive sampling technique. The results of this study showed that the students' critical thinking skills on evaluation and self-regulation are in good criterion with 78% and 66% acquisition while 52% interpretation, 56% analysis, 52% conclusion and 42% explanation indicate sufficient criteria. The conclusion from this research is that critical thinking skill of the students still was in enough category, so that needed a way to enhance it on some indicators.

Critical thinking, educational preparation, and development of moral judgment among selected groups of practicing nurses.

PubMed

Ketefian, S

1981-01-01

The focus of this descriptive study was the relationship between critical thinking, educational preparation, and level of moral judgment in 79 practicing nurses. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test was used to measure critical thinking; information on the participating nurses' educational preparation was obtained from a personal information sheet. Moral judgment was measured by Rest's Defining Issues Test. The hypothesis that critical thinking would be positively related to moral judgment was tested by Pearson product moment correlation; the obtained coefficient of .5326 was significant at the .001 level. The hypothesis that there would be a difference between professional and technical nurses' moral judgments was tested through a one-way analysis of variance. The F ratio (F [1,77] = 9.6) was significant beyond the .01 level. Data also supported the hypothesis that critical thinking and educational preparation would predict greater variance in moral judgment than either variable alone, which was tested through multiple regression analysis (F [2,75] = 18.3, p = .01). Critical thinking and education together accounted for 32.9 percent of the variance in moral judgment. Implications of the findings are discussed for nursing research, practice, and education.

Rethinking Theatre Teacher Education: A National Think Tank for Change-Makers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazarus, Joan

2002-01-01

Discusses development of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education's Think Tanks on Theatre Teacher Education. Notes the think tanks were intended to probe important issues, move to a new level of thinking, and hopefully, effect change in individual and collective practice of theatre teacher education. (SG)

Enhancing Systems-Thinking Skills with Modelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Woei

2008-01-01

Systems thinking is an essential cognitive skill that enables individuals to develop an integrative understanding of a given subject at the conceptual and systemic level. Yet, systems thinking is not usually an innate skill. Helping students develop systems-thinking skills warrants attention from educators. This paper describes a study examining…

Assessing an Introduction to Systems Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monroe, Martha C.; Plate, Richard R.; Colley, Lara

2015-01-01

This research study investigated the learning outcomes of a brief systems thinking intervention at the undergraduate level. A pre/post experimental design (n = 50) was used to address two primary questions: (1) Can a brief introduction to systems thinking improve students' understanding of systems thinking? and (2) Which teaching method (of…

Pushing Critical Thinking Skills With Multiple-Choice Questions: Does Bloom's Taxonomy Work?

PubMed

Zaidi, Nikki L Bibler; Grob, Karri L; Monrad, Seetha M; Kurtz, Joshua B; Tai, Andrew; Ahmed, Asra Z; Gruppen, Larry D; Santen, Sally A

2018-06-01

Medical school assessments should foster the development of higher-order thinking skills to support clinical reasoning and a solid foundation of knowledge. Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are commonly used to assess student learning, and well-written MCQs can support learner engagement in higher levels of cognitive reasoning such as application or synthesis of knowledge. Bloom's taxonomy has been used to identify MCQs that assess students' critical thinking skills, with evidence suggesting that higher-order MCQs support a deeper conceptual understanding of scientific process skills. Similarly, clinical practice also requires learners to develop higher-order thinking skills that include all of Bloom's levels. Faculty question writers and examinees may approach the same material differently based on varying levels of knowledge and expertise, and these differences can influence the cognitive levels being measured by MCQs. Consequently, faculty question writers may perceive that certain MCQs require higher-order thinking skills to process the question, whereas examinees may only need to employ lower-order thinking skills to render a correct response. Likewise, seemingly lower-order questions may actually require higher-order thinking skills to respond correctly. In this Perspective, the authors describe some of the cognitive processes examinees use to respond to MCQs. The authors propose that various factors affect both the question writer and examinee's interaction with test material and subsequent cognitive processes necessary to answer a question.

Think abstractly, smoke less: a brief construal-level intervention can promote self-control, leading to reduced cigarette consumption among current smokers.

PubMed

Chiou, Wen-Bin; Wu, Wen-Hsiung; Chang, Ming-Hsu

2013-05-01

Inadequate self-control has been linked to behavioural and impulse-control problems such as overeating, alcohol and drug abuse and smoking. Construal-level theory (CLT) suggests that a high-level construal (highlighting central goals associated with an event), relative to a low-level construal (highlighting means and resources), promotes self-control. Inspired by CLT, we examined whether smokers primed with a high-level (versus low-level) construal mind-set would show reductions in smoking that might be mediated by improved self-control. A single-factor (construal level: high, low, control) between-subjects design was employed. We used a widely employed why/how paradigm to induce high/low construal levels, whereby participants were asked to respond to questions about 'why' or 'how' they would maintain good physical health. Laboratory at Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan. A community sample consisting of 102 daily smokers participated in this experiment. The Stroop task measuring self-control was implemented after the construal-level manipulation. The dependent measure was actual cigarette consumption during an ostensible survey. Participants in a high-level construal mind-set smoked fewer cigarettes [mean = 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.9, 1.7] than those in a low-level construal mind-set (mean = 2.6, 95% CI: 2.2, 3.0; P < 0.01). A bootstrapping analysis supported for the role of self-control (B = -1.14, 95% CI: -1.65, -0.74, P < 0.01) as a mechanism underlying this effect. Smokers primed with a high-level construal mind-set (i.e. cognitive abstraction) may induce greater self-control that leads to reduced cigarette consumption. Thus, reminding smokers to think abstractly about health may be an effective strategy that could help them to smoke fewer cigarettes. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Effects of Induced Memory Strategies on Children's Memory for Pictures and Words.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filan, Gary; Sullivan, Howard

In this study of children's memory, two types of presentation modes (pictures or words) were crossed with two levels of memory strategy ("make a picture in your mind" or "think of the word") to comprise four treatments: see picture/think picture, see picture/think word, see word/think picture, see word/think word. The study was conducted with 144…

An Evaluation on the Regression Level of Prospective Teachers' Metacognitive Skills in Terms of Their Community Service Activities Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kartal, Metin; Demir, Özden; Kaya, Halil Ibrahim

2017-01-01

Metacognition, thinking, and learning are a continuous transformation in case of different aspects of the same event. In turn, metacognition is an inseparable part of the process of thinking to think. Recently, the definition of metacognition has been elaborated. And as defined in the past, it has only consisted of "thinking on think",…

Sculpting the Barnyard Gene Pool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childers, Gina; Wolfe, Kim; Dupree, Alan; Young, Sheila; Caver, Jessica; Quintanilla, Ruby; Thornton, Laura

2016-01-01

Project-based learning (PBL) takes student engagement to a higher level through reflective collaboration, inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, and personal relevance. This article explains how six high school teachers developed an interconnected, interdisciplinary STEM-focused PBL called "Sculpting the Barnyard Gene Pool." The…

Bilingualism and Creativity: Benefits in Convergent Thinking Come with Losses in Divergent Thinking

PubMed Central

Hommel, Bernhard; Colzato, Lorenza S.; Fischer, Rico; Christoffels, Ingrid K.

2011-01-01

Bilingualism is commonly assumed to improve creativity but the mechanisms underlying creative acts, and the way these mechanisms are affected by bilingualism, are not very well understood. We hypothesize that learning to master multiple languages drives individuals toward a relatively focused cognitive-control state that exerts strong top-down impact on information processing and creates strong local competition for selection between cognitive codes. Considering the control requirements posed by creativity tasks tapping into convergent and divergent thinking, this predicts that high-proficient bilinguals should outperform low-proficient bilinguals in convergent thinking, while low-proficient bilinguals might be better in divergent thinking. Comparing low- and high-proficient bilinguals on convergent-thinking and divergent-thinking tasks indeed showed a high-proficient bilingual advantage for convergent thinking but a low-proficient bilingual advantage for fluency in divergent thinking. These findings suggest that bilingualism should not be related to “creativity” as a unitary concept but, rather, to the specific processes and mechanisms that underlie creativity. PMID:22084634

A comparison of educational strategies for the acquisition of nursing student's performance and critical thinking: simulation-based training vs. integrated training (simulation and critical thinking strategies).

PubMed

Zarifsanaiey, Nahid; Amini, Mitra; Saadat, Farideh

2016-11-16

There is a need to change the focus of nursing education from traditional teacher-centered training programs to student-centered active methods. The integration of the two active learning techniques will improve the effectiveness of training programs. The objective of this study is to compare the effects of the integrated training (simulation and critical thinking strategies) and simulation-based training on the performance level and critical thinking ability of nursing students. The present quasi-experimental study was performed in 2014 on 40 students who were studying practical nursing principles and skills course in the first half of the academic year in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Students were randomly divided into control (n = 20) and experimental (n = 20) groups. After training students through simulation and integrated education (simulation and critical thinking strategies), the students' critical thinking ability and performance were evaluated via the use of California Critical Thinking Ability Questionnaire B (CCTST) and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) comprising 10 stations, respectively. The external reliability of the California Critical Thinking questionnaire was reported by Case B.to be between 0.78 and 0.80 and the validity of OSCE was approved by 5 members of the faculty. Furthermore, by using Split Half method (the correlation between odd and even stations), the reliability of the test was approved with correlation coefficient of 0.66. Data were analyzed using t-test and Mann-Whitney test. A significance level of 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The mean scores of the experimental group performance level were higher than the mean score of the control group performance level. This difference was statistically significant and students in the experimental group in OSCE stations had significantly higher performance than the control group (P <0.001). However, the mean scores obtained for the critical thinking did not increase before and after the intervention. The results showed that, the students' performance level was increased by the application of integrated training (simulation and critical thinking strategies).

Analysis of the lack of scientific and technological talents of high-level women in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Wang

2017-08-01

The growth and development of high-level female scientific and technological talents has become a global problem, facing severe challenges. The lack of high-level women in science and technology has become a global problem. How to recruit and help female scientists and technological talents grow raises awareness from the industry. To find out the main reasons for the lack of high-level female scientific and technological talent. This paper analyses the impact of gender discrimination on the lack of high-level female scientific and technological talents, the impact of disciplinary differences on female roles. The main reasons are: women’s natural disadvantage of mathematical thinking; female birth, the traditional culture on the role of women and the impact of values.

Rational Thinking and Belief in Psychic Abilities: It Depends on Level of Involvement.

PubMed

Stone, Anna

2016-02-01

Previous research has shown that lay believers in psychic abilities are more prone to intuitive thinking, less inclined to rational thinking, and have an external locus of control, compared to non-believers. Psychic practitioners, however, may have different characteristics. Psychic practitioners ( n = 31; M age = 42.7 yr., SD = 13.1), lay believers ( n = 33; M age = 33.0 yr., SD = 10.3), and non-believers ( n = 31; M age = 34.4 yr., SD = 15.4) completed questionnaires measuring thinking styles, locus of control, and psychic belief. Comparisons of lay believers with non-believers confirmed previous observations: believers had a higher propensity for intuitive thinking, lower propensity for rational thinking, and more external locus of control. In contrast, practitioners were equivalent to non-believers in rational thinking and had the highest internal locus of control. This highlights the importance of considering level of involvement with psychic practice in understanding the thinking styles of believers. Results suggested that practitioners may have rationalized their beliefs and constructed a coherent model of psychic phenomena that satisfies a propensity for rational thinking within a community of belief.

An Evaluation of University World Geography Textbook Questions for Components of Spatial Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholz, Michael A.; Huynh, Niem Tu; Brysch, Carmen P.; Scholz, Ruojing Wang

2014-01-01

Geography textbooks contain chapter or review questions that may engage students in spatial thinking. This research used Jo and Bednarz's (2009) "Taxonomy of Spatial Thinking" to evaluate the percentage of spatial thinking questions in four university-level world geography course textbooks. The results from this study were then…

Concept-Mapping Tools and the Development of Students' Critical-Thinking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tseng, Sheng-Shiang

2015-01-01

Developing students' critical-thinking skills has recently received attention at all levels of education. This article proposes the use of concept-mapping tools to improve students' critical-thinking skills. The article introduces a Web-based concept-mapping tool--Popplet--and demonstrates its application for teaching critical-thinking skills in…

Consistency Study About Critical Thinking Skill of PGSD Students (Teacher Candidate of Elementary School) on Energy Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijayanti, M. D.; Raharjo, S. B.; Saputro, S.; Mulyani, S.

2017-09-01

This study aims to examine the consistency of critical thinking ability of PGSD students in Energy material. The study population is PGSD students in UNS Surakarta. Samples are using cluster random sampling technique obtained by 101 students. Consistency of student’s response in knowing the critical thinking ability of PGSD students can be used as a benchmark of PGSD students’ understanding to see the equivalence of IPA problem, especially in energy material presented with various phenomena. This research uses descriptive method. Data are obtained through questionnaires and interviews. The research results that the average level of critical thinking in this study is divided into 3 levels, i.e.: level 1 (54.85%), level 2 (19.93%), and level 3 (25.23%). The data of the research result affect to the weak of students’ Energy materials’ understanding. In addition, indicators identify that assumptions and arguments analysis are also still low. Ideally, the consistency of critical thinking ability as a whole has an impact on the expansion of students’ conceptual understanding. The results of the study may become a reference to improve the subsequent research in order to obtain positive changes in the ability of critical thinking of students who directly improve the concept of students’ better understanding, especially in energy materials at various real problems occured.

Differences in Styles of Thinking "In Light of Sternberg's Theory": A Case Study of Different Educational Levels in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aljojo, Nahla

2017-01-01

People's styles of thinking vary; we seek to understand these differences, to refine our abilities and skills, and find new and useful ways of thinking. To develop this concept, we implement the Sternberg (1997) thinking style inventory (TSI) as part of the learning process. The main idea behind the implementation of this style of thinking is to…

Profile of student critical thinking ability on static fluid concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulasih; Suparmi, A.; Sarwanto

2017-11-01

Critical thinking ability is an important part of educational goals. It has higher complex processes, such as analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating, drawing conclusion and reflection. This study is aimed to know the critical thinking ability of students in learning static fluids of senior high school students. This research uses the descriptive method which its instruments based on the indicator of critical thinking ability developed according to Ennis. The population of this research is XIth grade science class Public Senior High School, SMA N 1, Sambungmacan, Sragen, Central Java. The static fluid teaching material is delivered using Problem Based Learning Model through class experiment. The results of this study shows that the average student of XIth science class have high critical thinking skills, particularly in the ability of providing simple explanation, build basic skill, and provide advanced explanation, but they do not have high enough in ability of drawing conclusion and strategic and tactical components of critical thinking ability in the study of static fluid teaching material. The average of students critical thinking ability is 72.94, with 27,94% of students are in a low category and 72,22% of students in the high category of critical thinking ability.

The Effects of Conceptual Understanding Procedures (CUPs) Towards Critical Thinking Skills of Senior High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukaesih, S.; Sutrisno

2017-04-01

The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of the application of Conceptual Understanding Procedures (CUPs) learning to the students’ critical thinking skills in the matter of categorisaed in SMA Negeri 1 Larangan. This study was quasi-experimental design using nonequivalent control group design. The population in this study was entire class X. The samples that were taken by convenience sampling were class X MIA 1 and X MIA 2. Primary data in the study was the student’s critical thinking skills, which was supported by student activity, the level of adherence to the CUPs learning model, student opinion and teacher opinion. N-gain test results showed that the students’ critical thinking skills of experimental class increased by 89.32%, while the control group increased by 57.14%. Activity grade of experimental class with an average value of 72.37 was better than that of the control class with an average of only 22.69 student and teacher opinions to the learning were excellegoodnt. Based on this study concluded that the model of Conceptual Understanding Procedures (CUPs) had an effect on the student’s critical thinking skills in the matter of protest in SMA Negeri 1 Larangan.

Reading Comprehension Profiles of High-Functioning Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Grounded Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Pamela; Carnahan, Christina R.; Jacobs, Jennifer A.

2012-01-01

Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, this study sought to understand what influences reading comprehension and how meaning is made from text among high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a think-aloud procedure, 13 individuals ages 7-13 with ASD read 16 passages at their instructional reading level.…

Construction of High School Students' Abstraction Levels in Understanding the Concept of Quadrilaterals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Budiarto, Mega Teguh; Khabibah, Siti; Setianingsih, Rini

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the abstraction thinking or the vertical reorganization activity of mathematical concepts of high school students while taking account of the abstraction that was constructed earlier, and the socio-cultural background. This study was qualitative in nature with task-based interviews as the method of…

The role of student’s critical asking question in developing student’s critical thinking skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoso, T.; Yuanita, L.; Erman, E.

2018-01-01

Questioning means thinking, and thinking is manifested in the form of questions. Research that studies the relationship between questioning and students’ critical thinking skills is little, if any. The aim of this study is to examine how student’s questions skill correlates to student’s critical thinking skills in learning of chemistry. The research design used was one group pretest-posttest design. The participants involved were 94 students, all of whom attended their last semesters, Chemistry Education of Tadulako University. A pre-test was administered to check participants’ ability to ask critical questions and critical thinking skills in learning chemistry. Then, the students were taught by using questioning technique. After accomplishing the lesson, a post-test was given to evaluate their progress. Obtained data were analyzed by using Pair-Samples T.Test and correlation methods. The result shows that the level of the questions plays an important role in critical thinking skills is the question levels of predictive, analysis, evaluation and inference.

The effect of high-fidelity patient simulation on the critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills of new graduate nurses.

PubMed

Maneval, Rhonda; Fowler, Kimberly A; Kays, John A; Boyd, Tiffany M; Shuey, Jennifer; Harne-Britner, Sarah; Mastrine, Cynthia

2012-03-01

This study was conducted to determine whether the addition of high-fidelity patient simulation to new nurse orientation enhanced critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills. A pretest-posttest design was used to assess critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills in two groups of graduate nurses. Compared with the control group, the high-fidelity patient simulation group did not show significant improvement in mean critical thinking or clinical decision-making scores. When mean scores were analyzed, both groups showed an increase in critical thinking scores from pretest to posttest, with the high-fidelity patient simulation group showing greater gains in overall scores. However, neither group showed a statistically significant increase in mean test scores. The effect of high-fidelity patient simulation on critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills remains unclear. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Extending decision making competence to special populations: a pilot study of persons on the autism spectrum

PubMed Central

Levin, Irwin P.; Gaeth, Gary J.; Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Yegorova, Vitaliya; Cederberg, Charles; Yan, Haoyang

2015-01-01

The area of decision making has much to offer in our effort to understand special populations. This pilot study is an example of just such a project, where we illustrate how traditional decision making tools and tasks can be used to uncover strengths and weaknesses within a growing population of young adults with autism. In this pilot project we extended accounts of autistic behavior such as those derived from “theory of mind” to predict key components of decision making in high-functioning young adults on the autism spectrum. A battery of tests was administered to 15 high-functioning college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing on decision making competence (DMC) and other aspects of decision making related to known deficits associated with autism. Data from this group were compared to data from unselected college students receiving the same measures. First, as a test of a key social deficit associated with autism, the target group scored much lower on the Empathy Quotient scale. Traditional elements of decision making competency such as Numeracy and application of decision rules were comparable across groups. However, there were differences in thinking style, with the ASD group showing lesser ability and engagement in intuitive thinking, and they showed lower levels of risk taking. For comparisons within the ASD group, autobiographical reports concerning individual lifestyles and outcomes were used to derive a scale of Social Functioning. The lowest scoring individuals showed the lowest levels of intuitive thinking, the lowest perceived levels of others’ endorsement of socially undesirable behaviors, and the lowest ability to discriminate between “good” and “bad” risks. Results are discussed in terms of interventions that might aid high-functioning young adults with ASD in their everyday decision making. PMID:25972831

Extending decision making competence to special populations: a pilot study of persons on the autism spectrum.

PubMed

Levin, Irwin P; Gaeth, Gary J; Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Yegorova, Vitaliya; Cederberg, Charles; Yan, Haoyang

2015-01-01

The area of decision making has much to offer in our effort to understand special populations. This pilot study is an example of just such a project, where we illustrate how traditional decision making tools and tasks can be used to uncover strengths and weaknesses within a growing population of young adults with autism. In this pilot project we extended accounts of autistic behavior such as those derived from "theory of mind" to predict key components of decision making in high-functioning young adults on the autism spectrum. A battery of tests was administered to 15 high-functioning college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing on decision making competence (DMC) and other aspects of decision making related to known deficits associated with autism. Data from this group were compared to data from unselected college students receiving the same measures. First, as a test of a key social deficit associated with autism, the target group scored much lower on the Empathy Quotient scale. Traditional elements of decision making competency such as Numeracy and application of decision rules were comparable across groups. However, there were differences in thinking style, with the ASD group showing lesser ability and engagement in intuitive thinking, and they showed lower levels of risk taking. For comparisons within the ASD group, autobiographical reports concerning individual lifestyles and outcomes were used to derive a scale of Social Functioning. The lowest scoring individuals showed the lowest levels of intuitive thinking, the lowest perceived levels of others' endorsement of socially undesirable behaviors, and the lowest ability to discriminate between "good" and "bad" risks. Results are discussed in terms of interventions that might aid high-functioning young adults with ASD in their everyday decision making.

A cognitive perspective on Singaporean primary school pupils' use of reading strategies in learning to read in English.

PubMed

Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Gu, Peter Yongqi; Hu, Guangwei

2008-06-01

This study is conducted in Singapore, where learning to read in English is regarded as essential because it is offered as a First Language (L1) subject in the curriculum and is stipulated as the medium of instruction in the education system, and the mother tongues are offered as Second Language (L2) subjects, although the majority still learn English as an L2. The paper reports on the reading strategies used by Singaporean primary school pupils from a cognitive perspective, which is part of a larger study that aims to investigate these pupils' language learning strategies. The participants were 18 pupils from three neighbourhood primary schools, in grades Primary 4, 5 and 6. The data were collected from high- and low-proficiency pupils at each of the three grades in each school, who read two texts at each level. Grounded in an information-processing theory and based on successful experiences of scholars using think-aloud for data collection, we asked the pupils to read and report what they were thinking about while reading. The think-aloud protocols were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed. The results suggest that participants' flexible and appropriate use of reading strategies varies according to language proficiency and grade level, with the high-proficiency group outperforming its lower-proficiency counterpart and the high-graders outnumbering the lower-graders in terms of the number of strategies that they used. These differences were also exemplified with qualitative findings from case studies. The use of reading strategies differs according to proficiency levels, and the quality of pupils' strategy-use patterns has more significant implications for understanding efficient reading among primary school pupils.

Student’s rigorous mathematical thinking based on cognitive style

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitriyani, H.; Khasanah, U.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this research was to determine the rigorous mathematical thinking (RMT) of mathematics education students in solving math problems in terms of reflective and impulsive cognitive styles. The research used descriptive qualitative approach. Subjects in this research were 4 students of the reflective and impulsive cognitive style which was each consisting male and female subjects. Data collection techniques used problem-solving test and interview. Analysis of research data used Miles and Huberman model that was reduction of data, presentation of data, and conclusion. The results showed that impulsive male subjects used three levels of the cognitive function required for RMT that were qualitative thinking, quantitative thinking with precision, and relational thinking completely while the other three subjects were only able to use cognitive function at qualitative thinking level of RMT. Therefore the subject of impulsive male has a better RMT ability than the other three research subjects.

Engaging adolescents with LD in higher order thinking about history concepts using integrated content enhancement routines.

PubMed

Bulgren, Janis; Deshler, Donald D; Lenz, B Keith

2007-01-01

The understanding and use of historical concepts specified in national history standards pose many challenges to students. These challenges include both the acquisition of content knowledge and the use of that knowledge in ways that require higher order thinking. All students, including adolescents with learning disabilities (LD), are expected to understand and use concepts of history to pass high-stakes assessments and to participate meaningfully in a democratic society. This article describes Content Enhancement Routines (CERs) to illustrate instructional planning, teaching, and assessing for higher order thinking with examples from an American history unit. Research on the individual components of Content Enhancement Routines will be illustrated with data from 1 of the routines. The potential use of integrated sets of materials and procedures across grade levels and content areas will be discussed.

The kinds of questions asked by novice teachers in learning mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahra, L.; Kusmayadi, T. A.; Usodo, B.

2018-05-01

This study describes the kinds of questions asked by novice teachers during mathematics learning process in senior high school. This study used descriptive analysis. The subjects of this study were two novice teachers who teach mathematics in 10th grade. The result showed that the frequently asked questions by novice teachers based on the objective were compliance questions, rethorical questions and sometimes prompting questions and probing questions. The frequently questions asked by novice teacher based on the cognitive process dimension of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy were questions of remembering, questions of understanding, questions of applying, questions of analyzing and questions of evaluating. The novice teachers asked the routine questions which had same thinking level. The question with the highest level of thinking did not asked by the novice teachers.

Thinking Design and Pedagogy: An Examination of Five Canadian Post-Secondary Courses in Design Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donar, Ann

2011-01-01

At the tertiary level today, courses on design thinking can be found in diverse programs in and beyond the realm of traditional design disciplines. Across Canada, design thinking courses feature in communication, culture and information technology, and business and engineering. This paper reports findings from a study that investigated the…

Beyond Critical Thinking Skills: Investigating the Relationship between Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions through Different Online Instructional Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Ya-Ting C.; Chou, Heng-An

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate (1) the relationship between critical thinking skills (CTS) and critical thinking dispositions (CTD), and (2) the effectiveness of different levels of instructional strategy (asynchronous online discussions (AODs), CTS instruction via AODs, and CTS instruction with CTD cultivation via AODs) in improving…

The Effect of Learning Styles, Critical Thinking Disposition, and Critical Thinking on Clinical Judgment in Senior Baccalaureate Nursing Students during Human Patient Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCormick, Kiyan

2014-01-01

Simulated learning experiences using high-fidelity human patient simulators (HPS) are increasingly being integrated into baccalaureate nursing programs. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine relationships among learning style, critical thinking disposition, critical thinking, and clinical judgment during high-fidelity human patient…

Observe, Explain, Connect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vardell, Sylvia M.; Wong, Janet S.

2014-01-01

Like science, poetry often involves a high level of abstraction in language and ideas, requiring specific critical-thinking skills and promoting interaction. Casteel and Isom (1994) acknowledge, "The literacy processes are the means by which science content is learned because content information is rooted in written and oral language"…

Connections, Engagement, and Presence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoskins, Barbara J.

2012-01-01

A well-designed online course can provide opportunities for active learning, creative thinking, and knowledge construction with high levels of student satisfaction. The latest Babson/Sloan survey on online education, however, shows that approximately one-third of the chief academic officer participants still consider online education inferior to…

Recreating History with Archimedes and Pi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santucci, Lora C.

2011-01-01

Using modern technology to examine classical mathematics problems at the high school level can reduce difficult computations and encourage generalizations. When teachers combine historical context with access to technology, they challenge advanced students to think deeply, spark interest in students whose primary interest is not mathematics, and…

Implementation of graduate employability skills SJT instrument in Universiti Utara Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakaria, Mohd Hafiz; Yatim, Bidin; Ismail, Suzilah

2014-12-01

Assessing graduate employability skills before they enter the job market is very important because if they are lacking certain skills, improvement can be made through the process of training. In this study, a valid and reliable new instrument for measuring graduate employability skills using Situational Judgement Test (SJT) approach was implemented. The instrument consisted of 12 items representing five employability skills namely communication skill, professional ethics & morality, entrepreneurial skill, critical thinking in problem solving and personal quality. The purpose was to obtain a norm score for each of these skills. A survey was conducted using the SJT instrument on 1012 Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) local undergraduate final year students. The norm score was generated by employing BCA bootstrap technique. Scores guideline was created based on three levels (low, moderate and high). The outcomes indicated that the students possessed moderate level of communicationskill, entrepreneurial skill, critical thinking in problem solving and personal quality but has high professional ethics & morality.

Possible Brain Mechanisms of Creativity.

PubMed

Heilman, Kenneth M

2016-06-01

Creativity is the new discovery, understanding, development and expression of orderly and meaningful relationships. Creativity has three major stages: preparation, the development (nature and nurture) of critical knowledge and skills; innovation, the development of a creative solution; and creative production. Successful preparation requires a basic level of general intelligence and domain specific knowledge and skills and highly creative people may have anatomic alterations of specific neocortical regions. Innovation requires disengagement and divergent thinking primarily mediated by frontal networks. Creative people are often risk-takers and novelty seekers, behaviors that activate their ventral striatal reward system. Innovation also requires associative and convergent thinking, activities that are dependent on the integration of highly distributed networks. People are often most creative when they are in mental states associated with reduced levels of brain norepinephrine, which may enhance the communication between distributed networks. We, however, need to learn more about the brain mechanisms of creativity. Published by Oxford University Press 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Critical thinking skills in nursing students: comparison of simulation-based performance with metrics.

PubMed

Fero, Laura J; O'Donnell, John M; Zullo, Thomas G; Dabbs, Annette DeVito; Kitutu, Julius; Samosky, Joseph T; Hoffman, Leslie A

2010-10-01

This paper is a report of an examination of the relationship between metrics of critical thinking skills and performance in simulated clinical scenarios. Paper and pencil assessments are commonly used to assess critical thinking but may not reflect simulated performance. In 2007, a convenience sample of 36 nursing students participated in measurement of critical thinking skills and simulation-based performance using videotaped vignettes, high-fidelity human simulation, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Simulation-based performance was rated as 'meeting' or 'not meeting' overall expectations. Test scores were categorized as strong, average, or weak. Most (75.0%) students did not meet overall performance expectations using videotaped vignettes or high-fidelity human simulation; most difficulty related to problem recognition and reporting findings to the physician. There was no difference between overall performance based on method of assessment (P = 0.277). More students met subcategory expectations for initiating nursing interventions (P ≤ 0.001) using high-fidelity human simulation. The relationship between videotaped vignette performance and critical thinking disposition or skills scores was not statistically significant, except for problem recognition and overall critical thinking skills scores (Cramer's V = 0.444, P = 0.029). There was a statistically significant relationship between overall high-fidelity human simulation performance and overall critical thinking disposition scores (Cramer's V = 0.413, P = 0.047). Students' performance reflected difficulty meeting expectations in simulated clinical scenarios. High-fidelity human simulation performance appeared to approximate scores on metrics of critical thinking best. Further research is needed to determine if simulation-based performance correlates with critical thinking skills in the clinical setting. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Critical thinking skills in nursing students: comparison of simulation-based performance with metrics

PubMed Central

Fero, Laura J.; O’Donnell, John M.; Zullo, Thomas G.; Dabbs, Annette DeVito; Kitutu, Julius; Samosky, Joseph T.; Hoffman, Leslie A.

2018-01-01

Aim This paper is a report of an examination of the relationship between metrics of critical thinking skills and performance in simulated clinical scenarios. Background Paper and pencil assessments are commonly used to assess critical thinking but may not reflect simulated performance. Methods In 2007, a convenience sample of 36 nursing students participated in measurement of critical thinking skills and simulation-based performance using videotaped vignettes, high-fidelity human simulation, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Simulation- based performance was rated as ‘meeting’ or ‘not meeting’ overall expectations. Test scores were categorized as strong, average, or weak. Results Most (75·0%) students did not meet overall performance expectations using videotaped vignettes or high-fidelity human simulation; most difficulty related to problem recognition and reporting findings to the physician. There was no difference between overall performance based on method of assessment (P = 0·277). More students met subcategory expectations for initiating nursing interventions (P ≤ 0·001) using high-fidelity human simulation. The relationship between video-taped vignette performance and critical thinking disposition or skills scores was not statistically significant, except for problem recognition and overall critical thinking skills scores (Cramer’s V = 0·444, P = 0·029). There was a statistically significant relationship between overall high-fidelity human simulation performance and overall critical thinking disposition scores (Cramer’s V = 0·413, P = 0·047). Conclusion Students’ performance reflected difficulty meeting expectations in simulated clinical scenarios. High-fidelity human simulation performance appeared to approximate scores on metrics of critical thinking best. Further research is needed to determine if simulation-based performance correlates with critical thinking skills in the clinical setting. PMID:20636471

How does participation in inquiry-based activities influence gifted students' higher order thinking?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reger, Barbara H.

Inquiry-based learning is considered a useful technique to strengthen the critical thinking skills of students. The National Science Standards emphasize its use and the complexities and challenge it provides are well suited for meeting the needs of the gifted. While many studies have documented the effectiveness of this type of instruction, there is a lack of research on growth in higher-order thinking through participation in science inquiry. This study investigated such growth among a small group of gifted fifth-grade students. In this study a group of fifth-grade gifted science students completed a series of three forensics inquiry lessons, and documented questions, ideas and reflections as they constructed evidence to solve a crime. From this class of students, one small group was purposely selected to serve as the focus of the study. Using qualitative techniques, the questions and statements students made as they interacted in the activity were analyzed. Videotaped comments and student logs were coded for emerging patterns and also examined for evidence of increased levels of higher-order thinking based on a rubric that was designed using the six levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Evidence from this study showed marked increase in and deeper levels of higher-order thinking for two of the students. The other boy and girl showed progress using the inquiry activities, but it was not as evident. The social dynamics of the group seemed to hinder one girl's participation during some of the activities. The social interactions played a role in strengthening the exchange of ideas and thinking skills for the others. The teacher had a tremendous influence over the production of higher-level statements by modeling that level of thinking as she questioned the students. Through her practice of answering a question with a question, she gradually solicited more analytical thinking from her students.

Critical thinking and accuracy of nurses' diagnoses.

PubMed

Lunney, Margaret

2003-01-01

Interpretations of patient data are complex and diverse, contributing to a risk of low accuracy nursing diagnoses. This risk is confirmed in research findings that accuracy of nurses' diagnoses varied widely from high to low. Highly accurate diagnoses are essential, however, to guide nursing interventions for the achievement of positive health outcomes. Development of critical thinking abilities is likely to improve accuracy of nurses' diagnoses. New views of critical thinking serve as a basis for critical thinking in nursing. Seven cognitive skills and ten habits of mind are identified as dimensions of critical thinking for use in the diagnostic process. Application of the cognitive skills of critical thinking illustrates the importance of using critical thinking for accuracy of nurses' diagnoses. Ten strategies are proposed for self-development of critical thinking abilities.

Rigid dietary control, flexible dietary control, and intuitive eating: Evidence for their differential relationship to disordered eating and body image concerns.

PubMed

Linardon, Jake; Mitchell, Sarah

2017-08-01

This study aimed to replicate and extend from Tylka, Calogero, and Daníelsdóttir (2015) findings by examining the relationship between rigid control, flexible control, and intuitive eating on various indices of disordered eating (i.e., binge eating, disinhibition) and body image concerns (i.e., shape and weight over-evaluation, body checking, and weight-related exercise motivations). This study also examined whether the relationship between intuitive eating and outcomes was mediated by dichotomous thinking and body appreciation. Analysing data from a sample of 372 men and women recruited through the community, this study found that, in contrast to rigid dietary control, intuitive eating uniquely and consistently predicted lower levels of disordered eating and body image concerns. This intuitive eating-disordered eating relationship was mediated by low levels of dichotomous thinking and the intuitive eating-body image relationship was mediated by high levels of body appreciation. Flexible control predicted higher levels of body image concerns and lower levels of disordered eating only when rigid control was accounted for. Findings suggest that until the adaptive properties of flexible control are further elucidated, it may be beneficial to promote intuitive eating within public health approaches to eating disorder prevention. In addition to this, particular emphasis should also be made toward promoting body acceptance and eradicating a dichotomous thinking style around food and eating. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theory of Mind: Did Evolution Fool Us?

PubMed Central

Devaine, Marie; Hollard, Guillaume; Daunizeau, Jean

2014-01-01

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to attribute mental states (e.g., beliefs and desires) to other people in order to understand and predict their behaviour. If others are rewarded to compete or cooperate with you, then what they will do depends upon what they believe about you. This is the reason why social interaction induces recursive ToM, of the sort “I think that you think that I think, etc.”. Critically, recursion is the common notion behind the definition of sophistication of human language, strategic thinking in games, and, arguably, ToM. Although sophisticated ToM is believed to have high adaptive fitness, broad experimental evidence from behavioural economics, experimental psychology and linguistics point towards limited recursivity in representing other’s beliefs. In this work, we test whether such apparent limitation may not in fact be proven to be adaptive, i.e. optimal in an evolutionary sense. First, we propose a meta-Bayesian approach that can predict the behaviour of ToM sophistication phenotypes who engage in social interactions. Second, we measure their adaptive fitness using evolutionary game theory. Our main contribution is to show that one does not have to appeal to biological costs to explain our limited ToM sophistication. In fact, the evolutionary cost/benefit ratio of ToM sophistication is non trivial. This is partly because an informational cost prevents highly sophisticated ToM phenotypes to fully exploit less sophisticated ones (in a competitive context). In addition, cooperation surprisingly favours lower levels of ToM sophistication. Taken together, these quantitative corollaries of the “social Bayesian brain” hypothesis provide an evolutionary account for both the limitation of ToM sophistication in humans as well as the persistence of low ToM sophistication levels. PMID:24505296

Theory of mind: did evolution fool us?

PubMed

Devaine, Marie; Hollard, Guillaume; Daunizeau, Jean

2014-01-01

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to attribute mental states (e.g., beliefs and desires) to other people in order to understand and predict their behaviour. If others are rewarded to compete or cooperate with you, then what they will do depends upon what they believe about you. This is the reason why social interaction induces recursive ToM, of the sort "I think that you think that I think, etc.". Critically, recursion is the common notion behind the definition of sophistication of human language, strategic thinking in games, and, arguably, ToM. Although sophisticated ToM is believed to have high adaptive fitness, broad experimental evidence from behavioural economics, experimental psychology and linguistics point towards limited recursivity in representing other's beliefs. In this work, we test whether such apparent limitation may not in fact be proven to be adaptive, i.e. optimal in an evolutionary sense. First, we propose a meta-Bayesian approach that can predict the behaviour of ToM sophistication phenotypes who engage in social interactions. Second, we measure their adaptive fitness using evolutionary game theory. Our main contribution is to show that one does not have to appeal to biological costs to explain our limited ToM sophistication. In fact, the evolutionary cost/benefit ratio of ToM sophistication is non trivial. This is partly because an informational cost prevents highly sophisticated ToM phenotypes to fully exploit less sophisticated ones (in a competitive context). In addition, cooperation surprisingly favours lower levels of ToM sophistication. Taken together, these quantitative corollaries of the "social Bayesian brain" hypothesis provide an evolutionary account for both the limitation of ToM sophistication in humans as well as the persistence of low ToM sophistication levels.

Student's Perceived Level and Teachers' Teaching Strategies of Higher Order Thinking Skills: A Study on Higher Educational Institutions in Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shukla, Divya; Dungsungnoen, Aj Pattaradanai

2016-01-01

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) has portrayed immense industry demand and the major goal of educational institution in imparting education is to inculcate higher order thinking skills. This compiles and mandate the institutions and instructor to develop the higher order thinking skills among students in order to prepare them for effective…

Instructional Design and Facilitation Approaches That Promote Critical Thinking in Asynchronous Online Discussions: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schindler, Laura A.; Burkholder, Gary J.

2014-01-01

Asynchronous online discussions (AODs) are often used to promote critical thinking in online courses; however, recent research suggests that levels of critical thinking in discussions remain low. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus in the literature about the definition of critical thinking and many of the existing studies focus on one…

A Developmental Perspective on Workplace Readiness: Preparing High School Students for Success. Research Brief, Publication #2009-24

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lippman, Laura; Keith, Julie

2009-01-01

Attention has been focused for decades on the need to improve high school students' preparation for the workplace. Employers report that nearly half of their entry-level employees are inadequately prepared and lack basic communication and critical thinking skills as well as a work ethic. Although a postsecondary credential is considered necessary…

Examining patterns of change in the critical thinking skills of graduate nursing students.

PubMed

McMullen, Maureen A; McMullen, William F

2009-06-01

Although critical thinking in undergraduate nursing education has been explored in depth, little is known about the critical thinking skills of graduate nursing students. Prior research on change in critical thinking scores is based primarily on pretest and posttest assessments that provide minimal information about change. This study used individual growth modeling to investigate how critical thinking skills change during a 2-year graduate nurse program. Scores from the evaluation, inference, and analysis subscales of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test comprised the empirical growth record. Change in the three critical thinking skills was more dynamic than that reported in previous studies. Patterns of change differed by critical thinking skill and in relation to students' initial critical thinking skill levels at program entry.

Adolescent Literacy. Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009

2009-01-01

Millions of middle and high school students lack the literacy skills--including reading, writing, and critical thinking--that they need to succeed in college and the workplace. According to "The Nation's Report Card" fewer than one third of eighth graders read at a proficient level. Policymakers have directed considerable resources toward…

The Gifted Can't Weigh That Giraffe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wassermann, Selma

1982-01-01

A professor's one-time observation of gifted and low-achieving students at one school leads to a startling conclusion. The gifted students were excessively anxious and unable to think creatively in the face of new problems; the low-achievers demonstrated high levels of creative problem-solving. (Author/WD)

Applying Piaget's Theory to Reading Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heatherly, Anna L.

This paper discusses beginning reading instruction in the light of Piaget's theory, which demands that we think more broadly about the term "where the child is" in terms of his level of thinking, not simply his reading level or reading skill level. Using Piaget's four major developmental stages as the basis, the task of instruction in…

Short-Term Attentional Perseveration Associated with Real-Life Creative Achievement

PubMed Central

Zabelina, Darya L.; Beeman, Mark

2013-01-01

There are at least two competing hypotheses of how attention interacts with creative cognition, although they are not mutually exclusive. The first hypothesis is that highly creative people are particularly flexible at switching their attention – that is, they adaptively shift focus among different attentional levels using cognitive control. The second, less common, view is that creative people exhibit attentional persistence, or an ability for sustained attention. We suggest these two views need not be competing, as they may both operate, but on different time scales or on different components of creativity. In the present study we examined the role of attention in real-world creative achievement and in divergent thinking. In Experiment 1 participants with high and low real-world creative achievements identified whether the stimulus contained letters S or H within hierarchically constructed letters (e.g., large S made of small Es – global level; large E made up of small Ss – local level), which were presented in blocks of eight trials per level. In Experiment 2 participants with high, medium, and low creative achievements identified the same stimulus letters, but in blocks of five, seven, and nine trials per level. Results from both experiments indicated that people with high creative achievements made significantly more errors on trials in which they had to switch the level of attention, even after controlling for general intelligence. In Experiment 2, divergent thinking was also assessed, but it was not related to switching cost. Results from both experiments demonstrate that real-world creative acts relate to increased levels of attentional persistence, even if it comes with the cost of perseveration in certain circumstances. PMID:23630508

The role of dichotomous thinking and rigidity in perfectionism.

PubMed

Egan, Sarah J; Piek, Jan P; Dyck, Murray J; Rees, Clare S

2007-08-01

Perfectionism is a complex psychological construct that has been defined in many different ways. Recent conceptualisations of perfectionism have involved dividing the construct into positive and negative components. Negative perfectionism is associated with high emotional distress whereas positive perfectionism is associated with positive affect and lower levels of distress. Although these distinctions have been made it remains unclear as to how distinct the two aspects of perfectionism are particularly in terms of their cognitive profiles. This study investigated two cognitive constructs that have been theoretically linked to perfectionism. Dichotomous thinking and rigidity were examined in three samples (40 clinical participants, 111 athletes, 101 students). As hypothesised, the clinical sample had the highest score on negative perfectionism, however, no differences were observed between groups on positive perfectionism. Dichotomous thinking emerged as the variable most predictive of negative perfectionism, and was less strongly related to positive perfectionism. These results highlight the importance of dichotomous thinking as a cognitive construct worthy of further research to understand negative perfectionism. Implications for the development of cognitive therapy interventions for negative perfectionism are discussed.

Enhancing Critical Thinking in High School English and Theatre Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Tonya; Delmonico, Janine

This report describes a program for enhancing critical thinking skills within the high school English and theatre classrooms. The targeted population consists of high school students in two multicultural middle-class suburbs of Chicago. The lack of critical thinking in the classroom was documented through data garnered from teacher observations,…

Critically Thinking about Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weissberg, Robert

2013-01-01

In this article, the author states that "critical thinking" has mesmerized academics across the political spectrum and that even high school students are now being called upon to "think critically." He furthers adds that it is no exaggeration to say that "critical thinking" has quickly evolved into a scholarly…

Relationships between critical thinking ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses.

PubMed

Chang, Mei Jen; Chang, Ying-Ju; Kuo, Shih-Hsien; Yang, Yi-Hsin; Chou, Fan-Hao

2011-11-01

To examine the relationships between critical thinking ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses. There are few evidance-based data related to the relationship between critical thinking ability and nursing competence of clinical nurses. A cross-sectional and correlation research design was used. A total of 570 clinical nurses at a medical centre in southern Taiwan were recruited into this study. Two self-report questionnaires, the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) and the Nursing Competence Scale (NCS), were used to collect data. The critical thinking ability of clinical nurses was at the middle level. The highest score for the subscales of the WGCTA was 'interpretation ability' and the lowest was 'inference ability'. The nursing competence of clinical nurses was at the middle level and above. The highest score for the subscales was 'caring ability' and the lowest was 'research ability'. Critical thinking ability had a significantly positive correlation with nursing competence. Critical thinking, working years, educational levels and position/title were the significant predictors of nursing competence, accounting for 32·9% of the variance. Critical thinking ability had a significantly positive correlation with nursing competence. The critical thinking ability of clinical nurses with a master's degree was significantly better than those with a bachelor's degree or a diploma and nurses with over five working years was significantly better than those with under five years. The findings of this study can further serve as a reference for nursing education to improve nursing curricula and teaching strategies for nurse preparation. It could also be a guideline for nursing administration personnel in on-the-job training and orientation programs for nursing staff. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Evidence of Critical Thinking in High School Humanities Classrooms (Evidencias del Pensamiento Crítico en las Clases de Ciencias Humanas en Bachillerato)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfonso, David Vargas

2015-01-01

Critical thinking skills (CTS) are a group of higher order thinking abilities related with complex processes of learning like contextualization or problem solving. This exploratory research study identified whether critical thinking skills were present in high school humanities classrooms. The study was carried out in a private school in Bogotá,…

Student-generated reading questions: diagnosing student thinking with diverse formative assessments.

PubMed

Offerdahl, Erika G; Montplaisir, Lisa

2014-01-01

Formative assessment has long been identified as a critical element to teaching for conceptual development in science. It is therefore important for university instructors to have an arsenal of formative assessment tools at their disposal which enable them to effectively uncover and diagnose all students' thinking, not just the most vocal or assertive. We illustrate the utility of one type of formative assessment prompt (reading question assignment) in producing high-quality evidence of student thinking (student-generated reading questions). Specifically, we characterized student assessment data using three distinct analytic frames to exemplify their effectiveness in diagnosing student learning in relationship to three sample learning outcomes. Our data will be useful for university faculty, particularly those engaged in teaching upper-level biochemistry courses and their prerequisites, as they provide an alternative mechanism for uncovering and diagnosing student understanding. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Critical Thinking in the Business Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Joanne R.; Anderson, Phyllis R.

2012-01-01

A minicourse in critical thinking was implemented to improve student outcomes in two sessions of a senior-level business course at a Midwestern university. Statistical analyses of two quantitative assessments revealed significant improvements in critical thinking skills. Improvements in student outcomes in case studies and computerized business…

Episodic Memory and Episodic Future Thinking Impairments in High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Underlying Difficulty With Scene Construction or Self-Projection?

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Objective: There appears to be a common network of brain regions that underlie the ability to recall past personal experiences (episodic memory) and the ability to imagine possible future personal experiences (episodic future thinking). At the cognitive level, these abilities are thought to rely on “scene construction” (the ability to bind together multimodal elements of a scene in mind—dependent on hippocampal functioning) and temporal “self-projection” (the ability to mentally project oneself through time—dependent on prefrontal cortex functioning). Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by diminished episodic memory, it is unclear whether episodic future thinking is correspondingly impaired. Moreover, the underlying basis of such impairments (difficulties with scene construction, self-projection, or both) is yet to be established. The current study therefore aimed to elucidate these issues. Method: Twenty-seven intellectually high-functioning adults with ASD and 29 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical comparison adults were asked to describe (a) imagined atemporal, non-self-relevant fictitious scenes (assessing scene construction), (b) imagined plausible self-relevant future episodes (assessing episodic future thinking), and (c) recalled personally experienced past episodes (assessing episodic memory). Tests of narrative ability and theory of mind were also completed. Results: Performances of participants with ASD were significantly and equally diminished in each condition and, crucially, this diminution was independent of general narrative ability. Conclusions: Given that participants with ASD were impaired in the fictitious scene condition, which does not involve self-projection, we suggest the underlying difficulty with episodic memory/future thinking is one of scene construction. PMID:24015827

Episodic memory and episodic future thinking impairments in high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: an underlying difficulty with scene construction or self-projection?

PubMed

Lind, Sophie E; Williams, David M; Bowler, Dermot M; Peel, Anna

2014-01-01

There appears to be a common network of brain regions that underlie the ability to recall past personal experiences (episodic memory) and the ability to imagine possible future personal experiences (episodic future thinking). At the cognitive level, these abilities are thought to rely on "scene construction" (the ability to bind together multimodal elements of a scene in mind--dependent on hippocampal functioning) and temporal "self-projection" (the ability to mentally project oneself through time--dependent on prefrontal cortex functioning). Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by diminished episodic memory, it is unclear whether episodic future thinking is correspondingly impaired. Moreover, the underlying basis of such impairments (difficulties with scene construction, self-projection, or both) is yet to be established. The current study therefore aimed to elucidate these issues. Twenty-seven intellectually high-functioning adults with ASD and 29 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical comparison adults were asked to describe (a) imagined atemporal, non-self-relevant fictitious scenes (assessing scene construction), (b) imagined plausible self-relevant future episodes (assessing episodic future thinking), and (c) recalled personally experienced past episodes (assessing episodic memory). Tests of narrative ability and theory of mind were also completed. Performances of participants with ASD were significantly and equally diminished in each condition and, crucially, this diminution was independent of general narrative ability. Given that participants with ASD were impaired in the fictitious scene condition, which does not involve self-projection, we suggest the underlying difficulty with episodic memory/future thinking is one of scene construction.

Strategies for Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety in Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kondo, David Shinji

1994-01-01

Develops a typology of strategies people use to cope with public speaking anxiety. Assesses the influences of anxiety level on strategy use. Finds 65 basic tactics in 6 strategy types (Relaxation, Preparation, Positive Thinking, Audience Depreciation, Concentration, and Resignation). Finds high anxious persons more likely to report Relaxation and…

Giving Students the Power to Engage with Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochran, Kathryn F.; Reinsvold, Lori A.; Hess, Chelsie A.

2017-01-01

This critical discourse analysis study identifies and describes power relationships in elementary classrooms that support science engagement by providing students time to think, ask questions, and find their voices to talk about subject matter. The first analyses involved identification and description of classroom episodes showing high levels of…

Revealing Student Thinking about Experimental Design and the Roles of Control Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shi, Jia; Power, Joy M.; Klymkowsky, Michael W.

2011-01-01

Well-designed "controls" distinguish experimental from non-experimental studies. Surprisingly, we found that a high percentage of students had difficulty identifying control experiments even after completing three university-level laboratory courses. To address this issue, we designed and ran a revised cell biology lab course in which…

The Relationship of Hypomania, Creativity, and Suicidal Ideation in Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drapeau, Christopher W.; DeBrule, Daniel S.

2013-01-01

Elevations in hypomanic symptoms have been linked to high levels of creativity, and clinicians assess hypomania as one means of identifying individuals most at risk for attempting suicide among individuals diagnosed with depression. However, potential relationships between hypomania, creativity (i.e., divergent thinking and creative achievement),…

Reading the Intentionality of Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forman, George E.

2010-01-01

Through six video clips and accompanying commentary, the author argues that by carefully observing how very young children play, adults can gain insight into their high-level thinking and their knowledge, as well as the implications that their strategies hold for their assumptions, theories, and expectations. Adults can then become more protective…

Decisions and Tensions: Summative Assessments in PBL Advanced Placement Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Susan Elizabeth

2017-01-01

This study examines how teachers navigate tensions between communicating expectations for college level work and student motivation as they determined summative grades in an AP Environmental Science course. Semi-structured interviews and a think-aloud protocol were conducted while teachers in poverty-impacted urban high schools determined final…

Conceptions of Career Choice and Attainment: Developmental Levels in How Children Think about Careers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Kimberly A. S.; Walsh, Mary E.

2010-01-01

Children's conceptions of career choice and attainment were evaluated in two studies to test whether reasoning levels varied by grade level (Studies 1 and 2) and perspective-taking complexity (Study 2). Results indicated that younger children (Grade K) were more likely to use reasoning strategies associated with fantasy and magical thinking and…

Adapting Entry-Level Engineering Courses to Emphasize Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagerty, D. Joseph; Rockaway, Thomas D.

2012-01-01

The University of Louisville recently developed a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to improve undergraduate instruction across all disciplines as part of its ongoing accreditation requirements. Central elements of the plan are emphasis on critical thinking; integration of critical thinking throughout the curriculum; service learning for…

Assessing the critical thinking skills of faculty: What do the findings mean for nursing education?

PubMed

Zygmont, Dolores M; Schaefer, Karen Moore

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine the critical thinking skills of nurse faculty and to examine the relationship between epistemological position and critical thinking. Most participants reported having no education on critical thinking. Data were collected using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and the Learning Environment Preferences (LEP). Findings from the CCTST indicated that faculty varied considerably in their ability to think critically; LEP findings suggested that participants had not reached the intellectual level needed for critical thinking. In addition, 12 faculty participated in one-hour telephone interviews in which they described experiences in which students demonstrated critical thinking. Despite a lack of clarity on the definition of critical thinking, faculty described clinical examples where students engaged in analysis, inference, and evaluation. Based on these findings, it is recommended that faculty transfer their ability to engage students in critical thinking in the clinical setting to the classroom setting. Benchmarks can be established based on the ability of faculty to engage in critical thinking.

Those Who Can Coach Can Teach: Collaborating With Athletic Coaches to Raise the Level of Students' Close Reading, Argumentation Skills, and Academic Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrenworth, Mary; Minor, Cornelius; Federman, Mark; Jennings, James; Messer, Katherine; McCloud, Christopher

2015-01-01

Building on the work of John Hattie, Richard Kent, and Tom Newkirk, a think tank collaborative in New York City's high schools works to raise the level of students' close reading, argumentation, and agency across the curriculum by teaching students to analyze athletic competitions, to compose sports arguments, and to transfer and apply these…

Moral Thinking in Male Elementary Pupils as Reflected by Perception of Basketball Rules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jantz, Richard K.

1975-01-01

The results of this study support Piaget's contention of different levels of moral thinking in elementary school children. The findings indicate a lower level of moral responses in grades one and two than in grades three through six. (RC)

The Costa Rica GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Project as a Learning Science Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro Rojas, María Dolores; Zuñiga, Ana Lourdes Acuña; Ugalde, Emmanuel Fonseca

2015-01-01

GLOBE is a global educational program for elementary and high school levels, and its main purpose in Costa Rica is to develop scientific thinking and interest for science in high school students through hydrology research projects that allow them to relate science with environmental issues in their communities. Youth between 12 and 17 years old…

Greek Theatre: A Reflection of Ancient Greek Society (A Program Alternative for High School Gifted Students). Programs for Gifted Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Girard, M. Phyllis

One in a series of instructional units designed for gifted students, the paper describes a high school curriculum that examines the Greek theatre as a reflection of Greek society. The unit is designed to provide academic substance while developing higher level critical thinking skills. Following a brief introduction on the integration of theatre…

Gender Differences in Divergent Thinking: Use of the Test of Creative Thinking-Drawing Production on an Egyptian Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sayed, Emam Moustafa; Mohamed, Ahmed Hassan Hemdan

2013-01-01

The issue of gender differences in creativity has been a controversial and much-disputed subject for decades. The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in divergent thinking and the effect of gender-grade level interaction on divergent thinking. The sample consisted of 901 (367 boys and 534 girls), from K to 6, who were recruited…

Creative Cognition in Secondary Science: An exploration of divergent thinking in science among adolescents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antink-Meyer, Allison; Lederman, Norman G.

2015-07-01

The divergent thinking skills in science of 282 US high school students were investigated across 16 weeks of instruction in order to determine whether typical academic time periods can significantly influence changes in thinking skills. Students' from 6 high school science classrooms completed the Scientific Structures Creativity Measure (SSCM) before and after a semester of instruction. Even the short time frame of a typical academic term was found to be sufficient to promote both improvements in divergent thinking skills as well as declining divergent thinking. Declining divergent thinking skills were more common in this time frame than were improvements. The nature of student performance on the SSCM and implications are discussed.

Assessing Postgraduate Students' Critical Thinking Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Javed, Muhammad; Nawaz, Muhammad Atif; Qurat-Ul-Ain, Ansa

2015-01-01

This paper addresses to assess the critical thinking ability of postgraduate students. The target population was the male and female students at University level in Pakistan. A small sample of 45 male and 45 female students were selected randomly from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Cornell Critical Thinking Test Series, The…

Critical Thinking, Parenting, and the Dance of Adolescence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sargant, Hope

2002-01-01

A parent of a gifted preteen discusses how parents can promote critical thinking in their gifted adolescents. Parents are urged to focus three levels of cognition where critical thinking is believed to take place: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Examples of positive interactions and questioning techniques are provided. (Contains 1 reference.)…

The Lobster Tale: An Exercise in Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stepanovich, Paul L.

2009-01-01

Professors in management and business are encouraged to incorporate critical thinking as an objective in their courses. "The Lobster Tale" provides an opportunity to engage students in various levels of critical thinking, ranging from a relatively superficial reading to an examination of the deeper, often hidden issues. Using the foundations of…

Scrutiny of the Bounty or Teaching Critical Thinking in

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cash, D. Michele

This paper, presented at the Indiana Library Association Meeting, discusses critical thinking in general terms and then briefly discusses why it is important to include critical thinking skills in bibliographic instruction sessions at the higher education level. A discussion of the instructional design of bibliographic instruction in relation to…

Barrier to Success: Community College Students Critical Thinking Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Charlene V.

In 1991, a study was conducted using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (CTA) to determine how well students at Rancho Santiago College (RSC), a large, multicultural community institution in Santa Ana, California, demonstrated critical thinking abilities. Written at the ninth grade reading level, the CTA attempts to assess an…

Poetry: It's Not Just for English Class Anymore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connor-Greene, Patricia A.; Young, Art; Paul, Catherine; Murdoch, Janice W.

2005-01-01

Higher level thought involves both critical and creative thinking skills. Although the psychological literature is rich with research on teaching critical thinking, relatively little published work addresses ways of promoting creative thinking. In this article we describe the use of poetry writing in an abnormal psychology class to encourage…

Analysis of senior high school students’ creative thinking skills profile in Klaten regency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyanto, F. N.; Masykuri, M.; Muzzazinah

2018-04-01

The aim of this research is to analyze the initial profile of creative thinking skills in Senior High School students on biology learning. This research was a quantitative descriptive research using test method. Analysis was conducted by giving tests containing creative thinking skills. The research subject was grade 11 students of Senior High School that categorized by its accreditation as category A (high grade) and category B (low grade). These schools are placed in Klaten Regency, Central Java. Based on the analysis, it showed that the percentage of creative thinking skill achievement in category A school is: fluency (46.35%), flexibility (13.54%), originality (20%), and elaboration (34.76%); meanwhile, category B school is fluency (30.39%), flexibility (2.45%), originality (9.11 %) and elaboration (12.87%). The lowest percentage of that result in both school categories was found on flexibility and originality indicator. Based on the result, the average of creative thinking skills in category A school was 28.66%, and category B school was 13.71%. The conclusion of this research is the initial profile of students’ creative thinking skills in biology learning was relatively in low grade. The result indicates that creative thinking skills of Senior High School students should become a serious attention considering the low percentage on each indicator.

Cognitive abilities predict death during the next 15 years in older Japanese adults.

PubMed

Nishita, Yukiko; Tange, Chikako; Tomida, Makiko; Otsuka, Rei; Ando, Fujiko; Shimokata, Hiroshi

2017-10-01

The longitudinal relationship between cognitive abilities and subsequent death was investigated among community-dwelling older Japanese adults. Participants (n = 1060; age range 60-79 years) comprised the first-wave participants of the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging. Participants' cognitive abilities were measured at baseline using the Japanese Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Short Form, which includes the following tests: Information (general knowledge), Similarities (logical abstract thinking), Picture Completion (visual perception and long-term visual memory) and Digit Symbol (information processing speed). By each cognitive test score, participants were classified into three groups: the high-level group (≥ the mean + 1SD), the low-level group (≤ the mean - 1SD) and the middle-level group. Data on death and moving during the subsequent 15 years were collected and analyzed using the multiple Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for physical and psychosocial covariates. During the follow-up period, 308 participants (29.06%) had died and 93 participants (8.77%) had moved. In the Similarities test, adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of the low-level group to the high-level group were significant (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.02-2.17, P = 0.038). Furthermore, in the Digit symbol test, the adjusted HR of the low-level group to the high-level group was significant (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.03-2.58, P = 0.038). Significant adjusted HR were not observed for the Information or Picture Completion tests. It is suggested that a lower level of logical abstract thinking and slower information processing speed are associated with shorter survival among older Japanese adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1654-1660. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Neurally and mathematically motivated architecture for language and thought.

PubMed

Perlovsky, L I; Ilin, R

2010-01-01

Neural structures of interaction between thinking and language are unknown. This paper suggests a possible architecture motivated by neural and mathematical considerations. A mathematical requirement of computability imposes significant constraints on possible architectures consistent with brain neural structure and with a wealth of psychological knowledge. How language interacts with cognition. Do we think with words, or is thinking independent from language with words being just labels for decisions? Why is language learned by the age of 5 or 7, but acquisition of knowledge represented by learning to use this language knowledge takes a lifetime? This paper discusses hierarchical aspects of language and thought and argues that high level abstract thinking is impossible without language. We discuss a mathematical technique that can model the joint language-thought architecture, while overcoming previously encountered difficulties of computability. This architecture explains a contradiction between human ability for rational thoughtful decisions and irrationality of human thinking revealed by Tversky and Kahneman; a crucial role in this contradiction might be played by language. The proposed model resolves long-standing issues: how the brain learns correct words-object associations; why animals do not talk and think like people. We propose the role played by language emotionality in its interaction with thought. We relate the mathematical model to Humboldt's "firmness" of languages; and discuss possible influence of language grammar on its emotionality. Psychological and brain imaging experiments related to the proposed model are discussed. Future theoretical and experimental research is outlined.

Teaching Spatial Thinking with the National Atlas of Korea in U.S. Secondary Level Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Gregory H.; Hwang, Chul Sue; Choi, Jongnam

2018-05-01

This paper is predicated on the body of literature that supports a theoretical concept that middle and high school age children possess the cognitive ability to understand thematic maps and achieve some degree of cartographic literacy. In 2006, the US National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies published a landmark book on Learning to Think Spatially. This book documented essential secondary education components and various aspects of teaching spatial thinking. The NRC defines spatial thinking as "a form of thinking based on a constructive amalgam of three elements: concepts of space, tools of representation, and processes of reasoning" (NRC, 2006, ix). This paper is an attempt to document and understand some of the attributes associated with these three elements. Specifically, it aims to find ways that can effectively contribute to the teaching of these elements associated with spatial thinking. The National Atlas of Korea is chosen for lesson plan development because it is well-designed and provides a range of contents and comprehensiveness that are ideal; in addition, it is freely accessible online and downloadable (http://nationalatlas.ngii.go.kr/). Four master geography teachers were invited to examine the Atlas to conceive and develop Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) lesson plans. Four lesson plans were written and have continually been implemented in classrooms to over 800 students in the States of Utah, Georgia, Minnesota, and Tennessee since the 2015 Fall semester. Results are presented in this paper.

Neurally and Mathematically Motivated Architecture for Language and Thought

PubMed Central

Perlovsky, L.I; Ilin, R

2010-01-01

Neural structures of interaction between thinking and language are unknown. This paper suggests a possible architecture motivated by neural and mathematical considerations. A mathematical requirement of computability imposes significant constraints on possible architectures consistent with brain neural structure and with a wealth of psychological knowledge. How language interacts with cognition. Do we think with words, or is thinking independent from language with words being just labels for decisions? Why is language learned by the age of 5 or 7, but acquisition of knowledge represented by learning to use this language knowledge takes a lifetime? This paper discusses hierarchical aspects of language and thought and argues that high level abstract thinking is impossible without language. We discuss a mathematical technique that can model the joint language-thought architecture, while overcoming previously encountered difficulties of computability. This architecture explains a contradiction between human ability for rational thoughtful decisions and irrationality of human thinking revealed by Tversky and Kahneman; a crucial role in this contradiction might be played by language. The proposed model resolves long-standing issues: how the brain learns correct words-object associations; why animals do not talk and think like people. We propose the role played by language emotionality in its interaction with thought. We relate the mathematical model to Humboldt’s “firmness” of languages; and discuss possible influence of language grammar on its emotionality. Psychological and brain imaging experiments related to the proposed model are discussed. Future theoretical and experimental research is outlined. PMID:21673788

Depressive states amplify both upward and downward counterfactual thinking.

PubMed

Feng, Xue; Gu, Ruolei; Liang, Fucheng; Broster, Lucas S; Liu, Yunzhe; Zhang, Dandan; Luo, Yue-jia

2015-08-01

Depression has been linked to counterfactual thinking in many behavioral studies, but the direction of this effect remains disputed. In the current study, the relationship between depression and counterfactual thinking was examined using the event-related potential (ERP) technique. In a binary choice gambling task, outcome feedback of the chosen option and that of the alternative option were both provided, so as to elicit the process of counterfactual comparison. By investigating ERP signals in response to outcome presentation, we discovered that when the fictive outcome was better or worse than the factual outcome, the amplitude of the P3 component was positively correlated with individual levels of depression, but not levels of anxiety. These results indicate that depression strengthens both upward counterfactual thinking and downward counterfactual thinking. The implication of this finding to clinical research is discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Primary Grade Students' Knowledge and Thinking about Transportation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brophy, Jere; Alleman, Janet

2005-01-01

Very little information exists about children's prior knowledge and thinking (including misconceptions) about transportation, a topic commonly taught in elementary social studies. To develop such information, individual interviews were conducted with 96 K-3 students, stratified according to grade level, achievement level, and gender. The students…

Thinking like animals or thinking like colleagues?

PubMed

Dennett, Daniel C; Lambert, Enoch

2017-01-01

We comment on ways in which Lake et al. advance our understanding of the machinery of intelligence and offer suggestions. The first set concerns animal-level versus human-level intelligence. The second concerns the urgent need to address ethical issues when evaluating the state of artificial intelligence.

Offensive tactical thinking level of wheelchair basketball players in Arab countries.

PubMed

Hindawi, Omar S; Orabi, Samira; Al Arjan, Jafar; Judge, Lawrence W; Cottingham, Michael; Bellar, David Michael

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the appropriateness of offensive tactical decision-making of Arab basketball players, and to determine if there are differences in the appropriateness of offensive tactical decision-making within the various disability classifications of Arab basketball players. A twenty-question survey was formulated to assess decision-making in offensive tactical situations in wheelchair basketball players. Participants in the present study were 108 athletes from 10 Arab national teams participating in wheelchair basketball. The mean offensive tactical thinking level of wheelchair basketball players in the 20 different situations in the Arab countries ranged between 1.38-2.84, and the standard deviations for these 20 means ranged from 0.41 to 0.90. The total mean of all tactical situations was 2.33, which is moderate thinking level. The influence of the disability classification on the offensive tactical thinking of wheelchair basketball players was addressed by examining the data via a one-way ANOVA. The ANOVA revealed no significant differences among disability classifications/categories in tactical thinking (F(3, 104)=1.12, p=0.34). This study represents the first attempt to identify why Arab nations have not consistently qualified for the Paralympics or World Championships. These findings indicate that the moderate offensive tactical thinking level of wheelchair basketball players on Arab national teams may be part of the reason that performances of these teams have not been as strong as they would like.

The effectiveness of web-programming module based on scientific approach to train logical thinking ability for students in vocational high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nashiroh, Putri Khoirin; Kamdi, Waras; Elmunsyah, Hakkun

2017-09-01

Web programming is a basic subject in Computer and Informatics Engineering, a program study in a vocational high school. It requires logical thinking ability in its learning activities. The purposes of this research were (1) to develop a web programming module that implement scientific approach that can improve logical thinking ability for students in vocational high school; and (2) to test the effectiveness of web programming module based on scientific approach to train students' logical thinking ability. The results of this research was a web-programming module that apply scientific approach for learning activities to improve logical thinking ability of students in the vocational high school. The results of the effectiveness test of web-programming module give conclusion that it was very effective to train logical thinking ability and to improve learning result, this conclusion was supported by: (1) the average of posttest result of students exceeds the minimum criterion value, it was 79.91; (2) the average percentage of students' logical thinking score is 82,98; and (3) the average percentage of students' responses to the web programming module was 81.86%.

New pedagogies for teaching thinking: the lived experiences of students and teachers enacting narrative pedagogy.

PubMed

Ironside, Pamela M

2003-11-01

The need to prepare students for a rapidly changing health care system sustains teachers' interest in developing students' thinking abilities at all levels of nursing education. Although significant effort has been directed toward developing efficient and effective strategies to teach thinking, this study explores the underlying assumptions embedded in any approach to teaching and learning and how these assumptions influence students' thinking. This study, using Heideggerian hermeneutics, explored how teachers and students experience enacting a new pedagogy, Narrative Pedagogy, and this article explains how enacting this pedagogy offers new possibilities for teaching and learning thinking. Two themes emerged from this analysis and are discussed: Thinking as Questioning: Preserving Perspectival Openness and Practicing Thinking: Preserving Fallibility and Uncertainty.

Toward a Clinically Meaningful Taxonomy of Violent Offenders: The Role of Anger and Thinking Styles.

PubMed

Low, Kyra; Day, Andrew

2015-05-22

Violent offender rehabilitation programs aim to reduce the risk of re-offending in known offenders by addressing a range of different treatments needs, often with core intervention targets of improving anger regulation and altering antisocial beliefs and thinking styles. Such programs have proven efficacy in reducing recidivism for some, but not all, violent offenders, and little is known about the effects of these programs on different offender types. This study investigates whether subtypes of violent offenders can be meaningfully identified and considers how this influences short-term treatment outcomes. Cluster analysis identified three distinctive violent offender groups within a sample of 305 male offenders who had been assessed for participation in a violent offender rehabilitation program. An "unregulated" group had high levels of anger experience and expression and low levels of anger control, and held beliefs that were strongly supportive of a criminal lifestyle. A "regulated" group demonstrated levels of anger and beliefs supporting criminal activity that were not in a range that warranted treatment. Finally, an "overregulated" group was assessed as the group at highest risk of violent re-offending and had low levels of anger experience and expression and an absence of beliefs supporting criminal activity. The unregulated group appeared to gain the most benefit from treatment, although it had the highest levels of criminal thinking and problematic anger. These findings nonetheless offer support for the hypothesis that violent offender treatment programs may be optimally effective when targeted at particular types of offenders. © The Author(s) 2015.

The impact of binaural beats on creativity

PubMed Central

Reedijk, Susan A.; Bolders, Anne; Hommel, Bernhard

2013-01-01

Human creativity relies on a multitude of cognitive processes, some of which are influenced by the neurotransmitter dopamine. This suggests that creativity could be enhanced by interventions that either modulate the production or transmission of dopamine directly, or affect dopamine-driven processes. In the current study we hypothesized that creativity can be influenced by means of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that is considered a form of cognitive entrainment that operates through stimulating neuronal phase locking. We aimed to investigate whether binaural beats affect creative performance at all, whether they affect divergent thinking, convergent thinking, or both, and whether possible effects may be mediated by the individual striatal dopamine level. Binaural beats were presented at alpha and gamma frequency. Participants completed a divergent and a convergent thinking task to assess two important functions of creativity, and filled out the Positive And Negative Affect Scale—mood State questionnaire (PANAS-S) and an affect grid to measure current mood. Dopamine levels in the striatum were estimated using spontaneous eye blink rates (EBRs). Results showed that binaural beats, regardless of the presented frequency, can affect divergent but not convergent thinking. Individuals with low EBRs mostly benefitted from alpha binaural beat stimulation, while individuals with high EBRs were unaffected or even impaired by both alpha and gamma binaural beats. This suggests that binaural beats, and possibly other forms of cognitive entrainment, are not suited for a one-size-fits-all approach, and that individual cognitive-control systems need to be taken into account when studying cognitive enhancement methods. PMID:24294202

The impact of binaural beats on creativity.

PubMed

Reedijk, Susan A; Bolders, Anne; Hommel, Bernhard

2013-01-01

Human creativity relies on a multitude of cognitive processes, some of which are influenced by the neurotransmitter dopamine. This suggests that creativity could be enhanced by interventions that either modulate the production or transmission of dopamine directly, or affect dopamine-driven processes. In the current study we hypothesized that creativity can be influenced by means of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that is considered a form of cognitive entrainment that operates through stimulating neuronal phase locking. We aimed to investigate whether binaural beats affect creative performance at all, whether they affect divergent thinking, convergent thinking, or both, and whether possible effects may be mediated by the individual striatal dopamine level. Binaural beats were presented at alpha and gamma frequency. Participants completed a divergent and a convergent thinking task to assess two important functions of creativity, and filled out the Positive And Negative Affect Scale-mood State questionnaire (PANAS-S) and an affect grid to measure current mood. Dopamine levels in the striatum were estimated using spontaneous eye blink rates (EBRs). Results showed that binaural beats, regardless of the presented frequency, can affect divergent but not convergent thinking. Individuals with low EBRs mostly benefitted from alpha binaural beat stimulation, while individuals with high EBRs were unaffected or even impaired by both alpha and gamma binaural beats. This suggests that binaural beats, and possibly other forms of cognitive entrainment, are not suited for a one-size-fits-all approach, and that individual cognitive-control systems need to be taken into account when studying cognitive enhancement methods.

Examining the Affordances of Dual Cognitive Processing to Explain the Development of High School Students' Nature of Science Views

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Luke M.

This mixed method study was aimed at examining the influence of dual processing (Type 1 and Type 2 thinking) on the development of high school students' nature of science (NOS) views. Type 1 thinking is intuitive, experiential, and heuristic. Type 2 thinking is rational, analytical, and explicit. Three research questions were asked: (1) Do the experiential process (Type 1) and the logical process (Type 2) influence the development of students' NOS views? (2) If there is an influence on students' NOS views, then what is the nature of relationship between the experiential process (Type 1) and the development of NOS views? (3) What is the nature of relationship between the logical process (Type 2) and the development of NOS views? The Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire C (VNOS-C; Lederman, Abd-El-Khalick, Bell, & Schwartz, 2002) was administered to 29 high school students at the beginning and at the end of an explicit-reflective NOS intervention offered in an Advanced Placement environmental science course. Changes in students' NOS views were calculated through a chi-square test and examining the percentage of students holding NOS views at various levels of sophistication. With the chi-square goodness of fit test performed, the relationship between pre and post NOS scores was not significant, X2(3, 29) = 4.78, p <.05. The informed and preinformed NOS views increased (14%, 17%) in frequency while the mixed and uninformed NOS views decreased (i.e. improved 26%, 24%) in frequency from pre to posttest. The reading discussions were coded based on the EBR framework (Furtak et al., 2010) to analyze the use of dual processing. Type1 and Type 2 thinking were both used during the intervention and reading reflections. Type 2 thinking was more prominent when analyzing a problem, formulating a hypothesis, or stating logical claims. The association of NOS education and Type 1 and Type 2 thinking in scientific literacy was examined, and implications and future research are discussed.

Matriculation, Degree Structures, and Levels of Student Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collis, Kevin F.; Biggs, John B.

1983-01-01

The functions of Australian higher education institutions are examined in terms of the knowledge and skill needs of each sector. A new evaluation technique that clarifies the complexity of student thinking required at each level is applied to the programs, producing a rationale for admission and degree structure. (MSE)

Analysis of students’ creative thinking level in problem solving based on national council of teachers of mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobri; Suharto; Rifqi Naja, Ahmad

2018-04-01

This research aims to determine students’ creative thinking level in problem solving based on NCTM in function subject. The research type is descriptive with qualitative approach. Data collection methods which were used are test and interview. Creative thinking level in problem solving based on NCTM indicators consists of (1) Make mathematical model from a contextual problem and solve the problem, (2) Solve problem using various possible alternatives, (3) Find new alternative(s) to solve the problem, (4) Determine the most efficient and effective alternative for that problem, (5) Review and correct mistake(s) on the process of problem solving. Result of the research showed that 10 students categorized in very satisfying level, 23 students categorized in satisfying level and 1 students categorized in less satisfying level. Students in very satisfying level meet all indicators, students in satisfying level meet first, second, fourth, and fifth indicator, while students in less satisfying level only meet first and fifth indicator.

Cooperative Learning to Promote Human Rights

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, George M.

2003-01-01

When people think about how education at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels can promote human rights, most people think about the content. For example, they think about lessons on topics such as overcoming discrimination or the right to a fair trial. However, teaching for human rights is not only about the "what," the content of…

Leading Critically: A Grounded Theory of Applied Critical Thinking in Leadership Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jekins, Daniel M.; Cutchens, Amanda B.

2011-01-01

This study describes the development of a grounded theory of applied critical thinking in leadership studies and examines how student-centered experiential learning in leadership education bridged critical thinking with action. Over three semester undergraduate students in an upper level leadership studies course at a large four-year public…

A Multi-Level Model of Moral Thinking Based on Neuroscience and Moral Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeong, Changwoo; Han, Hye Min

2011-01-01

Developments in neurobiology are providing new insights into the biological and physical features of human thinking, and brain-activation imaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging have become the most dominant research techniques to approach the biological part of thinking. With the aid of neurobiology, there also have been…

A Study of Intuitive Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goethe, Susan E. A. M.

The development and use of intuitive thinking, at all levels of education, have been of concern to scholars in recent years. This paper discusses the findings and theories of various scholars about intuitive thinking and learning, including the work of Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Richard Jones, and Robert Ornstein. The paper also explores the use…

Thinking Styles of Primary School Teachers in Beijing, China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ying; Pang, Nicholas Sun-Keung

2013-01-01

Previous studies on teachers' thinking have usually related to teaching and learning, and concentrated on classroom-level outcomes. In this study, an organizational and administrative perspective was adopted in examining teachers' thinking style. Data collected were from a sample of 268 in-service teachers from 6 primary schools in Beijing, China.…

Teaching Critical Reading through Literature. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Norma Decker

Noting that it is only within the last decade that schools have begun to identify ways to optimize language use to promote higher level thinking, this ERIC Digest focuses on developing thinking skills in reading. The digest discusses the impetus for critical reading, the use of children's literature as a tool for teaching thinking skills, a…

Presuming Incompetence from Preschool to the Professoriate: How Leadership Preparation Programs Perpetuate or Prevent Deficit Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burciaga, Rebeca

2015-01-01

This article discusses how deficit thinking is manifested through a presumption of incompetence for people of color from preschool to university levels. Examples are presented as a way to demonstrate that leadership programs can support future leaders in curtailing deficit thinking in our schools and communities.

Critical Thinking in Wikibook Creation with Enhanced and Minimal Scaffolds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Nari

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate how to scaffold students' critical thinking skills in the process of co-writing and co-reflection of wikibooks in formal learning contexts. To observe critical thinking skills in wiki collaborations under different levels of instructional guidance, two graduate wikibook projects were selected: an…

A Pedagogy of Force: Faculty Perspectives of Critical Thinking Capacity in Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halx, Mark D.; Reybold, L. Earle

2006-01-01

Given that critical thinking development is an essential part of undergraduate education, and in most cases faculty members accept their role to promote some level of it in their classrooms, this article explores the complicated relationship between faculty perceptions of critical thinking and pedagogical applications. Following a review of the…

Moral Reasoning: Its Relation to Logical Thinking and Role-Taking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Marion E.

1978-01-01

In a sample of 100 children, aged 8-14, there was a clear association between consolidated concrete operational thinking and Kohlberg's Stage 2 moral reasoning, and some evidence that, in order of development, logical thinking precedes role-taking, which precedes moral reasoning, at corresponding levels of conceptual complexity. (Author/SJL)

TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Advanced Projects for Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taitt, Henry A.

Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for advanced learners at the high school/adult level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts learned in the accompanying instructional manuals (volumes 3…

Reach for Reference. No Opposition Here! Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center Is a Very Good Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safford, Barbara Ripp

2004-01-01

"Opposing Viewpoints" and "Opposing Viewpoints Juniors" have long been standard titles in upper elementary, middle level, and high school collections. "Opposing Viewpoints Juniors" should be required as information literacy/critical thinking curriculum tools as early as fifth grade as they use current controversies to teach students how to…

Alexander Meets Michotte: A Simulation Tool Based on Pattern Programming and Phenomenology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basawapatna, Ashok

2016-01-01

Simulation and modeling activities, a key point of computational thinking, are currently not being integrated into the science classroom. This paper describes a new visual programming tool entitled the Simulation Creation Toolkit. The Simulation Creation Toolkit is a high level pattern-based phenomenological approach to bringing rapid simulation…

What's your game plan? Advice from the capital markets.

PubMed

Grube, Mark E; Wareham, Therese L

2005-11-01

Healthcare organizations are most attractive to the capital markets if they demonstrate or make use of: High-level strategic thinking and integrated strategic and financial planning. Comprehensive data on market and strategic position. A measurable, measured, and achieved strategy. Market strength and competitive differentiation. An ongoing planning process. Frequent communication and well-considered documentation.

Individualistic and Collectivistic Approaches to Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pena, Elizabeth D.; Mendez-Perez, Anita

2006-01-01

Mediated learning describes what parents and teachers do to teach and includes four components: (1) intent to teach; (2) competence; (3) transcendence to promote high level thinking; and (4) mediation of meaning, helping children to focus on the importance of what is being focused on. Mediated learning is assumed to be universal for all cultural…

Brain Stretchers, Book 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Carolyn; Haller, Jackie

This collection of activities is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills. The activities are non-graded and can be used from upper elementary to high school. Reading levels vary from no reading required to very little reading required and can be used effectively with students who are poor readers, bilingual, or at a special…

Brain Stretchers, Book 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Carolyn; Haller, Jackie

This collection of activities is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills. The activities are non-graded and can be used from upper elementary to high school. The reading levels vary from no reading required to very little reading required and can be used effectively with students who are poor readers, bilingual, or at a special…

Relation between Metacognitive Awareness and Participation to Class Discussion of University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akman, Özkan; Alagöz, Bülent

2018-01-01

Form of inquiry should be based on cognitive approach, student-centered, question and inquiry-based, free of memorization and focused on high-level cognitive skills (critical-creative thinking and problem-solving) rather than conventional teacher-centered teaching and learning based on memorization and behavioral approach. The life quality of…

A Bridge to the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Richard

2008-01-01

Career and technical education (CTE) has a promising future at Darlington (WI) High School. In this article, the author describes how a class bridge project became a real-world, project-based learning opportunity involving higher-level thinking skills that are at the core of CTE at his school. It began when a local citizen approached him at the…

Empowering Young Black Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kafele, Baruti K.

2012-01-01

Of all the challenges we face in education today, the author can think of none greater than the challenge of motivating, educating, and empowering black male learners. The fact that this group of students is in crisis is evident on multiple levels, starting with graduation rates. According to the Schott Foundation (2008), the U.S. high school…

Fostering Higher Order Critical Thinking in 21st Century Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taft, Mary Miller

2012-01-01

Teachers working with increasingly diverse student populations are expected, for the first time in American history, to bring all students to high levels of proficiency. American graduates must compete with graduates from other nations, given the realities of the 21st century global economy. American teachers must possess 21st century skills in…

TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Adult Intermediate Microcomputer Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taitt, Henry A.

Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for intermediate learners at the high school/adult level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts taught in the accompanying instructional manuals (Volumes 3…

Cultivating Imaginative Thinking: Teacher Strategies Used in High-Performing Arts Education Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Josephine; Gibson, Robyn; Anderson, Michael; Martin, Andrew J.; Sudmalis, David

2016-01-01

This article reports on recent case-study research that examined teacher- and student-level processes in nine Australian arts classrooms. The selected classrooms, based on the results of a connected longitudinal study, demonstrated strong positive links between arts participation and academic motivation, engagement and achievement. The focus here…

Flow Experience in Design Thinking and Practical Synergies with Lego Serious Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Primus, Dirk J.; Sonnenburg, Stephan

2018-01-01

The flow experience can be an important precursor to high levels of creativity and innovation. Prior work has identified and conceptualized the key elements of the flow experience in cocreative activities as individual flow corridor, individual flow feeling, and group flow. Surprisingly, the flow experience is underrepresented in theory and…

Use Grants, Not Loans, for Getting Low-Income Hispanics to College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adam, Michelle

2007-01-01

The Educational Policy Institute (EPI) is an international think tank launched in 2002 "to expand educational opportunity for low-income and other historically underrepresented students through high-level research and analysis." Financial aid to students is a major element in expanding opportunity and thus is a major focus of EPI. Alex…

Analyzing students' attitudes towards science during inquiry-based lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostenbader, Tracy C.

Due to the logistics of guided-inquiry lesson, students learn to problem solve and develop critical thinking skills. This mixed-methods study analyzed the students' attitudes towards science during inquiry lessons. My quantitative results from a repeated measures survey showed no significant difference between student attitudes when taught with either structured-inquiry or guided-inquiry lessons. The qualitative results analyzed through a constant-comparative method did show that students generate positive interest, critical thinking and low level stress during guided-inquiry lessons. The qualitative research also gave insight into a teacher's transition to guided-inquiry. This study showed that with my students, their attitudes did not change during this transition according to the qualitative data however, the qualitative data did how high levels of excitement. The results imply that students like guided-inquiry laboratories, even though they require more work, just as much as they like traditional laboratories with less work and less opportunity for creativity.

A Systems Thinking approach to post-disaster restoration of maritime transportation systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lespier, Lizzette Pérez; Long, Suzanna K.; Shoberg, Thomas G.

2015-01-01

A Systems Thinking approach is used to examine elements of a maritime transportation system that are most likely to be impacted by an extreme event. The majority of the literature uses a high-level view that can fail to capture the damage at the sub-system elements. This work uses a system dynamics simulation for a better view and understanding of the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, as a whole system and uses Hurricane Georges (1998), as a representative disruptive event. The model focuses on the impacts of natural disasters at the sub-system level with a final goal of determining the sequence needed to restore an ocean-going port to its pre-event state. This work in progress details model development and outlines steps for using real-world information to assist maritime port manager planning and recommendations for best practices to mitigate disaster damage.

The effects of critical thinking instruction on training complex decision making.

PubMed

Helsdingen, Anne S; van den Bosch, Karel; van Gog, Tamara; van Merriënboer, Jeroen J G

2010-08-01

Two field studies assessed the effects of critical thinking instruction on training and transfer of a complex decision-making skill. Critical thinking instruction is based on studies of how experienced decision makers approach complex problems. Participants conducted scenario-based exercises in both simplified (Study I) and high-fidelity (Study 2) training environments. In both studies, half of the participants received instruction in critical thinking. The other half conducted the same exercises but without critical thinking instruction. After the training, test scenarios were administered to both groups. The first study showed that critical thinking instruction enhanced decision outcomes during both training and the test. In the second study, critical thinking instruction benefited both decision outcomes and processes, specifically on the transfer to untrained problems. The results suggest that critical thinking instruction improves decision strategy and enhances understanding of the general principles of the domain. The results of this study warrant the implementation of critical thinking instruction in training programs for professional decision makers that have to operate in complex and highly interactive, dynamic environments.

Components of Spatial Thinking: Evidence from a Spatial Thinking Ability Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jongwon; Bednarz, Robert

2012-01-01

This article introduces the development and validation of the spatial thinking ability test (STAT). The STAT consists of sixteen multiple-choice questions of eight types. The STAT was validated by administering it to a sample of 532 junior high, high school, and university students. Factor analysis using principal components extraction was applied…

Critical Thinking Handbook: High School. A Guide for Redesigning Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Richard; And Others

This handbook, designed to help high school teachers remodel their lesson plans, has one basic objective: to demonstrate that it is possible and practical to integrate instruction for critical thinking into the teaching of all subjects. The handbook discusses the concept of critical thinking and the principles that underlie it and shows how…

The Development of Computational Thinking in a High School Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsumoto, Paul S.; Cao, Jiankang

2017-01-01

Computational thinking is a component of the Science and Engineering Practices in the Next Generation Science Standards, which were adopted by some states. We describe the activities in a high school chemistry course that may develop students' computational thinking skills by primarily using Excel, a widely available spreadsheet software. These…

Investigating Linguistic Sources of Differential Item Functioning Using Expert Think-Aloud Protocols in Science Achievement Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Wolff-Michael; Oliveri, Maria Elena; Dallie Sandilands, Debra; Lyons-Thomas, Juliette; Ercikan, Kadriye

2013-03-01

Even if national and international assessments are designed to be comparable, subsequent psychometric analyses often reveal differential item functioning (DIF). Central to achieving comparability is to examine the presence of DIF, and if DIF is found, to investigate its sources to ensure differentially functioning items that do not lead to bias. In this study, sources of DIF were examined using think-aloud protocols. The think-aloud protocols of expert reviewers were conducted for comparing the English and French versions of 40 items previously identified as DIF (N = 20) and non-DIF (N = 20). Three highly trained and experienced experts in verifying and accepting/rejecting multi-lingual versions of curriculum and testing materials for government purposes participated in this study. Although there is a considerable amount of agreement in the identification of differentially functioning items, experts do not consistently identify and distinguish DIF and non-DIF items. Our analyses of the think-aloud protocols identified particular linguistic, general pedagogical, content-related, and cognitive factors related to sources of DIF. Implications are provided for the process of arriving at the identification of DIF, prior to the actual administration of tests at national and international levels.

Relating Inter-Individual Differences in Verbal Creative Thinking to Cerebral Structures: An Optimal Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

PubMed Central

Zhu, Feifei; Zhang, Qinglin; Qiu, Jiang

2013-01-01

Creativity can be defined the capacity of an individual to produce something original and useful. An important measurable component of creativity is divergent thinking. Despite existing studies on creativity-related cerebral structural basis, no study has used a large sample to investigate the relationship between individual verbal creativity and regional gray matter volumes (GMVs) and white matter volumes (WMVs). In the present work, optimal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was employed to identify the structure that correlates verbal creativity (measured by the verbal form of Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) across the brain in young healthy subjects. Verbal creativity was found to be significantly positively correlated with regional GMV in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), which is believed to be responsible for language production and comprehension, new semantic representation, and memory retrieval, and in the right IFG, which may involve inhibitory control and attention switching. A relationship between verbal creativity and regional WMV in the left and right IFG was also observed. Overall, a highly verbal creative individual with superior verbal skills may demonstrate a greater computational efficiency in the brain areas involved in high-level cognitive processes including language production, semantic representation and cognitive control. PMID:24223921

Relating inter-individual differences in verbal creative thinking to cerebral structures: an optimal voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Zhu, Feifei; Zhang, Qinglin; Qiu, Jiang

2013-01-01

Creativity can be defined the capacity of an individual to produce something original and useful. An important measurable component of creativity is divergent thinking. Despite existing studies on creativity-related cerebral structural basis, no study has used a large sample to investigate the relationship between individual verbal creativity and regional gray matter volumes (GMVs) and white matter volumes (WMVs). In the present work, optimal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was employed to identify the structure that correlates verbal creativity (measured by the verbal form of Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) across the brain in young healthy subjects. Verbal creativity was found to be significantly positively correlated with regional GMV in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), which is believed to be responsible for language production and comprehension, new semantic representation, and memory retrieval, and in the right IFG, which may involve inhibitory control and attention switching. A relationship between verbal creativity and regional WMV in the left and right IFG was also observed. Overall, a highly verbal creative individual with superior verbal skills may demonstrate a greater computational efficiency in the brain areas involved in high-level cognitive processes including language production, semantic representation and cognitive control.

An Evaluation of Five Critical/Creative Thinking Strategies for Secondary Science Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zielinski, Edward J.; Sarachine, D. Michael

1994-01-01

Critical and creative thinking lessons were designed and presented to 20 biology students in a rural high school. Student attitudes toward critical thinking activities improved significantly after activities involving experimentation, discrepant events, student questioning, ethical dilemmas, and divergent and critical thinking. Includes examples…

Nursing care plans versus concept maps in the enhancement of critical thinking skills in nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program.

PubMed

Sinatra-Wilhelm, Tina

2012-01-01

Appropriate and effective critical thinking and problem solving is necessary for all nurses in order to make complex decisions that improve patient outcomes, safety, and quality of nursing care. With the current emphasis on quality improvement, critical thinking ability is a noteworthy concern within the nursing profession. An in-depth review of literature related to critical thinking was performed. The use of nursing care plans and concept mapping to improve critical thinking skills was among the recommendations identified. This study compares the use of nursing care plans and concept mapping as a teaching strategy for the enhancement of critical thinking skills in baccalaureate level nursing students. The California Critical Thinking Skills Test was used as a method of comparison and evaluation. Results indicate that concept mapping enhances critical thinking skills in baccalaureate nursing students.

Consistency of maternal cognitions and principles across the first five months following preterm and term deliveries

PubMed Central

Winstanley, A.; Sperotto, R.G.; Putnick, D.L.; Cherian, S.; Bornstein, M.H.; Gattis, M.

2014-01-01

The aims of this study were to examine and compare the development of parenting cognitions and principles in mothers following preterm and term deliveries. Parenting cognitions about child development, including thinking that is restricted to single causes and single outcomes (categorical thinking) and thinking that takes into account multiple perspectives (perspectivist thinking), have been shown to relate to child outcomes. Parenting principles about using routines (structure) or infant cues (attunement) to guide daily caregiving have been shown to relate to caregiving practices. We investigated the continuity and stability of parenting cognitions and principles in the days following birth to 5 months postpartum for mothers of infants born term and preterm. All parenting cognitions were stable across time. Categorical thinking increased at a group level across time in mothers of preterm, but not term, infants. Perspectivist thinking increased at a group level for first-time mothers (regardless of birth status) and tended to be lower in mothers of preterm infants. Structure at birth did not predict later structure (and so was unstable) in mothers of preterm, but not term, infants and neither group changed in mean level across time. Attunement was consistent across time in both groups of mothers. These results indicate that prematurity has multiple, diverse effects on parenting beliefs, which may in turn influence maternal behavior and child outcomes. PMID:25459794

Young Children's Understandings of Length Measurement: Evaluating a Learning Trajectory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szilagyi, Janka; Clements, Douglas H.; Sarama, Julie

2013-01-01

This study investigated the development of length measurement ideas in students from prekindergarten through 2nd grade. The main purpose was to evaluate and elaborate the developmental progression, or levels of thinking, of a hypothesized learning trajectory for length measurement to ensure that the sequence of levels of thinking is consistent…

Investigating Students' Level of Critical Thinking across Instructional Strategies in Online Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Jennifer C.; Ice, Phil

2010-01-01

Online discussion questions, which reflect differing instructional strategies, can take many forms and it is important for designers and instructors to understand how the various strategies can impact students' critical thinking levels. For the purpose of the study three instructional strategies used in the development and implementation of online…

Descriptions of Improvisational Thinking by Artist-Level Jazz Musicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norgaard, Martin

2011-01-01

Thought processes of seven artist-level jazz musicians, each of whom recorded an improvised solo, were investigated. Immediately after completing their improvisations, participants listened to recordings of their playing and looked at the notation of their solos as they described in a directed interview the thinking processes that led to the…

Leveling of Critical Thinking Abilities of Students of Mathematics Education in Mathematical Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasiman

2015-01-01

This research aims to determine the leveling of critical thinking abilities of students of mathematics education in mathematical problem solving. It includes qualitative-explorative study that was conducted at University of PGRI Semarang. The generated data in the form of information obtained problem solving question and interview guides. The…

Developing critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence of nursing students: a longitudinal research.

PubMed

Kaya, Hülya; Şenyuva, Emine; Bodur, Gönül

2017-01-01

Emotional Intelligence is considered as an important characteristic of nurses that can affect the quality of their work including clinical decision-making, critical thinking, evidence and knowledge use in practice. The study is aimed to determine nursing students' critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence in an academic year. A longitudinal design. The focus population of this longitudinal study consists of 197 freshman students studying at a faculty of nursing. Asymmetrical cluster sampling method was used to determine sample group and all the students registered in the first year were included in scope of the study. Information Form, California Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Emotional Intelligence Assessment Scale were used for data collection. SPSS version 11.5 was used for data analysis. Nursing students have a low level of critical thinking disposition and intermediate level of emotional intelligence both at the beginning and end of academic year. There was no statistically significant difference in both skills at the beginning and end of year. There was a statistically significant difference between students' critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence at the beginning of academic year. There was a positive correlation at a medium level between students' critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence at the beginning and end of academic year. In light of these results, it is that suggested the study should be prolonged as longitudinal because development of both skills require a long time. The current study holds importance that it sheds light on other relevant studies and nursing education programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Integrative Review of the Concealed Connection: Nurse Educators' Critical Thinking.

PubMed

Raymond, Christy; Profetto-McGrath, Joanne; Myrick, Florence; Strean, William B

2017-11-01

The role of nurse educators in the development of students' critical thinking has been overlooked despite the emphasized need for effective teaching methods. An integrative review was performed to examine both quantitative and qualitative research published from 2000 to 2015 related to nurse educators' critical thinking. Many barriers and facilitators existing on individual, interpersonal, and contextual levels affected nurse educators' critical thinking. Various tools have been used to measure nurse educators' critical thinking. This review also highlighted the continued lack of a consensus definition of critical thinking and the limited presence of conceptual models to guide the use of critical thinking in nursing education. Continued examination of nurse educators' critical thinking is needed, given the limited number of studies that have been completed. Much needs to be explored further, including conceptualizations of critical thinking and confirmation of emerging themes identified in this review. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(11):648-654.]. © 2017 Raymond, Profetto-McGrath, Myrick, et al.

Parental mediation of media messages does matter: more interaction about objectionable content is associated with emerging adults' sexual attitudes and behaviors.

PubMed

Radanielina-Hita, Marie Louise

2015-01-01

An online survey of undergraduates explored the effects of recalled parent-child interaction regarding media on their critical thinking skills, beliefs about alcohol and sex, and current reports of attitudes and risky sexual behaviors. Students from a northwestern university completed the questionnaire three times during the fall of 2011. Effective parental mediation was found to be a protective factor against the negative effects of objectionable content on sexual attitudes and behaviors through its effect on critical thinking toward media content and expectancies. Participants whose parents critiqued media portrayals reported a higher level of critical thinking. More critical orientation toward media decreased the effects of objectionable content on expectancies and sexual behaviors. On the other hand, participants whose parents endorsed media portrayals reported lower levels of critical thinking. Developing critical thinking toward media is an effective approach to helping young people make good decisions about their health. Although viewers' understanding of media content may be biased by the emotional aspect of decision making, critical thinking was shown to decrease the appeal of mediated messages on behaviors. Parents play an important role in developing children's critical thinking skills, and those who mediate their children's media use can establish behaviors that will prove beneficial to their children later in life.

Assessing Critical Thinking in Higher Education: The HEIghten™ Approach and Preliminary Validity Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ou Lydia; Mao, Liyang; Frankel, Lois; Xu, Jun

2016-01-01

Critical thinking is a learning outcome highly valued by higher education institutions and the workforce. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has designed a next generation assessment, the HEIghten™ critical thinking assessment, to measure students' critical thinking skills in analytical and synthetic dimensions. This paper introduces the…

Conceptualizing and Assessing Higher-Order Thinking in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afflerbach, Peter; Cho, Byeong-Young; Kim, Jong-Yun

2015-01-01

Students engage in higher-order thinking as they read complex texts and perform complex reading-related tasks. However, the most consequential assessments, high-stakes tests, are currently limited in providing information about students' higher-order thinking. In this article, we describe higher-order thinking in relation to reading. We provide a…

Scope of Semantic Activation and Innovative Thinking in College Students with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Holly A.; Shah, Priti

2016-01-01

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show high divergent thinking on standardized laboratory measures. This study assessed innovative thinking in adults with ADHD using a realistic task and investigated a possible cognitive mechanism for ADHD-related advantages in innovative thinking. College students with and without ADHD…

Are There Cognitive Consequences of Binge Drinking during College?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trolian, Teniell L.; An, Brian P.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

2016-01-01

For this study we considered the influence of binge drinking behavior in college on students' critical thinking gains. Findings suggest that binge drinking has a negative influence on students' critical thinking gains over 4 years of college and that this effect was driven by students with the lowest levels of precollege critical thinking. In both…

Critical Thinking and EFL Learners' Performance on Different Writing Modes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golpour, Farhad

2014-01-01

The essential function of critical thinking in education is obvious by many studies done in this field. The main purpose of this article is to find the relationship between critical thinking levels of Iranian EFL learners and their performance on different modes of writing. The sample of the study selected among those who studying English at the…

Online Clinical Post-Conference, Face-to-Face Clinical Postconference: Effects on Critical Thinking in Associate Degree Nursing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebersole-Berkstresser, Kristie Anne

2013-01-01

Nurse educators, at every level of pre-licensure nursing education, are charged with developing critical thinking skills within their students. Post-clinical conference is one teaching strategy that nurse educators can employ to help promote the development of critical thinking skills in pre-licensure nursing students. However, traditional…

Developing Critical Thinking in E-Learning Environment: Kuwait University as a Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Fadhli, Salah; Khalfan, Abdulwahed

2009-01-01

This article investigated the impact of using e-learning models' with the principles of constructivism to enhance the critical thinking skills of students in higher education institutions. The study examines the effectiveness of e-learning model in enhancing critical thinking of students at university level. This effectiveness is measured by a…

ESL Students' Perceptions of the Use of Higher Order Thinking Skills in English Language Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganapathy, Malini; Kaur, Sarjit

2014-01-01

The transformation of the education curriculum in the Malaysia Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025 focuses on the Higher Order Thinking (HOT) concept which aims to produce knowledgeable students who are critical and creative in their thinking and can compete at the international level. HOT skills encourage students to apply, analyse,…

The Impacts of a National Internship Program on Interns' Perceived Leadership, Critical Thinking, and Communication Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Dennis W.; Birdsong, Victoria; Fuhrman, Nicholas; Borron, Abigail

2017-01-01

At perhaps all levels of education, strong leadership skills are often equated with the ability to engage in critical thinking, and effective oral and written communication. The purpose of this study was to identify the self-perceived expansion of animal health interns' leadership, critical thinking and communication competencies using the…

Ideological Think Tanks in the States: An Inventory of Their Prevalence, Networks, and Higher Education Policy Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Erik C.; Gándara, Denisa

2014-01-01

This study takes an inventory of a particular type of intermediary organization ascendant within the state-level higher education policy: ideological think tanks. Our inventory identifies 99 think tanks: 59 affiliated with the conservative State Policy Network and 40 with the Progressive States Network. The analysis shows that state-level…

Evaluation of Gifted and Talented Students' Reflective Thinking in Visual Arts Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genç, Mehmet Ali

2016-01-01

The use of higher order thinking skills is necessary for the education of gifted and talented students in order to ensure that these students, who have development potential compared to their peers, use their capacities at maximum level. This study aims to present gifted and talented students' reflective thinking skills, one of the higher order…

Critical Thinking Skills: Levels of Preservice Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melancon, Burton; Shaughnessy, Michael; Acheson-Brown, Dan; Gaedke, Bill; Moore, Jack

This paper presents the preliminary results of a longitudinal study to assess the development of critical thinking as preservice teachers progress through their educational program. Students will be assessed during their final year in the program to help give an overview of the growth of their critical thinking skills. The Cornell Critical…

About the Reflective Thought Also Known as the Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

León, Federico R.

2014-01-01

This article deals with the concept of reflective thought or critical thinking from its initial formulation as an intellectual attitude to its current articulation as a third level of cognitive processing. Issues dealt with include critical thinking as a goal, as a cognitive process, as a part of dual cognitive processes, as a measurable…

The Regression Level of Constructivist Learning Environment Characteristics on Classroom Environment Characteristics Supporting Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tunca, Nihal

2015-01-01

Problem Statement: One of the main aims of constructivism is to improve critical thinking skills/tendencies via experiences. In this sense, it is believed that the more the constructivist-learning environment is improved, the more the appropriateness of supporting critical thinking is improved. However, no study has yet statistically tested this…

Critical Thinking and Formative Assessments: Increasing the Rigor in Your Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Betsy; Stanley, Todd

2010-01-01

Develop your students' critical thinking skills and prepare them to perform competitively in the classroom, on state tests, and beyond. In this book, Moore and Stanley show you how to effectively instruct your students to think on higher levels, and how to assess their progress. As states move toward common achievement standards, teachers have…

Critical Thinking Skills and Academic Maturity: Emerging Results from a Five-Year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toppin, Ian N.; Chitsonga, Shadreck

2016-01-01

The QEP that was implemented in this study focused on enhancing students' critical thinking skills. A pretest/posttest approach was used to assess students' critical thinking progress in freshman level core English and Math courses. An intervention was performed involving intensive instruction and assignments relating to a set of reasoning…

Creative Cognition in Secondary Science: An Exploration of Divergent Thinking in Science among Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antink-Meyer, Allison; Lederman, Norman G.

2015-01-01

The divergent thinking skills in science of 282 US high school students were investigated across 16 weeks of instruction in order to determine whether typical academic time periods can significantly influence changes in thinking skills. Students' from 6 high school science classrooms completed the Scientific Structures Creativity Measure (SSCM)…

Improving Bilingual Student Learning and Thinking Skills through the Use of the Constructivist Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomason, Juliann Elizabeth

This report describes a program for improving bilingual students' learning and thinking skills using the constructivist theory. It targeted bilingual high school students in a middle class, suburban Illinois high school. Students' learning and thinking behaviors were documented using methods that showed when and how they employed new learning and…

How Do Thinking Styles Influence Collaborative Dispositions? A Study on the Relationships between Thinking Styles and Collaborative Dispositions for Youngsters in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Mingchang; Ho, Shihuei; Lin, Hsiuhsu; Chang, Wenlung; Chen, Lihua

2013-01-01

Collaboration dispositions keep attracting high attention in the business world for organizational competition and teamwork efficiency. Educators also highly value the cultivation of youngsters' thinking strategies and styles which facilitate their learning performance and even career achievement. This study was conducted to identify the…

The Effects of Need for Approval and General Anxiety on Divergent Thinking Scores.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblum, Neil D.; And Others

The study deals with the motivational characteristics which relate to divergent thinking and tests three hypotheses: no significant difference with regard to their fluency, flexibility, originality or combined divergent thinking scores exists between children with (1) high and low need for approval, (2) high and low anxiety, and (3) approval needs…

Critical Thinking Skills Of Junior High School Female Students With High Mathematical Skills In Solving Contextual And Formal Mathematical Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail; Suwarsono, St.; Lukito, A.

2018-01-01

Critical thinking is one of the most important skills of the 21st century in addition to other learning skills such as creative thinking, communication skills and collaborative skills. This is what makes researchers feel the need to conduct research on critical thinking skills in junior high school students. The purpose of this study is to describe the critical thinking skills of junior high school female students with high mathematical skills in solving contextual and formal mathematical problems. To achieve this is used qualitative research. The subject of the study was a female student of eight grade junior high school. The students’ critical thinking skills are derived from in-depth problem-based interviews using interview guidelines. Interviews conducted in this study are problem-based interviews, which are done by the subject given a written assignment and given time to complete. The results show that critical thinking skills of female high school students with high math skills are as follows: In solving the problem at the stage of understanding the problem used interpretation skills with sub-indicators: categorization, decode, and clarify meaning. At the planning stage of the problem-solving strategy is used analytical skills with sub-indicators: idea checking, argument identification and argument analysis and evaluation skills with sub indicators: assessing the argument. In the implementation phase of problem solving, inference skills are used with subindicators: drawing conclusions, and problem solving and explanatory skills with sub-indicators: problem presentation, justification procedures, and argument articulation. At the re-checking stage all steps have been employed self-regulatory skills with sub-indicators: self-correction and selfstudy.

Registered nurses' clinical reasoning in home healthcare clinical practice: A think-aloud study with protocol analysis.

PubMed

Johnsen, Hege Mari; Slettebø, Åshild; Fossum, Mariann

2016-05-01

The home healthcare context can be unpredictable and complex, and requires registered nurses with a high level of clinical reasoning skills and professional autonomy. Thus, additional knowledge about registered nurses' clinical reasoning performance during patient home care is required. The aim of this study is to describe the cognitive processes and thinking strategies used by recently graduated registered nurses while caring for patients in home healthcare clinical practice. An exploratory qualitative think-aloud design with protocol analysis was used. Home healthcare visits to patients with stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in seven healthcare districts in southern Norway. A purposeful sample of eight registered nurses with one year of experience. Each nurse was interviewed using the concurrent think-aloud technique in three different patient home healthcare clinical practice visits. A total of 24 home healthcare visits occurred. Follow-up interviews were conducted with each participant. The think-aloud sessions were transcribed and analysed using three-step protocol analysis. Recently graduated registered nurses focused on both general nursing concepts and concepts specific to the domains required and tasks provided in home healthcare services as well as for different patient groups. Additionally, participants used several assertion types, cognitive processes, and thinking strategies. Our results showed that recently graduated registered nurses used both simple and complex cognitive processes involving both inductive and deductive reasoning. However, their reasoning was more reactive than proactive. The results may contribute to nursing practice in terms of developing effective nursing education programmes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Think aloud: acute stress and coping strategies during golf performances.

PubMed

Nicholls, Adam R; Polman, Remco C J

2008-07-01

A limitation of the sport psychology coping literature is the amount of time between a stressful episode and the recall of the coping strategies used in the stressful event (Nicholls & Polman, 2007). The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a technique to measure acute stress and coping during performance. Five high-performance adolescent golfers took part in Level 2 verbalization think aloud trials (Ericsson & Simon, 1993), which involved participants verbalizing their thoughts, over six holes of golf. Verbal reports were audio-recorded during each performance, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using protocol analysis (Ericsson & Simon, 1993). Stressors and coping strategies varied throughout the six holes, which support the proposition that stress and coping is a dynamic process that changes across phases of the same performance (Lazarus, 1999). The results also revealed information regarding the sequential patterning of stress and coping, suggesting that the golfers experienced up to five stressors before reporting a coping strategy. Think aloud appears a suitable method to collect concurrent stress and coping data.

The relationship between dorsolateral prefrontal activation and speech performance-based social anxiety using functional near infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Glassman, Lisa H; Kuster, Anootnara T; Shaw, Jena A; Forman, Evan M; Izzetoglu, Meltem; Matteucci, Alyssa; Herbert, James D

2017-06-01

Functional near-infrared (fNIR) spectroscopy is a promising new technology that has demonstrated utility in the study of normal human cognition. We utilized fNIR spectroscopy to examine the effect of social anxiety and performance on hemodynamic activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Socially phobic participants and non-clinical participants with varying levels of social anxiety completed a public speaking task in front of a small virtual audience while the DLPFC was being monitored by the fNIR device. The relationship between anxiety and both blood volume (BV) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (Hb) varied significantly as a function of speech performance, such that individuals with low social anxiety who performed well showed an increase in DLPFC activation relative to those who did not perform well. This result suggests that effortful thinking and/or efficient top-down inhibitory control may have been required to complete an impromptu speech task with good performance. In contrast, good performers who were highly socially anxious showed lower DLPFC activation relative to good performers who were low in social anxiety, suggesting autopilot thinking or less-effortful thinking. In poor performers, slight increases in DLPFC activation were observed from low to highly anxious individuals, which may reflect a shift from effortless thinking to heightened self-focused attention. Heightened self-focused attention, poor inhibitory control resulting in excessive fear or anxiety, or low motivation may lower performance. These results suggest that there can be different underlying mechanisms in the brain that affect the level of speech performance in individuals with varying degrees of social anxiety. This study highlights the utility of the fNIR device in the assessment of changes in DLPFC in response to exposure to realistic phobic stimuli, and further supports the potential utility of this technology in the study of the neurophysiology of anxiety disorders.

Reliability of assessment of critical thinking.

PubMed

Allen, George D; Rubenfeld, M Gaie; Scheffer, Barbara K

2004-01-01

Although clinical critical thinking skills and behaviors are among the most highly sought characteristics of BSN graduates, they remain among the most difficult to teach and assess. Three reasons for this difficulty have been (1) lack of agreement among nurse educators as to the definition of critical thinking, (2) low correlation between clinical critical thinking and existing standardized tests of critical thinking, and (3) poor reliability in scoring other evidences of critical thinking, such as essays. This article first describes a procedure for teaching critical thinking that is based on a consensus definition of 17 dimensions of critical thinking in clinical nursing practice. This procedure is easily taught to nurse educators and can be flexibly and inexpensively incorporated into any undergraduate nursing curriculum. We then show that students' understanding and use of these dimensions can be assessed with high reliability (coefficient alpha between 0.7 and 0.8) and with great time efficiency for both teachers and students. By using this procedure iteratively across semesters, students can develop portfolios demonstrating attainment of competence in clinical critical thinking, and educators can obtain important summary evaluations of the degree to which their graduates have succeeded in this important area of their education.

Improving the critical thinking skills of junior high school students on Earth and Space Science (ESS) materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marlina, L.; Liliasari; Tjasyono, B.; Hendayana, S.

2018-05-01

Critical thinking skills need to be developed in students. With critical thinking skills, students will be able to understand the concept with more depth easily, be sensitive with problems that occur, understand and solve problems that occur in their surroundings, and apply the concepts in different situations. Earth and Space Science (ESS) material is part of the science subjects given from elementary school to college. This research is a test of research program with quantitative method. This study aims to investigate the improvement of critical thinking skills of students through training of science teachers in junior high school in designing learning media for teaching ESS. With samples of 24 science teachers and 32 students of grade 7th in junior high school which are chosen by purposive sampling in a school in Ogan Ilir District, South Sumatra, obtained average pre-test and post-test scores of students’ critical thinking skills are 52.26 and 67.06 with an average N-gain of 0.31. A survey and critical thinking skills based-test were conducted to get the data. The results show positive impact and an increase in students’ critical thinking skills on the ESS material.

From Complex Data to Actionable Information: Institutional Research Supporting Enrollment Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Douglas K.; Milner, Bridgett J.; Foley, Chris J.

2008-01-01

Producing analyses that are accurate, timely, and simple is a constant challenge for institutional researchers. The stakes are high: when the analysis is incomplete, arrives too late, does not adequately address the question, or is simply too much to comprehend, decision makers fall back on anecdotal thinking or gut-level reactions that can lead…

Tactics for Tough Budget Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Ann M.

2011-01-01

How does one maintain high goals for instruction with dwindling funds? On a district level, the ability to do more with less is just not possible. It is the capability to reposition available resources that achieves critical goals. One way to visualize this concept is to think of a stretched elastic band. When that band is extended, it changes its…

Forget the Alamo: Thinking about History in John Sayles' "Lone Star"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Anna

2007-01-01

John Sayles' film "Lone Star" is an excellent vehicle for teaching about the production and interpretation of history in a high school or introductory level college history class. The film illustrates that history is subjective, that the sorting and arrangement of evidence is what makes history, and that history is not necessarily an inevitable…

iTeachSTEM: Technological Edgework in High School Teachers' iPad Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Joan E.; Ko, Yujung; Boklage, Audrey

2017-01-01

Few studies of iPad-supported teaching have been set in secondary school STEM contexts, and there is limited examination of teacher practice. This study examined how STEM teachers' pedagogical practices took shape when participating in a secondary-level innovation to use iPads to support critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and…

A Design Based Research of an Earth Systems Based Environmental Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Orion, Nir

2009-01-01

This article presents a model for the development of an environmentally oriented unit designed to be implemented as an integral part of the science core curriculum. The program's main goal is encouraging students at the junior high-school level to develop systems-thinking and environmental insight as a basis for environmental literacy. A…

The Meanings Attributed to Writing Skills in English by Turkish Children: A Concept Map Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erginer, Ergin; Yar, Veda

2013-01-01

One of the four basic language skills of children, writing, is central to expressing themselves and to developing high level thinking capabilities. Competence in writing is a rather complex learning structure in which cognitive and, especially, psycho-motor learning processes are intensively employed and it further needs to be fed by perceptive…

Turkish Social Studies Teachers' Thoughts about the Teaching of Controversial Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copur, Ahmet; Demirel, Muammer

2016-01-01

In today's world, one of the primary goals of education is to raise individuals as citizens equipped with the skills of communication, high-level thinking, problem solving and questioning as well as with a global viewpoint. Introducing controversial issues into the classroom environment may be among the steps to be taken to achieve these goals. In…

Course Outlines for English--Junior High School, Grades 7 and 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burbank Unified School District, CA.

Designed for seventh and eighth grade English teachers, this curriculum guide contains (1) a course description; (2) educational goals; (3) teaching perspective; (4) a set of general principles; (5) a list of questions that teachers ask, along with answers; (6) an overview; and (7) directions for writing as a process, higher level thinking skills,…

A Case Study: A Teacher's Instruction of Writing in Rural Northeast Mississippi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson-Crane, Betty

2008-01-01

When writing instructors use form (essay form) based upon state testing standards on the state rubric to guide students in writing, they may be teaching form to limit higher level thinking content (Albertson, 2004). Instructors may not feel confident enough in their teaching of writing for high-stakes' testing; therefore, they may instruct…

Think outside of Borders to Increase Learning within Your School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Melissa

2009-01-01

As a school library media specialist in a public high school, the author seeks opportunities that will increase her knowledge base and skill level in order to positively influence the learning that takes place in her school. The author recently returned from such an opportunity when she participated in the Toyota International Teacher Program in…

Get in the Game with Team Density

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrington, Deborah; Scott, Pamela

2011-01-01

A floating bowling ball? No way! There is no better way to get students' attention and reinforce the need for conceptual understanding than with a discrepant event like this. Density is a central concept in chemistry and physical science from middle school to college. But often, particularly at the high school and college levels, we think students…

ESSA Offers Changes That Can Continue Learning Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chenoweth, Karin

2016-01-01

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives educators a fresh opportunity to think through how to ensure that all students achieve at high levels, especially kids from low-income families and kids of color. The new law continues with four principles that had been in earlier iterations, all of which have important implications for students from…

A Multidisciplinary Investigation of Aquatic Pollution and How to Minimise It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vergnoux, A.; Allari, E.; Sassi, M.; Thimonier, J.; Hammond, C.; Clouzot, L.

2011-01-01

The impact of humans on aquatic systems is covered in French high schools in the "Premiere" level (ages 16 to 17) by students studying economics and social sciences. We designed experiments to teach critical thinking about water pollution and how citizens can act to minimise it. The experimental session, which lasts three consecutive…

Teachers' Learning to Facilitate High-Level Student Thinking: Impact of a Video-Based Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tekkumru-Kisa, Miray; Stein, Mary Kay; Coker, Ryan

2018-01-01

Attaining the vision for science teaching and learning emphasized in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the next generation science standards (NGSS) will require major shifts in teaching practices in many science classrooms. As NGSS-inspired cognitively demanding tasks begin to appear in more and more science classrooms, facilitating…

The Perfectionist Call of Intelligibility: Secondary English, Creative Writing, and Moral Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belas, Oliver

2016-01-01

This article puts forward moral-philosophical arguments for re-building and re-thinking secondary-level (high-school equivalent) English studies around creative writing practices. I take it that when educators and policy makers talk about such entities as the "well-rounded learner," what we have, or should have, in mind is moral agents…

The Link between Higher Order Thinking Skills, Representation and Concepts in Enhancing TIMSS Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tajudin, Nor'ain Mohd.; Chinnappan, Mohan

2016-01-01

Students' performances in TIMSS have featured strongly in recent discussions and debates about the quality of mathematical learning outcomes both from teachers and policy makers. Findings of TIMSS trends showed that most high school students in Malaysia continue to perform at less than satisfactory levels, particularly, in tasks that are…

The academic and nonacademic characteristics of science and nonscience majors in Yemeni high schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anaam, Mahyoub Ali

The purposes of this study were: (a) to identify the variables associated with selection of majors; (b) to determine the differences between science and nonscience majors in general, and high and low achievers in particular, with respect to attitudes toward science, integrated science process skills, and logical thinking abilities; and (c) to determine if a significant relationship exists between students' majors and their personality types and learning styles. Data were gathered from 188 twelfth grade male and female high school students in Yemen, who enrolled in science (45 males and 47 females) and art and literature (47 males and 49 females) tracks. Data were collected by the following instruments: Past math and science achievement (data source taken from school records), Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (1985), Integrated Science Process Skills Test, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Attitude Toward Science in School Assessment, Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, Yemeni High School Students Questionnaire. The Logistic Regression Model and the Linear Discriminant Analysis identified several variables that are associated with selection of majors. Moreover, some of the characteristics of science and nonscience majors that were revealed by these models include the following: Science majors seem to have higher degrees of curiosity in science, high interest in science at high school level, high tendency to believe that their majors will help them to find a potential job in the future, and have had higher achievement in science subjects, and have rated their math teachers higher than did nonscience majors. In contrast, nonscience majors seem to have higher degrees of curiosity in nonscience subjects, higher interest in science at elementary school, higher anxiety during science lessons than did science majors. In addition, General Linear Models allow that science majors generally demonstrate more positive attitudes towards science than do nonscience majors and they outperform nonscience majors on integrated science process skills and logical thinking abilities. High achievers in science majors have a significantly higher attitude toward science, higher integrated science process skills, and higher logical thinking abilities than high and low achievers in nonscience majors. No gender differences were found on these variables. Chi-Square tests indicate that no significant relationships exist between students' majors and their personality types and learning styles. However, it was found that majority of students prefer extroversion over introversion, sensing over intuition, thinking over feeling, and judging over perceiving. Moreover, the most common learning styles among science and nonscience majors were the divergent and the assimilative learning styles. Finally, the educational implication of these findings were discussed and future research that need to be conducted were proposed.

Visible Thinking in High School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sliman, Emily

2013-01-01

If a teacher asked their students what thinking looks like, what would they say? Would they just look at the teacher quizzically? The question is challenging because thinking is largely an invisible endeavor, and developing thoughtful students can be a daunting task. However, the job of mathematics teachers is to develop students who think about…

Implementation and evaluation of critical thinking strategies to enhance critical thinking skills in Middle Eastern nurses.

PubMed

Simpson, Elaine; Courtney, Mary

2008-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate critical thinking strategies to enhance critical thinking skills in Middle Eastern nurses. Critical thinking strategies such as questioning, debate, role play and small group activity were developed and used in a professional development programme, which was trialled on a sample of Middle Eastern nurses (n = 20), to promote critical thinking skills, encourage problem solving, development of clinical judgment making and care prioritization in order to improve patient care and outcomes. Classroom learning was transformed from memorization to interaction and active participation. The intervention programme was successful in developing critical thinking skills in both the nurse educators and student nurses in this programme. This programme successfully integrated critical thinking strategies into a Middle Eastern nursing curriculum. Recommendations are as follows: (1) utilize evidence-based practice and stem questions to encourage the formulation of critical thinking questions; (2) support the needs of nurse educators for them to effectively implement teaching strategies to foster critical thinking skills; and (3) adopt creative approaches to (i) transform students into interactive participants and (ii) open students' minds and stimulate higher-level thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Analysis of Critical Thinking Skills on The Topic of Static Fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puspita, I.; Kaniawati, I.; Suwarma, I. R.

2017-09-01

This study aimed to know the critical thinking skills profil of senior high school students. This research using a descriptive study to analysis student test results of critical thinking skill of 40 students XI grade in one of the senior high school in Bogor District. The method used is survey research with sample determined by purposive sampling technique. The instrument used is test of critical thinking skill by 5 indicators on static fluid topics. Questions consist of 11 set. It is has been developed by researcher and validated by experts. The results showed students critical thinking skills are still low. Is almost every indicator of critical thinking skills only reaches less than 30%. 28% for elementary clarification, 10% for the basic for decisions/basic support, 6% for inference, 6% for advanced clarification, 4% for strategies and tactics.

The effectiveness of module with critical thinking approach on hydrolysis and buffer materials in chemistry learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuswowati, M.; Purwanti, E.

2018-03-01

The research aims is to find out the effectiveness of critical thinking approach in Chemistry learning especially on hydrolysis and buffer materials. The level of its effectiveness was viewed from the students’ learning outcomes including knowledge, attitude and skill domains. The data were collected through validation sheets, questionnaires and tests, which were then analyzed by using descriptive quantitative method. The first step conducted was validating the module that was going to be used in the learning processes. The students’ learning outcome on knowledge domain was very good, viewed from the classical attainment by 88.63% with N-gain 0.718 with high criteria. It was also viewed from the students’ criticality level in solving the given problems. The result of the study revealed that more than 75% of the students obtained critical and very critical criteria in solving the given problems. The students’ attitudes and skills values were viewed through observation sheets during the learning processes. The result of the observation stated that more than 75% of the students showed good and very good attitudes and skills values. Based on the data, it could be concluded that the module with critical thinking approach was effective to be used on hydrolysis and buffer materials.

[Sex differences in relationship between creativity and hemispheric information processing in global and local levels].

PubMed

Razumnikova, O M; Vol'f, N V

2012-01-01

Sex differences in creativity related global-local hemispheric selective processing were examined by hierarchical letter presenting in conditions of their perception and comparison. Fifty-six right-handed males and 68 females (aged 17-22 years) participated in the experiments. Originality-imagery was assessed by a computer-based Torrance 'Incomplete Figures' test software. Verbal creativity was valued by original sentence using of three nouns from remote semantic categories. The results show that irrespectively of the sex factor and the type of creative thinking, its originality is provided by high speed of right-hemispheric processes of information selection on the global level and delay in the interhemispheric communication. Relationships between originality of ideas and hemispheric attentional characteristics are presented mostly in men while verbal creative problem solving, and in women while figurative original thinking. Originality of verbal activity in men is more associated with success of selective processes in the left hemisphere, but in women--with selective functions of both hemispheres. Figurative thinking in men is less related to hemispheric characteristics of attention compared with women. Increase of figurative originality in women is accompanied acceleration of processes of selection of the information in the right hemisphere, and also higher efficiency of local attention as well as speeds ofglobal processing in the left hemisphere.

System Thinking Skills at the Elementary School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Orion, Nir

2010-01-01

This study deals with the development of system thinking skills at the elementary school level. It addresses the question of whether elementary school students can deal with complex systems. The sample included 40 4th grade students from one school in a small town in Israel. The students studied an inquiry-based earth systems curriculum that…

Using Graph-Based Assessments within Socratic Tutorials to Reveal and Refine Students' Analytical Thinking about Molecular Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trujillo, Caleb; Cooper, Melanie M.; Klymkowsky, Michael W.

2012-01-01

Biological systems, from the molecular to the ecological, involve dynamic interaction networks. To examine student thinking about networks we used graphical responses, since they are easier to evaluate for implied, but unarticulated assumptions. Senior college level molecular biology students were presented with simple molecular level scenarios;…

Characteristics and Levels of Sophistication: An Analysis of Chemistry Students' Ability to Think with Mental Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Chia-Yu; Barrow, Lloyd H.

2011-01-01

This study employed a case-study approach to reveal how an ability to think with mental models contributes to differences in students' understanding of molecular geometry and polarity. We were interested in characterizing features and levels of sophistication regarding first-year university chemistry learners' mental modeling behaviors while the…

The effect of different levels of constructive teaching practices on teacher question asking behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdogan, Ibrahim

The purposes of the study were: (1) to examine the effectiveness of the Iowa Chautauqua Professional Development Program (ICPDP) in moving elementary science teachers toward the use of more constructive teaching practices and (2) to investigate the effectiveness of different levels of teaching practices, especially in terms of a sample of teachers achieving "expert" state at the end of program compared with some attaining only with "competent" level. The variables considered were their perceptions of their own classroom practices, stated philosophy of teaching and learning, and their actual classroom practices and question asking behaviors observed via videotape recording. Structured questionnaires, focus group interviews, teacher reflections, and examination of lesson modules were used to collect data from thirty-three K-5 in-service teachers who were involved in a one-year ICPDP. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of data revealed that: (1) Teacher perceptions regarding their teaching and learning, and their actual teaching practices in classroom in terms of constructivist approaches were significantly changed after participation in the ICPDP. (2) Teacher perceptions of their classroom practices and stated philosophies of teaching and learning have a great affect on their actual practices that can be observed. (3) Teacher stated philosophies of teaching and learning significantly influence the quantity and quality of their use of questions in their classrooms. (4) The "expert" teachers accept students' alternative answers and deliberately ask high cognitive level questions that enable students to think critically and to guide them based on what the students are thinking. Alternatively, the "competent" teachers do not follow student responses and used questions which do not help students to understand their current level of understanding nor encourage students to reflect on their own thinking. (5) The role of "expert" teacher is more geared toward challenging student ideas stimulated by questions and then allowing students to build their understandings that are affected by the discussion. "Competent" teachers, on the other hand, exhibit a more transmissive approach that lead students to an end that has been previously determined. Such teaching does little to persuade students to use their own thinking.

The characteristics of failure among students who experienced pseudo thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anggraini, D.; Kusmayadi, T. A.; Pramudya, I.

2018-04-01

The purpose of this research is to describe the thinking process of students who experienced pseudo thinking when solving the straight line equation. The result of this study shows the characteristics of error that caused students to experience pseudo thinking when solving the problem and their relation with students’ metacognition skill. This qualitative research was conducted in State 16 Junior High School in Surakarta, Indonesia during the odd semester of 2017/2018 academic year. The subjects of the study were students Junior High School students of 8th grade chosen using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through the administration of think aloud method. The result showed that the characteristics of errors among the subjects are: 1) the answers resulted from pseudo thinking when solving the problem were obtained from the spontaneous, fast, unconscious and uncontrolled thinking process; 2) students had misconception; 3) students had tendency to memorize the formula and imitate the completion procedure; 4) students experienced fuzzy memory when solving the problem. From the mistakes among students who experienced pseudo thinking, their metacognition ability could be inferred.

Can Learning a Foreign Language Foster Analytic Thinking?-Evidence from Chinese EFL Learners' Writings.

PubMed

Jiang, Jingyang; Ouyang, Jinghui; Liu, Haitao

2016-01-01

Language is not only the representation of thinking, but also shapes thinking. Studies on bilinguals suggest that a foreign language plays an important and unconscious role in thinking. In this study, a software-Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2007-was used to investigate whether the learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) can foster Chinese high school students' English analytic thinking (EAT) through the analysis of their English writings with our self-built corpus. It was found that: (1) learning English can foster Chinese learners' EAT. Chinese EFL learners' ability of making distinctions, degree of cognitive complexity and degree of thinking activeness have all improved along with the increase of their English proficiency and their age; (2) there exist differences in Chinese EFL learners' EAT and that of English native speakers, i. e. English native speakers are better in the ability of making distinctions and degree of thinking activeness. These findings suggest that the best EFL learners in high schools have gained native-like analytic thinking through six years' English learning and are able to switch their cognitive styles as needed.

An investigation of the development of the topological spatial structures in elementary school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Everett, Susan Ann

1999-09-01

In this study the relationships among the topological spatial structures were examined in students in kindergarten, second, and fourth grades. These topological spatial structures are part of the three major types of spatial thinking: topological, projective, and Euclidean (as defined by Jean Piaget and associates). According to Piaget's model of spatial thinking, the spatial structures enable humans to think about spatial relationships at a conceptual or representational level rather than only at a simpler, perceptual level. The clinical interview technique was used to interact individually with 72 children to assess the presence of each of the different topological spatial structures. This was accomplished through the use of seven task protocols and simple objects which are familiar to young children. These task protocols allowed the investigator to interact with each child in a consistent manner. The results showed that most of the children in this study (97.2%) had not developed all of the topological spatial structures. The task scores, were analyzed using non-parametric statistical tests due to the ordinal nature of the data. From the data the following results were obtained: (1) the spatial structures did not develop in random order based on the task scores but developed in the sequence expected from Piaget's model, (2) task performance improved with grade level with fourth grade students outperforming second graders and kindergartners on each of the seven tasks, and (3) no significant differences on task performance due to gender were found. Based on these results, young elementary children are beginning to develop topological spatial thinking. This is critical since it provides the foundation for the other types of spatial thinking, projective and Euclidean. Since spatial thinking is not a "gift" but can be developed, educators need to provide more opportunities for students to increase their level of spatial thinking since it is necessary for conceptual understanding of many different topics in math and science.

Assessing Complex Learning Objectives through Analytics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horodyskyj, L.; Mead, C.; Buxner, S.; Semken, S. C.; Anbar, A. D.

2016-12-01

A significant obstacle to improving the quality of education is the lack of easy-to-use assessments of higher-order thinking. Most existing assessments focus on recall and understanding questions, which demonstrate lower-order thinking. Traditionally, higher-order thinking is assessed with practical tests and written responses, which are time-consuming to analyze and are not easily scalable. Computer-based learning environments offer the possibility of assessing such learning outcomes based on analysis of students' actions within an adaptive learning environment. Our fully online introductory science course, Habitable Worlds, uses an intelligent tutoring system that collects and responds to a range of behavioral data, including actions within the keystone project. This central project is a summative, game-like experience in which students synthesize and apply what they have learned throughout the course to identify and characterize a habitable planet from among hundreds of stars. Student performance is graded based on completion and accuracy, but two additional properties can be utilized to gauge higher-order thinking: (1) how efficient a student is with the virtual currency within the project and (2) how many of the optional milestones a student reached. In the project, students can use the currency to check their work and "unlock" convenience features. High-achieving students spend close to the minimum amount required to reach these goals, indicating a high-level of concept mastery and efficient methodology. Average students spend more, indicating effort, but lower mastery. Low-achieving students were more likely to spend very little, which indicates low effort. Differences on these metrics were statistically significant between all three of these populations. We interpret this as evidence that high-achieving students develop and apply efficient problem-solving skills as compared to lower-achieving student who use more brute-force approaches.

Framework of Assessment for the Evaluation of Thinking Skills of Tertiary Level Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heng, Chan Swee; Ziguang, Yan

2015-01-01

In the 21st century, students are required to master thinking skills in order to deal with many situations that arise in the tertiary environment which later would translate into the workplace. Nowadays, thinking skills play a vital role in tertiary education. To provide an approach for teachers, this paper identifies a 4-step model that can be…

The Use of Science Inquiry and Its Effect on Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions in Third Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Eeva

2009-01-01

Many students reach the middle school level without appropriate critical thinking skills. This has important implications for educators and the future workforce. This mixed methods quasi-experimental design study investigated the use of a science inquiry kit and its effect on the critical thinking skills and dispositions of elementary students.…

Reciprocal Gains in Higher Order Thinking and Course Content in Teaching Students to Argue and Think Critically

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyandotte, Annette

2009-01-01

The author examines the effectiveness of a curriculum aimed to raise awareness of prospective English teachers and writers while studying the psychological and sociological impact of language use. Action research tested whether students already knew how to argue and think critically when they came to a 200-level undergraduate course. Finding that…

System Thinking Scales and Learning Environment of Family Planning Field Workers in East Java, Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Listyawardani, Dwi; Hariastuti, Iswari

2016-01-01

Systems thinking is needed due to the growing complexity of the problems faced family planning field workers in the external environment that is constantly changing. System thinking ability could not be separated from efforts to develop learning for the workers, both learning at the individual, group, or organization level. The design of the study…

Analysis of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Views about the Methods Which Develop Reflective Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Töman, Ufuk; Odabasi Çimer, Sabiha; Çimer, Atilla

2014-01-01

In this study, we investigate of science and technology pre-service teachers' opinions about the methods developed reflective thinking and we determined at the level of reflective thinking. This study is a descriptive study. Open-ended questions were used to determine the views of pre-service teachers. Questions used in the statistical analysis of…

The Relationship between Reflective Thinking Tendencies and Social Problem Solving Abilities of Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sivaci, Sadik Yüksel

2017-01-01

The ability of reflecting thinking and problem solving are two qualities that are thought effective in education of qualitative teachers and regulations of their educational status. In this study, our aim is to examine the pre-service teachers' levels of reflective thinking and problem solving and to determine if there is a significant…

Evaluating Creative Thinking of Rn-Bsn Students in the Course of Clinical Case Study and Practicum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ku, Ya-Lie

2015-01-01

This case study evaluated creative thinking of RN-BSN students in the course of clinical case study and practicum. Study design used quantitative and qualitative evaluations of creative thinking of RN-BSN students by triangulation method in the course of clinical case study and practicum. Sixty RN-BSN students self-perceived the changing levels of…

A Set of Vertically Integrated Inquiry-Based Practical Curricula that Develop Scientific Thinking Skills for Large Cohorts of Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimbardi, Kirsten; Bugarcic, Andrea; Colthorpe, Kay; Good, Jonathan P.; Lluka, Lesley J.

2013-01-01

Science graduates require critical thinking skills to deal with the complex problems they will face in their 21st century workplaces. Inquiry-based curricula can provide students with the opportunities to develop such critical thinking skills; however, evidence suggests that an inappropriate level of autonomy provided to under prepared students…

Physician satisfaction with a critical care clinical information system using a multimethod evaluation of usability.

PubMed

Hudson, Darren; Kushniruk, Andre; Borycki, Elizabeth; Zuege, Danny J

2018-04-01

Physician satisfaction with electronic medical records has often been poor. Usability has frequently been identified as a source for decreased satisfaction. While surveys can identify many issues, and are logistically easier to administer, they may miss issues identified using other methods This study sought to understand the level of physician satisfaction and usability issues associated with a critical care clinical information system (eCritical Alberta) implemented throughout the province of Alberta, Canada. All critical care attending physicians using the system were invited to participate in an online survey. Questions included components of the User Acceptance of Information Technology and Usability Questionnaire as well as free text feedback on system components. Physicians were also invited to participate in a think aloud test using simulated scenarios. The transcribed think aloud text and questionnaire were subjected to textual analysis. 82% of all eligible physicians completed the on-line survey (n = 61). Eight physicians were invited and seven completed the think aloud test. Overall satisfaction with the system was moderate. Usability was identified as a significant factor contributing to satisfaction. The major usability factors identified were system response time and layout. The think aloud component identified additional factors beyond those identified in the on-line survey. This study found a modestly high level of physician satisfaction with a province-wide clinical critical care information system. Usability continues to be a significant factor in physician satisfaction. Using multiple methods of evaluation can capture the benefits of a large sample size and deeper understanding of the issues. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Client Risks and Treatment Engagement on Recidivism

PubMed Central

YANG, YANG; KNIGHT, KEVIN; JOE, GEORGE W.; ROWAN-SZAL, GRACE A.; LEHMAN, WAYNE E. K.; FLYNN, PATRICK M.

2018-01-01

The current study modeled 12 month post-release re-arrest (recidivism) in terms of pretreatment risk factors (i.e., criminal history, criminal thinking,) and during-treatment engagement in a sample of 653 subjects admitted to four prison-based substance treatment programs. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test during-treatment engagement as a mediator variable in explaining the relationship between the pretreatment risk factors and recidivism. Results indicated that (1) a long history of criminal conduct correlated with criminal thinking, which in turn had a significantly negative relationship with engagement in treatment; (2) the level of criminal involvement had a significant relationship with re-arrest, whereas the level of criminal thinking did not influence being re-arrested directly; (3) the relationship between criminal history and re-arrest was partially mediated by criminal thinking and treatment engagement, whereas the relationship between criminal thinking and re-arrest was fully mediated by treatment engagement. The findings suggest that it is important to design interventions targeting criminal thinking and monitor treatment engagement as an indicator of treatment performance. Clinical implications also include the importance of facilitating treatment engagement and the utility of conducting prognostic assessment to inform treatment. PMID:29353986

Development of inquiry-based learning activities integrated with the local learning resource to promote learning achievement and analytical thinking ability of Mathayomsuksa 3 student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukji, Paweena; Wichaidit, Pacharee Rompayom; Wichaidit, Sittichai

2018-01-01

The objectives of this study were to: 1) compare learning achievement and analytical thinking ability of Mathayomsuksa 3 students before and after learning through inquiry-based learning activities integrated with the local learning resource, and 2) compare average post-test score of learning achievement and analytical thinking ability to its cutting score. The target of this study was 23 Mathayomsuksa 3 students who were studying in the second semester of 2016 academic year from Banchatfang School, Chainat Province. Research instruments composed of: 1) 6 lesson plans of Environment and Natural Resources, 2) the learning achievement test, and 3) analytical thinking ability test. The results showed that 1) student' learning achievement and analytical thinking ability after learning were higher than that of before at the level of .05 statistical significance, and 2) average posttest score of student' learning achievement and analytical thinking ability were higher than its cutting score at the level of .05 statistical significance. The implication of this research is for science teachers and curriculum developers to design inquiry activities that relate to student's context.

A comparison of problem-based and traditional education on nursing students' critical thinking dispositions.

PubMed

Ozturk, Candan; Muslu, Gonca Karayagiz; Dicle, Aklime

2008-07-01

Determining the critical thinking (CT) levels of students in undergraduate nursing schools is important in terms of establishing the methods of education that should be used. Although there is some evidence that active learning approaches like problem-based learning are effective in developing CT, the findings are inconclusive. This descriptive analytic study compared levels of critical thinking among senior nursing students (N=147) in two educational programs, one of which used a problem-based learning (PBL) model while the other used a traditional model. The California critical thinking disposition inventory (CCTDI) was used as a data collection tool. Comparisons between the groups were made using t-test analysis. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the critical thinking disposition scores of the seniors in the PBL school and those in the school implementing the traditional model. Analysis of sub-scale scores showed significant differences in truth-seeking and open-mindedness. These findings add to the evidence that the active and self-directed nature of PBL encourages students' ability to think critically, be tolerant of the ideas of others and evaluate conflicting information before reaching a conclusion.

The Effects of Moderate- and High-Fidelity Patient Simulator Use on Critical Thinking in Associate Degree Nursing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vieck, Jana

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of moderate- and high-fidelity patient simulator use on the critical thinking skills of associate degree nursing students. This quantitative study used a quasi-experimental design and the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) to evaluate the critical thinking skills of third semester nursing…

Creative Thinking Ability to Increase Student Mathematical of Junior High School by Applying Models Numbered Heads Together

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lince, Ranak

2016-01-01

Mathematical ability of students creative thinking is a component that must be mastered by the student. Mathematical creative thinking plays an important role, both in solving the problem and well, even in high school students. Therefore, efforts are needed to convey ideas in mathematics. But the reality is not yet developed the ability to…

Meeting High Expectations: Healthy Thinking, Resiliency, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egbert, Lisalee D.; LaMarr, Todd; Hossler, Tami; Davenport, Carrie; Crace, Jodee

2014-01-01

The authors present a positive outlook for deaf and hard of hearing children in meeting the high expectations set before them. Like all children, deaf and hard of hearing children thrive in environments that support and promote healthy ways of thinking. When individuals have healthy ways of thinking, they have what researchers call a "growth…

The Identification and Significance of Intuitive and Analytic Problem Solving Approaches Among College Physics Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorsland, Martin N.; Novak, Joseph D.

1974-01-01

Described is an approach to assessment of intuitive and analytic modes of thinking in physics. These modes of thinking are associated with Ausubel's theory of learning. High ability in either intuitive or analytic thinking was associated with success in college physics, with high learning efficiency following a pattern expected on the basis of…

Improvement of The Ability of Junior High School Students Thinking Through Visual Learning Assisted Geo gbra Tutorial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elvi, M.; Nurjanah

2017-02-01

This research is distributed on the issue of the lack of visual thinking ability is a must-have basic ability of students in learning geometry. The purpose of this research is to investigate and elucide: 1) the enhancement of visual thinking ability of students to acquire learning assisted with geogebra tutorial learning: 2) the increase in visual thinking ability of students who obtained a model of learning assisted with geogebra and students who obtained a regular study of KAM (high, medium, and low). This research population is grade VII in Bandung Junior High School. The instruments used to collect data in this study consisted of instruments of the test and the observation sheet. The data obtained were analyzed using the test average difference i.e. Test-t and ANOVA Test one line to two lines. The results showed that: 1) the attainment and enhancement of visual thinking ability of students to acquire learning assisted geogebra tutorial better than students who acquire learning; 2) there may be differences of visual upgrade thinking students who acquire the learning model assisted with geogebra tutorial earn regular learning of KAM (high, medium and low).

Temporal distance and person memory: thinking about the future changes memory for the past.

PubMed

Wyer, Natalie A; Perfect, Timothy J; Pahl, Sabine

2010-06-01

Psychological distance has been shown to influence how people construe an event such that greater distance produces high-level construal (characterized by global or holistic processing) and lesser distance produces low-level construal (characterized by detailed or feature-based processing). The present research tested the hypothesis that construal level has carryover effects on how information about an event is retrieved from memory. Two experiments manipulated temporal distance and found that greater distance (high-level construal) improves face recognition and increases retrieval of the abstract features of an event, whereas lesser distance (low-level construal) impairs face recognition and increases retrieval of the concrete details of an event. The findings have implications for transfer-inappropriate processing accounts of face recognition and event memory, and suggest potential applications in forensic settings.

Designing a model for critical thinking development in AJA University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Mafakheri Laleh, Mahyar; Mohammadimehr, Mojgan; Zargar Balaye Jame, Sanaz

2016-10-01

In the new concept of medical education, creativity development is an important goal. The aim of this research was to identify a model for developing critical thinking among students with the special focus on learning environment and learning style. This applied and cross-sectional study was conducted among all students studying in undergraduate and professional doctorate programs in Fall Semester 2013-2014 in AJA University of Medical Sciences (N=777). The sample consisted of 257 students selected based on the proportional stratified random sampling method. To collect data, three questionnaires including Critical Thinking, Perception of Learning Environment and Learning Style were employed. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation statistical test, and one-sample t-test. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to test the research model. SPSS software, version 14 and the LISREL software were used for data analysis. The results showed that students had significantly assessed the teaching-learning environment and two components of "perception of teachers" and "perception of emotional-psychological climate" at the desirable level (p<0.05). Also learning style and two components of "the study method" and "motivation for studying" were considered significantly desirable (p<0.05). The level of critical thinking among students in terms of components of "commitment", "creativity" and "cognitive maturity" was at the relatively desirable level (p<0.05). In addition, perception of the learning environment can impact the critical thinking through learning style. One of the factors which can significantly impact the quality improvement of the teaching and learning process in AJA University of Medical Sciences is to develop critical thinking among learners. This issue requires providing the proper situation for teaching and learning critical thinking in the educational environment.

Designing a model for critical thinking development in AJA University of Medical Sciences

PubMed Central

MAFAKHERI LALEH, MAHYAR; MOHAMMADIMEHR, MOJGAN; ZARGAR BALAYE JAME, SANAZ

2016-01-01

Introduction: In the new concept of medical education, creativity development is an important goal. The aim of this research was to identify a model for developing critical thinking among students with the special focus on learning environment and learning style. Methods: This applied and cross-sectional study was conducted among all students studying in undergraduate and professional doctorate programs in Fall Semester 2013-2014 in AJA University of Medical Sciences (N=777). The sample consisted of 257 students selected based on the proportional stratified random sampling method. To collect data, three questionnaires including Critical Thinking, Perception of Learning Environment and Learning Style were employed. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation statistical test, and one-sample t-test. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to test the research model. SPSS software, version 14 and the LISREL software were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that students had significantly assessed the teaching-learning environment and two components of "perception of teachers" and "perception of emotional-psychological climate" at the desirable level (p<0.05). Also learning style and two components of "the study method" and "motivation for studying" were considered significantly desirable (p<0.05). The level of critical thinking among students in terms of components of "commitment", "creativity" and "cognitive maturity" was at the relatively desirable level (p<0.05). In addition, perception of the learning environment can impact the critical thinking through learning style. Conclusion: One of the factors which can significantly impact the quality improvement of the teaching and learning process in AJA University of Medical Sciences is to develop critical thinking among learners. This issue requires providing the proper situation for teaching and learning critical thinking in the educational environment. PMID:27795968

Thinking style changes among deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students.

PubMed

Cheng, Sanyin; Zhang, Li-fang

2015-01-01

This study explores how university students' thinking styles changed over a single academic year by twice administering the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II to 256 deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) students and 286 hearing students from art and design academic disciplines in China. Results showed that after having studied at the university for one academic year, hearing students showed increased use of Type I thinking styles (more creativity generated, less structured, and more complex) and less use of Type II thinking styles (more norm favoring, more structured, and more simplistic), whereas DHH students demonstrated increased use of both Type I and Type II thinking styles. Moreover, students' changes in thinking styles differed across university class levels. The contributions, limitations, and implications of the present research are discussed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

"Thinking about a Sustainable Earth"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeshita, Makoto

2014-05-01

1.Introduction The Course of study for Junior high school teaching was changed in 2008 in Japan. We should especially mention about this change that ESD, "Education for Sustainable Development," was written as a point of view. ESD is a kind of educations that is studied with a target for a region and that aims at reorganize of consciousness through thinking of how to be a better region. ESD's view was written for Social studies, Science, Foreign Languages, Health and Physical Education, Home Economics and Technical Arts, and the Period for Integrated Studies. Of these subjects, Social studies are the one of core subjects. Social studies for Junior high school consist of Geography, History and Civics. "Problem of us and international society" is the last part of Civics. Teacher helps students to understand international society deeply and think about the role of our country for it. Students research many problems (global environment, resources and energy, poverty etc.) and organize their thoughts on how make a better society as a part of the human family. I taught them to think about how to solve many themes like religious problems, terrorism problems, the North-South problems, and resource and energy problems. It is my practice to let them think about what they should do to solve the global warming problem. 2.The truth of my class I pointed out to the students that the length of summer time in Japan is increasing, and we can anticipate it will continue to increase in the future. After that, I explained to them that occurrence of sudden, heavy downpour of rain is increasing and helped them understand the process of this kind of downpour through some diagrams and pictures. I helped them understand the context of this increase of the length of summer time and heavy downpour within the whole earth's ecosystem. Such increases as these things are causing global warming. I asked them to think about what are the possible problems if global warming progresses. The ideas the students thought of were; a rise in the sea level because of melting ice at the north and south poles, floods, the increase of typhoons and cyclones, the increase of droughts, the progression of desertification, etc. Lastly, I asked them to think about what we can do to prevent global warming. The students suggested: saving energy to decrease carbon dioxide emissions, developing further public transportation, using bikes instead of cars, promoting recycling, and decreasing the output of garbage. 3.Conclusion It is very effective to let them think about being sustainable earth after studying Geography, History and Civics at the end of Junior high school to raise awareness concerning sustainable region on the earth, on which we live.

Purposely Teaching for the Promotion of Higher-Order Thinking Skills: A Case of Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miri, Barak; Ben-Chaim, David; Zoller, Uri

2007-01-01

This longitudinal case-study aimed at examining whether purposely teaching for the promotion of higher order thinking skills enhances students' critical thinking (CT), within the framework of science education. Within a pre-, post-, and post-post experimental design, high school students, were divided into three research groups. The experimental…

Critical Thinking in a Higher Education Functional English Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Shaista Irshad

2017-01-01

Critical thinking is seen as a highly desirable way of thinking that needs to be encouraged in all areas of higher education. However, it is not easy to conceptualise critical thinking in ways that can help in its development and in its assessment. Recent policy documents in Pakistan have laid emphasis on the development of critical thinking…

Critical-Thinking Grudge Match: Biology vs. Chemistry--Examining Factors That Affect Thinking Skill in Nonmajors Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quitadamo, Ian J.; Kurtz, Martha J.; Cornell, Caitlyn Nicole; Griffith, Lindsay; Hancock, Julie; Egbert, Brandi

2011-01-01

Chemistry students appear to bring significantly higher critical-thinking skill to their nonmajors course than do biology students. Knowing student preconceptions and thinking ability is essential to learning growth and effective teaching. Of the factors investigated, ethnicity and high school physics had the largest impact on critical-thinking…

Students' Thinking about Effort and Ability: The Role of Developmental, Contextual, and Individual Difference Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muenks, Katherine; Miele, David B.

2017-01-01

Students' thinking about the relation between effort and ability can influence their motivation, affect, and academic achievement. Students sometimes think of effort as inversely related to ability (such that people with low ability must work harder than people with high ability) and other times think of effort as positively related to ability…

Understanding Approaches to Teaching Critical Thinking in High School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeremiah, Ken

2012-01-01

Critical thinking continues to be an educational concern even though many school systems, educators, and academic articles have stressed its importance. To teach critical thinking, teachers need to learn what it is and how it is taught. It is unknown to what extent critical thinking skills are taught and assessed in classrooms. The purpose of this…

[Investigation into the formation of proportions of "realistic thinking vs magical thinking" in paranoid schizophrenia].

PubMed

Jarosz, M; Pankiewicz, Z; Buczek, I; Poprawska, I; Rojek, J; Zaborowski, A

1993-01-01

Both magical thinking among healthy persons and magical and symbolic thinking in schizophrenia were discussed. The investigation covered 100 paranoid schizophrenics. They also underwent an examination in connection with the formation of the remaining 3 proportions. Both "realistic thinking and magical thinking" scales were used. An ability to think realistically was preserved, to a varying degree, in all patients, with 50% of those examined having shown an explicit or very explicit ability to follow realistic thinking. The above findings deviate from a simplified cognitive model within the discussed range. It was further confirmed that realistic thinking may coexist with magical thinking, and, in some cases, it concerns the same events. That type of disorders of the content of thinking are referred to as magical-realistic interpenetration. The results, and particularly high coefficient of negative correlation within the scales of the examined proportions, confirm the correctness of the assumption that the investigated modes of thinking form an antithetic bipolarity of proportions, aggregating antithetic values, therefore being also complementary.

Pitting intuitive and analytical thinking against each other: the case of transitivity.

PubMed

Rusou, Zohar; Zakay, Dan; Usher, Marius

2013-06-01

Identifying which thinking mode, intuitive or analytical, yields better decisions has been a major subject of inquiry by decision-making researchers. Yet studies show contradictory results. One possibility is that the ambiguity is due to the variability in experimental conditions across studies. Our hypothesis is that decision quality depends critically on the level of compatibility between the thinking mode employed in the decision and the nature of the decision-making task. In two experiments, we pitted intuition and analytical thinking against each other on tasks that were either mainly intuitive or mainly analytical. Thinking modes, as well as task characteristics, were manipulated in a factorial design, with choice transitivity as the dependent measure. Results showed higher choice consistency (transitivity) when thinking mode and the characteristics of the decision task were compatible.

The role of food-cue exposure and negative affect in the experience of thought-shape fusion.

PubMed

Coelho, Jennifer S; Roefs, Anne; Jansen, Anita

2010-12-01

Thought-shape fusion (TSF) is a cognitive distortion that can be induced by imagining eating high-caloric foods, and involves increased guilt, feelings of fatness, and perceptions of weight gain and moral wrong-doing. Two studies were conducted to further elucidate this phenomenon. Study 1 investigated whether merely being exposed to fattening foods (without being asked to think about these foods) could induce a TSF-like experience. Study 2 investigated the relationship between negative affect and TSF-like experiences. The results suggested that TSF is specific to thinking about eating fattening foods, as mere exposure to high-caloric foods did not increase state TSF scores in healthy females relative to a neutral control condition. Furthermore, susceptibility to TSF is associated with negative affect. Healthy females with low levels of negative affect appear to be protected against TSF, medium negative affect is associated with susceptibility to TSF inductions, while those with high levels of negative affect appear to be particularly vulnerable to TSF-like experiences (even after imagining a neutral situation). Overall, the studies suggest that negative affect is associated with a TSF-like experience, and that TSF is a phenomenon that is experienced (to at least some extent) by females in the general population. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Examining the Affordances of Dual Cognitive Processing to Explain the Development of High School Students' Nature of Science Views

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Luke M.

2017-01-01

This mixed method study was aimed at examining the influence of dual processing (Type 1 and Type 2 thinking) on the development of high school students' nature of science (NOS) views. Type 1 thinking is intuitive, experiential, and heuristic. Type 2 thinking is rational, analytical, and explicit. Three research questions were asked: (1) Do the…

Increasing Higher Level Thinking Skills in Science of Gifted Students in Grades 1-4 through "Hands-On" Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dindial, Myrna J.

This practicum was designed to increase higher level thinking skills of gifted students in primary school. The project sought to retrain students from recalling science information from the textbook to a more challenging and active form of learning through individual projects and small group and large group activities. Students were given…

The Effects of Visual Thinking Strategies on Reading Achievement of Students with Varying Levels of Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zelvis, Rima R.

2008-01-01

This study examined the effects of the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) curriculum on reading achievement of students with various motivational levels. A 2X2 factorial design was used. The sample population consisted of 104 fourth grade students from an upper middle class school system in Connecticut. All students were administered a…

Effects of Think-Aloud Pair Problem Solving on Secondary-Level Students' Performance in Career and Technical Education Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pate, Michael L.; Miller, Greg

2011-01-01

A randomized posttest-only control group experimental design was used to determine the effects of think-aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS) on the troubleshooting performance of 34 secondary-level career and technical education students. There was no significant difference in success rate between TAPPS students and students who worked alone…

Relationship between Critical Thinking Levels and Attitudes towards Reading Habits among Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulgurcuoglu, Ahmet Nusret

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present research is to define the critical thinking levels and reading habits of students studying at the department of physical education and sports teaching and analysing the relationship between these. The participants of the present research are 136 pre-service physical education teachers studying at Mugla Sitki Kocman…

Mathematics Teachers' Level of Knowledge and Practice on the Implementation of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdullah, Abdul Halim; Mokhtar, Mahani; Halim, Noor Dayana Abd; Ali, Dayana Farzeeha; Tahir, Lokman Mohd; Kohar, Umar Haiyat Abdul

2017-01-01

This study aims to identify the level of knowledge and practice on the implementation of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) among mathematics teachers at a secondary school in the district of Terengganu. The study focused on the aspects of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment and compared them with demographic factors of the respondents. It used…

Improving Students' Van Hiele Level of Geometric Thinking Using Geometer's Sketchpad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tieng, Poh Geik; Eu, Leong Kwan

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the use of the Geometer's Sketchpad on students' van Hiele level of geometric thinking. A total of 31 Year Three students from a primary school in Pahang, Malaysia, participated in this study which was carried out over two weeks. The experimental group (N=16) was given the intervention using Geometer's…

Can Student Nurse Critical Thinking Be Predicted from Perceptions of Structural Empowerment within the Undergraduate, Pre-Licensure Learning Environment?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caswell-Moore, Shelley P.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test a model using Rosabeth Kanter's theory (1977; 1993) of structural empowerment to determine if this model can predict student nurses' level of critical thinking. Major goals of nursing education are to cultivate graduates who can think critically with a keen sense of clinical judgment, and who can perform…

The Effects of Problem-Based Learning on Pre-Service Teachers' Critical Thinking Dispositions and Perceptions of Problem-Solving Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Temel, Senar

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was two-fold. The first aim was to determine the levels of critical thinking disposition and perception of problem-solving ability of pre-service teachers. The second aim was to compare the effects of problem-based learning and traditional teaching methods on the critical thinking dispositions and perceptions of…

The Analysis of the Thinking Styles and Creativity of the Sports Students Studying in the Different Fields of University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eraslan, Meric

2014-01-01

This study analyzes the creativity and thinking levels of athletes studying at the different college departments; 61 female and 75 male athletes, a total of 136 ice-hockey players have participated in the research. As data collection tools, Thinking Styles Inventory and The Creativity Scale have been used in the study. SPSS 15.0 for Windows…

Drama Education on the Creative Thinking Skills of 61-72 Months Old Pre-School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yasar, Munevver Can; Aral, Neriman

2012-01-01

This study aims to identify six-year-old pre-school children's creative thinking skill levels and to establish whether there is a difference between the creative thinking skills of children who received drama education and those who did not. The population of the study consisted of six-year-old children who were attending pre-school classes of…

Computer-Aided Argument Mapping in an EFL Setting: Does Technology Precede Traditional Paper and Pencil Approach in Developing Critical Thinking?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eftekhari, Maryam; Sotoudehnama, Elaheh; Marandi, S. Susan

2016-01-01

Developing higher-order critical thinking skills as one of the central objectives of education has been recently facilitated via software packages. Whereas one such technology as computer-aided argument mapping is reported to enhance levels of critical thinking (van Gelder 2001), its application as a pedagogical tool in English as a Foreign…

Student Levels of Cognitive Development: Establishing Links between Logical Thinking Skills and Success in Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steer, D. N.; McConnell, D. A.; Owens, K.

2003-12-01

Students in inquiry-based, general education Earth Science courses were found to display a wide range of logical thinking skills that are known indicators of success in science courses. The Group Assessment of Logical Thinking instrument that tests six logical operations was administered on the first day of class and near the end of the course. Such tests can be used to assess a student's overall level of cognitive development (concrete, transitional or formal) and specific logical thinking strengths or weaknesses. Results from paired pre- and post-course logical thinking tests of 393 students indicated that 25% of the incoming students were concrete, 30% were transitional and 45% were formal thinkers. Concrete and transitional thinkers were far more likely to withdraw from or fail the course when compared to their formal thinking peers (35%, 25% and 10% respectively). Differences in scores between genders were significant with 210 females testing at 30% concrete, 35% transitional and 35% formal on the pretest compared to 183 males who tested 15% concrete, 25% transitional and 60% formal. Overall logical thinking scores of students increased significantly in every inquiry-based class with lecture-based classes showing overall lower increases. Post-test data indicated that there were fewer concrete thinkers (16% female, 7% male), little change in the number of transitional thinkers (30% female, 23% male) and more formal thinkers (54% female, 70% male) toward the end of the inquiry-based course. Scores on two of the logical operations, conservation and probability, were sufficient to separate those who received a high grade (A or B in course) from those were unsuccessful (D, F or withdrew). Students who score low in conservation operations (n=46) tend to rely on intuition rather than logic when trying to understand typical Earth System concepts such as plate tectonics, atmospheric processes and climate change. Students who score low in probability skills (n=46) have difficulty distinguishing the difference between unrelated, but possible, data and those data that confirm a supposition. Such skills are necessary to properly apply the scientific method. By the end of the course, unsuccessful concrete students improved conservation reasoning skills to the same levels of their higher performing concrete peers on the post-test but remained behind them in probability skills. Successful transitional thinkers (n=50) displayed better correlation-reasoning skills than their lower performing contemporaries (n=51). Correlation reasoning skills are necessary to understand some of the many causal relationships routinely developed in the Earth Sciences (e.g. those associated with plate tectonics and earthquakes or volcanoes; CO2 and global climate change).

Elementary school students visual spatial comprehension based on van Hiele Theory: the case in Madiun, East Java, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andini, S.; Fitriana, L.; Budiyono

2018-03-01

This study presents partial result from the project “Geometry in Flipbook Multimedia: A Technology Role in Improving Mathematical Learning Quality in Madiun”, which was undertaken to explore the skill of geometry and passing rate of van Hiele’s geometric thinking level, especially for the first three level. The material focus of the study is a two-dimensional figure and reviewed from basic skill aspect of geometry (visual, verbal, drawing, logic, and application). The participants were 30 students in the 6 grade of elementary school in Madiun, East Java. The data collecting technique for this study there are a test instrument of van Hiele geometry (VHG) and an interview’s instrument about characteristics geometry basic skill. After the test, twelve students from participants were randomly selected interviewed to determine their geometry basic skill. This study found that (1) most of the students of 6 grade can only reach the first level is about 69%, the passing rate at the second level test is about 49%, and at the third level, the average of students' achievement is 35%, (2) if viewed from five basic skills of geometry, most of the students have a low mastery, and (3) the achievement of grade six students are inclined high in first level and low in third level based on van Hiele’s Geometric Thinking Level.

An example of woman scientist in France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazenave, A.

2002-12-01

Although the presence of women in sciences has been increasing in the past few decades in Europe, it remains incredibly low at the top levels. Recent statistics from the European Commission indicate that now women represent 50 per cent of first degree students in many countries. However, the proportion of women at each stage of the scientific career decreases almost linearly, reaching less than 10 per cent at the highest level jobs. From my own experience, I don't think that this results from sexism nor discrimination. Rather, I think that this is a result of complex cultural factors making women subconsciously persuaded that top level jobs are destined to male scientists only. Many women scientists drop the idea of playing a role at high-level research, considering it is a way of exerting power (a matter reserved to men). Others give up the possibility of combining childcare and high level commitments in research. And too many (married women) still find only natural to sacrifice their own scientific ambitions to the benefit of their spouse's career. In this poster, I briefly present my personal experience. I chose to prioritize scientific productivity and expertise versus hierarchical responsibilities. Besides I tried to keep a satisfactory balance between family demand and research involvement. This was indeed facilitated by the French system, which provides substantial support to women's work (nurseries, recreation centers during school holidays, etc.). To my point of view, the most promising way of increasing the number of women at top levels in research is through education and mentality evolution

Safety leadership and systems thinking: application and evaluation of a Risk Management Framework in the mining industry.

PubMed

Donovan, Sarah-Louise; Salmon, Paul M; Lenné, Michael G; Horberry, Tim

2017-10-01

Safety leadership is an important factor in supporting safety in high-risk industries. This article contends that applying systems-thinking methods to examine safety leadership can support improved learning from incidents. A case study analysis was undertaken of a large-scale mining landslide incident in which no injuries or fatalities were incurred. A multi-method approach was adopted, in which the Critical Decision Method, Rasmussen's Risk Management Framework and Accimap method were applied to examine the safety leadership decisions and actions which enabled the safe outcome. The approach enabled Rasmussen's predictions regarding safety and performance to be examined in the safety leadership context, with findings demonstrating the distribution of safety leadership across leader and system levels, and the presence of vertical integration as key to supporting the successful safety outcome. In doing so, the findings also demonstrate the usefulness of applying systems-thinking methods to examine and learn from incidents in terms of what 'went right'. The implications, including future research directions, are discussed. Practitioner Summary: This paper presents a case study analysis, in which systems-thinking methods are applied to the examination of safety leadership decisions and actions during a large-scale mining landslide incident. The findings establish safety leadership as a systems phenomenon, and furthermore, demonstrate the usefulness of applying systems-thinking methods to learn from incidents in terms of what 'went right'. Implications, including future research directions, are discussed.

Project NANO (nanoscience and nanotechnology outreach): a STEM training program that brings SEM's and stereoscopes into high-school and middle-school classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cady, Sherry L.; Blok, Mikel; Grosse, Keith; Wells, Jennifer

2014-09-01

The program Project NANO (Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Outreach) enables middle and high school students to discover and research submicroscopic phenomena in a new and exciting way with the use of optical and scanning electron microscopes in the familiar surroundings of their middle or high school classrooms. Project NANO provides secondary level professional development workshops, support for classroom instruction and teacher curriculum development, and the means to deliver Project NANO toolkits (SEM, stereoscope, computer, supplies) to classrooms with Project NANO trained teachers. Evaluation surveys document the impact of the program on student's attitudes toward science and technology and on the learning outcomes for secondary level teachers. Project NANO workshops (offered for professional development credit) enable teachers to gain familiarity using and teaching with the SEM. Teachers also learn to integrate new content knowledge and skills into topic-driven, standards-based units of instruction specifically designed to support the development of students' higher order thinking skills that include problem solving and evidence-based thinking. The Project NANO management team includes a former university science faculty, two high school science teachers, and an educational researcher. To date, over 7500 students have experienced the impact of the Project NANO program, which provides an exciting and effective model for engaging students in the discovery of nanoscale phenomena and concepts in a fun and engaging way.

Healthy brooders employ more attentional resources when disengaging from the negative: an event-related fMRI study.

PubMed

Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne; Kühn, Simone; De Raedt, Rudi

2011-06-01

Depressive brooding is considered a maladaptive ruminative-thinking style that has been shown to be highly correlated with major depression. The present study in healthy participants employed event-related fMRI to uncover the neural underpinnings of emotional disengagement as it relates to depressive brooding. Thirty-four healthy, never depressed individuals performed an emotional go/no-go task with a rapid presentation of emotional faces. We focused on the contrast of inhibiting sad (happy/no-go) versus inhibiting happy (sad/no-go) information. This contrast allowed us to assess possible difficulties in disengaging from emotionally negative, as compared with emotionally positive, faces. At the behavioral level, only in high brooders were higher self-reported brooding scores correlated with more errors when sad information was inhibited, relative to happy information. At the neural level, across all participants, brooding scores were positively correlated with activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; BA 46), implying that high brooders show higher DLPFC involvement when successfully disengaging from a series of negative stimuli. These results may suggest that healthy individuals who report a high brooding thinking style need to recruit more attentional control in order to disengage successfully from negative information, in a way that may be related to emotion regulation strategies. These mechanisms might protect them from developing depressive symptoms.

The influence of project-based learning on the student conception about kinematics and critical thinking skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handhika, J.; Cari, C.; Sunarno, W.; Suparmi, A.; Kurniadi, E.

2018-05-01

This research revealed the influence of project-based learning (PjBL) to increasing the level of the conception. The research method used the pre-experimental design with one group pre-test post-test. PjBL applied to students of physics education program of IKIP PGRI Madiun (23 Students). The test used to determine the level of conception is multiple choice tests and index of certainty. Activities on PjBL described. Obtained that the PjBL model can increase the level of conception and Critical thinking skills with the average normalized gain 0.49 and 0.57 (Medium category). It can be concluded that the PjBL could improve the level of conception and critical thinking ability of the students. Implementation of each model phase following learning objectives and needs analysis is the key to improve both.

Imagining the future in health anxiety: the impact of rumination on the specificity of illness-related memory and future thinking.

PubMed

Sansom-Daly, Ursula M; Bryant, Richard A; Cohn, Richard J; Wakefield, Claire E

2014-01-01

Individuals with health anxiety experience catastrophic fears relating to future illness. However, little research has explored cognitive processes involved in how health anxious individuals picture the future. Ruminative thinking has been shown to impede the ability to recall specific autobiographical memories, which in turn is related to maladaptive, categoric future thinking processes. This study examined the impact of rumination on memory and future thinking among 60 undergraduate participants with varying health anxiety (35% clinical-level health anxiety). Participants were randomized to experiential/ruminative self-focus conditions, then completed an Autobiographical Memory Test and Future Imaginings Task. Responses were coded for specificity and the presence of illness concerns. Rumination led to more specific illness-concerned memories overall, yet at the same time led to more categoric illness-related future imaginings. Rumination and health anxiety together best predicted overgeneral illness-related future imaginings. Highly specific illness-related memories may be maintained due to their personal salience. However, more overgeneral illness-related future imaginings may reflect cognitive avoidance in response to the threat of future illness. This divergent pattern of results between memory and future imaginings may exacerbate health anxiety, and may also serve to maintain maladaptive responses among individuals with realistic medical concerns, such as individuals living with chronic illness.

Shedding light on the association between repetitive negative thinking and deficits in cognitive control - A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Zetsche, Ulrike; Bürkner, Paul-Christian; Schulze, Lars

2018-06-11

Individuals who experience recurrent negative thoughts are at elevated risk for mood and anxiety disorders. It is thus essential to understand why some individuals get stuck in recurrent negative thinking (RNT), whereas others are able to disengage eventually. Theoretical models propose that individuals high in recurrent negative thinking suffer from deficits in controlling the contents of working memory. Empirical findings, however, are inconclusive. In this meta-analysis, we synthesize findings from 94 studies to examine the proposed association between RNT and deficits in cognitive control. We included numerous effect sizes not reported in the primary publications. Moderator analyses tested the influence of variables, such as stimuli valence, cognitive control function (e.g., shifting, discarding), or type of RNT (i.e., rumination or worry). Results demonstrated an association between repetitive negative thinking and deficits in only one specific cognitive control function, namely difficulty discarding no longer relevant material from working memory (r = -0.20). This association remained significant after controlling for level of psychopathology. There was no substantial association between RNT and deficits in any other cognitive control function. All other moderators were not significant. We discuss limitations (e.g., primary sample sizes, reliability of paradigms) and highlight implications for future research and clinical interventions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can Learning a Foreign Language Foster Analytic Thinking?—Evidence from Chinese EFL Learners' Writings

PubMed Central

Jiang, Jingyang; Ouyang, Jinghui; Liu, Haitao

2016-01-01

Language is not only the representation of thinking, but also shapes thinking. Studies on bilinguals suggest that a foreign language plays an important and unconscious role in thinking. In this study, a software—Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2007—was used to investigate whether the learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) can foster Chinese high school students’ English analytic thinking (EAT) through the analysis of their English writings with our self-built corpus. It was found that: (1) learning English can foster Chinese learners’ EAT. Chinese EFL learners’ ability of making distinctions, degree of cognitive complexity and degree of thinking activeness have all improved along with the increase of their English proficiency and their age; (2) there exist differences in Chinese EFL learners’ EAT and that of English native speakers, i. e. English native speakers are better in the ability of making distinctions and degree of thinking activeness. These findings suggest that the best EFL learners in high schools have gained native-like analytic thinking through six years’ English learning and are able to switch their cognitive styles as needed. PMID:27741270

Concept-Rich Mathematics Instruction: Building a Strong Foundation for Reasoning and Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Hur, Meir

2006-01-01

Fact-filled textbooks that stress memorization and drilling are not very good for teaching students how to think mathematically and solve problems. But this is a book that comes to the rescue with an instructional approach that helps students in every grade level truly understand math concepts so they can apply them on high-stakes assessments,…

Mental Health Problems in Children and Young People with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moradi Sheykhjan, Tohid

2015-01-01

We all have mental health. Mental health relates to how we think, feel, behave and interact with other people. At its simplest, good mental health is the absence of a mental disorder or mental health problem. Adults, children and young people with good mental health are likely to have high levels of mental wellbeing. The World Health Organisation…

Re-Thinking Science Capital: The Role of "Capital" and "Identity" in Mediating Students' Engagement with Mathematically Demanding Programmes at University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Laura; Hernandez-Martinez, Paul

2016-01-01

A wide body of literature has highlighted how high achievement in mathematics in secondary school does not necessarily motivate students to both choose and succeed on mathematically demanding programmes at post-compulsory level. The recent Enterprising Science project [Archer et al. (2015, "J. Res. Sci. Teach.," 52, 922-948)] and before…

Determination the Effects of Vocational High School Students' Logical and Critical Thinking Skills on Mathematics Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksu, Gökhan; Koruklu, Nermin

2015-01-01

Problem Statement: One of the main goals of education is to nurture individuals who know and improve themselves; who is well educated and have scientific perspective; who have developed communal coherency level; who are active, democratic and respectful to human rights. At the present time, according to an up to date mentality in mathematics…

Educational Needs, Aspirations, and Expectations for Young People in Michigan. Latinos in Michigan. LM-03

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kayitsinga, Jean; Villarruel, Francisco A.; Tanner, Paul E., Jr.

2008-01-01

In today's changing economy and global competition, the demand for a better educated workforce has been increasing. Since the 1970's, new structures of work have emerged that require a highly skilled labor force. What do Michigan residents think about future educational needs of young people? What level of education do they expect their children…

Schools as Promoters of Moral Judgment: The Essential Role of Teachers' Encouragement of Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinstock, Michael; Assor, Avi; Broide, Galia

2009-01-01

The assumption that high level functioning is characterized by a great deal of autonomy is central to some major theories of moral development [Kohlberg (in T. Lickona (ed.) "Moral development and behavior: Theory, research and social issues," 1976); Piaget ("The moral judgment of the child", 1932)] and to the self-determination theory of…

High School Students Learning University Level Computer Science on the Web: A Case Study of the "DASK"-Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grandell, Linda

2005-01-01

Computer science is becoming increasingly important in our society. Meta skills, such as problem solving and logical and algorithmic thinking, are emphasized in every field, not only in the natural sciences. Still, largely due to gaps in tuition, common misunderstandings exist about the true nature of computer science. These are especially…

Predicting recidivism with the psychological inventory of criminal thinking styles and level of service inventory-revised: screening version.

PubMed

Walters, Glenn D

2011-06-01

Recidivism was evaluated in 178 male inmates administered the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) and scored on the Level of Service Inventory-Revised: Screening Version (LSI-R:SV) 1-55 months before their release from prison. Age, prior charges, the LSI-R:SV total score, and the PICTS General Criminal Thinking (GCT), Proactive Criminal Thinking (P), and Reactive Criminal Thinking (R) scores served as predictors of recidivism in follow-ups spanning 1-53 months. Age, prior charges, and the PICTS GCT and R scales consistently and incrementally predicted general recidivism (all charges), whereas prior charges and the PICTS R scale consistently and incrementally predicted serious recidivism (more serious charges). Although these results support the predictive efficacy and incremental validity of content-relevant self-report measures of criminality like the PICTS, they also indicate that the effect is modest and in need of further clarification. One area requiring further investigation is the potential role of the PICTS, particularly the R scale, as a dynamic risk factor.

Zooming into creativity: individual differences in attentional global-local biases are linked to creative thinking.

PubMed

Zmigrod, Sharon; Zmigrod, Leor; Hommel, Bernhard

2015-01-01

While recent studies have investigated how processes underlying human creativity are affected by particular visual-attentional states, we tested the impact of more stable attention-related preferences. These were assessed by means of Navon's global-local task, in which participants respond to the global or local features of large letters constructed from smaller letters. Three standard measures were derived from this task: the sizes of the global precedence effect, the global interference effect (i.e., the impact of incongruent letters at the global level on local processing), and the local interference effect (i.e., the impact of incongruent letters at the local level on global processing). These measures were correlated with performance in a convergent-thinking creativity task (the Remote Associates Task), a divergent-thinking creativity task (the Alternate Uses Task), and a measure of fluid intelligence (Raven's matrices). Flexibility in divergent thinking was predicted by the local interference effect while convergent thinking was predicted by intelligence only. We conclude that a stronger attentional bias to visual information about the "bigger picture" promotes cognitive flexibility in searching for multiple solutions.

The Development of Learning Devices Based Guided Discovery Model to Improve Understanding Concept and Critical Thinking Mathematically Ability of Students at Islamic Junior High School of Medan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuliani, Kiki; Saragih, Sahat

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research was to: 1) development of learning devices based guided discovery model in improving of understanding concept and critical thinking mathematically ability of students at Islamic Junior High School; 2) describe improvement understanding concept and critical thinking mathematically ability of students at MTs by using…

EEG alpha synchronization is related to top-down processing in convergent and divergent thinking

PubMed Central

Benedek, Mathias; Bergner, Sabine; Könen, Tanja; Fink, Andreas; Neubauer, Aljoscha C.

2011-01-01

Synchronization of EEG alpha activity has been referred to as being indicative of cortical idling, but according to more recent evidence it has also been associated with active internal processing and creative thinking. The main objective of this study was to investigate to what extent EEG alpha synchronization is related to internal processing demands and to specific cognitive process involved in creative thinking. To this end, EEG was measured during a convergent and a divergent thinking task (i.e., creativity-related task) which once were processed involving low and once involving high internal processing demands. High internal processing demands were established by masking the stimulus (after encoding) and thus preventing further bottom-up processing. Frontal alpha synchronization was observed during convergent and divergent thinking only under exclusive top-down control (high internal processing demands), but not when bottom-up processing was allowed (low internal processing demands). We conclude that frontal alpha synchronization is related to top-down control rather than to specific creativity-related cognitive processes. Frontal alpha synchronization, which has been observed in a variety of different creativity tasks, thus may not reflect a brain state that is specific for creative cognition but can probably be attributed to high internal processing demands which are typically involved in creative thinking. PMID:21925520

Teaching transportation systems thinking concepts to undergraduates.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-05-01

Systems thinking is thought by many academics to be a graduate level educational venture. : Many traditional educators in the engineering field argue that first a student should gain a : grounding in some traditional branch of engineering (civil and ...

Early Identification of Transformation in the Proficiency Level of Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) for the First Semester Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swing, Velmarie K.

2014-01-01

Critical thinking (CT) in the new nursing graduate continues to be a topic of concern in the academic and acute care settings. While research studies have analyzed critical thinking skills (CTS) at the beginning and end of nursing programs, few have focused on early program evaluation of CT. In this non-experimental, explanatory, quantitative…

Integrating Systems Thinking Into Nursing Education.

PubMed

Phillips, Janet M; Stalter, Ann M

2016-09-01

A critical need exists for nursing leadership in current complex health care settings. Systems thinking can be incorporated into nursing education at all levels by using evidence-based principles in education. Teaching tips are provided using a systems awareness model to guide nurse educators in the assessment and integration of systems thinking and engaging learners in interprofessional education and practice. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(9):395-397. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

The Development of Second Language Critical Thinking in a Virtual Language Learning Environment: A Process-Oriented Mixed-Method Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mroz, Aurore

2015-01-01

This article presents a process-oriented mixed-method study, focusing on the emergence of second language (L2) critical thinking (CT) skills in the collaborative discourse produced by a focal group of five college-level students of French working in a virtual language learning environment (the VLLE Cinet Second Life). Levels of CT ability were…

Effects of an experiential learning program on the clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills of occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Coker, Patty

2010-01-01

This study examined the effects of participation in a 1-week, experiential, hands-on learning program on the critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills of occupational therapy students. A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized pre- and post-test design was used with a sample of 25 students. The students had completed three semesters of didactic lecture coursework in a master's level OT educational program prior to participation in a hands-on therapy program for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Changes in critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills were evaluated using the following dependent measures: Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning (SACRR) and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). Changes in pretest and posttest scores on the SACRR and the CCTST were statistically significant (p>0.05) following completion of the experiential learning program. This study supports the use of hands-on learning to develop clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills in healthcare students, who face ever more diverse patient populations upon entry-level practice. Further qualitative and quantitative investigations are needed to support the results of this study and determine which components of experiential learning programs are essential for developing clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills in future allied health professionals.

Multiple-Choice Exams: An Obstacle for Higher-Level Thinking in Introductory Science Classes

PubMed Central

Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F.

2012-01-01

Learning science requires higher-level (critical) thinking skills that need to be practiced in science classes. This study tested the effect of exam format on critical-thinking skills. Multiple-choice (MC) testing is common in introductory science courses, and students in these classes tend to associate memorization with MC questions and may not see the need to modify their study strategies for critical thinking, because the MC exam format has not changed. To test the effect of exam format, I used two sections of an introductory biology class. One section was assessed with exams in the traditional MC format, the other section was assessed with both MC and constructed-response (CR) questions. The mixed exam format was correlated with significantly more cognitively active study behaviors and a significantly better performance on the cumulative final exam (after accounting for grade point average and gender). There was also less gender-bias in the CR answers. This suggests that the MC-only exam format indeed hinders critical thinking in introductory science classes. Introducing CR questions encouraged students to learn more and to be better critical thinkers and reduced gender bias. However, student resistance increased as students adjusted their perceptions of their own critical-thinking abilities. PMID:22949426

Discovery learning model with geogebra assisted for improvement mathematical visual thinking ability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juandi, D.; Priatna, N.

2018-05-01

The main goal of this study is to improve the mathematical visual thinking ability of high school student through implementation the Discovery Learning Model with Geogebra Assisted. This objective can be achieved through study used quasi-experimental method, with non-random pretest-posttest control design. The sample subject of this research consist of 62 senior school student grade XI in one of school in Bandung district. The required data will be collected through documentation, observation, written tests, interviews, daily journals, and student worksheets. The results of this study are: 1) Improvement students Mathematical Visual Thinking Ability who obtain learning with applied the Discovery Learning Model with Geogebra assisted is significantly higher than students who obtain conventional learning; 2) There is a difference in the improvement of students’ Mathematical Visual Thinking ability between groups based on prior knowledge mathematical abilities (high, medium, and low) who obtained the treatment. 3) The Mathematical Visual Thinking Ability improvement of the high group is significantly higher than in the medium and low groups. 4) The quality of improvement ability of high and low prior knowledge is moderate category, in while the quality of improvement ability in the high category achieved by student with medium prior knowledge.

Use of critical thinking in the diagnostic process.

PubMed

Lunney, Margaret

2010-01-01

To demonstrate use of critical thinking in the diagnostic process in order to achieve accuracy of nursing diagnoses. The 7 cognitive skills and 10 habits of mind identified as important for nursing in a Delphi study by Scheffer and Rubenfeld are applied to the diagnostic process using a published case study of a woman with heart failure. Taking into account all data from the case study and using the concepts of critical thinking, two high-accuracy nursing diagnoses were selected to guide nursing interventions. Because the specific types of critical thinking needed for accurate diagnosing are not known, nurses should develop all 17 of the cognitive skills and habits of mind so these thinking abilities are available when needed. The 17 critical thinking concepts should be combined with domain knowledge, e.g., nursing diagnoses, to think about thinking, which will improve critical thinking processes.

Thoughts in flight: automation use and pilots' task-related and task-unrelated thought.

PubMed

Casner, Stephen M; Schooler, Jonathan W

2014-05-01

The objective was to examine the relationship between cockpit automation use and task-related and task-unrelated thought among airline pilots. Studies find that cockpit automation can sometimes relieve pilots of tedious control tasks and afford them more time to think ahead. Paradoxically, automation has also been shown to lead to lesser awareness. These results prompt the question of what pilots think about while using automation. A total of 18 airline pilots flew a Boeing 747-400 simulator while we recorded which of two levels of automation they used. As they worked, pilots were verbally probed about what they were thinking. Pilots were asked to categorize their thoughts as pertaining to (a) a specific task at hand, (b) higher-level flight-related thoughts (e.g.,planning ahead), or (c) thoughts unrelated to the flight. Pilots' performance was also measured. Pilots reported a smaller percentage of task-at-hand thoughts (27% vs. 50%) and a greater percentage of higher-level flight-related thoughts (56% vs. 29%) when using the higher level of automation. However, when all was going according to plan, using either level of automation, pilots also reported a higher percentage of task-unrelated thoughts (21%) than they did when in the midst of an unsuccessful performance (7%). Task-unrelated thoughts peaked at 25% when pilots were not interacting with the automation. Although cockpit automation may provide pilots with more time to think, it may encourage pilots to reinvest only some of this mental free time in thinking flight-related thoughts. This research informs the design of human-automation systems that more meaningfully engage the human operator.

Effectiveness of guided inquiry learning model to improve students’ critical thinking skills at senior high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisa, E. K.; Koestiari, T.; Habibbulloh, M.; Jatmiko, Budi

2018-03-01

This research aimed to describe the effectiveness of guided inquiry learning model to improve students' critical thinking skills. Subjects in the research were 90 students at three groups of senior high school grade X on Tarik (Indonesia), which follows a physics lesson on static fluid material in academic year 2016/2017. The research was used one group pre-test and post-test design. Before and after being given physics learning with guided discovery learning model, students in the three groups were given the same test (pre-test and post-test). The results of this research showed: 1) there is an increased score of students' critical thinking skills in each group on α = 5%; 2) average N-gain of students' critical thinking skills of each group is a high category; and 3) average N-gain of the three groups did not differ. The conclusion of this research is that learning model of guided inquiry effective to improve students' critical thinking skills.

Vulnerability assessment of water resources - Translating a theoretical concept to an operational framework using systems thinking approach in a changing climate: Case study in Ogallala Aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anandhi, Aavudai; Kannan, Narayanan

2018-02-01

Water is an essential natural resource. Among many stressors, altered climate is exerting pressure on water resource systems, increasing its demand and creating a need for vulnerability assessments. The overall objective of this study was to develop a novel tool that can translate a theoretical concept (vulnerability of water resources (VWR)) to an operational framework mainly under altered temperature and precipitation, as well as for population change (smaller extent). The developed tool had three stages and utilized a novel systems thinking approach. Stage-1: Translating theoretical concept to characteristics identified from studies; Stage-2: Operationalizing characteristics to methodology in VWR; Stage-3: Utilizing the methodology for development of a conceptual modeling tool for VWR: WR-VISTA (Water Resource Vulnerability assessment conceptual model using Indicators selected by System's Thinking Approach). The specific novelties were: 1) The important characteristics in VWR were identified in Stage-1 (target system, system components, scale, level of detail, data source, frameworks, and indicator); 2) WR-VISTA combined two vulnerability assessments frameworks: the European's Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework (DPSIR) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's framework (IPCC's); and 3) used systems thinking approaches in VWR for indicator selection. The developed application was demonstrated in Kansas (overlying the High Plains region/Ogallala Aquifer, considered the "breadbasket of the world"), using 26 indicators with intermediate level of detail. Our results indicate that the western part of the state is vulnerable from agricultural water use and the eastern part from urban water use. The developed tool can be easily replicated to other regions within and outside the US.

Teaching complex trauma care in a curriculum challenges critical thinking and clinical judgment--how nurses can help.

PubMed

West, Margaret Mary; Bross, Gina; Snyder, Melissa

2007-01-01

Incorporating complex content into a nursing curriculum presents students with the knowledge and thinking skills necessary to enter a career in nursing. A level 1 trauma center is a prefect environment to advance these thinking skills. Nurses act as professional role models and teachers as they clarify and explain their thinking to a student. When experienced nurses show invitational behaviors to students and share their knowledge with them, they ignite a strong desire within the student to progress. Caring, communication, and inclusion are key components that synergize the teaching/learning experience. The development of critical thinking is a continuous process that is best achieved through collaboration between the student, faculty, and professional, experienced nurses.

Critical thinking: the development of an essential skill for nursing students.

PubMed

Papathanasiou, Ioanna V; Kleisiaris, Christos F; Fradelos, Evangelos C; Kakou, Katerina; Kourkouta, Lambrini

2014-08-01

Critical thinking is defined as the mental process of actively and skillfully perception, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of collected information through observation, experience and communication that leads to a decision for action. In nursing education there is frequent reference to critical thinking and to the significance that it has in daily clinical nursing practice. Nursing clinical instructors know that students face difficulties in making decisions related to clinical practice. The main critical thinking skills in which nursing students should be exercised during their studies are critical analysis, introductory and concluding justification, valid conclusion, distinguish of facts and opinions, evaluation the credibility of information sources, clarification of concepts and recognition of conditions. Specific behaviors are essentials for enhancing critical thinking. Nursing students in order to learn and apply critical thinking should develop independence of thought, fairness, perspicacity in personal and social level, humility, spiritual courage, integrity, perseverance, self-confidence, interest for research and curiosity. Critical thinking is an essential process for the safe, efficient and skillful nursing practice. The nursing education programs should adopt attitudes that promote critical thinking and mobilize the skills of critical reasoning.

Critical Thinking: The Development of an Essential Skill for Nursing Students

PubMed Central

Papathanasiou, Ioanna V.; Kleisiaris, Christos F.; Fradelos, Evangelos C.; Kakou, Katerina; Kourkouta, Lambrini

2014-01-01

Critical thinking is defined as the mental process of actively and skillfully perception, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of collected information through observation, experience and communication that leads to a decision for action. In nursing education there is frequent reference to critical thinking and to the significance that it has in daily clinical nursing practice. Nursing clinical instructors know that students face difficulties in making decisions related to clinical practice. The main critical thinking skills in which nursing students should be exercised during their studies are critical analysis, introductory and concluding justification, valid conclusion, distinguish of facts and opinions, evaluation the credibility of information sources, clarification of concepts and recognition of conditions. Specific behaviors are essentials for enhancing critical thinking. Nursing students in order to learn and apply critical thinking should develop independence of thought, fairness, perspicacity in personal and social level, humility, spiritual courage, integrity, perseverance, self-confidence, interest for research and curiosity. Critical thinking is an essential process for the safe, efficient and skillful nursing practice. The nursing education programs should adopt attitudes that promote critical thinking and mobilize the skills of critical reasoning. PMID:25395733

Metaphorical Thinking Learning and Junior High School Teachers' Mathematical Questioning Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendriana, Heris; Rohaeti, Euis Eti; Hidayat, Wahyu

2017-01-01

This control-group posttest-only experimental design study aims to investigate the role of learning that teaches metaphorical thinking in mathematical questioning ability of junior high school teachers. The population of this study was mathematics junior high school teachers in West Java province. The samples were 82 mathematics junior high school…

Analyses of Student Learning in Global Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takle, E. S.; Moser, H.; Sorensen, E. K.

2004-12-01

The Global Change course at Iowa State University is a senior undergraduate and graduate level course that has been delivered over the internet with online dialog and learning activities since 1995. Students may enroll in the course as a distance education course, but in doing so they engage in dialog with students in the conventional on-campus face-to-face course. Online delivery and student participation offer opportunities for promoting use of critical thinking skills and collaborative learning not available in face-to-face environments. Students are required to research, post, and defend with authoritative information their positions on a variety of global change issues and specifically identify how they have demonstrated use of critical thinking skills in their online postings. Threaded dialog is used for structuring interactions toward promoting collaborative learning. We analyze collaborative learning by use of a rubric based on the theory of language games. By random selection of 1,350 online dialog comments posted over the last 10 years we evaluated student response to requirements for demonstrating critical thinking skills and collaboration in learning. We found that, by itself, the requirement of demonstrating critical thinking skills in online dialog was insufficient in promoting collaborative learned as measured by the standards of language game theory. But we also found that if an online comment clearly defines a situation and makes a clear expectation of a response, the likelihood is high that a game will be created. And if a game is established, there is a high probability that it will be closed, thereby giving evidence that collaborative learning had occurred. We conclude that a key component in collaborative online learning lies in establishing a lead-off comment that provides sufficient background information to clearly define an engaging situation. It also must include a clear expectation that a response is expected that will provide dialog participants an opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking skills in their responding comments.

Using computer simulation to improve high order thinking skills of physics teacher candidate students in Compton effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supurwoko; Cari; Sarwanto; Sukarmin; Fauzi, Ahmad; Faradilla, Lisa; Summa Dewi, Tiarasita

2017-11-01

The process of learning and teaching in Physics is often confronted with abstract concepts. It makes difficulty for students to understand and teachers to teach the concept. One of the materials that has an abstract concept is Compton Effect. The purpose of this research is to evaluate computer simulation model on Compton Effect material which is used to improve high thinking ability of Physics teacher candidate students. This research is a case study. The subject is students at physics educations who have attended Modern Physics lectures. Data were obtained through essay test for measuring students’ high-order thinking skills and quisioners for measuring students’ responses. The results obtained indicate that computer simulation model can be used to improve students’ high order thinking skill and can be used to improve students’ responses. With this result it is suggested that the audiences use the simulation media in learning

Visual Thinking and Gender Differences in High School Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haciomeroglu, Erhan Selcuk; Chicken, Eric

2012-01-01

This study sought to examine calculus students' mathematical performances and preferences for visual or analytic thinking regarding derivative and antiderivative tasks presented graphically. It extends previous studies by investigating factors mediating calculus students' mathematical performances and their preferred modes of thinking. Data were…

Overly Regulated Thinking and Autism Revisited.

PubMed

Cashin, Andrew; Yorke, James

2016-08-01

Humans exist within a socially mediated dynamical system. Frequent demands are experienced to respond to change in the environment to adapt and flourish. People with autism have impaired behavioral and thinking flexibility and experience high levels of anxiety, as change and adaptation do not come naturally. The disability inherent in autism is by definition the impaired social and occupational functioning that results from lack of adaptation. The point of the behavioral triad of restricted and repetitive interests, activities, and behaviors has received relatively little attention as compared to the other two points of the triad. A review of the literature related to restricted and repetitive interests and activities and behaviors and autism was conducted to inform this theoretical review. This paper considers the overly regulated thought and behavior inherent in autism spectrum disorders through the lens of dynamical systems, and an explanatory model is generated. The mathematical tools applied to understand dynamical systems may be a fruitful basis of further research to enable the movement from a theoretical concept of overly regulated thinking and behavior in autism to an empirically derived understanding. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking: intersections between memory and decisions.

PubMed

Schacter, Daniel L; Benoit, Roland G; De Brigard, Felipe; Szpunar, Karl K

2015-01-01

This article considers two recent lines of research concerned with the construction of imagined or simulated events that can provide insight into the relationship between memory and decision making. One line of research concerns episodic future thinking, which involves simulating episodes that might occur in one's personal future, and the other concerns episodic counterfactual thinking, which involves simulating episodes that could have happened in one's personal past. We first review neuroimaging studies that have examined the neural underpinnings of episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking. We argue that these studies have revealed that the two forms of episodic simulation engage a common core network including medial parietal, prefrontal, and temporal regions that also supports episodic memory. We also note that neuroimaging studies have documented neural differences between episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking, including differences in hippocampal responses. We next consider behavioral studies that have delineated both similarities and differences between the two kinds of episodic simulation. The evidence indicates that episodic future and counterfactual thinking are characterized by similarly reduced levels of specific detail compared with episodic memory, but that the effects of repeatedly imagining a possible experience have sharply contrasting effects on the perceived plausibility of those events during episodic future thinking versus episodic counterfactual thinking. Finally, we conclude by discussing the functional consequences of future and counterfactual simulations for decisions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking: Intersections between memory and decisions

PubMed Central

Schacter, Daniel L.; Benoit, Roland G.; De Brigard, Felipe; Szpunar, Karl K.

2014-01-01

This article considers two recent lines of research concerned with the construction of imagined or simulated events that can provide insight into the relationship between memory and decision making. One line of research concerns episodic future thinking, which involves simulating episodes that might occur in one’s personal future, and the other concerns episodic counterfactual thinking, which involves simulating episodes that could have happened in one’s personal past. We first review neuroimaging studies that have examined the neural underpinnings of episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking. We argue that these studies have revealed that the two forms of episodic simulation engage a common core network including medial parietal, prefrontal, and temporal regions that also supports episodic memory. We also note that neuroimaging studies have documented neural differences between episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking, including differences in hippocampal responses. We next consider behavioral studies that have delineated both similarities and differences between the two kinds of episodic simulation. The evidence indicates that episodic future and counterfactual thinking are characterized by similarly reduced levels of specific detail compared with episodic memory, but that the effects of repeatedly imagining a possible experience have sharply contrasting effects on the perceived plausibility of those events during episodic future thinking versus episodic counterfactual thinking. Finally, we conclude by discussing the functional consequences of future and counterfactual simulations for decisions. PMID:24373942

Impact of episodic thinking on altruism

PubMed Central

Yi, Richard; Pickover, Alison; Stuppy-Sullivan, Allison M.; Baker, Sydney; Landes, Reid D.

2016-01-01

Episodic future thinking, which refers to the use of prospective imagery to concretely imagine oneself in future scenarios, has been shown to reduce delay discounting (enhance self-control). A parallel approach, in which prospective imagery is used to concretely imagine other’s scenarios, may similarly reduce social discounting (i.e., enhance altruism). In study 1, participants engaged in episodic thinking about the self or others, in a repeated-measures design, while completing a social discounting task. Reductions in social discounting were observed as a function of episodic thinking about others, though an interaction with order was also observed. Using an independent-measures design in study 2, the effect of episodic thinking about others was replicated. Study 3 addressed a limitation of studies 1 and 2, the possibility that simply thinking about others decreased social discounting. Capitalizing on Construal Level Theory, which specifies that social distance and time in the future are both dimensions of a common psychological distance, we hypothesized that episodic future thinking should also decrease social discounting. Participants engaged in episodic future thinking or episodic present thinking, in a repeated-measures design, while completing a social discounting task. The pattern of results was similar to study 1, providing support for the notion that episodic thinking about psychologically distant outcomes (for others or in the future) reduces social discounting. Application of similar episodic thinking approaches may enhance altruism. PMID:27821875

Burnout and Resiliency Among Family Medicine Program Directors.

PubMed

Porter, Maribeth; Hagan, Helen; Klassen, Rosemary; Yang, Yang; Seehusen, Dean A; Carek, Peter J

2018-02-01

Nearly one-half (46%) of physicians report at least one symptom of burnout. Family medicine residency program directors may have similar and potentially unique levels of burnout as well as resiliency. The primary aims of this study were to examine burnout and resiliency among family medicine residency directors and characterize associated factors. The questions used were part of a larger omnibus survey conducted by the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM) Educational Research Alliance (CERA) in 2016. Program and director-specific characteristics were obtained. Symptoms of burnout were assessed using two single-item measures adapted from the full Maslach Burnout Inventory, and level of resiliency was assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale. The overall response rate for the survey was 53.7% (245/465). Symptoms of high emotional exhaustion or high depersonalization were reported in 27.3% and 15.8% of program directors, respectively. More than two-thirds of program directors indicated that they associated themselves with characteristics of resiliency. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were significantly correlated with never having personal time, an unhealthy work-life balance, and the inability to stop thinking about work. The presence of financial stress was significantly correlated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. In contrast, the level of resiliency reported was directly correlated with having a moderate to great amount of personal time, healthy work-life balance, and ability to stop thinking about work, and negatively correlated with the presence of financial stress. Levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and resiliency are significantly related to personal characteristics of program directors rather than characteristics of their program.

The impact of personal resources and their goal relevance on satisfaction with food-related life among the elderly.

PubMed

Dean, Moira; Grunert, Klaus G; Raats, Monique M; Nielsen, Niels Asger; Lumbers, Margaret

2008-01-01

The study explored how actual resources, perceived levels of different types of resources and goal relevance of these resources affect older people's satisfaction with food-related life using a survey in eight European countries, where 3291 participants above 65 years of age and living in their own homes took part. Satisfaction with food-related life was measured using Satisfaction With Food-related Life (SWFL) scale developed by Grunert, Raats, Dean, Nielsen, Lumbers and The Food in Later Life Team. [(2007). A measure of satisfaction with food-related life. Appetite, 49, 486-493]. Results showed that older people rated the resources that they believed to have plentiful of as being highly relevant to achieve their goals. The individuals who rated the relevance and their level of different resources as high were also more satisfied with their food-related quality of life. Further, satisfaction with food-related life, as was expected, was predicted by income, health measures and living circumstances. However, the study also showed that perceived levels of other resources such as support of family and friends, food knowledge, storage facilities also added to the individuals' satisfaction with food-related life. In addition, the congruence between perceived level and relevance of a resource was also shown to add to people's satisfaction with food-related life, implying that older people's satisfaction with food-related life depends not only on the level of resources they think they have but also on their goals and how important they think these resources are to achieving their goals.

Taking Seriously Ingroup Self-Evaluation, Meta-Prejudice, and Prejudice in Analyzing Interreligious Relations.

PubMed

Putra, Idhamsyah Eka

2016-07-18

The present study aims to understand the conditions where prejudice can be predicted by ingroup and outgroup meta-prejudice. The data collecting was disseminated toward Muslim and Christian participants (N = 362) living in Maumere, Flores Island, Indonesia. In Flores, Christianity is the largest religion and Islam is the second. Across two samples, the effects of ingroup and outgroup meta-prejudice on prejudice were found to be moderated by ingroup self-evaluation. It shows that at high level (but not low) of positive ingroup self-evaluation, ingroup and outgroup meta-prejudice were found to predict prejudice. The results suggest that it is important to consider how group members evaluate their own group and how group members think what others are thinking, in the study pertaining to intergroup relations.

Questioning and Understanding To Improve Learning and Thinking (QUILT): The Evaluation Results. A Proposal to the National Diffusion Network (NDN), Documenting the Effectiveness of the QUILT Professional Development Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appalachia Educational Lab., Charleston, WV.

The goals of the QUILT program are to increase and sustain teacher use of classroom questioning techniques and procedures that produce higher levels of student learning and thinking, and to increase the incidence of student responses at higher levels of cognition. Educational research has established relationships between discrete questioning…

Mapping student thinking in chemical synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinrich, Melissa

In order to support the development of learning progressions about central ideas and practices in different disciplines, we need detailed analyses of the implicit assumptions and reasoning strategies that guide students' thinking at different educational levels. In the particular case of chemistry, understanding how new chemical substances are produced (chemical synthesis) is of critical importance. Thus, we have used a qualitative research approach based on individual interviews with first semester general chemistry students (n = 16), second semester organic chemistry students (n = 15), advanced undergraduates (n = 9), first year graduate students (n = 15), and PhD candidates (n = 16) to better characterize diverse students' underlying cognitive elements (conceptual modes and modes of reasoning) when thinking about chemical synthesis. Our results reveal a great variability in the cognitive resources and strategies used by students with different levels of training in the discipline to make decisions, particularly at intermediate levels of expertise. The specific nature of the task had a strong influence on the conceptual sophistication and mode of reasoning that students exhibited. Nevertheless, our data analysis has allowed us to identify common modes of reasoning and assumptions that seem to guide students' thinking at different educational levels. Our results should facilitate the development of learning progressions that help improve chemistry instruction, curriculum, and assessment.

Systems-based practice in graduate medical education: systems thinking as the missing foundational construct.

PubMed

Colbert, Colleen Y; Ogden, Paul E; Ownby, Allison R; Bowe, Constance

2011-04-01

Since 2001, residencies have struggled with teaching and assessing systems-based practice (SBP). One major obstacle may be that the competency alone is not sufficient to support assessment. We believe the foundational construct underlying SBP is systems thinking, absent from the current Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competency language. Systems thinking is defined as the ability to analyze systems as a whole. The purpose of this article is to describe psychometric issues that constrain assessment of SBP and elucidate the role of systems thinking in teaching and assessing SBP. Residency programs should incorporate systems thinking models into their curricula. Trainees should be taught to understand systems at an abstract level, in order to analyze their own healthcare systems, and participate in quality and patient safety activities. We suggest that a developmental trajectory for systems thinking be developed, similar to the model described by Dreyfus and Dreyfus.

Desire thinking as a predictor of gambling.

PubMed

Fernie, Bruce A; Caselli, Gabriele; Giustina, Lucia; Donato, Gilda; Marcotriggiani, Antonella; Spada, Marcantonio M

2014-04-01

Desire thinking is a voluntary cognitive process involving verbal and imaginal elaboration of a desired target. A desired target can relate to an object, an internal state or an activity, such as gambling. This study investigated the role of desire thinking in gambling in a cohort of participants recruited from community and clinical settings. Ninety five individuals completed a battery of self-report measures consisting of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Gambling Craving Scale (GCS), the Desire Thinking Questionnaire (DTQ) and the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). Correlation analyses revealed that gender, educational level, recruitment source, anxiety and depression, craving and desire thinking were correlated with gambling. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that both recruitment source and desire thinking were the only independent predictors of gambling when controlling for all other study variables, including craving. These findings are discussed in the light of metacognitive therapy (MCT). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Critical Thinking Skills of an Eighth Grade Male Student with High Mathematical Ability in Solving Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail

2018-01-01

This study aims to describe student’s critical thinking skill of grade VIII in solving mathematical problem. A qualitative research was conducted to a male student with high mathematical ability. Student’s critical thinking skill was obtained from a depth task-based interview. The result show that male student’s critical thinking skill of the student as follows. In understanding the problem, the student did categorization, significance decoding, and meaning clarification. In devising a plan he examined his ideas, detected his argument, analyzed his argument and evaluated his argument. During the implementation phase, the skill that appeared were analyzing of the argument and inference skill such as drawing conclusion, deliver alternative thinking, and problem solving skills. At last, in rechecking all the measures, they did self-correcting and self-examination.

Students' science process skill and analytical thinking ability in chemistry learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irwanto, Rohaeti, Eli; Widjajanti, Endang; Suyanta

2017-08-01

Science process skill and analytical thinking ability are needed in chemistry learning in 21st century. Analytical thinking is related with science process skill which is used by students to solve complex and unstructured problems. Thus, this research aims to determine science process skill and analytical thinking ability of senior high school students in chemistry learning. The research was conducted in Tiga Maret Yogyakarta Senior High School, Indonesia, at the middle of the first semester of academic year 2015/2016 is using the survey method. The survey involved 21 grade XI students as participants. Students were given a set of test questions consists of 15 essay questions. The result indicated that the science process skill and analytical thinking ability were relatively low ie. 30.67%. Therefore, teachers need to improve the students' cognitive and psychomotor domains effectively in learning process.

Opening the Common Core: How to Bring ALL Students to College and Career Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burris, Carol Corbett; Garrity, Delia T.

2012-01-01

Do you wish you could leverage the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to equip all students--not just high achievers--with the higher-level thinking skills they need? You can, and this book will show you how. The authors helped lead their district--Rockville Centre in Long Island, New York--in closing achievement gaps and increasing the number of…

US Army Organizational Culture’s Effect on Innovation and Creativity

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

of high levels of hierarchical control, clearly defined roles, and centralized decision-making impede flexibility and creativity. When innovation is...of thinking people experience when they are deeply involved in a cohesive team. Members of cohesive decision...represent C.J. Jung’s basic theory on psychological types. In general, these preferences affect what people attend to and how they draw conclusions about

Identifying, Preparing and Evaluating Army Instructors

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

Description WB1 Monitor/observe students to ensure learning is taking place and that problems/issues (e.g., learning off track, faulty thinking ) are...improve performance. S9 Apply educational technology in ways that enhance student learning . 8 Table 4 Abilities required for an Instructor to... mathematics and science at both the elementary and high school levels. Yet many individual studies often indicate no significant differences in student

You Can Lead Students to the Classroom, and You Can Make Them Think: Ten Brain-Based Strategies for College Teaching and Learning Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Greta G.; Wash, Pamela D.

2013-01-01

Teaching in the digital age has become increasingly challenging for college and university faculty. Application, relevance, and active engagement rather than traditional PowerPoint slide show lectures are what our technology-savvy, socially networked students crave and need to keep their attention and interest levels high. Using a combination of…

Design Tech High School: d.tech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDUCAUSE, 2015

2015-01-01

A Bay Area charter high school, d.tech develops "innovation-ready" students by combining content knowledge with the design thinking process while fostering a sense of autonomy and purpose. The academic model is grounded in self-paced learning through a flex schedule, high standards, and design thinking through a four-year design…

Holistic School Leadership: Systems Thinking as an Instructional Leadership Enabler

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaked, Haim; Schechter, Chen

2016-01-01

As instructional leadership involves attempts to understand and improve complex systems, this study explored principals' perceptions regarding possible contributions of systems thinking to instructional leadership. Based on a qualitative analysis, systems thinking was perceived by middle and high school principals to contribute to the following…

Fostering Historical Thinking with Digitized Primary Sources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tally, Bill; Goldenberg, Lauren B.

2005-01-01

This pilot study examined middle school and high school student performance on an online historical thinking assessment task. After their teachers received training in the use of digital historical archives, students from all groups engaged in historical thinking behaviors (e.g., observation, sourcing, inferencing, evidence, question-posing, and…

Metacognition in schizophrenia: the relationship of mastery to coping, insight, self-esteem, social anxiety, and various facets of neurocognition.

PubMed

Lysaker, Paul H; Erickson, Molly; Ringer, Jamie; Buck, Kelly D; Semerari, Antonio; Carcione, Antonino; Dimaggio, Giancarlo

2011-11-01

OBJECTIVES. Deficits in metacognition, or the ability to think about thinking, are common in schizophrenia and associated with functional impairment. Unknown are what elements of function are affected by what aspects of metacognition. DESIGN. This study explored whether participants with differing capacities for Mastery, a domain of metacognition that reflects the ability to use knowledge about mental states to respond to psychological challenges, had difficulties in different elements of daily function. METHODS. Participants were 98 adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in a non-acute phase, classified into three groups on the basis of ratings of their capacity for metacognitive Mastery using the Metacognitive Assessment Scale: low Mastery (those unable to plausibly represent psychological challenges), Intermediate Mastery (those able to plausibly represent psychological problems but cope primarily through passive measures or avoidance), and high Mastery (those able to cope with plausible problems through cognitive means). Participants completed assessments of coping preference, insight, self-esteem, and anxiety. RESULTS. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that the high-Mastery group had a greater preference for coping with stressors by thinking and talking about them, and greater insight than all other groups, and higher levels of feeling accepted by peers than the intermediate-Mastery group. The intermediate-Mastery group reported higher levels of resignation when facing stressors and more social phobia than the other two groups. These findings of Mastery group differences in self-esteem and anxiety persisted when neurocognition was controlled for in an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). CONCLUSIONS. Mastery appears linked to coping preference, insight, self-esteem, and anxiety in a generally non-linear manner. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Initial study of neutral post-instruction responses on the Maryland Physics Expectation Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saltzman, J.; Price, M. F.; Rogers, M. B.

2016-06-01

Epistemological studies generally focus on how students think about their construction of knowledge compared to how experts think about the same ideas. Instruments such as the MPEX and CLASS use a Likert scale to gauge whether students agree or disagree with how experts think about the same ideas. During analysis, five point scale responses are typically reduced to favorable, neutral, and unfavorable with neutral being treated as a nonresponse. What if students are actively selecting neutral and not treating it as a "does not apply?" To address this question we chose to analyze the postinstruction neutral responses of students in our Physics I course using data from multiple years, multiple sections, and multiple instructors. We found that classroom average postinstruction neutral responses were consistently within a band of 15%-25% and that this was also consistent with other published results. It is not yet clear what this pattern means. Is this a measure of students receiving mixed messages from instructors or a measure of a transitional stage that students go through when learning how to be a good college physics student? These initial findings are interesting enough that we are presenting them here with a more detailed question-by-question analysis to be published in the near future. For example, high levels of neutral responses to applied questions (e.g., "All I need to do is. …") may indicate that students are receiving mixed messages from instructors. On the other hand, high levels of neutral responses to conceptual questions (e.g., "Knowledge in physics…") may indicate that students are in a transitional stage between novice and expert.

Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest☆

PubMed Central

Beaty, Roger E.; Benedek, Mathias; Wilkins, Robin W.; Jauk, Emanuel; Fink, Andreas; Silvia, Paul J.; Hodges, Donald A.; Koschutnig, Karl; Neubauer, Aljoscha C.

2014-01-01

The present research used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine whether the ability to generate creative ideas corresponds to differences in the intrinsic organization of functional networks in the brain. We examined the functional connectivity between regions commonly implicated in neuroimaging studies of divergent thinking, including the inferior prefrontal cortex and the core hubs of the default network. Participants were prescreened on a battery of divergent thinking tests and assigned to high- and low-creative groups based on task performance. Seed-based functional connectivity analysis revealed greater connectivity between the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the entire default mode network in the high-creative group. The right IFG also showed greater functional connectivity with bilateral inferior parietal cortex and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the high-creative group. The results suggest that the ability to generate creative ideas is characterized by increased functional connectivity between the inferior prefrontal cortex and the default network, pointing to a greater cooperation between brain regions associated with cognitive control and low-level imaginative processes. PMID:25245940

Effects of a case-based interactive e-learning course on knowledge and attitudes about patient safety: a quasi-experimental study with third-year medical students.

PubMed

Gaupp, Rainer; Körner, Mirjam; Fabry, Götz

2016-07-11

Patient safety (PS) is influenced by a set of factors on various levels of the healthcare system. Therefore, a systems-level approach and systems thinking is required to understand and improve PS. The use of e-learning may help to develop a systems thinking approach in medical students, as case studies featuring audiovisual media can be used to visualize systemic relationships in organizations. The goal of this quasi-experimental study was to determine if an e-learning can be utilized to improve systems thinking, knowledge, and attitudes towards PS. A quasi-experimental, longitudinal within- subjects design was employed. Participants were 321 third-year medical students who received online surveys before and after they participated in an e-learning course on PS. Primary outcome measures where levels of systems thinking and attitudes towards PS. Secondary outcome measures were the improvement of PS specific knowledge through the e-learning course. Levels of systems thinking showed significant improvement (58.72 vs. 61.27; p < .001) after the e-learning. Student's attitudes towards patient safety improved in several dimensions: After the course, students rated the influence of fatigue on safety higher (6.23 vs. 6.42, p < .01), considered patient empowerment more important (5.16 vs. 5.93, p < .001) and realized more often that human error is inevitable (5.75 vs. 5.97, p < .05). Knowledge on PS improved from 36.27 % correct answers before to 76.45 % after the e-learning (p < .001). Our results suggest that e-learning can be used to teach PS. Attitudes towards PS improved on several dimensions. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate that a specifically designed e-learning program can foster the development of conceptual frameworks such as systems thinking, which facilitates the understanding of complex socio-technical systems within healthcare organisations.

Developing Student-Centered Learning Model to Improve High Order Mathematical Thinking Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saragih, Sahat; Napitupulu, Elvis

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research was to develop student-centered learning model aiming to improve high order mathematical thinking ability of junior high school students of based on curriculum 2013 in North Sumatera, Indonesia. The special purpose of this research was to analyze and to formulate the purpose of mathematics lesson in high order…

Learning styles and critical thinking relationship in baccalaureate nursing education: a systematic review.

PubMed

Andreou, Christos; Papastavrou, Evridiki; Merkouris, Anastasios

2014-03-01

Critical thinking is a desirable competency for contemporary nurses although there are growing concerns supporting a disturbing paucity in its achievement. Learning styles reflect habitual behaviors which determine distinct preferences within learning situations. Evidence suggests that critical thinking could evolve through learning processes. Variances in critical thinking achievement by nursing students might therefore be influenced by individual learning preferences. The concepts "learning styles" and "critical thinking" have been independently examined in the nursing literature. No reviews were found however exploring their association in nursing education. To identify the potential relationships between learning styles and critical thinking in baccalaureate nursing students. Systematic review. Eleven electronic databases were utilized without geographical and time publishing filters. Hand-searching journals and scanning references from retrieved studies were also performed. Databases were searched for descriptive correlational studies which considered the relationship between learning styles and critical thinking in baccalaureate nursing students. The authors independently progressed three stage screening. Retrieved articles were reviewed at title, abstract and full text levels according to predetermined criteria. All included studies were quality appraised using a rating tool for descriptive studies. Six studies were finally included. Findings were grouped under four key themes: predominant learning styles, critical thinking scoring, critical thinking evolution across academic progress and learning styles-critical thinking correlations. Learning styles' diversities, weak critical thinking and inconsistent evolution through academic progress were revealed across studies. Critical thinking differed significantly between learning styles. Commonly accepted models in nursing education were lacking in both learning styles and critical thinking. Within studies identical learning styles were found to be positively or negatively related to critical thinking. However comparative findings across studies revealed that all learning styles might be positive determinants toward critical thinking evolution, suggesting that there is a relationship between learning styles and critical thinking. Certain links between learning styles and critical thinking were supported in given settings and given nursing student populations. Further field exploration is required. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Levels of Teaching and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittington, M. Susie; And Others

1995-01-01

Includes "$20,000 Question" (Whittington); "Genius of the Agricultural Education Model for Nurturing Higher Order Thinking (HOT)" (Newcomb); "Effective Use of Discussion Method Teaching" (Cooke); "Insects in the Classroom" (Klowden); "Increasing Thinking Skill through HOT Teaching" (Torres, Cano); "WHY? Practices Used in Vocational Classrooms to…

Connecting the dots between math and reality: A study of critical thinking in high school physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loper, Timothy K.

The purpose of this mixed method study was to discover whether training in understanding relationships between variables would help students read and interpret equations for the purposes of problem solving in physics. Twenty students from two physics classes at a private Catholic high school participated in a one group pretest-posttest unit with the conceptually based mathematical intervention being the independent variable, and the test results being the dependent variable for the quantitative portion of the study. A random sample of students was interviewed pre and post intervention for the qualitative portion of the study to determine both how their understanding of equations changed and how their approach to the problems changed. The paired-sample t test showed a significant improvement on the Physics Critical Thinking test at the p<.01 alpha level; furthermore, the interview data indicated the students displayed a deeper understanding of equations and their purpose as opposed to the superficial understanding they had before the intervention.

Algebraic Thinking in Solving Linier Program at High School Level: Female Student’s Field Independent Cognitive Style

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardiani, N.; Budayasa, I. K.; Juniati, D.

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe algebraic thinking of high school female student’s field independent cognitive style in solving linier program problem by revealing deeply the female students’ responses. Subjects in this study were 7 female students having field independent cognitive style in class 11. The type of this research was descriptive qualitative. The method of data collection used was observation, documentation, and interview. Data analysis technique was by reduction, presentation, and conclusion. The results of this study showed that the female students with field independent cognitive style in solving the linier program problem had the ability to represent algebraic ideas from the narrative question that had been read by manipulating symbols and variables presented in tabular form, creating and building mathematical models in two variables linear inequality system which represented algebraic ideas, and interpreting the solutions as variables obtained from the point of intersection in the solution area to obtain maximum benefit.

Emotion and persuasion: cognitive and meta-cognitive processes impact attitudes.

PubMed

Petty, Richard E; Briñol, Pablo

2015-01-01

This article addresses the multiple ways in which emotions can influence attitudes and persuasion via primary and secondary (meta-) cognition. Using the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion as a guide, we review evidence for five fundamental processes that occur at different points along the elaboration continuum. When the extent of thinking is constrained to be low, emotions influence attitudes by relatively simple processes that lead them to change in a manner consistent with the valence of the emotion. When thinking is constrained to be high, emotions can serve as arguments in favour of a proposal if they are relevant to the merits of the advocacy or they can bias thinking if the emotion precedes the message. If thinking is high and emotions become salient after thinking, they can lead people to rely or not rely on the thoughts generated either because the emotion leads people to like or dislike their thoughts (affective validation) or feel more confident or doubtful in their thoughts (cognitive validation). When thinking is unconstrained, emotions influence the extent of thinking about the persuasive communication. Although prior theories have addressed one or more of these fundamental processes, no other approach has integrated them into one framework.

Inculcating and encouraging the use of critical thinking skills in science student teachers in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osman, Kamisah

Malaysia is a multi-racial, largely Muslim, country rapidly emerging from a colonialist past and preparing itself to compete in a global society. The Malaysian government whilst striving to retain its moral and cultural identity has recently introduced long term plans through its Vision 2020 programme, giving direction to its educational thrust at primary, secondary and tertiary levels well into the new millennium. It is envisaged that important among the skills Malaysians will need to have to take advantage of their new position in the world order is the ability to think creatively and critically and be capable of solving problems and making decisions between an awesome array of choice. The importance of education in developing such skills is explicitly recognised in Vision 2020. This thesis looks specifically at how this might be accomplished in the training of secondary school science teachers. This study uses an array of instruments, including the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, the Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Level X, the Science Teaching Observation Schedule, and a number of instruments specifically developed for the study, all of whose reliability and validity are carefully established. The study seeks to explore the effectiveness of an intervention strategy in changing pre-service science teachers' dispositions towards critical thinking, their level of professional knowledge and understanding of critical thinking in the secondary science curriculum, and their changing behaviour in the science classroom as a result of this intervention strategy. Using a quasi-experimental research design, data is collected from some 142 science student teachers in the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The students were subdivided into a control and two experimental groups, the latter receiving two different instructional programmes. Multiple analysis of variance techniques demonstrated a correlation between intervention strategy and improved attitude scores, and a corresponding increase in knowledge about the teaching of critical thinking and a limited but educationally significant increase in specific critical thinking skills. A factor analysis of classroom based observation data showed that the students predominantly employed three teaching styles called the "Enquirer Mode", the "Problem Solver Mode" and the "Informer Mode" with considerable overlap between them. It was not possible to relate these teaching styles to the intervention strategy or their critical thinking dispositions. It was concluded that critical thinking is a viable element of the teacher training curriculum, but that it needs to pervade the entire teacher training curriculum rather than being introduced in "bolt on" fashion as was necessitated by the nature of this study.

Thinking Skills in the Early Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayley, Ros

2002-01-01

This article describes the High/Scope Cognitively Oriented Pre-School Curriculum that recognizes that the power to learn resides in the child and focuses on active learning practices. It discusses child-initiated learning, key skills for thinking, key concepts involved in teaching thinking skills, and activities that support the development of…

The art of research: Opportunities for a science-based approach

DOE PAGES

Silva, Austin Ray; Avina, Glory Emmanuel; Tsao, Jeffrey Y.

2016-02-01

Research, the manufacture of knowledge, is currently practiced largely as an “art,” not a “science.” Just as science (understanding) and technology (tools) have revolutionized the manufacture of other goods and services, it is natural, perhaps inevitable, that they will ultimately also be applied to the manufacture of knowledge. In this article, we present an emerging perspective on opportunities for such application, at three different levels of the research enterprise. At the cognitive science level of the individual researcher, opportunities include: overcoming idea fixation and sloppy thinking, and balancing divergent and convergent thinking. At the social network level of the researchmore » team, opportunities include: overcoming strong links and groupthink, and optimally distributing divergent and convergent thinking between individuals and teams. At the research ecosystem level of the research institution and the larger national and international community of researchers, opportunities include: overcoming GPA and performance fixation, overcoming narrow measures of research impact, and overcoming (or harnessing) existential/social stress.« less