Sample records for students critically examine

  1. Collaborative testing: assessing teamwork and critical thinking behaviors in baccalaureate nursing students.

    PubMed

    Wiggs, Carol M

    2011-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to foster teamwork and critical thinking behaviors in baccalaureate nursing students using a collaborative testing environment. Collaborative testing affords the nurse educator a unique opportunity to actively influence the development of critical thinking skills directly influencing the nursing student's ability to solve complex patient problems. Using a quasi-experimental approach exam scores from students in prior semesters were compared to students in several semesters using collaborative testing in one undergraduate course taught by the same faculty. In the experimental group collaborative testing was used in the two unit examinations, while the final examination remained individual. For collaborative testing the students were grouped by random assignment. They were not allowed the use of notes, textbooks, or other resource materials. Any student who wished to work alone was allowed do so and any student coming late (within 15 min of examination beginning) was required to work alone. Each student submitted individual examination answer forms, and groups were not required to reach consensus. Collaborative testing is one means to foster critical thinking by allowing students to solve complex patient problems within an examination environment. This better prepares them for national certification exams. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. A Critical Quantitative Examination of the Relationship between Constructs of Engagement and Latino College Completion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raynor, Samantha L.

    2017-01-01

    Investigating the validity and applicability of student success theories for minority students uncovers the nuance and context of student experiences. This study examines the validity and applicability of student engagement and involvement for Latino students. Specifically, this study employs a critical quantitative lens to question current…

  3. Comparative Critical Discourse Analysis of Student and Teacher Editions of Secondary Christian American Literature Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agiro, Christa Preston

    2012-01-01

    This article discusses the comparative application of critical discourse analysis to student and teacher editions of the two most widely used high school American literature textbooks by Christian publishers, examining them through the lens of critical theory. The study examined all parts of the student and teacher editions, excepting literary…

  4. Critical-thinking ability in respiratory care students and its correlation with age, educational background, and performance on national board examinations.

    PubMed

    Wettstein, Richard B; Wilkins, Robert L; Gardner, Donna D; Restrepo, Ruben D

    2011-03-01

    Critical thinking is an important characteristic to develop in respiratory care students. We used the short-form Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal instrument to measure critical-thinking ability in 55 senior respiratory care students in a baccalaureate respiratory care program. We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient to assess the relationships between critical-thinking score, age, and student performance on the clinical-simulation component of the national respiratory care boards examination. We used chi-square analysis to assess the association between critical-thinking score and educational background. There was no significant relationship between critical-thinking score and age, or between critical-thinking score and student performance on the clinical-simulation component. There was a significant (P = .04) positive association between a strong science-course background and critical-thinking score, which might be useful in predicting a student's ability to perform in areas where critical thinking is of paramount importance, such as clinical competencies, and to guide candidate-selection for respiratory care programs.

  5. Thinking Critically about Difference: Analytical Tools for the 21st Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zamudio, Margaret; Rios, Francisco; Jaime, Angela M.

    2008-01-01

    This article examines a critical cultural thinking framework advanced to develop an analysis of difference as it pertains to race, gender, and sexuality. We examine student journals to document their use (or lack therein) of these critical cultural thinking concepts and how these concepts influence students' understanding of difference. While…

  6. Understanding Alternative Education: A Mixed Methods Examination of Student Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrelly, Susan Glassett; Daniels, Erika

    2014-01-01

    Alternative education plays a critical role in the opportunity gap that persists in the US public education system. However, there has been little research on alternative schools. Scaffolded by a theoretical framework constructed from critical theory, self-determination theory (SDT) and student voice, this research examined how well students in…

  7. Do College Students Notice Errors in Evidence When Critically Evaluating Research Findings?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodriguez, Fernando; Ng, Annalyn; Shah, Priti

    2016-01-01

    The authors examined college students' ability to critically evaluate scientific evidence, specifically, whether first- and second-year students noticed when poor interpretations were drawn from research evidence. Fifty students evaluated a set of eight psychological studies, first in an informal context, then again in a critical-thinking context.…

  8. Voice of the Voiceless? Multiethnic Student Voices in Critical Approaches to Race, Pedagogy, Literacy and Agency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Benji

    2013-01-01

    In this article, the author utilizes critical and sociocultural approaches to race, language and culture to examine the intersectional experiences of a multiethnic and "mixed race" cohort of students in an inner-city, working-class neighborhood between their elementary and high school years. This article examines the students'…

  9. Critical Thinking Skills of Nursing Students in Lecture-Based Teaching and Case-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaddoura, Mahmoud A.

    2011-01-01

    In today's technologically advanced healthcare world, nursing students should be active learners and think critically to provide safe patient care. A strategy that promotes students' active learning is case-based learning (CBL). The purpose of this study was to examine critical thinking (CT) abilities of nursing students from two different…

  10. An Examination of the Instruction Provided in Australian Essay Guides for Students' Development of a Critical Viewpoint

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hammer, Sara

    2017-01-01

    The argumentative essay has endured as a popular form of university assessment, yet students still struggle to meet key intended learning outcomes, such as those associated with critical thinking. This paper presents the results of a study that examines the instruction provided by Australian essay writing guides to support students' development of…

  11. Examining the Relationships between Metacognition, Self-Regulation and Critical Thinking in Online Socratic Seminars for High School Social Studies Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Shih-Ting

    2009-01-01

    This study examined the relationships between metacognition, self-regulation and students' critical thinking skills and disposition in online Socratic Seminars for ninth grade World Geography and Culture students. Participants of this study came from six intact pre-AP (Pre-Advanced Placement) classes in a public high school in south central Texas…

  12. Quantifying learning in medical students during a critical care medicine elective: a comparison of three evaluation instruments.

    PubMed

    Rogers, P L; Jacob, H; Rashwan, A S; Pinsky, M R

    2001-06-01

    To compare three different evaluative instruments and determine which is able to measure different aspects of medical student learning. Student learning was evaluated by using written examinations, objective structured clinical examination, and patient simulator that used two clinical scenarios before and after a structured critical care elective, by using a crossover design. Twenty-four 4th-yr students enrolled in the critical care medicine elective. All students took a multiple-choice written examination; evaluated a live simulated critically ill patient, requested data from a nurse, and intervened as appropriate at different stations (objective structured clinical examination); and evaluated the computer-controlled patient simulator and intervened as appropriate. Students' knowledge was assessed by using a multiple-choice examination containing the same data incorporated into the other examinations. Student performance on the objective structured clinical examination was evaluated at five stations. Both objective structured clinical examination and simulator tests were videotaped for subsequent scores of responses, quality of responses, and response time. The videotapes were reviewed for specific behaviors by faculty masked to time of examination. Students were expected to perform the following: a) assess airway, breathing, and circulation; b) prepare a mannequin for intubation; c) provide appropriate ventilator settings; d) manage hypotension; and e) request, interpret, and provide appropriate intervention for pulmonary artery catheter data. Students were expected to perform identical behaviors during the simulator examination; however, the entire examination was performed on the whole-body computer-controlled mannequin. The primary outcome measure was the difference in examination scores before and after the rotation. The mean preelective scores were 77 +/- 16%, 47 +/- 15%, and 41 +/- 14% for the written examination, objective structured clinical examination, and simulator, respectively, compared with 89 +/- 11%, 76 +/- 12%, and 62 +/- 15% after the elective (p <.0001). Prerotation scores for the written examination were significantly higher than the objective structured clinical examination or the simulator; postrotation scores were highest for the written examination and lowest for the simulator. Written examinations measure acquisition of knowledge but fail to predict if students can apply knowledge to problem solving, whereas both the objective structured clinical examination and the computer-controlled patient simulator can be used as effective performance evaluation tools.

  13. Effects of problem-based learning vs. traditional lecture on Korean nursing students' critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning.

    PubMed

    Choi, Eunyoung; Lindquist, Ruth; Song, Yeoungsuk

    2014-01-01

    Problem-based learning (PBL) is a method widely used in nursing education to develop students' critical thinking skills to solve practice problems independently. Although PBL has been used in nursing education in Korea for nearly a decade, few studies have examined its effects on Korean nursing students' learning outcomes, and few Korean studies have examined relationships among these outcomes. The objectives of this study are to examine outcome abilities including critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning of nursing students receiving PBL vs. traditional lecture, and to examine correlations among these outcome abilities. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent group pretest-posttest design was used. First-year nursing students (N=90) were recruited from two different junior colleges in two cities (GY and GJ) in South Korea. In two selected educational programs, one used traditional lecture methods, while the other used PBL methods. Standardized self-administered questionnaires of critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning abilities were administered before and at 16weeks (after instruction). Learning outcomes were significantly positively correlated, however outcomes were not statistically different between groups. Students in the PBL group improved across all abilities measured, while student scores in the traditional lecture group decreased in problem-solving and self-directed learning. Critical thinking was positively associated with problem-solving and self-directed learning (r=.71, and r=.50, respectively, p<.001); problem-solving was positively associated with self-directed learning (r=.75, p<.001). Learning outcomes of PBL were not significantly different from traditional lecture in this small underpowered study, despite positive trends. Larger studies are recommended to study effects of PBL on critical student abilities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. 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…

  15. High School Students' Critical Thinking Related to Their Metacognitive Self-Regulation and Physics Self-Efficacy Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gurcay, Deniz; Ferah, Hatice Ozturk

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between ninth grade students' metacognitive self-regulation skills and physics self-efficacy beliefs and their critical thinking. To this end, 162 students attending the ninth grade participated in the study. Critical thinking scale, metacognitive self-regulation scale and physics…

  16. A Narrative Inquiry Using Film to Teach Critical Thinking for Associate Degree Nursing Students in the Midwestern United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackenzie, Blair Nicole

    2017-01-01

    This narrative inquiry examined how students developed critical thinking skills for nursing from viewing and discussing a commercially produced film. Community of Inquiry was the theoretical model and demonstrated the development of critical thinking when the teaching presence pulled the social presence (students) into the cognitive presence with…

  17. Honesty in Critically Reflective Essays: An Analysis of Student Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maloney, Stephen; Tai, Joanna Hong-Meng; Lo, Kristin; Molloy, Elizabeth; Ilic, Dragan

    2013-01-01

    In health professional education, reflective practice is seen as a potential means for self-improvement from everyday clinical encounters. This study aims to examine the level of student honesty in critical reflection, and barriers and facilitators for students engaging in honest reflection. Third year physiotherapy students, completing summative…

  18. How Student Teachers (Don't) Talk about Race: An Intersectional Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Kathryn S.

    2016-01-01

    This study explores how student teacher talk about their students illuminates the identities ascribed to these same students. It uses a hybrid intersectional framework based on Disability Studies, Critical Race Theory, and Latino Critical Theory and methodologies (like examining majoritarian stories, counter-storytelling, coded talk, and…

  19. Students and Institutions Protecting Whiteness as Property: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Student Affairs Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bondi, Stephanie

    2012-01-01

    This study is based on interviews with White students graduating from a student affairs preparation program as well as a literature review of whiteness in education. Applying "critical race theory," the author examined the ways that students and institutions protected whiteness. Institutions and those within them concerned with equity must have…

  20. The Effect of Financial Aid on Community College Student Retention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooks, Debbie Carlton

    2016-01-01

    Community college student success relies on an examination of critical elements affecting the retention of first-year students. This mixed method study examined the effects of financial aid on community college student retention at a large multi-campus college in Charlotte, North Carolina. The study examined the relationship of financial aid…

  1. 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…

  2. Displaying Critical Thinking in EFL Academic Writing: A Discussion of Japanese to English Contrastive Rhetoric

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKinley, Jim

    2013-01-01

    This article provides an examination of the literature on issues surrounding the problems Japanese university students face in learning critical argument in their English academic writing courses. Japanese students' critical thinking skills are criticized as not fostered in their university education, perhaps due to Confucian education ideals,…

  3. The Influence of Ground Rules on Chinese Students' Learning of Critical Thinking in Group Work: A Cultural Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fung, Dennis

    2014-01-01

    This article reports the results of a one-year longitudinal study examining a teaching intervention designed to enhance students' learning of critical thinking in Hong Kong. Seventy participating students (age 16-18) learned how to make reasoned arguments through a series of collaborative activities, including critical-thinking modelling tasks and…

  4. Examining the relationship between critical-thinking skills and decision-making ability of emergency medicine students.

    PubMed

    Heidari, Mohammad; Ebrahimi, Parvin

    2016-10-01

    Critical-thinking ability would enable students to think creatively and make better decisions and makes them make a greater effort to concentrate on situations related to clinical matters and emergencies. This can bridge the gap between the clinical and theoretical training. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between critical-thinking ability and decision-making skills of the students of Emergency Medicine. This descriptive and analytical research was conducted on all the students of medical emergency students ( n = 86) in Shahrekord, Iran. The demographic information questionnaire, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, and a decision-making researcher-made questionnaire were used to collect data. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive and analytical statistical tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The results of the present study indicate that the total mean score for the critical thinking was 8.32 ± 2.03 and for decision making 8.66 ± 1.89. There is a significant statistical relationship between the critical-thinking score and decision-making score ( P < 0.05). Although critical-thinking skills and decision-making ability are essential for medical emergency professional competence, the results of this study show that these skills are poor among the students.

  5. Examining the relationship between critical-thinking skills and decision-making ability of emergency medicine students

    PubMed Central

    Heidari, Mohammad; Ebrahimi, Parvin

    2016-01-01

    Background and Aims: Critical-thinking ability would enable students to think creatively and make better decisions and makes them make a greater effort to concentrate on situations related to clinical matters and emergencies. This can bridge the gap between the clinical and theoretical training. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between critical-thinking ability and decision-making skills of the students of Emergency Medicine. Materials and Methods: This descriptive and analytical research was conducted on all the students of medical emergency students (n = 86) in Shahrekord, Iran. The demographic information questionnaire, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, and a decision-making researcher-made questionnaire were used to collect data. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive and analytical statistical tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The results of the present study indicate that the total mean score for the critical thinking was 8.32 ± 2.03 and for decision making 8.66 ± 1.89. There is a significant statistical relationship between the critical-thinking score and decision-making score (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Although critical-thinking skills and decision-making ability are essential for medical emergency professional competence, the results of this study show that these skills are poor among the students. PMID:27829713

  6. Quantitative and Qualitative Relations between Motivation and Critical-Analytic Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miele, David B.; Wigfield, Allan

    2014-01-01

    The authors examine two kinds of factors that affect students' motivation to engage in critical-analytic thinking. The first, which includes ability beliefs, achievement values, and achievement goal orientations, influences the "quantitative" relation between motivation and critical-analytic thinking; that is, whether students are…

  7. 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.

  8. A Teacher Action Research Study: Enhancing Student Critical Thinking Knowledge, Skills, Dispositions, Application and Transfer in a Higher Education Technology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phelan, Jack Gordon

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the effects of a critical thinking instructional intervention in a higher education technology course with the purpose of determining the extent to which the intervention enhanced student critical thinking knowledge, skills, dispositions, application and transfer abilities. Historically, critical thinking has been considered…

  9. Exploring Cultural Differences in Critical Thinking: Is It about My Thinking Style or the Language I Speak?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lun, Vivian Miu-Chi; Fischer, Ronald; Ward, Colleen

    2010-01-01

    Critical thinking is deemed as an ideal in academic settings, but cultural differences in critical thinking performance between Asian and Western students have been reported in the international education literature. We examined explanations for the observed differences in critical thinking between Asian and New Zealand (NZ) European students, and…

  10. A systematic review comparing open-book and closed-book examinations: Evaluating effects on development of critical thinking skills.

    PubMed

    Johanns, Beth; Dinkens, Amber; Moore, Jill

    2017-11-01

    The advantages of using traditional closed-book examinations are closely compared to the advantages of using open-book examinations for the development of critical thinking skills in nursing students. The use of critical thinking skills is vital among nurses to assess patient needs and modify standard approaches to individualize care for better patient outcomes. The following areas are compared and contrasted for both closed-book and open-book examinations: examination preparation, rote memorization versus active learning, intellectual engagement, simulation of working environment, higher order thinking skills, anxiety reduction and student satisfaction. During investigation of closed-book examinations and open-book examinations, the use of collaborative testing was unveiled. Collaborative testing combines areas from both closed-book and open-book examinations. Based on the systematic review of literature, the recommendation is to use a mixed method of examination types throughout the course of the nursing program. Each type of examination helps develop different skill sets in the nursing student. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Improving Critical Thinking Skills of College Students through RMS Model for Learning Basic Concepts in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muhlisin, Ahmad; Susilo, Herawati; Amin, Mohamad; Rohman, Fatchur

    2016-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to: 1) Examine the effect of RMS learning model towards critical thinking skills. 2) Examine the effect of different academic abilities against critical thinking skills. 3) Examine the effect of the interaction between RMS learning model and different academic abilities against critical thinking skills. The research…

  12. The Effect of Problem-Based Learning on the Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking Disposition of Students in Visual Arts Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ulger, Kani

    2018-01-01

    The problem-based learning (PBL) approach was implemented as a treatment for higher education visual arts students over one semester to examine its effect on the creative thinking and critical thinking disposition of these students. PBL had a significant effect on creative thinking, but critical thinking disposition was affected to a lesser…

  13. Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Distance Education Students' Learning Styles and Critical Thinking Dispositions in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yüksel, Ismail; Türkses, Ercüment

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to examine distance education students' learning styles and critical thinking dispositions. This cross sectional survey was conducted on 114 Turkish distance education students from various departments in a state university. The data of the study were collected through Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scale (GRSLSS) and…

  14. Understanding the Nature and Determinants of Critical Thinking among Senior Business Undergraduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, F. William; Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka

    2015-01-01

    The authors examine the dimensions and determinants of critical thinking skills, as measured by the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, among graduating senior students enrolled in an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited undergraduate business program. Utilizing explanatory variables, a methodology for predicting…

  15. White Students at the Historically Black University: Toward Developing a Critical Consciousness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, Wilma J.; Closson, Rosemary B.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to examine the potential of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to facilitate the development of a critical consciousness among their White students. It discusses philosophical views regarding the process of unveiling "Whiteness," including White critical studies and White identity development…

  16. Contextualizing How Undergraduate Students Develop toward Critical Consciousness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Kari Brooke

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how interactions between undergraduate students and their learning environments influenced their development toward critical consciousness. Critical consciousness represents a complex way of making meaning of one's self in relation to one's social world that is necessary for meeting the…

  17. Active Student Involvement Focusing on Critical Analysis of Commercial Television.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Notar, Ellen E.; Robinson, Rhonda S.

    This paper examines classroom techniques for stimulating students' critical faculties in viewing commercial television. The thrust is not only to increase critical viewing judgments, but also to heighten their knowledge of the literary elements of television. Television literacy may be developed by attention to the artistry of the television…

  18. The Inquisition: A Parody for Christian Student Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rovai, Alfred P.; Kohns, Jonathan W.; Kelly, Henry F.; Rhea, Nancy E.

    2007-01-01

    The present phenomenological case study examined the experiences of 21 faculty members at a Christian university regarding anonymous student evaluations that include destructive criticism that tear down rather than edify their professor and use unnecessarily harsh words. The study revealed that most student criticism of teaching is instructive in…

  19. Art Education and At-Risk Youth: Enabling Factors of Visual Expressions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Thearling, Sibyl; Bickley-Green, Cynthia Ann

    1996-01-01

    Examines a visual art program for at-risk students that attempts to increase self-esteem, stimulate inquiry, and develop critical thinking through art criticism and self- expression. Summarizes the responses of 11 at-risk students and 35 general education college students to the question, "What is art?" (MJP)

  20. Critical thinking in clinical nurse education: application of Paul's model of critical thinking.

    PubMed

    Andrea Sullivan, E

    2012-11-01

    Nurse educators recognize that many nursing students have difficulty in making decisions in clinical practice. The ability to make effective, informed decisions in clinical practice requires that nursing students know and apply the processes of critical thinking. Critical thinking is a skill that develops over time and requires the conscious application of this process. There are a number of models in the nursing literature to assist students in the critical thinking process; however, these models tend to focus solely on decision making in hospital settings and are often complex to actualize. In this paper, Paul's Model of Critical Thinking is examined for its application to nursing education. I will demonstrate how the model can be used by clinical nurse educators to assist students to develop critical thinking skills in all health care settings in a way that makes critical thinking skills accessible to students. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Critical thinking dispositions and learning styles of baccalaureate nursing students from China.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Huan; Lambert, Vickie

    2008-09-01

    Although considerable information exists regarding the learning styles and critical thinking dispositions of nursing students from Western countries, limited comparable information exists within China. The purposes of this study were to assess the learning styles and critical thinking dispositions of Chinese baccalaureate nursing students and to identify the relationships among the learning styles, critical thinking dispositions, and demographics. The sample consisted of 100 Chinese baccalaureate nursing students enrolled at two universities. The data were obtained through a Demographic Data Questionnaire, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, and the Index of Learning Styles. The primary learning style dimensions were found to be reflective, sensing, visual, and global, while the critically thinking abilities was found to be weak. A number of positive and negative correlations were found among the demographics, learning styles, and critical thinking dispositions. These findings suggest further examination on how to increase nursing students' critical thinking skills based upon their preferred learning styles.

  2. Are Your Students Critically Reading an Opinion Piece? Have Them RATTKISS It!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snair, Scott

    2008-01-01

    Scott Snair proposes a mnemonic for students to use when critically examining written opinion. The acronym, RATTKISS, represents a "step-by-step method for understanding and evaluating written opinion." (Contains 1 figure.)

  3. Critical Components of Successful Inclusion of Students with Severe Disabilities: Literature Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alquraini, Turki; Gut, Dianne

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the critical components of successful inclusion for students with severe disabilities. This review sets out to provide an overview of literature regarding effective practices for inclusion with a focus on critical components of successful inclusion that assist in preparing the stakeholders worldwide to work and engage…

  4. Using Teacher Questions to Enhance EFL Students' Critical Thinking Ability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feng, Zhiwen

    2013-01-01

    In this era of information and economic globalization, developing critical thinking skills in college students has been set as a primary goal and learning outcome in higher education. Teaching critical thinking, however, is a great challenge to most EFL teachers. This article, therefore, attempts to examine the nature and teachability of critical…

  5. Examining the Critical Thinking Dispositions and the Problem Solving Skills of Computer Engineering Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Özyurt, Özcan

    2015-01-01

    Problem solving is an indispensable part of engineering. Improving critical thinking dispositions for solving engineering problems is one of the objectives of engineering education. In this sense, knowing critical thinking and problem solving skills of engineering students is of importance for engineering education. This study aims to determine…

  6. Collaboration and critical thinking in an online chemistry environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kershisnik, Elizabeth Irene

    The purpose of this dissertation was to examine collaboration and student's critical thinking and cognitive achievement within online chemistry courses. This quantitative study focused on the apparent lack of research relating collaboration and critical thinking in online science courses. Collaboration was determined using the small group collaboration model coding scheme, which examined student postings in asynchronous discussion forums for quantity, equality, and shareness. Critical thinking was measured using the chemistry concept reasoning test, the online self-diagnostic test, and also asynchronous student homework discussion postings that were coded using the community of inquiry cognitive presence indicators. Finally cognitive achievement was determined using quiz scores and the student's final grade. Even though no significant findings were revealed in this exploratory quasi-experimental study, this research did add to the educational technology knowledge base since very few studies have investigated the chemistry discipline in an online environment. Continued research in this area is vital to understanding how critical thinking progresses, how it can be assessed, and what factors in the classroom, be it virtual or face-to-face, have the greatest effect on critical thinking.

  7. M-OSCE as a method to measure dental hygiene students' critical thinking: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    McComas, Martha J; Wright, Rebecca A; Mann, Nancy K; Cooper, Mary D; Jacks, Mary E

    2013-04-01

    Educators in all academic disciplines have been encouraged to utilize assessment strategies to evaluate students' critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to assess the viability of the modified objective structured clinical examination (m-OSCE) to evaluate critical thinking in dental hygiene education. This evaluation utilized a convenience sample of senior dental hygiene students. Students participated in the m-OSCE in which portions of a patient case were revealed at four stations. The exam consisted of multiple-choice questions intended to measure students' ability to utilize critical thinking skills. Additionally, there was one fill-in-the-blank question and a treatment plan that was completed at the fifth station. The results of this study revealed that the m-OSCE did not reliably measure dental hygiene students' critical thinking. Statistical analysis found no satisfactory reliability within the multiple-choice questions and moderately reliable results within the treatment planning portion of the examination. In addition, the item analysis found gaps in students' abilities to transfer clinical evidence/data to basic biomedical knowledge as demonstrated through the multiple-choice questioning results. This outcome warrants further investigation of the utility of the m-OSCE, with a focus on modifications to the evaluation questions, grading rubric, and patient case.

  8. Critical Pedagogy, Internationalisation, and a Third Space: Cultural Tensions Revealed in Students' Discourse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pitts, Margaret Jane; Brooks, Catherine F.

    2017-01-01

    Set within the context of a global pursuit towards the internationalisation of higher education, this paper critically examines student discourse in a globally connected classroom between learners in the USA and Singapore. It makes salient some of the cultural assumptions and tensions that undergird students' discourse in collaborative…

  9. Civic Engagement Measures for Latina/o College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alcantar, Cynthia M.

    2014-01-01

    This chapter uses a critical quantitative approach to study models and measures of civic engagement for Latina/o college students. The chapter describes the importance of a critical quantitative approach to study civic engagement of Latina/o college students, then uses Hurtado et al.'s (Hurtado, S., 2012) model to examine the civic engagement…

  10. The Use of Story in Critical Literacy Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaber-Katz, Elaine

    1996-01-01

    Considers why the use of story in literacy education is central to critical adult literacy practice, and examines both its potential and limitations. The use of story in the form of student-written and student-produced autobiographies in general, and one student's story in particular, is explored. The value of publishing learners' stories is…

  11. Assessing Learning in Service-Learning Courses through Critical Reflection

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Molee, Lenore M.; Henry, Mary E.; Sessa, Valerie I.; McKinney-Prupis, Erin R.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe and examine a model for assessing student learning through reflection in service-learning courses. This model utilized a course-embedded process to frame, facilitate, support, and assess students' depth of learning and critical thinking. Student reflection products in two service-learning courses (a…

  12. Quantitative research on critical thinking and predicting nursing students' NCLEX-RN performance.

    PubMed

    Romeo, Elizabeth M

    2010-07-01

    The concept of critical thinking has been influential in several disciplines. Both education and nursing in general have been attempting to define, teach, and measure this concept for decades. Nurse educators realize that critical thinking is the cornerstone of the objectives and goals for nursing students. The purpose of this article is to review and analyze quantitative research findings relevant to the measurement of critical thinking abilities and skills in undergraduate nursing students and the usefulness of critical thinking as a predictor of National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) performance. The specific issues that this integrative review examined include assessment and analysis of the theoretical and operational definitions of critical thinking, theoretical frameworks used to guide the studies, instruments used to evaluate critical thinking skills and abilities, and the role of critical thinking as a predictor of NCLEX-RN outcomes. A list of key assumptions related to critical thinking was formulated. The limitations and gaps in the literature were identified, as well as the types of future research needed in this arena. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  13. Improvement of nursing students' critical thinking skills through problem-based learning in the People's Republic of China: a quasi-experimental study.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Haobin; Kunaviktikul, Wipada; Klunklin, Areewan; Williams, Beverly A

    2008-03-01

    A quasi-experimental, two-group pretest-post-test design was conducted to examine the effect of problem-based learning on the critical thinking skills of 46 Year 2 undergraduate nursing students in the People's Republic of China. The California Critical Thinking Skills Test Form A, Chinese-Taiwanese version was used as both a pretest and as a post-test for a semester-long nursing course. There was no significant difference in critical thinking skills at pretest, whereas, significant differences in critical thinking skills existed between the problem-based learning and lecture groups at post-test. The problem-based learning students had a significantly greater improvement on the overall California Critical Thinking Skills Test, analysis, and induction subscale scores compared with the lecture students. Problem-based learning fostered nursing students' critical thinking skills.

  14. A Critical Examination of Communication Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanasono, Lisa K.

    2018-01-01

    Courses: This single-class teaching activity was designed for courses on critical communication pedagogy (CCP), gender and race, communication education, research methods, and visual communication. Objectives: By completing this activity, students should be able to (1) describe the principles of CCP, (2) examine critically how race and gender are…

  15. School Physics Teacher Class Management, Laboratory Practice, Student Engagement, Critical Thinking, Cooperative Learning and Use of Simulations Effects on Student Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riaz, Muhammad

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine how simulations in physics class, class management, laboratory practice, student engagement, critical thinking, cooperative learning, and use of simulations predicted the percentage of students achieving a grade point average of B or higher and their academic performance as reported by teachers in secondary…

  16. No Child Left Behind: Implications for Special Education Students and Students with Limited English Proficiency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jewell, Mark E.

    2008-01-01

    This article examines the controversy that continues to surround the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Since its passage, NCLB has been criticized for a number of reasons. One of the criticisms is that it is unfair to include special education students and students with limited English proficiency in the accountability system and judge them by the…

  17. 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…

  18. Enhancing Critical Thinking, Writing and Disposition Preparedness amongst Four-Year University Teacher Education Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane-Patrice, Libra A.

    2013-01-01

    More and more, critical thinking and writing skills are necessary and of prime significance. Stakeholders across the board are concerned that students are deficient in these vital areas. The purpose of this study was to examine how the employment of specific, targeted and explicit critical thinking and writing instruction could enhance the…

  19. Learning Critical Thinking in Saudi Arabia: Student Perceptions of Secondary Pre-Service Teacher Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allamnakhrah, Alhasan

    2013-01-01

    Saudi scholars have been agitating for education reforms to incorporate critical thinking in education programs. This paper is a qualitative case study undertaken at King Abdul Aziz University and Arab Open University and examines students' perception of learning critical thinking in secondary pre-service teacher education programs in Saudi…

  20. Debating the Issues: A Tool for Augmenting Critical Thinking Skills of Marketing Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roy, Abhijit; Macchiette, Bart

    2005-01-01

    The case for enhancing critical thinking as an integral part of the marketing curriculum through the debate process is presented. Linkages between critical thinking, debate, and the marketing curricula are examined in the context of desired student outcomes and learning skills. The role of the professor in planning and facilitating the debate is…

  1. Pedagogies of Naming, Questioning, and Demystification: A Study of Two Critical U.S. History Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parkhouse, Hillary

    2018-01-01

    While the conceptual work on critical pedagogy is undeniably rich, few empirical studies have examined its applications in K-12 classroom settings and impacts on students. Based on ethnographic research in 2 public 11th grade U.S. History classrooms with critical teachers, this article describes 3 pedagogies that enhanced students' critical…

  2. Identification of Relationships between Emotional Intelligence Skill & Critical Thinking Disposition in Undergraduate Leadership Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stedman, Nicole L. P.; Andenoro, Anthony C.

    2007-01-01

    Engaging students emotionally is the key to strengthening their dispositions toward critical thinking. Elder (1997) contends that it is critical thinking which leads us to a rational and reasonable emotional life. The link between thinking and emotions is essential in leadership education. With this in mind, the researchers sought to examine the…

  3. Critical Media Literacy and Gender: Teaching Middle School Children about Gender Stereotypes and Occupations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puchner, Laurel; Markowitz, Linda; Hedley, Mark

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of the implementation of a small-scale critical media literacy curriculum unit focused on gender stereotypes, especially as they pertain to occupations. The research question was whether students exposed to the critical media literacy (CML) curriculum were more likely than students not exposed to believe: that…

  4. Valuable Knowledge: Students as Consumers of Critical Thinking in the Community College Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jensen, Jane McEldowney; Worth, Benjamin

    2014-01-01

    This ethnographic study examines the negotiation of the value of critical thinking by a group of community college students and their instructor in a required general education literature course. Using a sociological analysis, the authors explore how the students situated themselves as both learners and consumers in the classroom, a social field…

  5. Investigation on the Relationship among Language Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking and Self-Regulation Skills in Learning English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altay, Betül; Saracaloglu, Asuman Seda

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to examine the relationship among language learning strategies, critical thinking skills and self-regulation skills of preparation class students. In this process, students were interviewed and courses were observed so as to profile students' management of learning situations and their awareness for these strategies through a…

  6. What Is Normal, True, and Right: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Students' Written Resistance Strategies on LGBTQ Topics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jaekel, Kathryn

    2016-01-01

    This study examines how students perform resistance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer topics in their written reflections in a higher education diversity course. Using a three-tiered critical discourse analysis , this article maps students' resistant textual devices in their written reflections, analyzes the institutional setting…

  7. Developing Character in Middle School Students: A Cinematic Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, William B., III; Waters, Stewart

    2014-01-01

    The middle school years are a critical time in the physical, intellectual, and moral growth of young adolescents. This article examines how film can be used to engage students in moral-dilemma discussions to promote critical thinking and character development. The authors argue that the use of film in the classroom can challenge students to expand…

  8. Urban High School Students' Critical Science Agency: Conceptual Understandings and Environmental Actions around Climate Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNeill, Katherine L.; Vaughn, Meredith Houle

    2012-01-01

    This study investigates how the enactment of a climate change curriculum supports students' development of critical science agency, which includes students developing deep understandings of science concepts and the ability to take action at the individual and community levels. We examined the impact of a four to six week urban ecology curriculum…

  9. Examining the Association between Explicit Mathematics Instruction and Student Mathematics Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doabler, Christian T.; Baker, Scott K.; Kosty, Derek B.; Smolkowski, Keith; Clarke, Ben; Miller, Saralyn J.; Fien, Hank

    2015-01-01

    Explicit instruction is a systematic instructional approach that facilitates frequent and meaningful instructional interactions between teachers and students around critical academic content. This study examined the relationship between student mathematics outcomes and the rate and quality of explicit instructional interactions that occur during…

  10. Teaching Critical Thinking by Examining Assumptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yanchar, Stephen C.; Slife, Brent D.

    2004-01-01

    We describe how instructors can integrate the critical thinking skill of examining theoretical assumptions (e.g., determinism and materialism) and implications into psychology courses. In this instructional approach, students formulate questions that help them identify assumptions and implications, use those questions to identify and examine the…

  11. Critical consciousness and intent to persist through college in DACA and U.S. citizen students: The role of immigration status, race, and ethnicity.

    PubMed

    Cadenas, Germán A; Bernstein, Bianca L; Tracey, Terence J G

    2018-05-21

    We used the model of critical consciousness (CC; Freire, 1973) to examine college persistence in a sample of Hispanic Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) college students in contrast to Hispanic and non-Hispanic White U.S. citizens. To do this, we looked to social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) to clarify the development of CC and its association with college persistence in students facing marginalization due to immigration status and racial/ethnic identity. The sample consisted of 368 undergraduate college students, including 89 Hispanic DACA recipients, 88 Hispanics with U.S. citizenship, and 191 non-Hispanic Whites with U.S. citizenship. Students completed scales on intent to persist in college, political self-efficacy, political outcome expectations, critical reflection, critical action, and supports and barriers for critical action. The data were examined using multigroup structural equation modeling; goodness of fit indices suggested good model fit for all groups. Tests of structural invariance revealed that 7 relational paths were equal across student groups, while race/ethnicity and immigration status differentiated the strength of 7 paths. Our findings indicate that there are differences in how Hispanic DACA students experience CC in relation to support for their political advocacy and activism. Findings also highlight that political outcome expectations predicted higher intent to persist in college for all students, including Hispanic DACA students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  12. Cultivating Educational Resilience: An Examination of Teacher-Student Interactions in the Elementary Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Hazel Spaulding

    2013-01-01

    In education, one of the vital goals is to improve student success through high-quality teaching. Teachers' pedagogy and knowledge of content coupled with the interactions between the teacher and student is one of the most critical components influencing the academic success of students. The purpose of this study was to examine supportive…

  13. Online discussion: Enhancing students' critical thinking skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rathakrishnan, Mohan; Ahmad, Rahayu; Suan, Choo Ling

    2017-10-01

    Online discussion has become one of the important strategies for the teacher to teach the students to think critically when conveying their ideas and become more proactive and creative. In this paper, padlet online discussion communication was conducted to examine its effectiveness in enhancing critical thinking. In this study, there are two types of critical thinking: macro and micro critical thinking. A total of 70 Universiti Utara Malaysia Management Foundation Programme students involved in this experimental research design. The students in treatment class are divided to few groups. Every group uses padlet online discussion to discuss the topic given. All the group members discuss and write their ideas in padlet. Ideas that are posted in padlet will be displayed in front of the class so that the entire group in the treatment class could see the given ideas. Paul's (1993) model was used to analyze student's macro and micro critical thinking in padlet online discussion and communication. The finding shows that students who used padlet online discussion backchannel communication have greater macro and micro critical thinking level than students who do not use online discussion.

  14. The Effect of Concept Maps on Undergraduate Nursing Students' Critical Thinking.

    PubMed

    Garwood, Janet K; Ahmed, Azza H; McComb, Sara A

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of using concept maps as a teaching and learning strategy on students' critical thinking abilities and examine students' perceptions toward concept maps utilizing the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Researchers have found that almost two thirds of nurse graduates do not have adequate critical thinking skills for a beginner nurse. Critical thinking skills are required for safe practice and mandated by accrediting organizations. Nursing educators should consider teaching and learning strategies that promote the development of critical thinking skills. A literature review was conducted using "concept maps, nursing education, and critical thinking" as the combined search terms. Inclusion criteria were studies that measured the effects of concept mapping on critical thinking in nursing students. Seventeen articles were identified. Concept maps may be useful tools to promote critical thinking in nursing education and for applying theory to practice.

  15. Equity Issues in Public Examinations in Developing Countries. World Bank Technical Paper Number 272. Asia Technical Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greaney, Vincent; Kellaghan, Thomas

    Public examinations in developing countries play a critical role in the selection of students for participation in the educational system. The examinations tend to be highly academic, bearing little reference to the everyday lives of students, limited to paper-and-pencil tests, and geared toward discriminating among high achieving students.…

  16. Examining the Cultural Validity of a College Student Engagement Survey for Latinos

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hernandez, Ebelia; Mobley, Michael; Coryell, Gayle; Yu, En-Hui; Martinez, Gladys

    2013-01-01

    Using critical race theory and quantitative criticalist stance, this study examines the construct validity of an engagement survey, "Student Experiences in the Research University" (SERU) for Latino college students through exploratory factor analysis. Results support the principal seven-factor SERU model. However subfactors exhibited…

  17. 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.

  18. Inquiry-Based Civil Discourse Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linvill, Darren L.; Pyle, Andrew S.

    2017-01-01

    Course: Civil discourse, argumentation, debate, persuasion, political communication. Objectives: This unit activity will help students build an understanding of civil discourse and its function in society. Students will: (1) increase their capacity to examine arguments critically, (2) enhance their own ability to self-reflect critically, and (3)…

  19. An Exploration of the Interplay of Students' Dispositions to Critical Thinking, Formal Thinking and Procedural Knowledge in Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferguson, Nicole; Vazquez-Abad, Jesus

    This paper describes part of a study undertaken to examine the relationship between dispositions to critical thinking, procedural knowledge in science, and formal reasoning. Three tests were administered to 346 grade 7 students at the beginning and at the end of the school year: California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory, Group Assessment…

  20. The Effectiveness of the Master Thinker Program in Developing Critical Thinking Skills of 11th Grade Students in Bahrain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alnabhan, Mousa; Alhamdan, Najat; Darwish, Ahmed

    2014-01-01

    The current study aimed at investigating the effect of the Master Thinker program on developing critical thinking skills of 11th grade students in Bahrain. Specifically, this research attempts to examine the hypothesis: Teaching the Master Thinker program will be significantly effective in developing critical thinking and its skills (inference,…

  1. 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…

  2. "More Complicated than a Numbers Game": A Critical Race Theory Examination of Asian Americans and Campus Racial Climate

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poon, Oi Yan Anita

    2010-01-01

    In the Grutter and Gratz Supreme Court decision, proponents of affirmative action claimed that a critical mass of minority students could effectively counter racial marginalization often experienced by students of color due to their racial status. On some campuses, Asian Americans as a pan-ethnic population enjoy a critical mass in undergraduate…

  3. The Relationship between College Experience at a Historically Black College and Students' Critical Thinking Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Little, Irene Pruitt

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between college experience at a HBCU and students' critical thinking skills. The theoretical framework included Astin's theory of involvement and Facione's taxonomy of critical thinking. The research site was a private four-year HBCU in the state of Alabama. The…

  4. Problematizing the Critical Thinking Concept: Perspectives of Chinese Undergraduate Students and Their U.S. University Faculty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Lei

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative study examined reflections of 12 Chinese students who studied in a U.S. college, and 10 of their U.S. faculty in terms of their conceptualization of critical thinking. Throughout the study, a situated cognitive framework was applied to analyze the interview data and explore the concept of critical thinking. The participants of…

  5. Moving beyond Assessment to Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills: A Model for Implementing Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haynes, Ada; Lisic, Elizabeth; Goltz, Michele; Stein, Barry; Harris, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    This research examines how the use of the CAT (Critical thinking Assessment Test) and involvement in CAT-Apps (CAT Applications within the discipline) training can serve as an important part of a faculty development model that assists faculty in the assessment of students' critical thinking skills and in the development of these skills within…

  6. Instructors' Positive Emotions: Effects on Student Engagement and Critical Thinking in U.S. and Chinese Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Qin; Zhang, Jibiao

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we used the broaden-and-build theory and emotional response theory as the framework to examine the effects of instructors' positive emotions on student engagement and critical thinking in U.S. and Chinese classrooms, as well as the mediating role of students' positive emotions in their relationships. MANOVA results revealed no…

  7. Rigorous Mathematical Thinking Approach to Enhance Students’ Mathematical Creative and Critical Thinking Abilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hidayat, D.; Nurlaelah, E.; Dahlan, J. A.

    2017-09-01

    The ability of mathematical creative and critical thinking are two abilities that need to be developed in the learning of mathematics. Therefore, efforts need to be made in the design of learning that is capable of developing both capabilities. The purpose of this research is to examine the mathematical creative and critical thinking ability of students who get rigorous mathematical thinking (RMT) approach and students who get expository approach. This research was quasi experiment with control group pretest-posttest design. The population were all of students grade 11th in one of the senior high school in Bandung. The result showed that: the achievement of mathematical creative and critical thinking abilities of student who obtain RMT is better than students who obtain expository approach. The use of Psychological tools and mediation with criteria of intentionality, reciprocity, and mediated of meaning on RMT helps students in developing condition in critical and creative processes. This achievement contributes to the development of integrated learning design on students’ critical and creative thinking processes.

  8. The fact of ignorance: revisiting the Socratic method as a tool for teaching critical thinking.

    PubMed

    Oyler, Douglas R; Romanelli, Frank

    2014-09-15

    Critical thinking, while highly valued as an ability of health care providers, remains a skill that many educators find difficult to teach. This review provides an analysis examining why current methods of teaching critical thinking to health care students (primarily medical and pharmacy students) often fail and describes a premise and potential utility of the Socratic method as a tool to teach critical thinking in health care education.

  9. First-Year Student Experiences in Community Colleges: Crossing Borders, Making Connections and Developing Perceptions about Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jalomo, Romero, Jr.

    A study was undertaken to examine the influence of in- and out-of-class experiences on the learning and retention of diverse first-year community college students, examining three critical dynamics of the first-year college experience: the transition to college, student involvement and connections on campus, and the view students form of…

  10. College Students Coping with Interpersonal Stress: Examining a Control-Based Model of Coping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coiro, Mary Jo; Bettis, Alexandra H.; Compas, Bruce E.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: The ways that college students cope with stress, particularly interpersonal stress, may be a critical factor in determining which students are at risk for impairing mental health disorders. Using a control-based model of coping, the present study examined associations between interpersonal stress, coping strategies, and symptoms.…

  11. Case Studies Every Day. Using "The Dallas Morning News" in Law-Related Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garrett, Judith; Yarbro, Judy

    Intended to help teachers of law-related education direct student's critical thinking by examining case studies in everyday newspapers, this booklet contains seven activities suitable for use with intermediate and secondary students. By examining daily newspapers and participating in the activities, students (1) determine ways in which the law…

  12. Exploring Middle School Students' Conceptions of the Relationship between Genetic Inheritance and Cell Division

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Michelle; DeBarger, Angela Haydel; Montgomery, Beronda L.; Zhou, Xuechun; Tate, Erika

    2012-01-01

    This study examines students' understanding of the normative connections between key concepts of cell division, including both mitosis and meiosis, and underlying biological principles that are critical for an in-depth understanding of genetic inheritance. Using a structural equation modeling method, we examine middle school students'…

  13. Interpretive versus didactic learning approach towards oral biology: a student's perspective.

    PubMed

    Farooq, Imran

    2014-10-01

    This study analyzed the preference of dental students for oral biology questions that require either an interpretive or a descriptive approach to answer and to compare the preferences with their final examination result retrospectively. A questionnaire requiring student academic number and containing two questions (one asked with an interpretive approach/the other asked with a descriptive approach) from random topics of oral biology course was distributed among students who have already appeared in the final examination. Majority of the students who had achieved good grades (A+, A, B+, B) preferred interpretive questions whereas majority of the students with average grades (C+, C, D+, D) selected descriptive questions. Common reason for picking interpretive question was that it enhances critical thinking. The descriptive questions were argued to provide students with a chance to explain more. Hence, students should be encouraged to learn interpretively to promote enquiry based learning (EBL) and critical thinking.

  14. The Relationship Between the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and Student Learning Outcomes in Baccalaureate Nursing Students.

    PubMed

    Searing, Lisabeth Meade; Kooken, Wendy Carter

    2016-04-01

    Critical thinking is the foundation for nurses' decision making. One school of nursing used the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) to document improvement in critical thinking dispositions. A retrospective study of 96 nursing students' records examined the relationships between the CCTDI and learning outcomes. Correlational statistics assessed relationships between CCTDI scores and cumulative grade point averages (GPA) and scores on two Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) examinations. Ordinal regression assessed predictive relationships between CCTDI scores and science course grades and NCLEX-RN success. First-year CCTDI scores did not predict first-year science grades. Senior-year CCTDI scores did not correlate with cumulative GPA or HESI RN Exit Exam scores, but were weakly correlated with HESI Pharmacology Exam scores. CCTDI scores did not predict NCLEX-RN success. This study did not identify meaningful relationships between critical thinking dispositions, as measured by the CCTDI, and important learning outcomes. The results do not support the efficacy of using the CCTDI in nursing education. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  15. Critical-Thinking Skills of First-Year Athletic Training Students Enrolled in Professional Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bates, Dana K.; Sikkema, Jill A.; Nynas, Suzette M.; Culp, Clinton

    2017-01-01

    Context: The Examination of Professional Degree Level document presented to the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Directors states that research in athletic training education has not investigated differences in the critical-thinking skills of professional athletic training students. Objective: Investigate the differences in…

  16. Critical Thinking Measurement in ICT

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shannon, Li-Jen; Schneider, Solomon; Bennett, Judith F.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the status of critical thinking (CT) and reasoning skills in information communication and technology (ICT) for 190 college students in a higher education system. It analyzed how the students performed in CT, reasoning, and internet copyright and ethical issues. A CT assessment was designed to analyze the CT and reasoning…

  17. Globalizing English through Intercultural Critical Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myers, Jamie; Eberfors, Fredrik

    2010-01-01

    This article examines the construction of an intercultural critical literacy practice in a Web-based discussion forum as one way to globalize interpretive practices within the English classroom. English education students in the United States and Sweden discussed a short story over a period of three weeks. The analysis of the students' postings…

  18. Creative Disruptions in the Subway of Critical Environmental Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leduc, Timothy B.; Warkentin, Traci

    2006-01-01

    This paper reflects on the process of developing a pedagogy that uses experiential learning and disruption in environmental education practice to challenge students to develop critical thought. We examine our practice with university students in an "Environment and Culture" course, and focus on the processes that can transform disruption…

  19. The Fact of IgnoranceRevisiting the Socratic Method as a Tool for Teaching Critical Thinking

    PubMed Central

    Romanelli, Frank

    2014-01-01

    Critical thinking, while highly valued as an ability of health care providers, remains a skill that many educators find difficult to teach. This review provides an analysis examining why current methods of teaching critical thinking to health care students (primarily medical and pharmacy students) often fail and describes a premise and potential utility of the Socratic method as a tool to teach critical thinking in health care education. PMID:25258449

  20. The Influence of Socratic Questioning in Online Discussions on the Critical Thinking Skills of Undergraduate Students: An Exploratory Study Based on a Business Course at a Proprietary University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boulter, Marla Lynn

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the influence of instructor-facilitated Socratic questioning in online discussions on the critical thinking skills of undergraduate students enrolled in a proprietary institution with nonselective admissions criteria. A sample of students was purposively selected from two sections of an online introductory business course, with…

  1. Predictors of Improvement in Critical Thinking Skills among Nursing Students in an Online Graduate Nursing Research Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riccio, Patricia A.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this pilot study was to examine predictors of improvement in critical thinking skills among online graduate nursing students in a graduate nursing research course. Thirty-five students who had taken an online Nursing research course within the prior 12 months and who were currently enrolled in the online graduate Nursing program at…

  2. Ecological Literacy through Critical/Place-Based Pedagogy in the Environmental Studies Program at a Small Liberal Arts College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beeman-Cadwallader, Nicole

    2014-01-01

    Few studies have critically examined pedagogical practices for ecological literacy at the tertiary level (Adomssent, Godemann, Michelsen, 2007). The purpose of this study is to critically examine how students and faculty in the Environmental Studies/Science programs at Trueblood College pursue ecological literacy through place-based pedagogy. Two…

  3. Student views on continuous assessment at Birmingham University Medical School.

    PubMed Central

    Cruickshank, J K; Barritt, P W; Mcbesag, F; Waterhouse, N; Goldman, L H

    1975-01-01

    Student opinion on the system of continuous assessment used at Birmingham Medical School was sampled by distributing questionnaires to 621 students in the first four years of the course; 482 questionnaires (78%) were returned. Many comments and criticisms of the system were received but the vast majority of students (92%) said they preferred the present style of assessment to conventional final examinations. These criticisms are discussed and recommendations are made to improve the existing scheme. PMID:1192017

  4. The critical success factors and impact of prior knowledge to nursing students when transferring nursing knowledge during nursing clinical practise.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Ming-Tien; Tsai, Ling-Long

    2005-11-01

    Nursing practise plays an important role in transferring nursing knowledge to nursing students. From the related literature review, prior knowledge will affect how learners gain new knowledge. There has been no direct examination of the prior knowledge interaction effect on students' performance and its influence on nursing students when evaluating the knowledge transfer success factors. This study explores (1) the critical success factors in transferring nursing knowledge, (2) the impact of prior knowledge when evaluating the success factors for transferring nursing knowledge. This research utilizes in-depth interviews to probe the initial success factor phase. A total of 422 valid questionnaires were conducted by the authors. The data were analysed by comparing the mean score and t-test between two groups. Seventeen critical success factors were identified by the two groups of students. Twelve items were selected to examine the diversity in the two groups. Students with prior knowledge were more independent than the other group. They also preferred self-directed learning over students without prior knowledge. Students who did not have prior knowledge were eager to take every opportunity to gain experience and more readily adopted new knowledge.

  5. Career and Program Choice of Students of Color in Student Affairs Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linder, Chris; Simmons, Cara Winston

    2015-01-01

    Student affairs educators have long advocated increasing the racial diversity of student affairs. To improve the recruitment of Students of Color to student affairs, we engaged critical race methodology to examine career and graduate program choice of 29 students of Color in 26 graduate programs. Participants chose careers in student affairs…

  6. Examining Elementary Students' Development of Oral and Written Argumentation Practices through Argument-Based Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Ying-Chih; Hand, Brian; Park, Soonhye

    2016-01-01

    Argumentation, and the production of scientific arguments are critical elements of inquiry that are necessary for helping students become scientifically literate through engaging them in constructing and critiquing ideas. This case study employed a mixed methods research design to examine the development in 5th grade students' practices of oral…

  7. Black High School Students' Critical Racial Awareness, School-Based Racial Socialization, and Academic Resilience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graves, Daren

    2014-01-01

    This research focuses on how Black high school students' perceptions of their school-based racial socialization and their racial identities impact their attitudes and dispositions toward school. The author examined the intersection of racial identity and school culture by examining how Black students describe their context-based racial identity…

  8. Non-Science Majors' Critical Evaluation of Websites in a Biotechnology Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halverson, Kristy L.; Siegel, Marcelle A.; Freyermuth, Sharyn K.

    2010-12-01

    Helping students develop criteria for judgment and apply examination skills is essential for promoting scientific literacy. With the increasing availability of the Internet, it is even more essential that students learn how to evaluate the science they gather from online resources. This is particularly true because publishing information on the web is not restricted to experts, and content quality can vary greatly across websites. The responsibility of evaluating websites falls upon the user. Little research has examined undergraduates' evaluation of web sites in science classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate on which websites college students selected and how they evaluated the websites used when developing individual positions about stem-cell research. We used a qualitative approach in search of patterns in undergraduates' website selection and evaluation criteria. We found that students used a variety of web resources from eleven types of websites to complete their independent research report. Students also used eleven evaluation criteria to evaluate these sources, some useful (e.g., credibility) and some not useful (e.g., readability). We found that university students struggled with critically evaluating online resources. Undergraduates need prompts to learn how to critically evaluate the science content provided within websites. This type of scaffold can facilitate useful evaluation and promote critical thinking required for becoming scientifically literate.

  9. Personal Epistemology and Mathematics: A Critical Review and Synthesis of Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muis, Krista R.

    2004-01-01

    This review critically examines 33 studies on students' epistemological beliefs about mathematics. Five categories were identified: beliefs about mathematics, development of beliefs, effects of beliefs on behavior, domain differences, and changing beliefs. Studies examining beliefs about mathematics revealed consistent patterns of nonavailing…

  10. Mindfulness as an Alternative for Supporting University Student Mental Health: Cognitive-Emotional and Depressive Self-Criticism Measures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Azam, Muhammad Abid; Mongrain, Myriam; Vora, Khushboo; Pirbaglou, Meysam; Azargive, Saam; Changoor, Tina; Wayne, Noah; Guglietti, Crissa; Macpherson, Alison; Irvine, Jane; Rotondi, Michael; Smith, Dawn; Perez, Daniel; Ritvo, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Increases in university-based mental health problems require alternative mental health programs, applicable to students with elevated psychological risks due to personality traits. This study examined the cognitive-emotional outcomes of a university mindfulness meditation (MM) program and their relationship with Self-Criticism (SC), a personality…

  11. Enhancing Critical Thinking: Accounting Students' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilkin, Carla L.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how assessment design was used to enhance students' critical thinking in a subject concerned with business enterprise systems. The study shows positive results and favorable perceptions of the merit of the approach. Design/Methodology/Approach: A case study approach was used to examine how the…

  12. "I Spoke It When I Was a Kid": Practicing Critical Bicultural Pedagogy in a Fourth-Grade Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Casesa, Rhianna

    2013-01-01

    By examining the potential of purposefully implemented critical bicultural pedagogy (CBP) for student empowerment, this article responds to "Culture and Power in the Classroom: Educational Foundations for the Schooling of Bicultural Students" by Antonia Darder (Boulder, CO: Paradigm, 2012). Using a theoretical framework based upon…

  13. Food as Social Justice: Critical Ethnography as a Lens for Communication Activism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Louis, Ross

    2016-01-01

    Courses: Public Speaking. Objectives: This semester-long service-learning activity examines access to affordable healthy food as a social justice issue, using critical ethnography as a framework to help students understand the link between activism and public speaking skills. After completing the project, students will be able to: (1) develop a…

  14. Researching Students with Disabilities: The Importance of Critical Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vaccaro, Annemarie; Kimball, Ezekiel W.; Wells, Ryan S.; Ostiguy, Benjamin J.

    2014-01-01

    In this chapter, the authors critically review the current state of quantitative research on college students with disabilities and examine the exclusion of this marginalized population from much of our research. They propose ways to conduct research that more fully accounts for this diverse and important college population. The authors argue that…

  15. We Are Woke: A Collaborative Critical Autoethnography of Three "Womxn" of Color Graduate Students in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ashlee, Aeriel A.; Zamora, Bianca; Karikari, Shamika N.

    2017-01-01

    This critical collaborative autoethnography examines how three "womxn" of color (Asian American, Latina, and African American) graduate students experience and resist intersectional racism and sexism in higher education. The authors reflect on their individual journeys to "wokeness" and share their collective process of…

  16. The Perfect Marriage?--Language and Art Criticism in the Hong Kong Public Examination Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lau, Chung-yim; Tam, Cheung-on

    2017-01-01

    Art education in Hong Kong has undergone various changes in response to educational reform. In art assessment, a major change in the Hong Kong New Senior Secondary (NSS) Curriculum is the inclusion of art criticism as a compulsory component of the new public examination. Assessing students' abilities to interpret art in an art criticism public…

  17. The influence of critical thinking skills on performance and progression in a pre-registration nursing program.

    PubMed

    Pitt, Victoria; Powis, David; Levett-Jones, Tracy; Hunter, Sharyn

    2015-01-01

    The importance of developing critical thinking skills in preregistration nursing students is recognized worldwide. Yet, there has been limited exploration of how students' critical thinking skill scores on entry to pre-registration nursing education influence their academic and clinical performance and progression. The aim of this study was to: i) describe entry and exit critical thinking scores of nursing students enrolled in a three year bachelor of nursing program in Australia in comparison to norm scores; ii) explore entry critical thinking scores in relation to demographic characteristics, students' performance and progression. This longitudinal correlational study used the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) to measure critical thinking skills in a sample (n=134) of students, at entry and exit (three years later). A one sample t-test was used to determine if differences existed between matched student critical thinking scores between entry and exit points. Academic performance, clinical performance and progression data were collected and correlations with entry critical thinking scores were examined. There was a significant relationship between critical thinking scores, academic performance and students' risk of failing, especially in the first semester of study. Critical thinking scores were predictive of program completion within three years. The increase in critical thinking scores from entry to exit was significant for the 28 students measured. In comparison to norm scores, entry level critical thinking scores were significantly lower, but exit scores were comparable. Critical thinking scores had no significant relationship to clinical performance. Entry critical thinking scores significantly correlate to academic performance and predict students risk of course failure and ability to complete a nursing degree in three years. Students' critical thinking scores are an important determinant of their success and as such can inform curriculum development and selection strategies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Critical Thinking Disposition and Skills in Dental Students: Development and Relationship to Academic Outcomes.

    PubMed

    Whitney, Eli M; Aleksejuniene, Jolanta; Walton, Joanne N

    2016-08-01

    Critical thinking is a key element of complex problem-solving and professional behavior. An ideal critical thinking measurement instrument would be able to accurately predict which dental students are predisposed to and capable of thinking critically and applying such thinking skills to clinical situations. The aims of this study were to describe critical thinking disposition and skills in dental students at the beginning and end of their first year, examine cohort and gender effects, and compare their critical thinking test scores to their first-year grades. Volunteers from three student cohorts at the University of British Columbia were tested using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and California Critical Thinking Skills instruments at the beginning and end of their first year. Based on the preliminary findings, one cohort was retested at graduation when their final-year grades and clinical advisor rankings were compared to their critical thinking test scores. The results showed that students who entered dental school with higher critical thinking scores tended to complete their first year with higher critical thinking scores, achieve higher grades, and show greater disposition to think critically at the start of the program. Students who demonstrated an ability to think critically and had a disposition to do so at the start of the program were also likely to demonstrate those same attributes at the completion of their training. High critical thinking scores were associated with success in both didactic and clinical settings in dental school.

  19. Do Critical Thinking Exercises Improve Critical Thinking Skills?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cotter, Ellen M.; Tally, Carrie Sacco

    2009-01-01

    Although textbooks routinely include exercises to improve critical thinking skills, the effectiveness of these exercises has not been closely examined. Additionally, the connection between critical thinking skills and formal operational thought is also relatively understudied. In the study reported here, college students completed measures of…

  20. A Structural Equation Model of Predictors for Effective Online Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marks, Ronald B.; Sibley, Stanley D.; Arbaugh, J. B.

    2005-01-01

    In studying online learning, researchers should examine three critical interactions: instructor-student, student-student, and student-content. Student-content interaction may include a wide variety of pedagogical tools (e.g., streaming media, PowerPoint, and hyperlinking). Other factors that can affect the perceived quality of online learning…

  1. Disaggregating Assessment to Close the Loop and Improve Student Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rawls, Janita; Hammons, Stacy

    2015-01-01

    This study examined student learning outcomes for accelerated degree students as compared to conventional undergraduate students, disaggregated by class levels, to develop strategies for then closing the loop with assessment. Using the National Survey of Student Engagement, critical thinking and oral and written communication outcomes were…

  2. An Exploration of a Public Day School for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdulalim, Latif

    2014-01-01

    This study examined programming practices that have identified in the research as critical for school success for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Secondary purposes of the study were to identify the extent to which these practices were used and to examine student social/emotional and academic outcome data in a public day…

  3. From Student to Entry-Level Professional: Examining the Role of Language and Written Communications in the Reacculturation of Aerospace Engineering Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinelli, T. E.; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Argues that language and written communication play a critical role in the reacculturation process that enables individuals to make a successful transition from the academic world to a professional environment. Reports results of a mail survey examining the technical communications abilities of aerospace engineering students and the technical…

  4. Oppression, Reflection, and Advocacy in the Classroom: One Teacher-Researcher Reflects on Her Research and Practices Involving African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haj-Broussard, Michelle

    2006-01-01

    In this article, I--a White, French-immersion teacher-researcher--engage in a reflective examination of my research and teaching practices involving African American students. My critical reflection of my research examines the instruments used in my comparative study of African American students' experiences in the French-immersion context and the…

  5. Challenges of assessing critical thinking and clinical judgment in nurse practitioner students.

    PubMed

    Gorton, Karen L; Hayes, Janice

    2014-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between critical thinking skills and clinical judgment in nurse practitioner students. The study used a convenience, nonprobability sampling technique, engaging participants from across the United States. Correlational analysis demonstrated no statistically significant relationship between critical thinking skills and examination-style questions, critical thinking skills and scores on the evaluation and reevaluation of consequences subscale of the Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Scale, and critical thinking skills and the preceptor evaluation tool. The study found no statistically significant relationships between critical thinking skills and clinical judgment. Educators and practitioners could consider further research in these areas to gain insight into how critical thinking is and could be measured, to gain insight into the clinical decision making skills of nurse practitioner students, and to gain insight into the development and measurement of critical thinking skills in advanced practice educational programs. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

  6. Critical thinking skills in nursing students: a comparison between freshmen and senior students.

    PubMed

    Azizi-Fini, Ismail; Hajibagheri, Ali; Adib-Hajbaghery, Mohsen

    2015-03-01

    Critical thinking is one of the most important concepts in the field of education. Despite studies published on nursing students' critical thinking skills (CTS), some suggest that there is not enough evidence supporting the relationship between content of nursing education programs and nursing students' CTS. Given the existing discrepancies, this study aimed to compare the critical thinking skills of freshmen and senior nursing students. This comparative study was conducted on 150 undergraduate freshmen and senior nursing students in Kashan University of Medical Sciences, during 2012. The students in the first and the last semesters of their study in nursing were entered in the study using the census method. Data were collected using a questionnaire including questions on demographic data and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, form B. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS v.13 software. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Moreover, independent sample t-test and Spearman and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used in the data analysis. Both the freshmen and senior nursing students had low CTS. The mean critical thinking scores were 11.79 ± 4.80 and 11.21 ± 3.17 for the freshmen and the senior students, respectively (P = 0.511). Moreover, no significant correlation was found between the students' score in CTS and their age, gender, high school grade point average (GPA), rank in university entrance examination (RUEE) and interest in the nursing profession. The students were low skilled in critical thinking and their CTS did not significantly change during their nursing degree. Thus it may be concluded that the nursing education program did not affect the CTS of its students. Longitudinal studies are suggested for assessing nursing students' critical thinking over time. Moreover, revising the curriculum and preparing nursing educators for implementing innovative and active teaching strategies are suggested.

  7. 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…

  8. The Multiplicative Situation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurst, Chris

    2015-01-01

    The relationships between three critical elements, and the associated mathematical language, to assist students to make the critical transition from additive to multiplicative thinking are examined in this article by Chris Hurst.

  9. 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.

  10. 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…

  11. Racism Here, Racism There, Racism Everywhere: The Racial Realities of Minoritized Peer Socialization Agents at a Historically White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linley, Jodi L.

    2018-01-01

    I critically examined the ways racially minoritized college students who served as peer socialization agents (i.e., orientation leaders, tour guides) experienced their campus climate in relation to their racial identities and student ambassador positions. Framed by critical race theory, the counternarratives of 11 racially minoritized peer…

  12. Collaborative Problem Solving Methods towards Critical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yin, Khoo Yin; Abdullah, Abdul Ghani Kanesan; Alazidiyeen, Naser Jamil

    2011-01-01

    This research attempts to examine the collaborative problem solving methods towards critical thinking based on economy (AE) and non economy (TE) in the SPM level among students in the lower sixth form. The quasi experiment method that uses the modal of 3X2 factorial is applied. 294 lower sixth form students from ten schools are distributed…

  13. Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: Critical Discussion of Social Issues.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moss, Joy

    Noting that picture books can invite students to engage in critical discussion of complex issues of race, class, and gender, this lesson plan helps students to confront the injustice of barriers that separate human beings from one another and to examine the role of prejudice and stereotypes in sustaining these barriers. During the five 45-minute…

  14. Becoming Critical Thinkers: The Impact of Treatments on Student Reflective Practice in the College Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Depinet, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of instructional treatments on reflective practice and critical thinking in the college classroom at Bowling Green State University in the College of Business. The study employed a quasi-experimental pretest posttest control group design to examine student reflective practice among three…

  15. Critical Race Theory, Hip Hop, and "Huck Finn": Narrative Inquiry in a High School English Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Jennifer L.

    2014-01-01

    This study explores the impact of reading "Huckleberry Finn" through the lens of critical race theory for both teacher and students in a racially diverse urban high school environment. The teacher/researcher used narrative inquiry and creative non-fiction to examine student language usage, white privilege (including her own), and student…

  16. Critical Media Literacy in Middle School: Exploring the Politics of Representation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gainer, Jesse S.

    2010-01-01

    This article explores issues of critical media literacy with middle school students in an urban setting in the United States. The author focuses on data from a qualitative study engaging students in the reading and writing of video texts. The article examines intersections of issues relating to the "crisis of representation" in social science…

  17. Using News Articles to Build a Critical Literacy Classroom in an EFL Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Yujong

    2011-01-01

    This article examines an effort to support critical literacy in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting by analyzing one college EFL reading classroom in which students read and responded to articles from "The New Yorker". Data include transcribed audiotapes of classroom interaction and interviews with students, classroom materials, and…

  18. Achievement as Resistance: The Development of a Critical Race Achievement Ideology among Black Achievers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Dorinda J.

    2008-01-01

    In this article, Dorinda Carter examines the embodiment of a critical race achievement ideology in high-achieving black students. She conducted a yearlong qualitative investigation of the adaptive behaviors that nine high-achieving black students developed and employed to navigate the process of schooling at an upper-class, predominantly white,…

  19. Self-Perceived Gains in Communication and Critical Thinking Skills: Are There Disciplinary Differences? AIR 1998 Annual Forum Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Guihua; Long, Shawna; Simpson, Mary Ellen

    This study sought to identify similarities and differences influencing students' self-perceived gains in communication and critical thinking skills. The study examined students' background characteristics and general college experiences, as well as their experiences in their major field of study. Structural equation modeling was used to examine…

  20. Blurring Boundaries: Drama as a Critical Multimodal Literacy for Examining 17th-Century Witch Hunts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schroeter, Sara; Wager, Amanda C.

    2017-01-01

    This article illustrates how critical multimodal literacy practices engage secondary students to further explore differences and similarities between past and present instances of discrimination within a process drama, where students and teachers explore a topic through unscripted role-play. Data from a classroom-based ethnography are drawn on to…

  1. Do occupational therapy and physical therapy curricula teach critical thinking skills?

    PubMed

    Vogel, Kimberly A; Geelhoed, Michael; Grice, Kimatha O; Murphy, Douglas

    2009-01-01

    This study evaluated whether critical thinking ability can be improved through participation in occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) curricula. The researchers compared levels of the critical thinking skills of OT and PT students at the beginning and end of their programs to determine whether changes occurred and to examine facets of the curricula that may have caused the differences. The curricula include teaching strategies of problem-based learning modules, small group discussion and problem-solving, case studies, clinical observation, and evidence-based practice assignments, as well as teaching about critical thinking as a process in itself. Fifty OT and PT students completed the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal at the beginning and end of 20 mos of the academic phase of their master's degree programs. Researchers analyzed the data using a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Results showed no differences between OT and PT students on the pretest or post-test and no differences for PT students between the pretest and post-test. OT students' scores increased significantly from pretest to post-test. The influence of the timing of teaching critical thinking skills in the resulting differences between the two curricula, as well as the validity of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a valid measure of critical thinking changes in allied health students are discussed.

  2. Strains, Strengths, and Intervention Outcomes: A Critical Examination of Intervention Efficacy for Underrepresented Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Krystal L.

    2014-01-01

    This chapter offers a critical lens for examining intervention efficacy. It highlights a conceptual framework particularly relevant for understanding the experiences of underrepresented students and illustrates how such framing can explicate the mechanisms that impede or enhance successful intervention outcomes in STEM fields.

  3. AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadler, Philip M.; Sonnert, Gerhard; Tai, Robert; Klopfenstein, Kirstin

    2016-01-01

    The Advanced Placement (AP) program was created to enhance the experience of gifted students as they transition from high school to college. "AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program," edited by Philip M. Sadler, Gerhard Sonnert, Robert Tai, and Kirstin Klopfenstein (2010, Harvard Education Press), questions the…

  4. Integration of a zebrafish research project into a molecular biology course to support critical thinking and course content goals.

    PubMed

    Felzien, Lisa K

    2016-11-12

    Engaging undergraduates in research is essential for teaching them to think like scientists, and it has become a desired component of classroom and laboratory instruction. Research projects that span an entire semester expose students to a variety of concepts and techniques and allow students to use experiments to learn scientific principles, understand why specific techniques are applicable, critically analyze varied data, and examine how experimentation leads to acquiring knowledge. To provide an experience with these features, a semester long research project was integrated into a combined lecture and laboratory course, Molecular Biology. The project utilized the zebrafish model to examine gene expression during embryonic development and required students to develop and test hypotheses about the timing of expression of previously uncharacterized genes. The main goals for the project were to provide opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills required for conducting research and to support the content goals of the course. To determine whether these goals were met, student performance on the steps of the project and related pre-test and post-test questions was examined. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):565-573, 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  5. Use of Reflection-in-Action and Self-Assessment to Promote Critical Thinking Among Pharmacy Students

    PubMed Central

    Gregory, Paul AM; Chiu, Stephanie

    2008-01-01

    Objective To examine whether self-assessment and reflection-in-action improves critical thinking among pharmacy students. Methods A 24-item standardized test of critical thinking was developed utilizing previously-validated questions. Participants were divided into 2 groups (conditions). Those in condition 1 completed the test with no interference; those in condition 2 completed the test but were prompted at specific points during the test to reflect and self-assess. Results A total of 94 undergraduate (BScPhm) pharmacy students participated in this study. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between those who completed the test under condition 1 and condition 2, suggesting reflection and self-assessment may contribute positively to improvement in critical thinking. Conclusions Structured opportunities to reflect-in-action and self-assess may be associated with improvements among pharmacy students in performance of tasks related to critical thinking. PMID:18698383

  6. Gender and Student Leadership: A Critical Examination.

    PubMed

    Haber-Curran, Paige; Tillapaugh, Daniel

    2017-06-01

    This chapter includes an overview of existing and emerging literature on gender and student development and key opportunities for leadership educators' practice to broaden our understanding of gender and student leadership. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

  7. Teaching Understanding and Developing Critical Thinking.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eulie, Joseph

    1988-01-01

    Examines the relationship between teaching content or knowledge, and teaching the skills of critical thinking and problem solving. Presents key strategies to help students understand and develop critical thinking skills. Recommends use of the developmental lesson and provides several model lessons. (LS)

  8. Examination of a Failed Professional Learning Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sims, Rachel L.; Penny, G. Richard

    2015-01-01

    Schools are using various forms of professional learning communities (PLCs) in order to increase student achievement and improve educational practices through enhanced communication and collaboration among teachers. This study examined a PLC that had too narrow a focus and failed therefore to affect student achievement. A critical shortcoming of…

  9. Pedagogical Tools for Peacebuilding Education: Engaging and Empathizing with Diverse Perspectives in Multicultural Elementary Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Christina

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative study used classroom observations, teacher and student interviews, and document analysis to examine the degree to which peacebuilding dialogue processes were implemented in 3 elementary school classrooms and how diverse students, particularly newcomer immigrants, experienced these pedagogies. The study critically examines how…

  10. Whose Knowledge Counts in International Student Assessments: Examining the AHELO Epistemic Community of Economics Experts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, David J.

    2016-01-01

    International student assessments have become the "lifeblood" of the accountability movement in educational policy contexts. Drawing upon Stuart Hall's concept of representation, I critically examined who comprises epistemic communities responsible for developing the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Assessment of…

  11. Visual Representations of DNA Replication: Middle Grades Students' Perceptions and Interpretations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patrick, Michelle D.; Carter, Glenda; Wiebe, Eric N.

    2005-01-01

    Visual representations play a critical role in the communication of science concepts for scientists and students alike. However, recent research suggests that novice students experience difficulty extracting relevant information from representations. This study examined students' interpretations of visual representations of DNA replication. Each…

  12. School Students' Leisure.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bozhenko, Liudmila Fedorovna

    1990-01-01

    Reports on a survey involving 700 students and 300 parents in Volgodonsk, Russia. Itemizes types of leisure activities and hours per week of leisure time enjoyed by students and examines amount of organized leisure. Notes that television viewing consumed much of students' leisure time. Underscores parents' critical influence in determining student…

  13. Affordances of students' using the World Wide Web as a publishing medium in project-based learning environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bos, Nathan Daniel

    This dissertation investigates the emerging affordance of the World Wide Web as a place for high school students to become authors and publishers of information. Two empirical studies lay groundwork for student publishing by examining learning issues related to audience adaptation in writing, motivation and engagement with hypermedia, design, problem-solving, and critical evaluation. Two models of student publishing on the World Wide Web were investigated over the course of two 11spth grade project-based science curriculums. In the first curricular model, students worked in pairs to design informative hypermedia projects about infectious diseases that were published on the Web. Four case studies were written, drawing on both product- and process-related data sources. Four theoretically important findings are illustrated through these cases: (1) multimedia, especially graphics, seemed to catalyze some students' design processes by affecting the sequence of their design process and by providing a connection between the science content and their personal interest areas, (2) hypermedia design can demand high levels of analysis and synthesis of science content, (3) students can learn to think about science content representation through engagement with challenging design tasks, and (4) students' consideration of an outside audience can be facilitated by teacher-given design principles. The second Web-publishing model examines how students critically evaluate scientific resources on the Web, and how students can contribute to the Web's organization and usability by publishing critical reviews. Students critically evaluated Web resources using a four-part scheme: summarization of content, content, evaluation of credibility, evaluation of organizational structure, and evaluation of appearance. Content analyses comparing students' reviews and reviewed Web documents showed that students were proficient at summarizing content of Web documents, identifying their publishing source, and evaluating their organizational features; however, students struggled to identify scientific evidence, bias, or sophisticated use of media in Web pages. Shortcomings were shown to be partly due to deficiencies in the Web pages themselves and partly due to students' inexperience with the medium or lack of critical evaluation skills. Future directions of this idea are discussed, including discussion of how students' reviews have been integrated into a current digital library development project.

  14. Does Academic Discipline Moderate the Relationship between Student-Faculty Interaction and College Outcomes?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Young K.; Armstrong, Cameron L.; Edwards, Sarah R.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined whether and how the effects of student-faculty interaction on a range of student outcomes--such as college GPA, critical thinking and communication skills, academic satisfaction, and cultural appreciation and social awareness--vary by students' academic disciplines. The study utilized data on 37,977 undergraduate students who…

  15. Our School at Blair Grocery: A Case Study in Promoting Environmental Action through Critical Environmental Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ceaser, Donovon

    2012-01-01

    Despite wide agreement on the goals of environmental education (EE), the promotion of action is still considered contentious. Critical environmental education (critical EE) teaches students to combine critical reflection with the ability to engage in local action to address social/environmental problems. This article examines a critical urban…

  16. College Students Come of Age.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Epstein, Howard V.

    Universities today attract a student population less homogeneous than those of past generations. The majority of all college students are women, and adults 25 years and older account for over 40% of all college enrollments. A study was conducted to examine inherent similarities and differences among college students with age a critical factor.…

  17. Perceptions of Students with Autism and Their Parents: The College Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hendrickson, Jo M.; Woods-Groves, Suzanne; Rodgers, Derek B.; Datchuk, Shawn

    2017-01-01

    Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending postsecondary programs at unprecedented rates. Transitions are especially challenging for students with ASD, yet little is known about critical transitions during the college experience. Using the College Adjustment Program Evaluation Scales (CAPES), we examined student and parent…

  18. A Critical Dialectical Pluralistic Examination of the Lived Experience of Select Women Doctoral Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Rosli, Roslinda; Ingram, Jacqueline M.; Frels, Rebecca K.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore and to understand the daily life experiences of 8 women doctoral students who were in pursuit of their doctorates. A partially mixed concurrent dominant status design was utilized in this study embedded within a mixed methods phenomenological research lens and driven by a critical dialectical pluralistic…

  19. Utilizing Critical Race Theory to Examine Race/Ethnicity, Racism, and Power in Student Development Theory and Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hernández, Ebelia

    2016-01-01

    Recognition of social forces (racism, privilege, power) to the extent that is required by critical race theory (CRT) results in a paradigm shift in the way that we theorize and research student development, specifically self-authorship. This paradigm shift moves the center of analysis from individual, to the individual in relation to her…

  20. Right Pedagogy/Wrong Language and Caring in Times of Fear? Issues in the Schooling of Ethnic Kurdish Children in Denmark

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Shelley K.

    2009-01-01

    Cummins calls on educators to promote critical dialog during micro-interactions with students, times when students acquire knowledge and negotiate their identities. For critical dialog to flourish, educators must create caring environments. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a discourse of caring was transmitted to ethnic Kurdish…

  1. 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…

  2. Examining the Relationship between Middle School Students' Critical Reading Skills, Science Literacy Skills and Attitudes: A Structural Equation Modeling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karademir, Ersin; Ulucinar, Ufuk

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to verify the causal relationship between middle school students' critical reading skills, science literacy skills and attitudes towards science literacy with research data according to the default model. Through the structural equation modeling, path analysis has been applied in the study which was designed in…

  3. "A Hidden Part of Me": Latino/a Students, Silencing, and the Epidermalization of Inferiority

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Irizarry, Jason G.; Raible, John

    2014-01-01

    Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino/a Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) as analytical tools, this article examines the experiences of a seven Latino/a high school students at various points of engagement with the school-to-prison pipeline. Building on and extending Franz Fanon's (1952) concept of the epidermalization of inferiority, the…

  4. Examining Critical Literacy: Preparing Preservice Teachers to Use Critical Literacy in the Early Childhood Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norris, Katherine; Lucas, Lisa; Prudhoe, Catherine

    2012-01-01

    Every semester one of the authors of this article, Catherine Prudhoe, challenges many of her preservice students' perceptions of a familiar and often favorite children's book, "The Giving Tree," by Shel Silverstein (1964). She begins the class by reading the text aloud to the students. Most smile, fondly remembering hearing the book as a child. A…

  5. Depression as a Mediator in the Relationship between Perceived Familial Criticism and College Adaptation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puff, Jayme; Kolomeyer, Ellen; McSwiggan, Meagan; Pearte, Catherine; Lauer, Brea-Anne; Renk, Kimberly

    2016-01-01

    Objective: This study examined relationships among emerging adults' perceived familial criticism, their depressive symptoms, and their college adaptation. Participants: The current study examined the responses of 412 emerging adults (300 females and 112 males) who were college students at a large southeastern university. The majority of these…

  6. Considering Student Voices: Examining the Experiences of Underrepresented Students in Intervention Programs

    PubMed Central

    Gibau, Gina Sanchez

    2015-01-01

    Qualitative studies that examine the experiences of underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are comparatively few. This study explores the self-reported experiences of underrepresented graduate students in the biomedical sciences of a large, midwestern, urban university. Document analysis of interview transcripts from program evaluations capture firsthand accounts of student experiences and reveal the need for a critical examination of current intervention programs designed to reverse the trend of underrepresentation in the biomedical sciences. Findings point to themes aligned around the benefits and challenges of program components, issues of social adjustment, the utility of supportive relationships, and environmental impacts. PMID:26163562

  7. Counterfactual Mutation of Critical Classroom Incidents: Implications for Reflective Practice in Initial Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGarr, Oliver; McCormack, Orla

    2016-01-01

    This study explores reflective practice through the lens of counterfactual thinking and examines its role in encouraging student teachers to reflect on negative "critical incidents". The study posits that reflections on critical incidents are often not "critical" in nature. They more frequently result in counterfactual thinking…

  8. Race and Histories: Examining Culturally Relevant Teaching in the U.S. History Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martell, Christopher C.

    2013-01-01

    In this practitioner research study, the author, a White social studies teacher, examined the intersection between his students' race/ethnicity and their experiences learning history. Using critical race theory as a lens, the author employed mixed methods, analyzing teacher journaling, classroom artifacts, and student reflections, as well as…

  9. Formative Assessment of Procedural Skills: Students' Responses to the Objective Structured Clinical Examination and the Integrated Performance Procedural Instrument

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nestel, Debra; Kneebone, Roger; Nolan, Carmel; Akhtar, Kash; Darzi, Ara

    2011-01-01

    Assessment of clinical skills is a critical element of undergraduate medical education. We compare a traditional approach to procedural skills assessment--the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) with the Integrated Performance Procedural Instrument (IPPI). In both approaches, students work through "stations" or…

  10. Critical thinking instruction and technology enhanced learning from the student perspective: A mixed methods research study.

    PubMed

    Swart, Ruth

    2017-03-01

    Critical thinking is acclaimed as a valuable asset for graduates from higher education programs. Technology has advanced in quantity and quality; recognized as a requirement of 21st century learners. A mixed methods research study was undertaken, examining undergraduate nursing student engagement with critical thinking instruction, platformed on two technology-enhanced learning environments: a classroom response system face-to-face in-class and an online discussion forum out-of-class. The Community of Inquiry framed the study capturing constructivist collaborative inquiry to support learning, and facilitate critical thinking capability. Inclusion of quantitative and qualitative data sources aimed to gather a comprehensive understanding of students' development of critical thinking and engagement with technology-enhanced learning. The findings from the students' perspectives were positive toward the inclusion of technology-enhanced learning, and use in supporting their development of critical thinking. Students considered the use of two forms of technology beneficial in meeting different needs and preferences, offering varied means to actively participate in learning. They valued critical thinking instruction being intentionally aligned with subject-specific content facilitating understanding, application, and relevance of course material. While the findings are limited to student participants, the instructional strategies and technology-enhanced learning identified as beneficial can inform course design for the development of critical thinking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Tipping Point: The Diversity Threshold for White Student (Dis) Engagement in Traditional Student Organizations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elston, Dhanfu El-Hajj

    2011-01-01

    During a time when most institutions of higher education are in search of underrepresented student participation, Georgia State University (GSU), a majority White institution, has observed a lack of involvement of White students in co-curricular activities. The purpose of the research study was to critically examine White students' (dis)…

  12. Enhancing Civic Consciousness through Student Pro Bono in Legal Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Babacan, Alperhan; Babacan, Hurriyet

    2017-01-01

    A key aim of encouraging law students to participate in student pro bono, a form of experiential learning in legal education, is to develop their commitment to volunteer lawyering after graduation. This paper examines student pro bono in legal education in Australia and the United States. A critical review of the current approaches to student pro…

  13. Context Matters: A Critical Consideration of Latina/o Student Success Outcomes within Different Institutional Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zerquera, Desiree D.; Gross, Jacob P. K.

    2017-01-01

    This article examined the effect of elements within Latina/o students' institutional context on Latina/o student success outcomes. Findings highlight the significant role institutional contexts play in Latina/o success. Specifically, it was found that student success was lower for students enrolled at regional campuses and campuses that serve high…

  14. The Wretched Refuse of a Teeming Shore? A Critical Examination of the Quality of Undergraduate Marketing Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aggarwal, Praveen; Vaidyanathan, Rajiv; Rochford, Linda

    2007-01-01

    What is the quality of students attracted to the marketing major relative to other business majors? Although some anecdotal evidence suggests that undergraduate marketing students are less quantitatively oriented, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the overall quality of marketing students relative to other business students. Using a…

  15. Developing Critical Thinking Skills for Information Seeking Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Elise D.; Jefferson, Renee N.

    2013-01-01

    Critical thinking skills are required to successfully navigate the overwhelming amount of information sources available today. To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of exercises in developing thinking skills in college freshmen students. The workbook exercises were designed…

  16. Critical Literacy Performances in Online Literature Discussions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forest, Danielle E.; Kimmel, Sue C.

    2016-01-01

    In today's media-laden environment, the ability to read text from a critical literacy perspective is imperative, particularly for librarians who influence children's reading choices and behaviors. This study examines the critical literacy performances of students in an online, asynchronous, graduate-level children's literature course using a…

  17. Collateral Opportunity for Increased Faculty Collaboration and Development through a Mentored Critical Thinking and Writing Exercise in a Dental School Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoover, Terry E.; Lyon, Lucinda J.

    2011-01-01

    This essay examines the collateral benefits to faculty from a guided learning literature review project for students. We describe a 3-year continuum of project creation and refinement designed to foster critical thinking and writing for second year dental students at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. We discuss…

  18. It's in the Genes: Exploring Relationships between Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Undergraduate Agriscience Students' Solutions to Problems in Mendelian Genetics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Friede, Curtis R.; Irani, Tracy A.; Rhoades, Emily B.; Fuhrman, Nicholas E.; Gallo, Maria

    2008-01-01

    This study was conducted to examine the statistical relationship between problem solving and critical thinking to guide future teaching and research for agricultural educators using the problem-solving approach. Students enrolled in an undergraduate genetics course in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida were…

  19. Critical Thinking as a Dimension of Constructivist Learning: Some of the Characteristics of Students of Lower Secondary Education in Croatia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topolovcan, Tomislav; Matijevic, Milan

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of the frequency of constructivist learning and its dimensions, including critical thinking, the differences in them with regard to certain demographic characteristics, and correlations with the frequency of use of certain new media in teaching students in the final grade of lower secondary…

  20. Recovering and Framing the George I. Sanchez Legacy of Chicana/o Student and Policy Advocacy: Utilizing Data for Social Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodríguez, Cristóbal

    2014-01-01

    Recovering and critically examining the pioneering scholarship and history of George I. Sanchez provides an interpretation toward a legacy of a Chicana/o student and policy advocacy framework for Chicana/o scholars to consider. The author of this work applies a critical policy theoretical analysis by Frank Fischer to develop a Chicana/o student…

  1. Using WebCT as a Supplemental Tool to Enhance Critical Thinking and Engagement among Developmental Reading Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burgess, Melissa L.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to examine possible outcomes of developmental students' critical thinking and motivation to read when the online learning community, WebCT, was implemented. My role, in addition to instructor, was that of participant-observer. I implemented WebCT tools, such as discussion board and chat, over a four-month period…

  2. Negotiating Accountability during Student Teaching: The Influence of an Inquiry-Based Student Teaching Seminar

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuenca, Alexander

    2014-01-01

    Drawing on the work of Russian literary critic, Mikhail Bakhtin, this article explores how an inquiry-based social studies student teaching seminar helped three preservice teachers negotiate the pressures of standards-based reforms during student teaching. The author first examines how initial perceptions of standardization and high-stakes testing…

  3. Examining the Impact of Interdisciplinary Programs on Student Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lattuca, Lisa R.; Knight, David; Seifert, Tricia A.; Reason, Robert D.; Liu, Qin

    2017-01-01

    We investigated how learning outcomes of students majoring in interdisciplinary fields differ from those of students in discipline-based majors. We found that students in interdisciplinary majors report less change in Critical Thinking and Need For Cognition than their peers in disciplinary majors, but no difference in change in Positive Attitude…

  4. The Influence of Motivational Regulation Strategies on Online Students' Behavioral, Emotional, and Cognitive Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Sanghoon; Yun, Heoncheol

    2018-01-01

    Providing effective motivational support is a critical determinant of a successful online distance learning experience for students in higher education. In this study, we examined how students' academic level and use of 8 motivational regulation strategies influence 3 types of student engagement: behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, and…

  5. The Influence of Student Motivation and Student Self-Efficacy on Teacher Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Gwendolyn

    2009-01-01

    This mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) study critically examines how student motivation is influenced by student self-efficacy and teacher behavior. The study was conducted using two groups: (a) treatment group (N = 11) participated in survey, interview, and observation; and (b) control group (N = 6) participated in survey. Seventeen…

  6. The Racialized Experiences of Students of Color in Higher Education and Student Affairs Graduate Preparation Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Jessica C.; Linder, Chris

    2018-01-01

    Using a critical race theory lens, we examined the racialized experiences of 29 Students of Color in HESA programs across the United States. Students' experiences illuminate 4 themes: educating white peers, invalidation of experiences and identity, racial stereotypes, and isolation. Participants' experiences illustrate a disconnect between HESA…

  7. Chinese Postgraduate Students' Perspectives on Developing Critical Thinking on a UK Education Masters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fakunle, Labake; Allison, Pete; Fordyce, Ken

    2016-01-01

    Statistics on enrolment of international students in higher education, and studies on limitations of their adaptation to other (usually Western) cultural and learning norms dominate literature. There is much less emphasis on a specific aspect of the student experience. This study examined Chinese postgraduate students' perspectives on how they…

  8. Canadian Students' Perceptions of Teacher Characteristics that Support or Inhibit Help Seeking.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Le Mare, Lucy; Sohbat, Elahe

    2002-01-01

    Examined students' perceptions of teacher characteristics that support or inhibit help seeking, using the critical incident technique, and explored the feelings students experience in seeking help from teachers. Found that interactions evoked strong feelings in students related to how comfortable they were in seeking teacher help. (Author/SD)

  9. Critical Thinking and ICT Integration in a Western Australian Secondary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMahon, Graham

    2009-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between students working in a technology-rich environment and their development of higher order thinking skills. Based on a PhD thesis, which examined a greater range of relationships than can be reported here, this article focuses on developing critical thinking skills within a technology-rich environment.…

  10. Emergent Understandings: Multilingual Fourth Grade Students Generating Close Readings and Multimodal Responses to Global and Informational Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hasty, Michelle Medlin; Fain, Jeanne Gilliam

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, the authors present findings from a yearlong ethnographic research study that examines the development of critical literacy within two urban fourth grade classrooms in Tennessee. This study examines how young second language learners in English-dominant classrooms learn to read critically, write, and construct multimodal…

  11. A Critical Examination of the Process of Modifying the Curriculum of Alternative Secondary Educational Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Michael

    2014-01-01

    This study, "A Critical Examination of the Process of Modifying the Curriculum of Alternative Secondary Educational Programs," was done with the use of action research to study (a) whether students currently participating in a continuation school believe their educational and career needs are presently being met; (b) the types of career…

  12. Metaphors of Nature and Development: Reflection on Critical Course of Sustainable Business

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kopnina, Helen

    2016-01-01

    This article examines the role of metaphors of nature, sustainable development, and neoliberalism in business education. The research underpinning this article focused on a shift in the language business students used in response to a critical course on the neoliberal economic model. Results of the examination of metaphors before and after this…

  13. The relationship between students critical thinking measured by science virtual test and students logical thinking on eighth grade secondary school

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nurismawati, R.; Sanjaya, Y.; Rusyati, L.

    2018-05-01

    The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between students’ critical thinking skill and students’ logical thinking skill of Junior High School students in Tasikmalaya city. The respondent consists of 168 students from eighth grade at three public schools in Tasikmalaya City. Science Virtual Test and Test of Logical Thinking were used in this research study. Science virtual test instrument consist of 26 questions with 5 different topics. IBM SPSS 23.00 program was used for analysis of the data. By the findings; students’ critical thinking skill has significant differences in elements of generating purpose, embodying point of view, utilizing concept and making implication and consequence. By Post Hoc LSD Test, from those four elements, there are significant differences between concrete - transitional groups and transitional – concrete groups. There is positive and weak correlation between students’ critical thinking and students’ logical thinking attainment.

  14. Using Complementary Learning Clusters in Studying Literature to Enhance Students' Medical Humanities Literacy, Critical Thinking, and English Proficiency.

    PubMed

    Liao, Hung-Chang; Wang, Ya-Huei

    2016-04-01

    This study examined whether students studying literature in complementary learning clusters would show more improvement in medical humanities literacy, critical thinking skills, and English proficiency compared to those in conventional learning clusters. Ninety-three students participated in the study (M age = 18.2 years, SD = 0.4; 36 men, 57 women). A quasi-experimental design was used over 16 weeks, with the control group (n = 47) working in conventional learning clusters and the experimental group (n = 46) working in complementary learning clusters. Complementary learning clusters were those in which individuals had complementary strengths enabling them to learn from and offer assistance to other cluster members, hypothetically facilitating the learning process. Measures included the Medical Humanities Literacy Scale, Critical Thinking Disposition Assessment, English proficiency tests, and Analytic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric. The results showed that complementary learning clusters have the potential to improve students' medical humanities literacy, critical thinking skills, and English proficiency. © The Author(s) 2016.

  15. The predictive ability of critical thinking, nursing GPA, and SAT scores on first-time NCLEX-RN performance.

    PubMed

    Romeo, Elizabeth M

    2013-01-01

    This study was conducted to investigate the predictability of several variables in achieving first-time success on the NCLEX-RN. Several researchers have attempted to investigate the differences between students who passed the NCLEX-RN the first time and those who failed. No studies used a large enough failure group to have statistical significance. The three specific variables in this study were nursing GPA, SAT combined math and verbal scores, and critical thinking measured on a standardized assessment examination. An ex post facto study design was used to examine data from the records of associate degree nursing graduates during a three-year period. The most significant predictors of NCLEX-RN success were the students' nursing GPA and the overall standardized assessment examination score. The findings of this study could potentially influence the identification of students at risk for NCLEX-RN failure.

  16. Reconfiguring the optics of the critical gaze in science education (after the critique of critique): (re)thinking "what counts" through Foucaultian prismatics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higgins, Marc

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this article is to explore what Michel Foucault refers to as "the" critical attitude and its relationship to science education, drawing from Foucault's (The politics of truth. Semiotext(e), New York, 1997) insight that the critical attitude is but a critical attitude. This article is a rejoinder to Anna Danielsonn, Maria Berge, and Malena Lidar's paper, "Knowledge and power in the technology classroom: a framework for studying teachers and students in action". Where Danielsonn and colleagues think with Foucaultian power/knowledge to examine and (re)consider teacher-student didactic relations in science and technology education, this article critically examines the power/knowledge relationship between science educators and science education to critically explore the modes of criticality produced and produceable. Particularly, I explore possibilities for and of critique that stem from and respond to what Bruno Latour (Politics of nature: How to bring the sciences into democracy. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1993) refers to as the crisis and critique of critique.

  17. 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…

  18. Critical Thinking as Integral to Social Work Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gibbons, Jill; Gray, Mel

    2004-01-01

    The paper examines the role of critical thinking in an experience-based model of social work education. Within this model, the development of a critical approach to our own understanding of, as well as to existing knowledge about, the world is fundamental for students and educators alike. Critical thinking is defined as more than a rational,…

  19. Critical Thinking in Secondary Language Arts: Teacher Perceptions and Relevant Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Enabulele, Augustine

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of the dialectical journal as a tool for teaching critical thinking skills, and to assess middle school teachers' perception of critical thinking. Two groups of middle school students were split into one control and one experimental group. Both groups took a critical thinking test…

  20. 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.

  1. Making the Buses Run.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fickes, Michael

    1998-01-01

    Examines issues concerning outsourcing student transportation services: cost; management needs and capabilities; goals; and politics. Critical areas of transportation management are highlighted such as personnel management, student management and discipline, risk management, fleet analysis, and routing and scheduling. (GR)

  2. Examination of the Nonlinear Dynamic Systems Associated with Science Student Cognition While Engaging in Science Information Processing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamb, Richard; Cavagnetto, Andy; Akmal, Tariq

    2016-01-01

    A critical problem with the examination of learning in education is that there is an underlying assumption that the dynamic systems associated with student information processing can be measured using static linear assessments. This static linear approach does not provide sufficient ability to characterize learning. Much of the modern research…

  3. Examining Students' Perception of Classroom Openness as a Predictor of Civic Knowledge: A Cross-National Analysis of 38 Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Alex Romeo

    2014-01-01

    Civic knowledge is critical to interpreting various policy and candidate issues that are necessary to participating in certain political activities, such as voting in elections or attending public demonstrations. Various studies have examined students' perceptions of classroom openness, which reflects perceived levels of political discussion…

  4. 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…

  5. Critical Thinking and Educational Reform; The Emerging Revolution.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paul, Richard W.

    This examination of deep-seated structural problems facing public education today is built on the premise that a new beginning is needed in which education focuses on critical thinking or "rational learning." Such a focus presupposes that students and teachers master the critical-analytical vocabulary of the English language in…

  6. Critical Thinking: Foundational for Digital Literacies and Democracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gainer, Jesse

    2012-01-01

    This column addresses the importance of developing critical thinking to meet the demands of 21st-century literacies and participatory democracy. The author argues for a critical approach to digital literacies that explores the sociological nature of literacy practices. Students examine examples of new literacies and analyze how ideologies are…

  7. Successful Futures? New Economy Business Logics, Child Rights, and Welsh Educational Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lemke, Melinda; Zhu, Lei

    2018-01-01

    The well-documented global economic disinvestment in schooling necessitates critical examination of policy discourses that influence educational systems and student learning. Situated within the critical policy studies tradition, the present study conducted a critical discourse analysis of the Donaldson Report (2015), a proposed comprehensive…

  8. Developing Critical Thinking Skills: Assessing the Effectiveness of Workbook Exercises

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Elise D.; Jefferson, Renee N.

    2015-01-01

    To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills in college students, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of cognitive exercises in developing those skills. The study uses Critical Thinking: Building the Basics by Walter, Knudsvig, and Smith (2003). This workbook is specifically designed to exercise and develop critical…

  9. Learning to Talk/Talking to Learn: Teaching Critical Dialogue

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marchel, Carol A.

    2007-01-01

    Critical dialogue skills are a beneficial tool for reflective educational practice. Pre-service teachers can learn to examine underlying biases and assumptions that influence many important aspects of educational practice. Critical dialogue skills are thus of particular importance for work with diverse students and their families. This paper…

  10. Leadership Aspects of Hidden Curriculum Students Practice in Nigerian Universities: A Preview of Students' Union Government Contributions in University Governance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emesini, Nnenna Orieoma

    2016-01-01

    The paper examined the leadership aspect of Hidden Curriculum that students practice in Nigerian Universities and their contributions to university governance. Four research questions guided the study and Ex-Post-Facto Method was adopted as the design. Unstructured interviews with staff/students officials cum critical analysis of Students' Union…

  11. Whiteness in the Social Studies Classroom: Students' Conceptions of Race and Ethnicity in United States History

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martell, Christopher C.

    2013-01-01

    In this study, the researcher examined student conceptions of "Whiteness" as it relates to past and present U.S. history. Using Critical Race Theory as the lens, this study employed mixed methods, analyzing teacher observations, classroom artifacts/student work, survey, and interview data from White students and students of color at an…

  12. The influence of teacher feedback on children's perceptions of student-teacher relationships.

    PubMed

    Skipper, Yvonne; Douglas, Karen

    2015-09-01

    Teachers can deliver feedback using person ('you are clever') or process terms ('you worked hard'). Person feedback can lead to negative academic outcomes, but there is little experimental research examining the impact of feedback on children's perceptions of the student-teacher relationship. We examined the effects of person, process, and no feedback on children's perceptions of their relationship with a (fictional) teacher following success and failure. Participants were British children (145 aged 9-11 in experiment 1 and 98 aged 7-11 in experiment 2). In experiment 1, participants read three scenarios where they succeeded and received one of two types of praise (person or process) or no praise. Participants then read two scenarios where they failed. In experiment 2, participants read that they had failed in three tasks and received one of two types of criticism (person or process) or no criticism. Participants then read two scenarios where they succeeded. They rated how much they liked the teacher and how much they felt that the teacher liked them. Children felt more positive about the student-teacher relationship following success than failure. Type of praise did not influence perceptions of the student-teacher relationship following success or failure. However, person criticism led children to view the student-teacher relationship more negatively following failure and maintain this negative view following the first success. Success appears to be important for developing positive student-teacher relationships. In response to failure, teachers could avoid person criticism which may negatively influence the student-teacher relationship. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

  13. Self-efficacy beliefs of medical students: a critical review.

    PubMed

    Klassen, Robert M; Klassen, Joel R L

    2018-04-01

    Self-efficacy is a theoretically and empirically robust motivation belief that has been shown to play an important role in the learning and development of new skills and knowledge. In this article, we critically review research on the self-efficacy beliefs of medical students, with a goal to evaluate the existing research and to strengthen future work. In particular, we sought to describe the state of research on medical student self-efficacy and to critically examine the conceptualization and measurement of the construct. Finally, we aimed to provide directions for future self-efficacy research. We critically reviewed 74 published articles that included measures of self-efficacy beliefs of medical students. Our review showed that (a) research on the self-efficacy beliefs of medical students is growing and is becoming increasingly international, and (b) that nearly half (46%) of self-efficacy measures showed conceptual and operational flaws. Our critical review of 74 research studies on self-efficacy of medical students found that although research in the field is increasing, nearly half of measures labelled as self-efficacy were incongruent with the conceptual guidelines set by self-efficacy experts. We provide five suggestions for future research on the self-efficacy of medical students.

  14. Beyond Batteries and Bulbs, Circuits and Conductors: Building Green, Activist-Oriented Student Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haun-Frank, Julie; Matthews, Catherine E.; Allen, Melony Holyfield

    2012-01-01

    In this article we provide an example of how to foster an activist-oriented student community by critically examining green technology. We designed this curriculum unit to teach students about the fundamentals of electricity, green technology, and experimental design. Additionally, we viewed this activity as an opportunity for students to apply…

  15. University Student and Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Roles in Promoting Autonomous Language Learning with Technology outside the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lai, Chun; Yeung, Yuk; Hu, Jingjing

    2016-01-01

    Helping students to become autonomous learners, who actively utilize technologies for learning outside the classroom, is important for successful language learning. Teachers, as significant social agents who shape students' intellectual and social experiences, have a critical role to play. This study examined students' and teachers' perceptions of…

  16. Unpacking Everyday "Teacher Talk" about Students and Families of Color: Implications for Teacher and School Leader Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pollack, Terry M.

    2013-01-01

    Informal "teacher talk" about students is ubiquitous, but it remains largely unexamined. This study critically examines casual, everyday teacher discourse about students perceived to be racially or culturally "different." Data were collected through participants' journal entries, group discussion, and interviews. Findings…

  17. Five Approaches to Avoid When Managing the Middle School Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Englehart, Joshua M.

    2013-01-01

    Too often, teachers encountering difficulties with classroom management focus only on the students rather than critically examining the influence of their own approaches on student behavior. Given the particular challenges that middle school students present, certain practices and expectations exacerbate management issues, and a lack of awareness…

  18. The Third Eye.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eken, Ali Nihat

    2002-01-01

    Argues that in the contemporary world, literacy is not limited to the printed page and students need to interpret a variety of audio and visual texts. Concentrates on feature films, suggesting ways of improving students' film literacy. Examines effects film literacy has on students and their learning. Concludes that critical literacy and higher…

  19. Mechanics and Inventors.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lutton, Louise Pietsch

    1998-01-01

    Presents an integrated science and art lesson for first-grade students. Explains that first the students examined various machines by taking them apart and then they utilized that knowledge to draw their own inventions. States that this lesson provides students with a chance to develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. (CMK)

  20. Evidence-Centered Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrow-Leong, Kimberly

    2016-01-01

    Assessing student understanding is a critical part of a teacher's routine. Most assessments are reviewed with a quick eye, but the evidence-centered assessment strategy encourages us to slow down and look more carefully at student work samples. In this article, the author proposes guidelines for the close examination of student work. These…

  1. Russian Adolescents' Perceptions of Fairness in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bempechat, Janine; Ronfard, Samuel; Mirny, Anna; Li, Jin; Holloway, Susan D.

    2013-01-01

    The influence of teacher care and support in students' learning and motivation underscores the critical importance of fairness perceptions in the classroom. In this qualitative study we examined perceptions of unfairness and fairness among Russian grade nine students. We interviewed a total of 32 students in two traditional Moscow high schools…

  2. Colorblind Mentoring? Exploring White Faculty Mentoring of Students of Color

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCoy, Dorian L.; Winkle-Wagner, Rachelle; Luedke, Courtney L.

    2015-01-01

    In this critical multisite case study we examined the concept of colorblind mentoring. Using Bonilla-Silva's Colorblind Racism Frames, we sought to understand White faculty members' perspectives on their mentoring of Students of Color. The findings revealed that White faculty members often engage with students from a "colorblind…

  3. Students' Self-Perceptions of Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Villalobos, Anna Marie

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this dissertation was to examine students with disabilities self-perceptions of their academic and social supports in the general and special education classroom and the impact of the students' counterstories to inform the design of classroom supports. This study was anchored in organizational theory, critical race theory, and the…

  4. Mature Students Speak Up: Career Exploration and the Working Alliance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pott, Terilyn

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory study was undertaken to learn more about how mature students perceive the career counselling process in a post-secondary institution. Through the use of critical incident technique this study examined how three mature students interpret their relationship between themselves and their counsellors. Significant factors identified as…

  5. Enhancing Gifted Education for Underrepresented Students: Promising Recruitment and Programming Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ecker-Lyster, Meghan; Niileksela, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    For decades, our educational system has been criticized for the limited recruitment and retention of minority students in gifted education programs. Unfortunately, relatively little progress has been made to alleviate these concerns. An examination of the literature on gifted education for underrepresented students reveals a dearth of information…

  6. Computer supported collaborative learning in a clerkship: an exploratory study on the relation of discussion activity and revision of critical appraisal papers.

    PubMed

    Koops, Willem J M; van der Vleuten, Cees P M; de Leng, Bas A; Snoeckx, Luc H E H

    2012-08-20

    Medical students in clerkship are continuously confronted with real and relevant patient problems. To support clinical problem solving skills, students perform a Critical Appraisal of a Topic (CAT) task, often resulting in a paper. Because such a paper may contain errors, students could profit from discussion with peers, leading to paper revision. Active peer discussion by a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environment show positive medical students perceptions on subjective knowledge improvement. High students' activity during discussions in a CSCL environment demonstrated higher task-focussed discussion reflecting higher levels of knowledge construction. However, it remains unclear whether high discussion activity influences students' decisions revise their CAT paper. The aim of this research is to examine whether students who revise their critical appraisal papers after discussion in a CSCL environment show more task-focussed activity and discuss more intensively on critical appraisal topics than students who do not revise their papers. Forty-seven medical students, stratified in subgroups, participated in a structured asynchronous online discussion of individual written CAT papers on self-selected clinical problems. The discussion was structured by three critical appraisal topics. After the discussion, the students could revise their paper. For analysis purposes, all students' postings were blinded and analysed by the investigator, unaware of students characteristics and whether or not the paper was revised. Postings were counted and analysed by an independent rater, Postings were assigned into outside activity, non-task-focussed activity or task-focussed activity. Additionally, postings were assigned to one of the three critical appraisal topics. Analysis results were compared by revised and unrevised papers. Twenty-four papers (51.6%) were revised after the online discussion. The discussions of the revised papers showed significantly higher numbers of postings, more task-focussed activities, and more postings about the two critical appraisal topics: "appraisal of the selected article(s)", and "relevant conclusion regarding the clinical problem". A CSCL environment can support medical students in the execution and critical appraisal of authentic tasks in the clinical workplace. Revision of CAT papers appears to be related to discussions activity, more specifically reflecting high task-focussed activity of critical appraisal topics.

  7. A Critical Examination of American Education: A Time for Action. Conference Report (Billings, Montana, June 18-20, 1984).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Surwill, Benedict J., Ed.

    This report presents the highlights of a conference held to critically examine the state of education in America and to set goals for the future of education in America. Those participating in the conference included public and private school teachers and administrators, college teachers and administrators, college students, parents, state…

  8. Simulation experience enhances physical therapist student confidence in managing a patient in the critical care environment.

    PubMed

    Ohtake, Patricia J; Lazarus, Marcilene; Schillo, Rebecca; Rosen, Michael

    2013-02-01

    Rehabilitation of patients in critical care environments improves functional outcomes. This finding has led to increased implementation of intensive care unit (ICU) rehabilitation programs, including early mobility, and an associated increased demand for physical therapists practicing in ICUs. Unfortunately, many physical therapists report being inadequately prepared to work in this high-risk environment. Simulation provides focused, deliberate practice in safe, controlled learning environments and may be a method to initiate academic preparation of physical therapists for ICU practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of participation in simulation-based management of a patient with critical illness in an ICU setting on levels of confidence and satisfaction in physical therapist students. A one-group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design was used. Physical therapist students (N=43) participated in a critical care simulation experience requiring technical (assessing bed mobility and pulmonary status), behavioral (patient and interprofessional communication), and cognitive (recognizing a patient status change and initiating appropriate responses) skill performance. Student confidence and satisfaction were surveyed before and after the simulation experience. Students' confidence in their technical, behavioral, and cognitive skill performance increased from "somewhat confident" to "confident" following the critical care simulation experience. Student satisfaction was highly positive, with strong agreement the simulation experience was valuable, reinforced course content, and was a useful educational tool. Limitations of the study were the small sample from one university and a control group was not included. Incorporating a simulated, interprofessional critical care experience into a required clinical course improved physical therapist student confidence in technical, behavioral, and cognitive performance measures and was associated with high student satisfaction. Using simulation, students were introduced to the critical care environment, which may increase interest in working in this practice area.

  9. Exploring the Perceptions of Students as Co-Creators in Learning and Its Effect on Student Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keevers, Douglas M.

    2016-01-01

    College students in the United States today are failing to be academically engaged, and there is a critical need to analyze why this is occurring. The research conducted in this study was used to examine student engagement as a means to promote learning in higher education. Student engagement can lead to knowledge development and foster academic…

  10. Toward Democratic Education and Transformational Learning: An Examination of Students' Experiences at Kigali Institute of Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tusiime, Michael

    2013-01-01

    This dissertation examines the experiences of Kigali Institute of Education students using a framework of democratic education theories. In Rwanda, the discriminatory and non-critical education system is believed to have been one of the major causes for the civil strife that has characterized the country, beginning in its post independence to its…

  11. Geografia de America Latina. Grados Seis-Diez (Geography of Latin America. Grades Six-Ten).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stanford Univ., CA. Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education.

    This publication, intended for Spanish-speaking students in grades 6-10, has three main objectives. First, it serves as an introduction (or refresher) to basic geographic concepts. Second, it is an examination of the physical and political geography of Latin America. Third, it is designed to help students examine maps in a critical manner. The…

  12. Pre-Service Teachers Teaching Critical Literacy through Microteaching: Possibilities and Constraints

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ng, Chiew Hong

    2017-01-01

    In this paper I explore four groups of pre-service teachers' teaching of critical literacy in microteaching to examine how they translated critical literacy into teaching practice for secondary/upper middle grade students (the role played by peers undergoing microteaching). Firstly I discuss some key concepts and outline the pedagogical framework…

  13. Critiquing Un/Critical Pedagogies to Move toward a Pedagogy of Responsibility in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berchini, Christina N.

    2017-01-01

    Transformative work with teacher candidates relies on a critique of the tenets of Critical Pedagogy and subsequent Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS). I employ analyses of extant scholarship to argue that these specific domains, as popularly framed, might be responsible for uncritical examinations of the White teacher education students who…

  14. Please Write: Using Critical Friend Letter Writing in Teacher Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Samaras, Anastasia P.; Sell, Corey

    2013-01-01

    This study examines students' experiences using letter writing designed as a socio-cultural-based tool for critical friend work to promote dialogue and critique of their self-study teacher research projects. It seeks to understand their diverse experiences to inform future practice and contribute to the knowledge base of critical friend work in…

  15. Investigating Predictive Role of Critical Thinking on Metacognition with Structural Equation Modeling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arslan, Serhat

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between critical thinking and metacognition. The sample of study consists of 390 university students who were enrolled in different programs at Sakarya University, in Turkey. In this study, the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Metacognitive Thinking Scale were used. The relationships…

  16. Scaffolding Critical Thinking in the Zone of Proximal Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wass, Rob; Harland, Tony; Mercer, Alison

    2011-01-01

    This paper explores student experiences of learning to think critically. Twenty-six zoology undergraduates took part in the study for three years of their degree at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Vygotsky's developmental model of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) provided a framework as we examined how critical thinking was developed.…

  17. The Construction of Cultural Values and Beliefs in Chinese Language Textbooks: A Critical Discourse Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Yongbing

    2005-01-01

    This article examines the discourses of cultural values and beliefs constructed in Chinese language textbooks currently used for primary school students nationwide in China. By applying story grammar analysis in the framework of critical discourse analysis, the article critically investigates how the discourses are constructed and what ideological…

  18. Using root cause analysis to promote critical thinking in final year Bachelor of Midwifery students.

    PubMed

    Carter, Amanda G; Sidebotham, Mary; Creedy, Debra K; Fenwick, Jennifer; Gamble, Jenny

    2014-06-01

    Midwives require well developed critical thinking to practice autonomously. However, multiple factors impinge on students' deep learning in the clinical context. Analysis of actual case scenarios using root cause analysis may foster students' critical thinking and application of 'best practice' principles in complex clinical situations. To examine the effectiveness of an innovative teaching strategy involving root cause analysis to develop students' perceptions of their critical thinking abilities. A descriptive, mixed methods design was used. Final 3rd year undergraduate midwifery students (n=22) worked in teams to complete and present an assessment item based on root cause analysis. The cases were adapted from coroners' reports. After graduation, 17 (77%) students evaluated the course using a standard university assessment tool. In addition 12 (54%) students provided specific feedback on the teaching strategy using a 16-item survey tool based on the domain concepts of Educational Acceptability, Educational Impact, and Preparation for Practice. Survey responses were on a 5-point Likert scale and analysed using descriptive statistics. Open-ended responses were analysed using content analysis. The majority of students perceived the course and this teaching strategy positively. The domain mean scores were high for Educational Acceptability (mean=4.3, SD=.49) and Educational Impact (mean=4.19, SD=.75) but slightly lower for Preparation for Practice (mean=3.7, SD=.77). Overall student responses to each item were positive with no item mean less than 3.42. Students found the root cause analysis challenging and time consuming but reported development of critical thinking skills about the complexity of practice, clinical governance and risk management principles. Analysing complex real life clinical cases to determine a root cause enhanced midwifery students' perceptions of their critical thinking. Teaching and assessment strategies to promote critical thinking need to be made explicit to students in order to foster ongoing development. © 2013.

  19. A study of critical reasoning in online learning: application of the Occupational Performance Process Model.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Anita Witt; Batorski, Rosemary E

    2009-01-01

    This study examined the effect of an online guided independent study on critical reasoning skills. Twenty-one first-semester Master of Occupational Therapy students completed an online assignment designed to facilitate application of the Occupational Performance Process Model (Fearing & Clark) and kept reflective journals. Data from the journals were analyzed in relation to the three sets of questions, question type and results of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA). This assignment appeared to be effective for enhancing awareness and use of critical reasoning skills. Differences in patterns of critical reasoning between students with high and low WGCTA scores and results of an inductive analysis of the journal entries are discussed. Future research investigating the types of feedback that effectively facilitate development of critical reasoning and whether students with high and low WGCTA scores might benefit from different types of instruction and/or feedback is recommended. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. The effect of critical thinking education on nursing students' problem-solving skills.

    PubMed

    Kanbay, Yalçın; Okanlı, Ayşe

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study is to examine the effect of critical thinking education on nursing students' problem-solving skills. This study was conducted with 93 nursing students, 49 in the control group and 44 in the education group. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and the Problem-solving Inventory were administered to them before and after 12 weeks of critical thinking education. The education group's mean critical thinking score was 253.61 on the pretest and 268.72 on the posttest. This increase was statistically significant (p < .001). The posttest mean score of the control group fell to 258.18 on the posttest after a pretest mean score of 260.79, and this difference was statistically significant (p < .001). According to the posttest results, the problem-solving skills of education group increased significantly (p < .001), while the control group's score fell significantly (p < .001). This study determined that critical thinking education improves problem-solving skills.

  1. Counter-Stories as Representations of the Racialized Experiences of Students of Color in Higher Education and Student Affairs Graduate Preparation Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hubain, Bryan S.; Allen, Evette L.; Harris, Jessica C.; Linder, Chris

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we employ Critical Race Theory theoretically and methodologically to examine the racialized experiences of students of color in higher education and student affairs (HESA) graduate preparation programs. We employ counter-storytelling as a method for constructing narratives that disrupt the master narrative found within HESA graduate…

  2. What's in a Name … Or a Face? Student Perceptions of Faculty Race

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mendez, Jeanette Morehouse; Mendez, Jesse Perez

    2018-01-01

    Utilizing Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a conceptual framework, this study examines student perception of faculty of color in academia from student professor preference. Using an experimental design to test the effect of race on selection of faculty with whom to take a course, we showed student participants two types of pairings of faculty: first,…

  3. High School Students' Recommendations to Improve School Food Environments: Insights from a Critical Stakeholder Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asada, Yuka; Hughes, Alejandro G.; Read, Margaret; Schwartz, Marlene B.; Chriqui, Jamie F.

    2017-01-01

    Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise school meal standards. Students are most affected by efforts to improve the school food environment; yet, few studies directly include students. This study examined high school students' experiences of school meal reform to gain…

  4. Picturing a Classroom Community: Student Drawings as a Pedagogical Tool to Assess Features of Community in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farmer, Jennie L.; Leonard, Alison E.; Spearman, Mindy; Qian, Meihua; Rosenblith, Suzanne

    2016-01-01

    Community in the classroom remains critical for a successful classroom climate. However, assessing classroom community features can be challenging, and P-12 students' voices are often left out of the discussion. One way to examine student perceptions of classroom community is through the use of student drawings. In this Pedagogical Implications…

  5. The Impact of Middle-School Students' Feedback Choices and Performance on Their Feedback Memory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cutumisu, Maria; Schwartz, Daniel L.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a novel examination of the impact of students' feedback choices and performance on their feedback memory. An empirical study was designed to collect the choices to seek critical feedback from a hundred and six Grade 8 middle-school students via Posterlet, a digital assessment game in which students design posters. Upon…

  6. 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.

  7. "If they can't tell the difference between duphalac and digoxin you've got patient safety issues". Nurse Lecturers' constructions of students' dyslexic identities in nurse education.

    PubMed

    Evans, William

    2014-06-01

    The paper explores how student nurses with a dyslexic identity were discursively constructed by lecturing staff in nurse education. An increasing number of students completing programmes of study in higher education are registering and disclosing one or more disabilities to their respective institutional support services. As students with dyslexia enter the nursing profession, they bring with them their own unique identity that situates their disability in a specific light. Nurse lecturers play an integral role in supporting all students including those with a disability; however no previous research has attempted to examine the language they use to construct students with a dyslexic identity. Critically, the internalised views of those with teaching and learning responsibilities who directly interact with students with disabilities have a critical influence on the nature of the supports provided, as well as decisions about students' professional competence. Discussions that centre on the inclusion of individuals with disability in healthcare education are shaped by language and diverse ways of understanding, therefore, an exploratory discursive design, examining how dyslexic identities are socially constructed by nurse lecturers is an overarching focus of the paper. Using narrative interviewing, twelve nurse lecturers from two higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland were interviewed during the period February to July 2012. Discourse analysis was guided by a narrative-discursive approach. Nurse lecturers identified 'Getting the work done' as a critical component to becoming a nurse, where expectations associated with efficiency and independence superseded students' right to accommodation. An implicit mild-severe binary existed amongst lecturers while categorising students with dyslexia, with those placed in the latter considered professionally unsuitable. These concerns are individually critiqued. Critically, policy leaders must continue to consider wider sociocultural as well as individualised understandings of dyslexic identities in order to enhance inclusion prerogatives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The Challenges and Triumphs in Addressing Students' Intersectional Identities for Black Culture Centers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Jessica C.; Patton, Lori D.

    2017-01-01

    This study examines how directors of Black culture centers (BCCs) address Black students' intersectional identities. We highlight the challenges that directors of BCCs face as they attempt to preserve a race salient agenda, while accounting for other critical facets of students' social identities. Findings explore how directors hold differing…

  9. Criticality and Flexibility: The Sociocultural Needs of Korean Engineering Students in the Global Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shin, Inyoung

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to analyze the perceived needs of L2 postgraduate engineering students in relation to sociocultural behaviours in an EFL context. Semi-structured interviews were administered in order to examine the perceptions of Korean postgraduate engineering students themselves and subject lecturers in Korea. The research indicated that…

  10. Critical Issues in International Education: Narratives of Spouses of International Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teshome, Yalem; Osei-Kofi, Nana

    2012-01-01

    This study examines the day-to-day experiences of female spouses of international students living in the United States as legal dependents of their male student spouses. Although these women are well-educated professionals, as legal dependents, they are prohibited from engaging in educational and professional endeavors during their sojourn. As a…

  11. Engaging Youth in Creating a Healthy School Environment: A Photovoice Strategy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, Carol; Ramdath, Dan; White, Judy; Mangroo, Sharon

    2013-01-01

    This study examined a pilot participatory needs assessment that was conducted with nine senior high school students from Port of Spain, Trinidad. Photovoice was used to engage these students in critical dialogue about their perceptions of issues affecting their health. Trained graduate students facilitated a 3-day training session in photovoice…

  12. "Will I Learn What I Want to Learn?" Usable Representations, "Students" and OECD Assessment Production

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shahjahan, Riyad A.; Morgan, Clara; Nguyen, David J.

    2015-01-01

    Amid growing debates around international assessment tools in educational policy, few have critically examined how students themselves are cast in policy tool production processes and discourse. Drawing on Stuart Hall's concept of representation, we show how higher education (HE) "students" are constructed, fixed and normalized by the…

  13. "JFK" in the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sturma, Michael; MacCallum, Judy

    2000-01-01

    Focuses on the way Oliver Stone's "JFK" was incorporated into a 20th century U.S. history course and examines the film's effect on student learning and critical thinking. Explains that the comments on the film result from a study on student learning that involved 46 students who agreed to participate in questionnaires and interviews.…

  14. Myths of the Competitiveness of Hong Kong University Students: A Mainstream Media Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Wai-Kwok Benson

    2012-01-01

    This article aims to critically examine the media discourse of university students' competiveness. Drawing on commentaries, editorials, and reports from the mainstream local printed media, this study addresses the following questions: (1) Which of these introduces and promotes the support of university students' competitiveness? (2) What is the…

  15. Confronting the Technological Pedagogical Knowledge of Finnish Net Generation Student Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valtonen, Teemu; Pontinen, Susanna; Kukkonen, Jari; Dillon, Patrick; Vaisanen, Pertti; Hacklin, Stina

    2011-01-01

    The research reported here is concerned with a critical examination of some of the assumptions concerning the "Net Generation" capabilities of 74 first-year student teachers in a Finnish university. There are assumptions that: (i) Net Generation students are adept at learning through discovery and thinking in a hypertext-like manner…

  16. Teacher Licensing Examinations--True Progress or an Illusion?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Libman, Zipora

    2009-01-01

    Over the past 10 years, public criticism of student achievement has been accompanied by a multitude of educational reforms, most of which emphasized the importance of setting national standards for student achievement and for the level and quality of teaching. The demand for frameworks to assess the extent to which students and teachers met the…

  17. Emotion as a Student Resource in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bartram, Brendan

    2015-01-01

    This article offers a critical examination of students' emotional bargaining in higher education. Based on an analysis of student emails and staff interviews, the article uses a case-study approach to explore the nature of this behaviour and the motivational drivers behind it. The paper reveals an amalgam of socio-cultural and educational factors,…

  18. What Are Critical Features of Science Curriculum Materials That Impact Student and Teacher Outcomes?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roblin, Natalie Pareja; Schunn, Christian; McKenney, Susan

    2018-01-01

    Large investments are made in curriculum materials with the goal of supporting science education reform. However, relatively little evidence is available about what features of curriculum materials really matter to impact student and teacher learning. To address this need, the current study examined curriculum features associated with student and…

  19. Exploring the Relationship Between Students Needing Accommodations and Instructor Self-Efficacy in Complying with Accommodations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Anna M.; Meyer, Kevin R.

    2017-01-01

    The willingness and flexibility of university instructors to comply with and provide accommodations for students with disabilities is critical to academic success. The authors examine how communication between students needing accommodations and university instructors impacts instructor self-efficacy, or instructors' perception that they can meet…

  20. The Impact of the Perceived Value of Critical-Thinking Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denial, A.

    2012-01-01

    From 2003-2007 at the New England College of Optometry, the Integrative Seminar Course (ISC) was used to facilitate students' learning of clinical reasoning. To examine students' perceptions and experiences regarding their learning, an end-of-year Likert-style survey was administered to 96 first-year students after completion of the ISC. Analysis…

  1. The Impact of a Technology-Enhanced Math Performance Task on Student Cognitive Engagement in Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guerreiro, Meg

    2017-01-01

    Technology may play a critical role in impacting student engagement, specifically within an assessment context. Using a mixed methods approach, I examined the relationship between varying degrees of technology-enhancements applied in a mathematics performance task on the outcome of student cognitive engagement. Using a counterbalanced…

  2. Student Engagement in the Classroom: The Impact of Classroom, Teacher, and Student Factors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dykstra Steinbrenner, Jessica R.; Watson, Linda R.

    2015-01-01

    Researchers have highlighted engagement as a critical component of effective interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet there is limited research related to engagement in school-age children with ASD. This descriptive study was designed to examine joint engagement and its relationship with classroom factors and student…

  3. Business Students' Perception of University Library Service Quality and Satisfaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsu, Maxwell K.; Cummings, Richard G.; Wang, Stephen W.

    2014-01-01

    The main purpose of this study is to examine the college students' perception of library services, and to what extent the quality of library services influences students' satisfaction. The findings depict the relationship between academic libraries and their users in today's digital world and identify critical factors that may sustain a viable…

  4. Assessing the Metacognitive Awareness among Foundation in Engineering Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poh, Betsy Lee Guat; Muthoosamy, Kasturi; Lai, Chiang Choon; Gee, Ooi Chel

    2016-01-01

    The transition phase is a critical moment to students who have completed their secondary school education and are proceeding to pre-university education in Malaysia. The long duration of exposure to rote-learning and examination oriented education systems at school has somehow shaped these students' perceptions about teaching and learning. Thus,…

  5. Creating Communities: Working with Refugee Students in Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roxas, Kevin C.

    2011-01-01

    This article critically examines the reality of building community in public schools and specifically identifies the obstacles faced by teachers who try to create community with refugee students. The research in the article focuses on Ms. Patricia Engler, a teacher in a newcomer center for refugee students located in an urban setting. Engler…

  6. Student and Teacher Views about Technology: A Tale of Two Cities?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Qing

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to critically examine teachers' and their students' views about technology integration in schools focusing on the following questions: (1) What are students' perceptions about technology integration in schools?; (2) What are teachers' views about using technology in teaching and learning?; and (3) What do teachers say…

  7. Putting Feminist Pedagogy to the Test. The Experience of Women's Studies from Student and Teacher Perspectives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stake, Jayne E.; Hoffmann, Frances L.

    2000-01-01

    Examined the experience of women's studies (WS) teaching from the perspective of college students and their teachers. Surveys of WS faculty and students nationwide indicated strong emphases on critical thinking/open-mindedness and participatory learning and weaker emphases on personal experience and political understanding/activism. Student…

  8. Assessing Empowerment at HSIs: An Adapted Inputs-Environments-Outcomes Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuellar, Marcela G.; Segundo, Vanessa; Muñoz, Yvonne

    2017-01-01

    Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) play a critical role in advancing postsecondary access and success for Latinx students. Scholarship has begun to examine how HSIs influence Latinx student experiences and outcomes, yet much remains to be explored. In an effort to inform future research of Latinx students at HSIs, we argue that student…

  9. Bringing ICT to Teach Science Education for Students with Learning Difficulties

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harish, H. G. Jeya; Kumar, R. Krishna; Raja, B. William Dharma

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the following study was to examine the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Science classrooms of students with Learning Disabilities. Teachers were positive about the learning benefits and design of the Science curriculum. Students were more critical but still positive about these features. Learning Science…

  10. Student Perceptions of Fieldwork Utility across Three International Field Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rydant, A. L.; Cusack, Christopher; Smith, John P.; Shiplee, Brian A.; Middlekauff, Bryon

    2013-01-01

    Fieldwork is a critical component in geographic education. This study examines the impact on the development of skills across six field courses, over five years, and among students from three institutions. A survey instrument comprised of 46 questions in eight categories serves as the vehicle for primary data collection. Student perceptions are…

  11. The Implicit Association Test as a Class Assignment: Student Affective and Attitudinal Reactions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morris, Kathryn A.; Ashburn-Nardo, Leslie

    2010-01-01

    The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a popular means of examining "hidden" biases. However, some express concerns about classroom use of the IAT, citing students' potentially negative affective reactions to taking the IAT and discovering their implicit biases. To investigate the validity of this criticism, 35 social psychology students completed…

  12. Investigating the Challenges of Developing Business Education Student Teachers: Perspectives from University Supervisors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, Edward C., Jr.

    2013-01-01

    Student teaching is considered to be the most critical event and capstone experience of teacher preparation programs. However, within the discipline of business education, very few studies have investigated the challenges and issues of developing future business teachers within the student teaching internship. This study examined the perspectives…

  13. 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.

  14. Examining a Financial Climate of Support: How Institutional-Level Financial Aid Relates to Teamwork, Leadership, and Critical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Julie J.; Denson, Nida; Johnson, Matthew

    2014-01-01

    Financial aid plays a critical role in college access and student success. It plays an increasingly important role as the college-going population continues to diversify and the cost of college continues to rise at both public and private institutions. In this study, the authors examined whether institutional level financial aid has any direct…

  15. Comparative Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA): Interplay of discourses (D/D1) as third grade urban and suburban science students engage in hypothesis formulation and observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mendoza, Carmen Irene Reyes

    This qualitative research project is a comparative analysis of Discourses (D/D1) while focused upon the science processes of hypothesis generation and observation in an urban versus suburban elementary science classroom. D designates the instructional and formal academic science Discourse and D1 represents the students' informal, social or home language D1iscourses. In particular, this research study is a critical discourse analysis that examines how the science processes of hypothesis formulation and observation are constituted through the interplay of classroom Discourses (D/D1) as two third grade science teachers teach the same kit-based, inquiry science lessons with their respective urban and suburban students. The research also considers ethnicity, social class, language, and the central role science teachers play mediating between children's everyday world and the world of science. Communicative approach and distinctive patterns of interaction between the European American teachers and their respective students are analyzed through a critical lens to examine underlying issues of equity and power embedded in the instructional Discourse of science. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) provides both the theoretical framework and analytical lens. The research informs development of linguistic-based "best" practices to contribute toward promoting greater science teacher awareness in creating linguistic environments that support all students' learning science Discourse and to serve as a springboard for future educational science researchers' use of CDA.

  16. Impact of interdisciplinary learning on critical thinking using case study method in allied health care graduate students.

    PubMed

    Zimmerman, Scott D; Lester Short, Glenda F; Hendrix, E Michael

    2011-01-01

    It remains unclear which classroom experiences, if any, foster critical think ability. We measured the effectiveness of interdisciplinary, case-based learning on the critical-thinking ability of graduate students enrolled in allied health care programs. We designed a voluntary classroom experience to examine the effectiveness of case studies used in an interdisciplinary setting to increase critical-thinking ability. Two groups of students were measured for their critical thinking ability using an online assessment both before and after their respective classroom experiences. One group of 14 graduate students from 4 different allied health care programs (interdisciplinary, ID) discussed complex interdisciplinary case studies and answered multiple-choice type questions formed around the cases. The second group was composed of graduate students (n = 28) from a single disciple enrolled in a clinical anatomy course (discipline specific, DS). They discussed complex case studies specific to their discipline and answered multiple-choice questions formed around the cases. There was no overall change in critical-thinking scores from the pre- to post-test in either group (delta scores: ID 1.5 ± 5.3, DS -1.7 ± 5.7). However, ID students scoring below the median on the pretest improved significantly (paired t-test, pre 50.7 ± 3.8, post 54.2 ± 1.7, p = 0.02). The interdisciplinary learning experience improved critical-thinking ability in students with the least proficiency. As case studies have long been used to advance deeper learning, these data provide evidence for a broader impact of cases when used in an interdisciplinary setting, especially for those students coming in with the least ability.

  17. Student Engagement in the Classroom: The Impact of Classroom, Teacher, and Student Factors.

    PubMed

    Dykstra Steinbrenner, Jessica R; Watson, Linda R

    2015-08-01

    Researchers have highlighted engagement as a critical component of effective interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet there is limited research related to engagement in school-age children with ASD. This descriptive study was designed to examine joint engagement and its relationship with classroom factors and student characteristics. The sample included 25 elementary and middle school students with ASD. Mixed level modeling was used to examine relationships between joint engagement and classroom factors and student characteristics. Joint engagement was significantly related to group size, use of student-directed practices, autism severity, and expressive communication skills. These findings have important implications for educational policies and practices and future research related to engagement and effective interventions for students with ASD.

  18. Science students' critical examination of scientific information related to socioscientific issues

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dankert Kolstø, Stein; Bungum, Berit; Arnesen, Erik; Isnes, Anders; Kristensen, Terje; Mathiassen, Ketil; Mestad, Idar; Quale, Andreas; Sissel Vedvik Tonning, Anne; Ulvik, Marit

    2006-07-01

    It is widely accepted that to be scientifically literate one needs to have the ability to make thoughtful decisions about socioscientific issues (SSI). This includes critical assessment of scientific claims and arguments involved. In this study we asked 89 science education students with substantial academic qualifications in science, working in groups of two and three, to assess the reliability of scientific claims in an article of their own choice, but related to a socioscientific issue, and to present their evaluation in a short text. In analyzing the students' texts, we focused on the criteria they had explicitly and implicitly used in their evaluations. Through a qualitative analysis, we identified 13 different criteria focusing on empirical and theoretical adequacy, completeness of presented information, social aspects, and manipulative strategies. An inspection of the students' evaluations revealed that they drew upon knowledge of possible institutional interests, different signs of competence and an appreciation of concurrent expert views, but also methodological norms in science, specialized content knowledge, and an appreciation of evidence and disclosure of sources. The number of criteria used and the quality of their application varied, indicating that critical examination of texts with a science dimension needs to be emphasized in science teacher education.

  19. An Examination of Secondary School Teachers' Technology Integration Recommended by ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers and School Principal Support for Teacher Technology Efforts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Esposito, Maria

    2013-01-01

    The National Educational Technology Standards for teachers (NETS-T) was adopted by New York State, and was critical to the development of students entering a global society. This study examines teachers' use of digital tools to promote student learning and reflection, promote digital citizenship, communicate and collaborate with parents and…

  20. "I Didn't Want My Life to Be Like That": Gangs, College, or the Military for Latino Male High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huerta, Adrian H.

    2015-01-01

    Nationally, only half of Latino males graduate from high school (Contreras, 2011). Scholars are beginning to critically examine the various internal and external influences which contribute to low academic achievement for Latino males. This qualitative study uses a human ecological theory to examine how Latino male high school students with high…

  1. Assessing Columbine's Impact on Students' Fourth Amendment Case Outcomes: Implications for Administrative Discretion and Decision Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torres, Mario S., Jr.; Chen, Yihsuan

    2006-01-01

    This study examined Columbine's impact on case outcomes related to student searches and its implications for civil liberties and school leader discretion. Using data from 236 court cases since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of New Jersey v. T.L.O. in 1985, critical search dimensions and outcomes (e.g., level of suspicion) were examined using…

  2. The Computerization of Career Services: Critical Issues To Consider.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davidson, M. Meghan

    2001-01-01

    Looks at the technological changes in the delivery of career services in colleges and universities and examines seven critical issues: appropriate web-based services, student diversity, ethical responsibilities, high-tech and high-touch, holistic approach, staffing and financial considerations, and outcomes. (JOW)

  3. The Ohio Department of Education L10H23 "Critical Analysis of Evolution"; Innovative Lesson Plan or Stealthy Advocacy Tool?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Day, Robert

    2006-01-01

    This paper will discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding a particular Ohio Department of Education tenth grade lesson plan titled "Critical Analysis of Evolution" (Ohio Department of Education identification L10H23). The lesson professes to encourage students to "critically examine" evidences for and against evolution and…

  4. A Genre-Specific Reading Comprehension Strategy to Enhance Struggling Fifth-Grade Readers' Ability to Critically Analyze Argumentative Text

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haria, Priti D.; Midgette, Ekaterina

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of instruction in a genre-specific reading comprehension strategy, "critical analysis of argumentative text," which was designed to help students to identify, summarize, and critically analyze parts of an argumentative text. The investigators hypothesized that reading instruction would improve the…

  5. The Implementation of Proposition 227 in California Schools: A Critical Analysis of the Effect on Teacher Beliefs and Classroom Practices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Revilla, Anita Tijerina; Asato, Jolynn

    2002-01-01

    Explored the relationship between race and language as related to bilingual students' educational experiences. Used Latino/a critical theory, Asian American legal scholarship, and critical race theory as frameworks to examine the aftermath of California's Proposition 227. Data from teachers and administrators highlighted significant variance in…

  6. Sheltering Children from the Whole Truth: A Critical Analysis of an Informational Picture Book.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamme, Linda; Fu, Danling

    2001-01-01

    Uses Orbis Pictus Award Committee criteria (accuracy, organization, design, and style) to examine an informational book, "Rice Is Life," by Rita Golden Gelman. Subjects the book to a deeper critical analysis. Suggests that it is important to help students become critical thinkers about everything they read, including informational books.…

  7. Transfer of Critical Thinking: Literacy from Reading Art to Reading Text

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vancil, Kelly

    2009-01-01

    This study examined (a) the effects of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) on student use of critical thinking skills (CTS) in written responses to district reading assessments, (b) if practiced oral responses affected the ability to respond critically using written language, (c) whether there was a relationship between the development of the CTS of…

  8. Critical Thinking Skills in Nursing Students: a Comparison Between Freshmen and Senior Students

    PubMed Central

    Azizi-Fini, Ismail; Hajibagheri, Ali; Adib-Hajbaghery, Mohsen

    2015-01-01

    Background: Critical thinking is one of the most important concepts in the field of education. Despite studies published on nursing students’ critical thinking skills (CTS), some suggest that there is not enough evidence supporting the relationship between content of nursing education programs and nursing students’ CTS. Objectives: Given the existing discrepancies, this study aimed to compare the critical thinking skills of freshmen and senior nursing students. Patients and Methods: This comparative study was conducted on 150 undergraduate freshmen and senior nursing students in Kashan University of Medical Sciences, during 2012. The students in the first and the last semesters of their study in nursing were entered in the study using the census method. Data were collected using a questionnaire including questions on demographic data and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, form B. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS v.13 software. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Moreover, independent sample t-test and Spearman and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used in the data analysis. Results: Both the freshmen and senior nursing students had low CTS. The mean critical thinking scores were 11.79 ± 4.80 and 11.21 ± 3.17 for the freshmen and the senior students, respectively (P = 0.511). Moreover, no significant correlation was found between the students’ score in CTS and their age, gender, high school grade point average (GPA), rank in university entrance examination (RUEE) and interest in the nursing profession. Conclusions: The students were low skilled in critical thinking and their CTS did not significantly change during their nursing degree. Thus it may be concluded that the nursing education program did not affect the CTS of its students. Longitudinal studies are suggested for assessing nursing students’ critical thinking over time. Moreover, revising the curriculum and preparing nursing educators for implementing innovative and active teaching strategies are suggested. PMID:25830160

  9. Piloting case-based instruction in a didactic clinical immunology course.

    PubMed

    Hoag, Kathleen; Lillie, Janet; Hoppe, Ruth

    2005-01-01

    To assess (1) the effect of case-based instructional modules on student critical thinking, class attendance, and satisfaction and (2) student opinion of case formats. University-based upper division course in clinical immunology and serology. The course was taught by the same instructor for two consecutive semesters with the intervention introduced in the second semester. Sixty-seven students experienced the intervention and 56 students were in the baseline cohort. Nine cases were interspersed between lectures during the semester. Each case took one 50-minute class in which students worked in groups of five or six. Student performance on five critical thinking multiple-choice examination questions and percent student attendance on case days versus lecture days were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. Student ratings on course evaluations were analyzed using t-test comparing semesters with and without intervention. Student opinion of cases was obtained through surveys and a focus group. Student performance on critical thinking exam questions was similar in the two groups. Student attendance was significantly higher on case days (95.6%) versus lecture days (80.3%; p < 0.0001). Only composite ratings for instructor involvement, student-instructor interaction, and course organization were significantly improved in the semester with cases compared to the semester with lecture only (p < 0.0001 for all indices). Although case studies did not significantly improve student performance on critical thinking questions, they still proved to be a valuable instructional method. Student attendance, student-instructor interaction, and instructor involvement in the course were all positively affected by incorporation of case studies. Discussion of cases also helped to uncover student misconceptions of course material.

  10. Does Podcast Use Enhance Critical Thinking in Nursing Education?

    PubMed

    Blum, Cynthia A

    The purpose of this pilot interventional study was to examine relationships between adjunctive podcast viewing and nursing students' critical thinking (CT) abilities. Participants were last semester/preceptorship nursing students. The intervention group was given unrestricted access to a CT podcast. There was no statistical significance between Health Sciences Reasoning Test pretest and posttest scores, the number of times the podcast was viewed, and specific demographic factors. The results suggest that CT podcast viewing did not improve CT abilities. However, Likert scale results indicated students liked this method of learning. Demographic factors and sample size were limited, and further research is recommended.

  11. Sailing on the "Boundless and Bottomless Sea": A View from the OIA Bridge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Behrens, Rob

    2015-01-01

    The prevention and resolution of student complaints are critical factors in maintaining and improving the student experience. Rob Behrens looks at the wider context, drawing on lessons from beyond higher education, to examine the opportunities and possible pitfalls.

  12. White Students' Understanding of Race: An Exploration of How White University Students, Raised in a Predominately White State, Experience Whiteness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Barbara A.

    2014-01-01

    This study examines White university students' understanding of race. Based in the scholarship on higher education and diversity, and framed in Critical Race Theory (CRT), this study explores the racial awareness of White students. This study contributes to the literature on the racial experience of Whites and an understanding of how White…

  13. Building a Connected Classroom: Teachers' Narratives about Managing the Cultural Diversity of Ethnic Minority Students in Hong Kong Secondary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hue, Ming-Tak; Kennedy, Kerry John

    2013-01-01

    Many Hong Kong schools are concerned about their growing numbers of ethnic minority students. When these students are enrolled in Hong Kong secondary schools, how their cultural diversity is catered for becomes critical. This article examines how teachers narrate the cultural diversity of ethnic minority students, who come from Pakistan, India,…

  14. Ensuring Access to Higher Education: Simplifying Federal Student Aid for Today's College Student. Hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session on Examining Ensuring Access to Higher Education, Focusing on Simplifying Federal Student Aid for Today's College Student (November 14, 2013). Senate Hearing 113-819

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Senate, 2016

    2016-01-01

    This hearing is the third in a series examining critical issues in postsecondary education as the committee looks to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The topic discussed is of paramount importance and is arguably the bedrock of Federal higher education policy, that is, the Federal financial aid programs and their effectiveness in providing…

  15. 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).

  16. Negotiating the Gaze and Learning the Hidden Curriculum: A Critical Race Analysis of the Embodiment of Female Students of Color at a Predominantly White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Esposito, Jennifer

    2011-01-01

    This study examines the hidden curriculum within a predominantly White institution (PWI) of higher education, and examines how women of color encountered the curriculum. I used critical race theory to explore how race and gender influenced the manner in which women of color negotiated their roles and promoted a culture of femininity that helped…

  17. Do Text-dependent Questions Need to Be Teacher-Dependent? Close Reading from Another Angle

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santori, Diane; Belfatti, Monica

    2017-01-01

    The term "close reading" often conjures up an image of a teacher asking students several scripted questions that encourage them to reread and critically examine a text. The teacher then evaluates the students' responses. In this article, the authors offer another approach to close reading--one that places students' text-dependent…

  18. Professional Staffing Levels and Fourth-Grade Student Research in Rural Schools with High-Poverty Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krueger, Karla Steege; Donham, Jean

    2013-01-01

    Rural schools in high-poverty areas are often understaffed. This descriptive phenomenological study examined fourth-grade state research projects in high-poverty rural Iowa schools to reveal the influence of school librarians' staffing levels on student learning of research skills. To determine evidence of students' critical literacy, ethical use…

  19. An Investigation of Engineering Students' Post-Graduation Plans inside or outside of Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ro, Hyun Kyoung

    2011-01-01

    The question of students' post-graduation plans is a critical one for the field of engineering as both industry and higher education institutions seek to understand how to increase the production of highly-skilled individuals for the STEM workforce. Despite the concern, there are but a few empirical studies that examine how students' academic…

  20. Science Teachers' Perceptions of and Approaches towards Students' Misconceptions on Photosynthesis: A Comparison Study between US and Korea

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seo, Kyungwoon; Park, Soonhye; Choi, Aeran

    2017-01-01

    A critical component of teacher effectiveness is how teachers notice students' misconceptions and adjust the instructional approach accordingly. Taking a stance that the teachers' instructional quality is crucial to students' learning, a qualitative international comparison study was performed to examine science teachers' perceptions of and their…

  1. Disablist Bullying in Schools: Giving a Voice to Student Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purdy, Noel; Mc Guckin, Conor

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports in detail on the qualitative findings from a study which aimed to critically examine the experiences and confidence of student teachers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in relation to disablist bullying. This paper focuses in particular on the voice of student teachers from six focus group interviews (n = 29)…

  2. Black World Language Instructors in Higher Education: Social Justice-Based Perspectives and Pedagogies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murrell, Mariah S.

    2017-01-01

    The field of world language education is one that has historically been dominated by traditional pedagogical practices and perspectives that limit the opportunity for rich, critical examination of course content. This often leaves much to be desired in students' learning experiences for many students, and frequently causes students of color to…

  3. Employing Critical Race Theory Lens in Examining Black Graduate Students' Experience in Higher Education: Implications for Counseling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clay, April M.

    2010-01-01

    Black students are a visibly diminishing population among college degree recipients, yet many manage to succeed in graduate school. This research was designed to broaden the understanding of Black graduate students' challenges, successes, and navigation strategies with implications for counselors, faculty and mentors working with Black…

  4. An Intercontinental Inquiry on Multicultural Education: Canadian and Hong Kong University Students Connected through a Web 2.0 Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Jia; Zhang, Zheng

    2015-01-01

    Adopting Cummins' model of intervention for collaborative empowerment, this study reports on a transnational project that examines (1) the effectiveness of enhancing critical cultural awareness by engaging culturally diverse university students in online discussions and (2) students' perspectives on understanding different cultures through mass…

  5. Impact of Ethical and Affective Variables on Cheating: Comparison of Undergraduate Students with and without Jobs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsiao, Chun-Hua

    2015-01-01

    Academic cheating is a serious problem among higher education organizations around the world. While most studies on academic cheating have focused on high school or college students, few have examined and compared students with and without jobs. Therefore, this study has empirically assessed the critical cheating issues by comparing undergraduate…

  6. The Use of Photo Elicitation to Explore the Benefits of Queer Student Advocacy Groups in University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joy, Phillip; Numer, Matthew

    2017-01-01

    University can be a critical time for queer identifying youth as they attempt to navigate new relationships and heteronormative and, sometimes, hostile environments. Involvement in queer student groups is one strategy to develop protective mechanisms for these students. This research examines the effect of participation in a queer advocacy group…

  7. Let No Child Be Left Inside - Propping Up Students Alertness to the World Around

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdul Gafoor, K.; Jouhar Munavvir, T.

    2012-01-01

    In a time of unprecedented, serious and ongoing threat of separation of education from nature, critical pedagogy is expected to play a constructive role in bringing education nearer to students' lives, environment and culture. This paper examines the extent to which students who have completed primary education by following the Kerala state school…

  8. Towards More Precise Design Guidance: Specifying and Testing the Functions of Assigned Student Roles in Online Discussions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wise, Alyssa Friend; Saghafian, Marzieh; Padmanabhan, Poornima

    2012-01-01

    While assigning student roles is a popular technique in online discussions, roles and the responsibilities allocated to them have not been consistently assigned. This makes it difficult to compare implementations and generate principled guidance for role design. This study critically examined frequently assigned student roles and identified a set…

  9. Using Peer Grading and Proofreading to Ratchet Student Expectations in Preparing Accounting Cases

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chaney, Barbara A.; Ingraham, Laura R.

    2009-01-01

    Accounting educators struggle with ways to incorporate the development of critical thinking and communication skills into the curriculum. Case analysis is one tool for developing these skills. We examine whether students' case analysis scores improve as a result of participation in peer grading and peer review. We find that students improve their…

  10. Technological Literacy and Its Effects on First-Year Liberal Studies College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gathercoal, Paul

    This study examined the effects of including a technology literacy component in first-year students' programs at a liberal arts college. The program was designed to systematically help students use and critically evaluate the technology and what it can do to enhance the living and learning environment. The study employed a non-equivalent control…

  11. Combating the Orientalist Mental Map of Students, One Geographic Imagination at a Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Somdahl-Sands, Katrinka

    2015-01-01

    Many students enter classes with a very Orientalist mental map of the region usually called the "Middle East." This is understandable considering the information and images of the region that pervade our media landscape. In an effort to teach student how to critically examine media sources themselves, the author utilizes a blog format…

  12. Strength-Based Assessment of Behavior Competencies to Distinguish Students Referred for Disciplinary Intervention from Nonreferred Peers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Albrecht, Susan Fread; Braaten, Sheldon

    2008-01-01

    Early identification of the lack of behavioral competencies followed by subsequent intervention is critical to reducing the number of students at risk for increasing disciplinary responses and school failure. This study examined scores on the Behavior Objective Sequence (BOS) of elementary school students referred for out-of-classroom disciplinary…

  13. Understanding Science Teaching Effectiveness: Examining How Science-Specific and Generic Instructional Practices Relate to Student Achievement in Secondary Science Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mikeska, Jamie N.; Shattuck, Tamara; Holtzman, Steven; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Duchesneau, Nancy; Qi, Yi; Stickler, Leslie

    2017-01-01

    In order to create conditions for students' meaningful and rigorous intellectual engagement in science classrooms, it is critically important to help science teachers learn which strategies and approaches can be used best to develop students' scientific literacy. Better understanding how science teachers' instructional practices relate to student…

  14. First-Year College Students' Time Use: Relations With Self-Regulation and GPA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thibodeaux, Jordan; Deutsch, Aaron; Kitsantas, Anastasia; Winsler, Adam

    2017-01-01

    How students manage their time is critical for academic performance and is an important component of self-regulated learning. The purpose of the present study was to examine relationships among first-year college students' (N = 589) time use, academic self-regulation, and target and actual grade point average (GPA) at three time points. Findings…

  15. From Knowing to Understanding Student Empowerment: A Narrative Approach to Research in a Middle School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horn, Brian R.

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines how, as a teacher researcher, I employed a narrative approach to research to better understand my 8th grade Language Arts students' empowerment in school. Drawing on sociocultural theory, critical pedagogy and a narrative approach to teacher research, students' voices were privileged and compared to the systemic assumptions…

  16. Effect of the Corrective Reading Program for Special Needs Students with Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mallory-Knight, Gwendolyn

    2013-01-01

    Implementing effective reading instruction is critical for schools. This study examined the effects of the Corrective Reading (CR) program on junior high students with learning disabilities (LD) and students with learning disabilities and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (LD/ADHD). The research questions were: What differences exist…

  17. Examining the Effectiveness of Pre-Reading Strategies on Saudi EFL College Students' Reading Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al Rasheed, Hana S. S.

    2014-01-01

    Reading comprehension is a key issue in learning English as a foreign language, and it is critical that teachers utilize pre-reading strategies in reading classes in order to help students enhance their comprehension. The present study investigates the effectiveness of two pre-reading strategies on EFL students' performance in reading…

  18. Critical Teacher Talk: Successful English for Academic Purposes Classroom Practices in a Global Campus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Namsook

    2016-01-01

    Drawn on the sociocultural paradigm, I examined teacher-student communication with emphasis on teacher's talk and its role on international students' learning English as a Second Language in an English for Academic Purposes classroom in a global campus in the U.S. Developmental data analyses of class observations, teacher and student interviews,…

  19. "How Do I Quantify This?" Students Reflect on Survey Items Related to Diversity and Cross-Racial Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Julie J.; Buckley, Jessica Belue; Koo, Katie

    2017-01-01

    Given the critical significance of empirical studies of diversity, it is important for researchers and assessment practitioners to gain insight into how students are interpreting and answering survey items that have noteworthy implications for policy and practice. To examine how students make meaning of survey items related to diversity, we…

  20. 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.

  1. Developing a framework for critical science agency through case study in a conceptual physics context

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basu, Sreyashi Jhumki; Calabrese Barton, Angela; Clairmont, Neil; Locke, Donya

    2009-06-01

    In this manuscript we examine how two students develop and express agency in and through high school physics. We tell the stories of two youth from a low-income, urban community to elucidate the important components of critical science agency in a physics context, and to situate a set of claims about how youth develop and express this concept. This research is part of a larger multiyear study of democratic practice in middle- and high-school science. We present three claims: (a) that critical science agency is intimately related to the leveraging and development of identity, (b) that critical science agency involves the strategic deployment of resources , and (c) that developing critical science agency is an iterative and generative process. Two university researchers have co-written this paper with the two students whose experiences serve as the cases under investigation, to provide both an "emic" perspective and student-focused voices that complement and challenge the researchers' voices.

  2. I Got My Degree Through E-Mail.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gubernick, Lisa; Ebeling, Ashlea

    1997-01-01

    Discusses the growing availability and popularity of online college courses at colleges and universities around the country, with anecdotal examples of student experiences and college policies and pricing, and examination of the advantages and criticisms of the trend, including some research on student outcomes. (MSE)

  3. Developing a Better Understanding of the Process of Fat Absorption.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yip, Din Yan

    2001-01-01

    Performance on a multiple-choice item in a public examination indicates that most students do not understand how fat is absorbed through villi. A teaching strategy is suggested to overcome this problem by helping students review their own ideas critically. (Author/MM)

  4. Factors associated with National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse success.

    PubMed

    Arathuzik, D; Aber, C

    1998-01-01

    Identification of factors associated with National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) success is critical at public colleges of nursing with diverse student populations. This issue was the purpose of this research study. A descriptive correlational research design was used. Seventy-nine generic senior students enrolled in an urban public university participated in the study. Several internal and external blocks to success were described by the students, including family responsibilities, emotional distress, fatigue, and financial and work burdens. Significant correlations were found between success in the NCLEX-RN and cumulative undergraduate nursing program grade point average, English as the primary language spoken at home, lack of family responsibilities or demands, lack of emotional distress, and sense of competency in critical thinking. Establishment of a comprehensive data base-including factors associated with success in the NCLEX-RN and programs of advisement, tutoring, and stress management as well as classes in study skills, test taking, and NCLEX preparation-are recommended for public colleges of nursing with diverse student populations.

  5. Collaborative testing as a learning strategy in nursing education.

    PubMed

    Sandahl, Sheryl S

    2010-01-01

    A primary goal of nursing education is to prepare nurses to work collaboratively as members of interprofessional health care teams on behalf of patients. Collaborative testing is a collaborative learning strategy used to foster knowledge development, critical thinking in decision making, and group processing skills. This study incorporated a quasi-experimental design with a comparison group to examine the effect of collaborative testing as a learning strategy on student learning and retention of course content as well as group process skills and student perceptions of their learning and anxiety. The setting was a baccalaureate nursing program; the sample consisted of two groups of senior students enrolled in Medical-Surgical Nursing II. Student learning, as measured by unit examination scores, was greater for students taking examinations collaboratively compared to individually. Retention of course content, as measured by final examination scores, was not greater for students taking examinations collaboratively compared to individually. Student perceptions were overwhelmingly positive, with students reporting increased learning as a result of the collaborative testing experiences. Despite the lack of data to support increased retention, collaborative testing may be a learning strategy worth implementing in nursing education. Students reported more positive interactions and collaboration with their peers, skills required by the professional nurse.

  6. Experimental study of teaching critical thinking in civic education in Taiwanese junior high school.

    PubMed

    Yang, Shu Ching; Chung, Tung-Yu

    2009-03-01

    To effectively respond to the need for greater CT (critical thinking) in the classroom, this study examines the effects of cultivating CT skills within civic education to maximize its potential. Despite realizing the importance of CT in education, schools do not tend to apply it. Furthermore, since students frequently do not raise questions or otherwise think critically, CT modules are incorporated into civic learning to encourage students to question facts, interpret and analyse evidence, make reasoned inferences regarding events, and independently develop informed opinions. These skills are fundamental to cultivating an informed and humane citizenry. This investigation examines how teaching critical thinking in civic education affects the CT skills and disposition of junior high school students. The participants were two classes of eighth grade students in southern Taiwan, and were distributed into experimental and control groups. Each group comprised 34 students, with the experimental group containing 16 boys and 18 girls and the control group containing 18 boys and 16 girls. The teaching experiment in this study was initiated and performed using equivalent pre-test and post-test group design. During the 10-week experiment, the experimental group was taught using CT instruction in civic education, while the control group was not taught with any CT programme. The data analysis included: quantitative statistics of the two main sets of instruments for measuring the CT ability and disposition of experimental treatment, qualitative analysis of learning sheets, and surveys of student perceptions of instruction in CT. Statistical analysis showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group on the scales of CT skill and disposition, but did not perform well on certain subscales (e.g. recognition of assumptions and deductions, truth-seeking, analyticity, and inquisitiveness). Notably however, when triangulating with qualitative analysis of learner transcripts and surveys, learners attempted to perform various dimensions of CT skill and disposition to various degrees. Student surveys indicated that the CT programme fostered their active listening and respect for different ideas, and moreover they learned to tolerate divergent views and examine their ideas for possible bias. The programme boosted student learning interest and sense of accomplishment, and nurtured their teamwork/communicative skills. Furthermore, a few students experienced improvements in their speaking skills and courage as their confidence and ability to express themselves improved. Finally, limitations of this investigation and implications for further research are discussed.

  7. Relationship between Fidelity and Dose of Human Patient Simulation, Critical Thinking Skills, and Knowledge in an Associate Degree Nursing Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beebe, Rosella I.

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between human patient simulation (HPS), critical thinking skills, and knowledge acquisition after HPS was integrated across the curriculum of an associate degree nursing program to determine if differences existed in critical thinking and knowledge of students based on the fidelity of HPS used and amount of…

  8. The Use of Learning Study in Designing Examples for Teaching Physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Jian-Peng; Yang, Ling-Yan; Ding, Yi

    2017-07-01

    Researchers have consistently demonstrated that studying multiple examples is more effective than studying one example because comparing multiple examples can promote schema construction and facilitate discernment of critical aspects. Teachers, however, are usually absent from those self-led text-based studies. In this experimental study, a learning study approach based on variation theory was adopted to examine the effectiveness of teachers' different ways of designing multiple examples in helping students learn a physics principle. Three hundred and fifty-one tenth-grade students learned to distinguish action-reaction from equilibrium (a) by comparing examples that varied critical aspects first separately and then simultaneously, or (b) by comparing examples that separately varied critical aspects only. Results showed that students with average academic attainment benefited more from comparing examples in the first condition. Students with higher academic attainment learned equally within both conditions. This finding supports the advantage of simultaneous variation. The characteristics of students and instructional support should be taken into account when considering the effectiveness of patterns of variation.

  9. Examining Arguments Generated by Year 5, 7, and 10 Students in Science Classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, Aeran; Notebaert, Andrew; Diaz, Juan; Hand, Brian

    2010-03-01

    A critical component of science is the role of inquiry and argument in moving scientific knowledge forward. However, while students are expected to engage in inquiry activities in science classrooms, there is not always a similar emphasis on the role of argument within the inquiry activities. Building from previous studies on the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH), we were keen to find out if the writing structure used in the SWH approach helped students in Year 5, 7, and 10 to create well constructed arguments. We were also interested in examining which argument components were important for the quality of arguments generated by these students. Two hundred and ninety six writing samples were scored using an analysis framework to evaluate the quality of arguments. Step-wise multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine important argument components. The results of this study suggest that the SWH approach is useful in assisting students to develop reasonable arguments. The critical element determining the quality of the arguments is the relationship between the student’s written claims and his or her evidence.

  10. Using the case study teaching method to promote college students' critical thinking skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Terry, David Richard

    2007-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine general and domain-specific critical thinking skills in college students, particularly ways in which these skills might be increased through the use of the case study method of teaching. General critical thinking skills were measured using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) Short Form, a forty-item paper-and-pencil test designed to measure important abilities involved in critical thinking, including inference, recognition of assumptions, deduction, interpretation, and evaluation of arguments. The ability to identify claims and support those claims with evidence is also an important aspect of critical thinking. I developed a new instrument, the Claim and Evidence Assessment Tool (CEAT), to measure these skills in a domain-specific manner. Forty undergraduate students in a general science course for non-science majors at a small two-year college in the northeastern United States experienced positive changes in general critical thinking according to results obtained using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA). In addition, the students showed cumulative improvement in their ability to identify claims and evidence, as measured by the Claim and Evidence Assessment Tool (CEAT). Mean score on the WGCTA improved from 22.15 +/- 4.59 to 23.48 +/- 4.24 (out of 40), and the mean CEAT score increased from 14.98 +/- 3.28 to 16.20 +/- 3.08 (out of 24). These increases were modest but statistically and educationally significant. No differences in claim and evidence identification were found between students who learned about specific biology topics using the case study method of instruction and those who were engaged in more traditional instruction, and the students' ability to identify claims and evidence and their factual knowledge showed little if any correlation. The results of this research were inconclusive regarding whether or not the case study teaching method promotes college students' general or domain-specific critical thinking skills, and future research addressing this issue should probably utilize larger sample sizes and a pretest-posttest randomized experimental design.

  11. Examining School Counselor Influence on the Placement of Ninth-Grade Students into Mathematics Courses: An Analysis of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bradley-Lambright, Portia Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the placement of ninth-grade students within advanced mathematics courses. High school counselors are often criticized for being an ineffective resource in the placement of students of color and low-income students into such classes; even though their professional mandates state that they…

  12. "...If We Were Cavemen We'd Be Fine": Facebook as a Catalyst for Critical Literacy Learning by Dyslexic Sixth-Form Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barden, Owen

    2012-01-01

    This article is derived from a study of the use of Facebook as an educational resource by five dyslexic students at a sixth form college in north-west England. Through a project in which teacher-researcher and student-participants co-constructed a group Facebook page about the students' scaffolded research into dyslexia, the study examined the…

  13. What happens to reading between first and third grade? Implications for students who use AAC.

    PubMed

    Sturm, Janet M; Spadorcia, Stephanie A; Cunningham, James W; Cali, Kathleen S; Staples, Amy; Erickson, Karen; Yoder, David E; Koppenhaver, David A

    2006-03-01

    School-age students who use AAC need access to communication, reading, and writing tools that can support them to actively engage in literacy learning. They also require access to core literacy learning opportunities across grade levels that foster development of conventional literacy skills. The importance of the acquisition of conventional literacy skills for students who use AAC cannot be overemphasized. And yet, one of the critical challenges in supporting the literacy learning of students who use AAC has been a lack of knowledge about literacy curricula and supports to literacy learning for these students. Most students who use AAC do not become conventionally literate and few of those who do achieve literacy skills beyond the second grade level. This article will provide an overview of the most frequent reading instructional activities in first and third grade classrooms. To better understand the foundational experiences important to literacy learning, the results of a survey project that examined the reading activities of general education students and teachers during primary grade instruction are presented, and critical shifts in instruction that occurred between first and third grade are highlighted. The primary instructional focus of core reading activities is also examined, along with adaptations for students who use AAC.

  14. The Impact of Critical Thinking on Clinical Judgment During Simulation With Senior Nursing Students.

    PubMed

    Cazzell, Mary; Anderson, Mindi

    2016-01-01

    The study examined the impact of critical thinking (CT) on clinical judgment (CJ) during a pediatric Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) with 160 pre-licensure nursing students. Educators are called to transform teaching strategies to develop CJ but confusion exists over definitions. A descriptive correlational design was used to examine demographics and Tower of Hanoi (TOH) and Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) scores. CJ was measured by scores on the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) from videotaped OSCEs. Participants were: 86 percent female, 42 percent Caucasian, median 23 years, with 49 percent having health care experience. Students averaged seven moves over minimum on the TOH. Average scores were: HSRT 25/38 and LCJR 31/44. Statistically significant predictors of CJ were gender, ethnicity, HSRT deduction, and analysis; 11 CT variables accounted for 17 percent of LCJR scores. Educators need to utilize/develop innovative teaching strategies addressing CJ predictors.

  15. The Class Size Policy Debate. Working Paper No. 121.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krueger, Alan B.; Hanushek, Eric A.

    These papers examine research on the impact of class size on student achievement. After an "Introduction," (Richard Rothstein), Part 1, "Understanding the Magnitude and Effect of Class Size on Student Achievement" (Alan B. Krueger), presents a reanalysis of Hanushek's 1997 literature review, criticizing Hanushek's vote-counting…

  16. Preparing Students for Leadership through Experiential Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bauermeister, Maria C.; Greer, Jon; Kalinovich, Angelina V.; Marrone, Jennifer A.; Pahl, Megan M.; Rochholz, Lauren B.; Wilson, Barry R.

    2016-01-01

    This Application Brief highlights Seattle University's Red Winged Leadership (RWL) exercise, an innovative curriculum for graduate business leadership education. RWL requires students to apply course materials to a visible and challenging class project, and to critically examine and recognize leadership in the broader community. Both allow for…

  17. Severe Mental Retardation: From Theory to Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bricker, Diane, Ed.; Filler, John, Ed.

    Fourteen papers examine current issues and practices in the education of students with severe mental retardation (SMR). Papers touch upon the broad context of education for SMR students, programs for the SMR population, and critical issues. The following papers are presented: "The Severely Mentally Retarded Individual: Philosophical and…

  18. Principals' and School Counselors' Perception of Counseling Supports for African American Male High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haley, Stacey J.

    2016-01-01

    Understanding and providing the appropriate supports for African American male high school students is critical to their academic success. This study provided the opportunity to examine how principals and school counselors perceive the support given to African American male high school students in high schools in New York City. School counselors…

  19. "Asian Learners" Re-Examined: An Empirical Study of Language Learning Attitudes, Strategies and Motivation among Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gan, Zhengdong

    2009-01-01

    Although cultural stereotypes of Asian students as being prone to rote learning, passive and teacher-dependent have been under criticism, the issue of the extent to which Asian heritage culture impacts on Asian students' learning attitudes and behaviour warrants further investigation. This paper reports on an empirical study which compares…

  20. School Personnel Perceptions of Youth with Disabilities Returning to High School from the Juvenile Justice System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sinclair, James S.; Unruh, Deanne K.; Griller Clark, Heather; Waintrup, Miriam G.

    2017-01-01

    Little is known about the perceptions of teachers of their students returning from the juvenile justice system, which can influence student relationships and student engagement, both of which are critical to reduce recidivism rates. This study utilized an online survey to examine the perceptions of a convenience sample of 283 school personnel…

  1. Values in Science: Making Sense of Biology Doctoral Students' Critical Examination of a Deterministic Claim in a Media Article

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raveendran, Aswathy; Chunawala, Sugra

    2015-01-01

    Several educators have emphasized that students need to understand science as a human endeavor that is not value free. In the exploratory study reported here, we investigated how doctoral students of biology understand the intersection of values and science in the context of genetic determinism. Deterministic research claims have been critiqued…

  2. Making Sense of Instruction on Fractions when a Student Lacks Necessary Fractional Schemes: The Case of Tim

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olive, John; Vomvoridi, Eugenia

    2006-01-01

    This paper critically examines the discrepancies among the pre-requisite fractional concepts assumed by a curricular unit on operations with fractions, the teacher's assumptions about those concepts and a particular student's understanding of fractions. The paper focuses on the case of one student (Tim) in the teacher's 6th grade class who was…

  3. A Case Study of Collaboration with Multi-Robots and Its Effect on Children's Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Wu, Sheng-Yi

    2014-01-01

    Learning how to carry out collaborative tasks is critical to the development of a student's capacity for social interaction. In this study, a multi-robot system was designed for students. In three different scenarios, students controlled robots in order to move dice; we then examined their collaborative strategies and their behavioral…

  4. A Critical Examination of Diverse Students' Funds of Knowledge Inclusion in High School Mathematics: A Mixed Methods Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNeil, Celethia Keith

    2015-01-01

    This study characterizes teaching practices that involve students' funds of knowledge ([FoK], Gonzalez, 1995; Moll, 1992; Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez, 1992). FoK may be defined as bodies of knowledge, skills, language, and experiences found in students' homes and communities for potential use in formal learning. I investigated how high…

  5. Exploration of Critical Self-Reflection in the Teaching of Ethics: The Case of Physical Therapy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jensen, Gail M.

    The effect of clinical simulations on student learning in the teaching of ethics in a physical therapy curriculum was examined in a study of the experiences of 54 physical therapy students enrolled in a course in ethics in physical therapy practice. During the three-semester-hour course, the students participated in two clinical simulations that…

  6. When Fact Conceals Privilege: Teaching the (Shared?) Reality of Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Ashley

    2017-01-01

    Disability studies in education scholars have discussed the need to engage students, and certainly preservice teachers, in critical discussion of disability as a concept. To better understand what such critical discussion entails, Ashley Taylor examines the pedagogical implications of promoting an understanding of disability as a shared experience…

  7. Reading, Writing, and Revolution: Facilitating Social Activism in First Grade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silva, Janelle M.

    2016-01-01

    This article examines how teachers can develop a sense of social activism in students through critical multiculturalism. Drawing upon data from a nine-month participant observation study of a first-grade public charter school classroom in central California, this article highlights how teachers can integrate critical multiculturalism within an…

  8. Cultivating Agents of Change in Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silva, Janelle M.; Langhout, Regina Day

    2011-01-01

    This ethnographic study examines how one first grade teacher uses an alternative, artist-focused curriculum to develop a critical consciousness in her students to work toward social change. A framework incorporating critical multicultural education and Lewin's theory of small groups is applied to assess how the use of a multicultural curriculum…

  9. Guidelines for a Scientific Approach to Critical Thinking Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bensley, D. Alan; Murtagh, Michael P.

    2012-01-01

    Assessment of student learning outcomes can be a powerful tool for improvement of instruction when a scientific approach is taken; unfortunately, many educators do not take full advantage of this approach. This article examines benefits of taking a scientific approach to critical thinking assessment and proposes guidelines for planning,…

  10. Cultivating Critical Mindsets in the Digital Information Age: Teaching Meaningful Web Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Angela Kwasnik

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation examines the use of dialogic discussion to improve young adolescents' ability to critically evaluate web sites. An intervention unit comprised three iterations of an instructional cycle in which students independently annotated web sites about controversial issues and discussed the reliability of those sites in dialogic…

  11. Examining Bilingual Children's Gender Ideologies through Critical Discourse Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez-Roldan, Carmen M.

    2005-01-01

    This article presents a case study of young bilingual students' discussions of literature in a second-grade Spanish/English bilingual classroom in the US. Sociocultural, critical, and Chicana feminist perspectives informed an analysis of the ways the children worked at understanding, marking, and resisting gender boundaries. This critical…

  12. The Construction of Pro-Science and Technology Discourse in Chinese Language Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Yongbing

    2005-01-01

    This paper examines the pro-science and technology discourse constructed in Chinese language textbooks currently used for primary school students nationwide in China. By applying analytical techniques of critical discourse analysis (CDA), the paper critically investigates how the discourse is constructed and what ideological forces are manifested…

  13. University Facilitation of School Restructuring: Critical Milestones for Organization Transformation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davidson, Betty M.; Allen-Haynes, Leetta

    Critical milestones in the university facilitation of meaningful school reform in schools serving at-risk students--schoolwide assessment, cadre-based planning, and pilot testing of new strategies--are examined in this paper. A training and facilitation mechanism developed by the University of New Orleans' (UNO) Louisiana Accelerated Schools…

  14. Skeptics on the Internet: Teaching Students to Read Critically

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ostenson, Jonathan

    2009-01-01

    There are three strategies for critically evaluating information on the Internet: (1) examining initial markers (superficial characteristics of a website that can help make an initial judgment); (2) corroborating information (looking to other trusted sources to verify information); and (3) determining author bias (analyzing the author's intent for…

  15. Learning Science-Based Fitness Knowledge in Constructivist Physical Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sun, Haichun; Chen, Ang; Zhu, Xihe; Ennis, Catherine D.

    2012-01-01

    Teaching fitness-related knowledge has become critical in developing children's healthful living behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a science-based, constructivist physical education curriculum on learning fitness knowledge critical to healthful living in elementary school students. The schools (N = 30) were randomly…

  16. Deconstructing Dispositions: Toward a Critical Ability Theory in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bialka, Christa S.

    2015-01-01

    When attending to dispositions, or educators' assumptions and beliefs about teaching, learning, and students, teacher educators must develop a discourse that examines disability in terms of power and privilege. This article synthesizes literature related to critical race theory (CRT) and disability theory to elucidate the need for a critical…

  17. Science Fiction in Social Education: Exploring Consequences of Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mason, Lance E.

    2013-01-01

    An NCSS Technology Position Statement and Guidelines, published in 2006 (an updated version is published in this issue of "Social Education"), affirms that social studies students should critically examine relations between technology and society. This article describes how teachers can use science fiction to introduce critical questions…

  18. Using Critical Communication Pedagogy to Teach Public Speaking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De La Mare, Danielle M.

    2014-01-01

    Using Critical Communication Pedagogy, this semester-long service-learning approach to public speaking requires students to apply public speaking concepts to a speech they develop and deliver to a specific community audience, to examine their own biases, and to explore and evaluate various strategies for adapting to their audience.

  19. An Examination of the Assessment Practices of Community College Instructors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BoarerPitchford, Julie K.

    2010-01-01

    Critical thinking is an important outcome of a college education. Assessment techniques that require students to demonstrate their understanding of course concepts are referred to as authentic assessment and promote the development of critical thinking. Little research exists on the types of assessment and grading practices utilized by community…

  20. Reflective blogs in clinical education to promote critical thinking in dental hygiene students.

    PubMed

    Wetmore, Ann O'Kelley; Boyd, Linda D; Bowen, Denise M; Pattillo, Robin E

    2010-12-01

    One challenge facing dental hygiene, as well as dental, education is to identify clinical teaching strategies promoting critical thinking and clinical reasoning. These skills are crucial elements in the practice of dental hygiene. A two-group design (intervention, n=28, and control, n=30) assessed first-year dental hygiene students using pre-and post-Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) scores to evaluate the effect of reflective blogging on critical thinking skills. A reflective blog rubric, based on Mezirow's levels of reflection, determined if reflective blogging increased the level of reflection for dental hygiene students. The results suggest within this nonprobability sample that reflective blogging did not produce a significant change in students' HSRT scores (p>0.05). However, analyses of reflective blog rubric scores demonstrated statistically significant improvements (p<0.05) in students' levels of reflection. Furthermore, data analysis revealed a correlation (p<0.05) between HSRT subscale scores and the element of reflection scores for the intervention group. This study addressed needs of the dental and dental hygiene education community by examining the use of blogs, an emerging technology, as a tool for reflecting on clinical experiences and, in turn, for promoting critical thinking.

  1. Under-Representation in Autism: An Examination of Educational Evaluation Practices for Black Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Redmond- Ayanaw, Erika L.

    2017-01-01

    Black students are negatively affected by disproportionality in school discipline practices, special education identification, and over-restrictive special education placement. Critical race theory is an operative framework that can be applied to increase understanding of such disproportionality (Blanchett, 2011). Through the use of qualitative…

  2. Interactions and Learning Outcomes in Online Language Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Chin-Hsi; Zheng, Binbin; Zhang, Yining

    2017-01-01

    Interactions are the central emphasis in language learning. An increasing number of K-12 students take courses online, leading some critics to comment that reduced opportunities for interaction may affect learning outcomes. This study examined the relationship between online interactions and learning outcomes for 466 students who were taking…

  3. Framing the Future: Self-Determination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wehmeyer, Michael L.

    2015-01-01

    There is an established and still-growing evidence base that promoting self-determination has positive school and post-school benefits for students with disabilities, and yet efforts to do so remain sporadic, at best. This article examines the evidence that promoting self-determination is critically important for students with disabilities,…

  4. Teaching Organic Synthesis: A Comparative Case Study Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vosburg, David A.

    2008-01-01

    In this course, students encounter reactions and mechanisms in the context of landmark syntheses of biologically important molecules. Students closely examine pairs of syntheses of related or identical molecules to facilitate their appreciation for synthetic strategy. They then write short, creative papers that critically compare the two synthetic…

  5. Social Representations as Mediators of Practice in Mathematics Classrooms with Immigrant Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorgorio, Nuria; de Abreu, Guida

    2009-01-01

    This article suggests that a critical perspective of the notion of social representations can offer useful insights into understanding practices of teaching and learning in mathematics classrooms with immigrant students. Drawing on literature using social representations, previous empirical studies are revisited to examine three specific…

  6. Disproportionate Placement of Black and Hispanic Students in Special Education Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodale, Ronda; Soden, Marcia

    The paper examines practices and procedures that are seen as contributory to disproportionate placement of Black and Hispanic students in special education programs and discusses various components of the Boston Public School's Remedial Plan. Practices and procedures critical in disproportionate placement are seen to include biased assessment,…

  7. Teaching Business Programming Using Games: A Critical Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muganda, Nixon; Joubert, Pieter, Jr.; Toit, Jacques Du; Johnson, Roy

    2012-01-01

    Introduction: This paper examines the persistent problematic issue of engaging business students in teaching computer programming. Studies continue to document challenges in teaching computer programming and various methods have been proposed with varying degrees of success. From an educator's perspective, the concern is how to engage students to…

  8. Critical Building Blocks: Mandatory Prerequisite Registration Systems and Student Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soria, Krista M.; Mumpower, Lori

    2012-01-01

    Many colleges and universities require prerequisites prior to enrollment in introductory composition courses; however, enforcement of prerequisites is not consistent across institutions. In this study, we examine the impact of an automated, mandatory prerequisite enforcement system on students and advisors at a public comprehensive university.…

  9. Adversity and Pitfalls of Twice-Exceptional Urban Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayes, Renae D.; Moore, James L., III.

    2016-01-01

    Current research provides unique insights into the experiences and context of twice-exceptional students in K-12 schools. However, within this literature, a critical gap exists concerning the voices of twice-exceptional African American students and their families. The current qualitative study examined the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences…

  10. Teaching Effectiveness Attributes in Business Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simendinger, Earl; El-Kassar, Abdul-Nasser; Gonzalez-Perez, Maria Alejandra; Crawford, John; Thomason, Stephanie; Reynet, Philippe; Kjellander, Björn; Edwards, Judson

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Determining the attributes of effective business teachers is critical to schools as they strive to attract and retain students, assure learning, obtain and maintain reputation and accreditations, and place their alumni in the competitive job market. The purpose of this paper is to examine students and faculty perceptions of teaching…

  11. Students "At Risk": Stereotypes and the Schooling of Black Boys

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    James, Carl E.

    2012-01-01

    This article examines how stereotypes operate in the social construction of African Canadian males as "at risk" students. Cultural analysis and critical race theory are used to explain how the stereotypes of the youth as immigrant, fatherless, troublemaker, athlete, and underachiever contribute to their racialization and marginalization…

  12. White American Pre-Service Teachers' Judgments of Anglo and Hispanic Student Behaviors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chan, Kam Chi; Lam, Shui-Fong; Covault, Jacquelyn M.

    2009-01-01

    Previous research has linked ethical caring, high expectations, and instructional practices relevant to student culture as three fundamental characteristics of exemplary teachers for children from ethnic minority groups in the American school system. Praise and criticism, as overt behaviors of care and expectations, were examined in a…

  13. Undergraduate Student Preferences for Graduate Training in Psychology: Implications for School Psychology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stinnett, Terry A.; Bui, Levita; Capaccioli, Kristen

    2013-01-01

    There continues to be a critical shortage of school psychologist practitioners and academicians. Undergraduate students in psychology, education, and other majors (N = 674) from a large comprehensive university in the southwest completed an examiner-made web-based questionnaire designed to assess their attitudes and preferences for choosing…

  14. Professional Development Workshops for Student Teachers: An Issue of Concern

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsu, Amy; Malkin, Fran

    2013-01-01

    Professional development programs are critical in addressing the needs of teacher education students and graduates. In an effort to best meet the desired needs and wants of these new educators, professional development opportunities must target essential issues. This study examines topics including classroom management, exceptional children,…

  15. Persistence Patterns in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Brent J.; Baker, Rachel B.; Dee, Thomas S.

    2016-01-01

    Using a unique dataset of 44 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), this article examines critical patterns of enrollment, engagement, persistence, and completion among students in online higher education. By leveraging fixed-effects specifications based on over 2.1 million student observations across more than 2,900 lectures, we analyzed…

  16. Balancing Critique and Commitment: A Synthetic Approach to Teaching Religion and the Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Brien, Kevin J.

    2014-01-01

    Courses about religion and the environment should work toward a synthesis of critical thinking--teaching students to examine and question the interplay of environmental degradation, religious traditions, and new religious movements--and advocacy--helping students to embrace, articulate, and refine their own environmentalist commitments, in…

  17. Teaching Energy Geography? It's Complicated

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huber, Matt

    2016-01-01

    The premise of this essay is that energy geographies are complicated, and this in itself presents some pedagogical difficulties. As someone who wants students to critically examine and confront the complexity of energy systems, it can be frustrating when students react to demonstrate frustration, apathy, or even confusion. In what follows, I will…

  18. Technology in Nursing Classrooms: A Qualitative Phenomenological Interpretative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez, Ose G.

    2016-01-01

    Nursing students have to learn how to critically think and pass a licensure examination to practice their profession. Current students seem to be bored by lecture strategies most commonly applied by seasoned nurse educators. A gap in the literature regarding lived experiences of seasoned nursing faculty members applying technological applications…

  19. Effects of CDA Instruction on EFL Analytical Reading Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hazaea, Abduljalil Nasr; Alzubi, Ali Abbas

    2017-01-01

    Discourse-based approaches to EFL reading have shifted the students' passive role to become 'text resistant'. This paper examines the extent to which Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) enhances analytical reading practices in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading context among Preparatory Year students at Najran University. The paper…

  20. Game-Based Teaching: What Educators Can Learn from Videogames

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Janna

    2009-01-01

    Most teachers only dream of their students spending the amount of motivation, attention, passion, and critical thinking on their classes that some students do playing videogames. This investigation examines the success, pitfalls, and lessons learned from incorporating videogame-like components into an educational technology class. For example,…

  1. Only One Cheer for Howard University School of Law.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alexander, Karen

    1998-01-01

    Students' and graduates' complaints about the Howard University Law School center on graduates' low rates of passing the bar examination but also take note of the poor condition of the physical plant. Article outlines student criticisms and planned administrative responses to the school's decline in quality. (SLD)

  2. Cooperative Learning and Gifted Students: Report on Five Case Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coleman, Mary Ruth; And Others

    This study examined cooperative learning (CL) programs that were successfully meeting the needs of gifted students and identified factors critical to this success. Of 19 programs nominated as models of cooperative learning, 5 sites were selected and visited: Wilton Public Schools, Connecticut; Glenville Elementary School, Connecticut; Mary Taylor…

  3. Enhancing the Cognitive Complexity in Social Studies Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stobaugh, Rebecca; Tassell, Janet Lynne; Day, Martha M.; Blankenship, Hannah

    2011-01-01

    Social studies teachers are charged with the task of developing students' understandings as students engage in critical examination of social studies issues and topics. Teachers often use test items from textbooks or instructional resources, or create their own classroom assessments with no specific pedagogical foundation. All too often, these…

  4. The use of an active learning approach in a SCALE-UP learning space improves academic performance in undergraduate General Biology.

    PubMed

    Hacisalihoglu, Gokhan; Stephens, Desmond; Johnson, Lewis; Edington, Maurice

    2018-01-01

    Active learning is a pedagogical approach that involves students engaging in collaborative learning, which enables them to take more responsibility for their learning and improve their critical thinking skills. While prior research examined student performance at majority universities, this study focuses on specifically Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for the first time. Here we present work that focuses on the impact of active learning interventions at Florida A&M University, where we measured the impact of active learning strategies coupled with a SCALE-UP (Student Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies) learning environment on student success in General Biology. In biology sections where active learning techniques were employed, students watched online videos and completed specific activities before class covering information previously presented in a traditional lecture format. In-class activities were then carefully planned to reinforce critical concepts and enhance critical thinking skills through active learning techniques such as the one-minute paper, think-pair-share, and the utilization of clickers. Students in the active learning and control groups covered the same topics, took the same summative examinations and completed identical homework sets. In addition, the same instructor taught all of the sections included in this study. Testing demonstrated that these interventions increased learning gains by as much as 16%, and students reported an increase in their positive perceptions of active learning and biology. Overall, our results suggest that active learning approaches coupled with the SCALE-UP environment may provide an added opportunity for student success when compared with the standard modes of instruction in General Biology.

  5. Developing critical thinking skills from clinical assignments: a pilot study on nursing students' self-reported perceptions.

    PubMed

    Marchigiano, Gail; Eduljee, Nina; Harvey, Kimberly

    2011-01-01

    Clinical assignments in nursing education provide opportunities for students to develop thinking skills vital to the effective delivery of patient care. The purpose of the present study was to examine students' perceived levels of confidence for using thinking skills when completing two types of clinical assignments. Clinical educators and managers are challenged to develop teaching and learning strategies that help students think critically and reflectively and transfer these skills into sound nursing practice. This study is based on the theoretical framework of critical thinking within the nursing process framework. Undergraduate nursing students (n=51) completed surveys indicating their confidence in using seven thinking skills for nursing care. Students indicated significantly more confidence when implementing the journal format as compared with the care plan format when analysing information, determining relevance, making connections, selecting appropriate information, applying relevant knowledge and evaluating outcomes. The findings of the present study propose a new approach for enhancing students' thinking skills. Journaling is an effective strategy for enhancing students' thinking skills. Nursing managers are in key organisational positions for supporting and promoting the use of the journal format and building supportive and collaborative learning environments for students to develop thinking skills for managing patient care. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. The Use of Quality Talk to Increase Critical Analytical Speaking and Writing of Students in Three Secondary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davies, Maree; Meissel, Kane

    2016-01-01

    This study was carried out in three secondary schools of varying socioeconomic levels within the usual framework of tasks completed by students while studying towards a national assessment. The study examined the change in the nature of the interactions between students in group conversations, in the context of a film unit and a geography unit…

  7. Learning Disabilities or Difference: A Critical Look at Issues Associated with the Misidentification and Placement of Hispanic Students in Special Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, Todd V.; Navarrete, Lori A.

    2011-01-01

    A new generation of Hispanic students are at risk due to inadequacies in our educational system. The inadequacies which include lack of prepared teachers and misuse of testing and assessment procedures impact special education programs, in particular, when one examines practices relative to Latino students in the area of learning disabilities. The…

  8. 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…

  9. Attitudes and Aspirations Regarding Engineering among Chinese Secondary School Students: Comparisons between Industrialising and Post-Industrial Geo-Engineering Regions of Mainland China and Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kutnick, Peter; Zhu, Zhiyong; Chan, Cecilia; Chan, Rosanna Yuen-Yan; Lee, Betty Pok-Yee; Lai, Veronica Ka Wai

    2018-01-01

    School-based pipelines/routes for university and technical engineering education are recognised as important for economic development and the high-school years are critical for shaping students' career aspirations and attitudes. This study examined a range of attitudes/experiences on the aspirations of secondary students to pursue engineering…

  10. Crossing the Finish Line: Career Adaptability and Its Relationship to Athletic Identity, Academic Motivation, and Role Conflict for Division I Student-Athletes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Letawsky Shultz, Nicole

    2017-01-01

    The responsibilities of being a Division I student-athlete often leave little time for experiences outside of sport that are critical for their future careers. Many student-athletes have unrealistic expectations of competing in their sport after college, while others expend little effort exploring potential careers. This study examines how career…

  11. Multiculturalism, Stereotypes, and Critical Thinking: Breaking Down Barriers among Urban and Rural High School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Robert T.; Towe, Princess

    Four teachers, two from a rural high school and two from an urban one, spent a year trying to get students to examine similarities and differences between the two schools. The exchange program involved students from Malcolm X Shabazz High School of Newark, New Jersey and a group from rural New Jersey's Hunterdon Central High. Small groups of…

  12. "I'm Not Like That, Why Treat Me the Same Way?" The Impact of Stereotyping International Students on Their Learning, Employability and Connectedness with the Workplace

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tran, Ly Thi; Vu, Thao Thi Phuong

    2016-01-01

    A significant body of literature on international education examines the experiences of international students in the host country. There is however a critical lack of empirical work that investigates the dynamic and complex positioning of international students within the current education-migration nexus that prevails international education in…

  13. "It'll Never Be the White Kids, It'll Always Be Us": Black High School Students' Evolving Critical Analysis of Racial Discrimination and Inequity in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hope, Elan C.; Skoog, Alexandra B.; Jagers, Robert J.

    2015-01-01

    We examine how Black high school students, participants in a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) program, understand issues of racial discrimination and inequality in their schools. Through semi-structured individual interviews conducted early in the program, eight students (six boys and two girls) recount experiences of racial…

  14. On negotiating White science: a call for cultural relevance and critical reflexivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bettez, Silvia Cristina; Aguilar-Valdez, Jean Rockford; Carlone, Heidi B.; Cooper, Jewell E.

    2011-12-01

    This article is a response to Randy Yerrick and Joseph Johnson's article "Negotiating White Science in Rural Black America: A Case for Navigating the Landscape of Teacher Knowledge Domains". They write about research conducted by Yerrick in which videos of his teaching practice as a White educator in a predominately Black rural classroom were examined. Their analysis is framed through Shulman's (1986) work on "domains of teacher knowledge" and Ladson-Billings' (1999) critical race theory (CRT). Although we appreciate a framework that attends to issues of power, such as CRT, we see a heavier emphasis on Shulman's work in their analysis. We argue that a culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) framework has the potential to provide a more nuanced analysis of what occurred in Yerrick's classroom from a critical lens. Thus we examine Yerrick and Johnson's work through the five main CRP components (as defined by Brown-Jeffy and Cooper 2011) and ultimately argue that science educators who want to promote equity in their classrooms should engage in continuous critical reflexivity, aid students in claiming voice, and encourage students to become not only producers of scientific knowledge but also users and critics of such knowledge.

  15. Critical Autobiography in the Professional Doctorate: Improving Students' Writing through the Device of Literature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eastman, Christine; Maguire, Kate

    2016-01-01

    This paper argues for a pedagogic practice to overcome the challenges that many professional practitioners face in undertaking a professional doctorate. Recent examination feedback on a professional doctoral programme of 300 candidates in the UK highlighted that a number of candidates often struggle to write persuasively, critically and…

  16. Engaging in Critical Social Dialogue with Socially Diverse Undergraduate Teacher Candidates at a California State University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chavez-Reyes, Christina

    2012-01-01

    "Critical social dialogue" (CSD) is the process of problem posing, facilitating personal stories through silence and multimodal assignments, and positioning them for students to re-examine and re-evaluate their understanding of systems of social difference, the beginnings of a multicultural and social justice intellectual frame for…

  17. Project Management, Critical Praxis, and Process-Oriented Approach to Teamwork

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ding, Huiling; Ding, Xin

    2008-01-01

    To help alleviate issues of free-riding and conflicts in team projects, this study proposes the systematic incorporation of project management methods to introduce a process-oriented approach to and a critical praxis in team projects. We examined how the systematic use of project management methods influenced students' performance in team…

  18. "What Happened Needs to Be Told": Fostering Critical Historical Reasoning in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freedman, Eric B.

    2015-01-01

    Scholars often define historical reasoning as constructing defensible interpretations of past events. Drawing on critical theory, this article suggests that it also entails consciously framing one's topic of inquiry. The article examines an instructional unit that aimed to foster this expanded view of historiography. Forty students, ages 14-15,…

  19. Writing Latina/o Historical Narratives: Narratives at the Intersection of Critical Historical Inquiry and LatCrit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salinas, Cinthia S.; Fránquiz, María E.; Rodríguez, Noreen Naseem

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative case study examines the experiences of Latina prospective teachers enrolled in a bilingual social studies methods course that focused attention upon critical historical inquiry. The students built historical narratives that deliberately addressed oft-ignored histories of Communities of Color. The analysis argues however that…

  20. A Blended Learning Environment for Individualized English Listening and Speaking Integrating Critical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Ya-Ting Carolyn; Chuang, Ya-Chin; Li, Lung-Yu; Tseng, Shin-Shang

    2013-01-01

    Critical thinking (CT) and English communication are recognized as two essential 21st century competencies. To equip students with these competencies and respond to the challenges of global competition, educational technology is being developed to enhance teaching and learning. This study examined the effectiveness of integrating CT into…

  1. Establishing an Atmosphere for Critical Thinking in the Online Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steadman, Ronald G.

    2015-01-01

    Metacognition and critical thinking are crucial elements in the educational process. The following article examines the use of a quiz/poll classroom assessment technique (CAT) in a 100-level Christian worldview classroom (CWV-101) designed to stimulate student engagement with the course principles in a self-reflective and non-threating…

  2. Critical Emergency Medicine Procedural Skills: A Comparative Study of Methods for Teaching and Assessment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chapman, Dane M.; And Others

    Three critical procedural skills in emergency medicine were evaluated using three assessment modalities--written, computer, and animal model. The effects of computer practice and previous procedure experience on skill competence were also examined in an experimental sequential assessment design. Subjects were six medical students, six residents,…

  3. Schooling and Critical Citizenship: Pedagogies of Political Agency in El Alto, Bolivia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lazar, Sian

    2010-01-01

    This article explores the formation of citizenship as social practice in a school in El Alto, Bolivia. I examine interactions between "banking" forms of education, students' responses, and embodied practices of belonging and political agency, and argue that the seemingly passive forms of knowledge transmission so criticized by critical…

  4. Elements, Principles, and Critical Inquiry for Identity-Centered Design of Online Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dudek, Jaclyn; Heiser, Rebecca

    2017-01-01

    Within higher education, a need exists for learning designs that facilitate education and support students in sharing, examining, and refining their critical identities as learners and professionals. In the past, technology-mediated identity work has focused on individual tool use or a learning setting. However, we as professional learning…

  5. Running Shoes, Auto Workers, and Labor: Business Writing Pedagogy in the Working-Class College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mazurek, Raymond A.

    2002-01-01

    Considers how the introductory business writing course is appropriate for the development of critical literacy, especially for students at second-tier, working-class colleges. Notes that the opposition between labor and management offers rich opportunities for the critical examination of corporate rhetoric, opportunities that are as relevant in…

  6. Advertising and Science Education: A Multi-Perspective Review of the Literature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belova, Nadja; Chang Rundgren, Shu-Nu; Eilks, Ingo

    2015-01-01

    We are living in an increasingly diverse media landscape, with advertising a significant part of this. There appears to be unanimous agreement that the ability to critically examine and make rational decisions about advertising is indispensable for contemporary citizens. Students need to develop critical thinking skills in order to evaluate…

  7. "I've Got Swag": Simone Performs Critical Literacy in a High-School English Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Elisabeth

    2011-01-01

    Drawing on multimodal, post-structural, and critical theory, the author examines a high-school English classroom exchange about editing a student publication. Analysing a young woman's embodied identity performances, the author illustrates how Simone, a tenth-grader, employed, adjusted, and coupled modes of communication like speech, laughter,…

  8. Critical Race Theory and Research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teranishi, Robert T.; Behringer, Laurie B.; Grey, Emily A.; Parker, Tara L.

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the authors offer critical race theory (CRT) as an alternative theoretical perspective that permits the examination and transcendence of conceptual blockages, while simultaneously offering alternative perspectives on higher education policy and practice and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) student population. The…

  9. From Racial Stereotyping and Deficit Discourse toward a Critical Race Theory in Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Solorzano, Daniel G.; Yosso, Tara J.

    2001-01-01

    Examines connections between critical race theory (CRT) and its application to the concepts of race, racial bias, and racial stereotyping in teacher education. Defines CRT, then discusses racism and stereotyping, racial stereotypes in the media, and racial stereotypes in professional environments, noting the effects on minority students. Presents…

  10. Building Social Inclusion through Critical Arts-Based Pedagogies in University Classroom Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chappell, Sharon Verner; Chappell, Drew

    2016-01-01

    In humanities and education university classrooms, the authors facilitated counter-narrative arts-based inquiry projects in order to build critical thought and social inclusion. The first author examines public performance installations created by graduate students in elementary and bilingual education on needs-based and dignity-based rights of…

  11. Criticism and Assessment Applied to New Media Art

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ursyn, Anna

    2015-01-01

    This text examines educational criticism and assessment with an emphasis on the new media arts. The article shares with readers the versatile, abridged to four points criteria, based on a research on assessment made by students, faculty, and non-art-related professionals, thus providing a preliminary tool for the use in the classroom environment.…

  12. Critical Discourse Analysis and Science Education Texts: Employing Foucauldian Notions of Discourse and Subjectivity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bazzul, Jesse

    2014-01-01

    This article supports critical, social justice oriented science education research by providing a theoretical and methodological basis for examining how subjectivities may be constituted through discourses found in science education texts. Such research explores how discourses orient teachers and students to the world, others, and themselves, as…

  13. Relations between Goals, Self-Efficacy, Critical Thinking and Deep Processing Strategies: A Path Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phan, Huy Phuong

    2009-01-01

    Research exploring students' academic learning has recently amalgamated different motivational theories within one conceptual framework. The inclusion of achievement goals, self-efficacy, deep processing and critical thinking has been cited in a number of studies. This article discusses two empirical studies that examined these four theoretical…

  14. Teaching in the Zone: Formative Assessments for Critical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maniotes, Leslie K.

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses how a school librarian can help students improve their critical thinking and strengthen their higher order thinking skills through the inquiry process. First, it will use a Guided Inquiry approach to examine how higher order thinking skills are taught within an inquiry paradigm. Next, it will consider how formative…

  15. Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice: Examining Preservice Teachers' Conceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jong, Cindy; Jackson, Christa

    2016-01-01

    Teaching for social justice is a critical pedagogy used to empower students to be social agents in the world they live. This critical pedagogy has extended to mathematics education. Over the last decade, mathematics education researchers have conceptualized what it means to teach mathematics for social justice, but little is known about preservice…

  16. Construct Validity Examination of Critical Thinking Dispositions for Undergraduate Students in University Putra Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ghadi, Ibrahim; Alwi, Nor Hayati; Bakar, Kamariah Abu; Talib, Othman

    2012-01-01

    This research aims to evaluate the psychology properties of the construct validity for the Critical Thinking Disposition (CTD) instrument. The CTD instrument consists of 39 Likert-type items measuring seven dispositions, namely analyticity, open-mind, truth-seeking, systematicity, self-confidence inquisitiveness and maturity. The study involves…

  17. Low-Achieving Readers, High Expectations: Image Theatre Encourages Critical Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rozansky, Carol Lloyd; Aagesen, Colleen

    2010-01-01

    Students in an eighth-grade, urban, low-achieving reading class were introduced to critical literacy through engagement in Image Theatre. Developed by liberatory dramatist Augusto Boal, Image Theatre gives participants the opportunity to examine texts in the triple role of interpreter, artist, and sculptor (i.e., image creator). The researchers…

  18. College Impact Theories Past and Present

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozaki, C. Casey

    2016-01-01

    This chapter critically examines the fit and applicability of foundational college impact theories to the community college context and students. Implications for the literature and campuses are explored.

  19. Similarity and difference: Student cooperation in Taiwanese and Australian science classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wallace, John; Chou, Ching-Yang

    2001-11-01

    In this study, we examine the way in which students cooperate in Taiwanese and Australian science classrooms. We adopt the position that student cooperation is best understood by examining the patterns of variation within and between countries rather than trying to describe similarities and differences in essential terms. A critical analysis of large-scale learning environment questionnaire data combined with in-depth interview and observational data leads to several findings about the nature of student cooperation in the two countries. We conclude that students from Taiwan and Australia have a range of understandings and interpretations about what it means to cooperate in science classrooms. There are complex connections between cooperative behavior, student academic ability, sex, and nationality, which are best understood in socio-cultural terms.

  20. Teaching reproductive options through the use of fiction: the Cider House Rules project.

    PubMed

    Engstrom, Janet L; Hunter, Ramona G

    2007-01-01

    Alternative teaching strategies such as storytelling and the critical reading of literature are thought to help students develop their critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and cultural sensitivity and thereby better understand the context in which their patients live and make decisions. Such teaching methods are ideally suited for examining morally complex issues such as reproductive options. This article describes an alternative approach to teaching the complex personal, social, and moral issues surrounding the topic of reproductive options. The critical reading of the book, The Cider House Rules, provides a unique opportunity for students to obtain insight and understanding of the complex circumstances under which women and their families make reproductive decisions.

  1. The Critical Research Evaluation Tool (CRET): A Teaching and Learning Tool to Evaluate Research for Cultural Competence.

    PubMed

    Love, Katie L

    The aim of this study was to present the Critical Research Evaluation Tool (CRET) which teaches evaluation of the researchers' worldview, applicability to multicultural populations, and ethics surrounding potential harms to communities. To provide best cultural care nurses' need to understand how historical/social/political experiences impact health and also influence research. The Student using the CRET reported receiving a strong foundation in research fundamentals, gaining a better understanding of critical frameworks in research, and learning more about themselves and reflecting on their own privileges and biases. The CRET provides nursing students and nursing faculty with a tool for examining diversity and ultimately decreasing health disparity.

  2. Critical Care Interprofessional Education: Exploring Conflict and Power-Lessons Learned.

    PubMed

    Friend, Mary Louanne; Friend, Richard D; Ford, Cassandra; Ewell, Patrick J

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to evaluate the effects of an innovative critical care interprofessional education intervention on prelicensure nursing and medical students at a large public university. The class provided opportunities for students to (a) explore stereotypes about each respective profession, (b) examine the occurrence and effects of interprofessional conflict in high-acuity areas, and (c) explore conflict resolution techniques while learning how to perform critical care procedures as a team. A nonequivalent control group design with pretest, posttest, and focus group interviews were used. Data analyses indicated no subscales and total scores were significantly different across time or between groups. However, focus group analyses indicated that changes did occur. The findings suggest that students experience interprofessional conflict in clinical settings, yet lack the confidence and skills to effectively mitigate these behaviors. Ongoing studies to measure student empowerment and their intentions to practice collaboratively before and after graduation are recommended. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(12):696-700.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  3. The Learning Benefits of Being Willing and Able to Engage in Scientific Argumentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bathgate, Meghan; Crowell, Amanda; Schunn, Christian; Cannady, Mac; Dorph, Rena

    2015-07-01

    Engaging in science as an argumentative practice can promote students' critical thinking, reflection, and evaluation of evidence. However, many do not approach science in this way. Furthermore, the presumed confrontational nature of argumentation may run against cultural norms particularly during the sensitive time of early adolescence. This paper explores whether middle-school students' ability to engage in critical components of argumentation in science impacts science classroom learning. It also examines whether students' willingness to do so attenuates or moderates that benefit. In other words, does one need to be both willing and able to engage critically with the discursive nature of science to receive benefits to learning? This study of middle-school students participating in four months of inquiry science shows a positive impact of argumentative sensemaking ability on learning, as well as instances of a moderating effect of one's willingness to engage in argumentative discourse. Possible mechanisms and the potential impacts to educational practices are discussed.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Examining Student Evaluations of Black College Faculty: Does Race Matter?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Bettye P.; Hawkins, Billy

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was twofold. First, to describe the undergraduate student ratings of teaching effectiveness based on the traditional 36-item end-of-course evaluation form used in the College of Education (COE) at a southeastern Research Extensive predominantly White institution. Second, using critical race theory (CRT) to compare the…

  7. The Ideology of Computer Literacy in Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mangan, J. Marshall

    This research project brings a critical perspective to the examination of computer literacy as an ideological form through a study of the reactions of high school teachers and students. On-site interviews with teachers and students found both acceptance of and resistance to the message of adjustment to an inevitable future of vocational and…

  8. Entering the (Postgraduate) Field: Underrepresented Students' Acquisition of Cultural and Social Capital in Graduate School Preparation Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winkle-Wagner, Rachelle; McCoy, Dorian L.

    2016-01-01

    Examining the role of humanities graduate preparation programs in facilitating underrepresented undergraduate students' socialization to the field (social context) of graduate education, this critical multisite case study finds that these programs are crucial to bidirectional anticipatory socialization for graduate education, where one gains new…

  9. "Playing the Game" of Story Problems: Coordinating Situation-Based Reasoning with Algebraic Representation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walkington, Candace; Sherman, Milan; Petrosino, Anthony

    2012-01-01

    This study critically examines a key justification used by educational stakeholders for placing mathematics in context--the idea that contextualization provides students with access to mathematical ideas. We present interviews of 24 ninth grade students from a low-performing urban school solving algebra story problems, some of which were…

  10. Understanding Student Stress and Coping in Elementary School: A Mixed-Method, Longitudinal Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sotardi, Valerie A.

    2016-01-01

    This mixed-method, longitudinal study examined daily school stress and coping strategies of elementary schoolchildren in the United States. Students (n = 65) between the ages of 7 and 11 years reported daily school stress measures for 8 weeks and completed individual stress and coping interviews. Results highlight critical relations between…

  11. SMART Money: Do Financial Incentives Encourage College Students to Study Science?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Brent J.

    2012-01-01

    This research examines the short term success of a postsecondary federal financial aid program, the SMART Grant, designed to increase this stock of scientific human capital. An exploration of the success of this program provides the opportunity to address two critically important research questions. Do financial incentives encourage students to…

  12. Group Creativity Training for Children: Lessons Learned from Two Award-Winning Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shin, Namin; Jang, Yeon-Ju

    2017-01-01

    The development of group creativity can be challenging for both young students and their teachers. This study examined the processes and learning outcomes of group creativity training from the perspectives of elementary school students and teachers while identifying critical factors that contributed to the success of the training. Data were…

  13. Non-Science Majors' Critical Evaluation of Websites in a Biotechnology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halverson, Kristy L.; Siegel, Marcelle A.; Freyermuth, Sharyn K.

    2010-01-01

    Helping students develop criteria for judgment and apply examination skills is essential for promoting scientific literacy. With the increasing availability of the Internet, it is even more essential that students learn how to evaluate the science they gather from online resources. This is particularly true because publishing information on the…

  14. Localizing College Retention Efforts: The Distance between Theoretical Orientation and Institution-Specific Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xu, Yonghong Jade

    2017-01-01

    The study used a theoretically guided questionnaire to examine student experience in college and to gain a better understanding about how college environment affects student persistence. Data were collected from a single four-year institution; the findings suggest that institutional control over academic quality is the most critical factor in…

  15. Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric: The Three R's of Civic Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hart, D. Alexis

    This paper contends that modern compositionist courses have successfully met the goal of training students to become socially productive citizens by teaching them to be proficient "readers" who critically examine the sources and dissemination of knowledge, but that the field has fallen short of its goal of training students to actively…

  16. Implementation of Problem Based Learning among Nursing Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamdan, Abdul Rahim; Kwan, Chan Li; Khan, Aqeel; Ghafar, Mohamed Najib Abdul; Sihes, Ahmad Johari

    2014-01-01

    Critical thinking and effective problem solving skills have been regarded as an important element and as an educational outcome in professional nursing. The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of Problem Based Learning (PBL) among nursing students. More specifically, it compares pretest and post test scores of the implementation…

  17. Enhancing Student Teacher Supervision through Hybridization: Adding E-Supervision to the Mix

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paulsen, Thomas H.; Schmidt-Crawford, Denise A.

    2017-01-01

    Student teaching is a critical component of the preservice teacher preparation program which has a major role in preparing novices to teach. This capstone experience has been frequently examined and the subject of numerous reform measures. Clinical experiences for preservice teachers have recently seen new recommendations for increased supervisor…

  18. Critical Success Factors: PVCC Teacher Education Transfers to the University of Virginia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Eleanor Vernon

    This report examines the collaborative program between Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) and the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia (UVA). The program began in 1997 and was designed to encourage PVCC students, particularly minority and other nontraditional students, to participate in the Introduction to Teaching…

  19. Plausibility Reappraisals and Shifts in Middle School Students' Climate Change Conceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lombardi, Doug; Sinatra, Gale M.; Nussbaum, E. Michael

    2013-01-01

    Plausibility is a central but under-examined topic in conceptual change research. Climate change is an important socio-scientific topic; however, many view human-induced climate change as implausible. When learning about climate change, students need to make plausibility judgments but they may not be sufficiently critical or reflective. The…

  20. Reader Response in Secondary Settings: Increasing Comprehension through Meaningful Interactions with Literary Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodruff, Amanda H.; Griffin, Robert A.

    2017-01-01

    A fresh look at the reader response theory to enhance student comprehension through meaningful interactions with literature, this paper explores the instructional implications of a reader response approach in secondary classrooms and examines its role in fostering students' critical reading and thinking skills. The approach promotes transaction…

  1. Critical Examination of Candidates' Diversity Competence: Rigorous and Systematic Assessment of Candidates' Efficacy to Teach Diverse Student Populations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benton-Borghi, Beatrice Hope; Chang, Young Mi

    2011-01-01

    The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2010) continues to report substantial underachievement of diverse student populations in the nation's schools. After decades of focus on diversity and multicultural education, with integrating field and clinical practice, candidates continue to graduate without adequate knowledge, skills and…

  2. The QUASAR Project: The "Revolution of the Possible" in Mathematics Instructional Reform in Urban Middle Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silver, Edward A.; Stein, Mary Kay

    1996-01-01

    Examines critical features of the QUASAR Project, a mathematics instruction program oriented toward helping students develop a meaningful understanding of mathematical ideas through challenging mathematical tasks, and discusses findings regarding the positive impact it has had on students. Challenges and obstacles in implementing the project are…

  3. Collision Course: Conflict, Negotiation, and Learning in College Composition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Durst, Russel K.

    This book presents an ethnographic study which examines the ways first-year college students make sense of, engage, resist, and learn from the critical literacy approach practiced in the composition program at one Midwestern college. It argues that first-year students typically enter composition classes with an idea of writing and an understanding…

  4. Fish out of Water: Refugee and International Students in Mainstream Australian Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dumenden, Iris E.; English, Rebecca

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, the authors combine Pierre Bourdieu's concept of hysteresis (the "fish out of water" experience) with the discourse historical approach to critical discourse analysis (CDA) as a theoretical and analytical framework through which they examine specific moments in the schooling experiences of one refugee student and one…

  5. Applications of Balance Theory to Faculty Effectiveness: An Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Robin T.; Limbu, Yam B.; Xu, Bing; Fischbach, Sarah

    2012-01-01

    This paper provides a critical examination of the potential role of balance theory and student liking (affect) of instructors as tools for marketing professors in assisting student learning. The nature of balance theory and evidence of the learning impact of affect toward instructors are discussed. An empirical test of the theory is provided, and…

  6. Adaptive Teaching for English Language Arts: Following the Pathway of Classroom Data in Preservice Teacher Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Athanases, Steven Z.; Bennett, Lisa H.; Wahleithner, Juliet Michelsen

    2015-01-01

    Consensus exists that effective teaching includes capacity to adapt instruction to respond to student learning challenges as they arise. Adaptive teachers may keep pace with rapidly evolving youth literacies and students' increasing cultural and linguistic diversity. Teachers are challenged to critically examine pedagogy when some contexts expect…

  7. The Impact of High-Stakes Testing on Latina/o Students' College Aspirations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodriguez, Jessica M.; Arellano, Lucy

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the influence high-stakes testing has on Latina/o student aspirations and subsequent college enrollment. It quantitatively examines the critical juncture of high school exit and college entry at a school district serving a predominately Latino population. Findings confirm a strong correlation between the math and English…

  8. Exploring Factors that Influence Students' Behaviors in Information Security

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoon, Cheolho; Hwang, Jae-Won; Kim, Rosemary

    2012-01-01

    Due to the ever-increasing use of the Internet, information security has become a critical issue in society. This is especially the case for young adults who have different attitudes towards information security practices. In this research, we examine factors that motivate college students' information security behaviors. Based on the concept of…

  9. Representing Family: Community Funds of Knowledge, Bilingualism, and Multimodality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Elizabeth; Toohey, Kelleen

    2010-01-01

    In this article, Elizabeth Marshall and Kelleen Toohey use critical discourse analysis to examine educators' efforts to incorporate funds of knowledge from the communities and families of Punjabi Sikh students in a Canadian elementary school. Using MP3 players, students first recorded and then translated their grandparents' stories of life in…

  10. Writing for Physics Mastery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weber, Stephen W.

    A study examined the effectiveness of incorporating writing as a tool to master the concepts of physics. Subjects were students in the three traditional physics classes and one non-math or conceptual physics class at East High School in Rockford, Illinois. The instructor tried a variety of methods--students wrote criticisms of Carl Sagan videos,…

  11. Unrealistic Optimism in the Pursuit of Academic Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewine, Rich; Sommers, Alison A.

    2016-01-01

    Although the ability to evaluate one's own knowledge and performance is critical to learning, the correlation between students' self-evaluation and actual performance measures is modest at best. In this study we examine the effect of offering extra credit for students' accurate prediction (self-accuracy) of their performance on four exams in two…

  12. Chinese Education Examined via the Lens of Self-Determination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yu, Shi; Chen, Beiwen; Levesque-Bristol, Chantal; Vansteenkiste, Maarten

    2018-01-01

    Chinese education is controversial: it is not only lauded for Chinese students' high test achievements but also criticized for curbing students' deep learning and development into well-rounded individuals. In the current paper, we propose that self-determination theory (SDT) serves as a useful framework for anatomizing Chinese educational ecology,…

  13. Examination of the Classification Accuracy of Music Education Special Aptitude Exams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atar, Hakan Yavuz; Sayin, Ayfer; Atar, Burcu

    2013-01-01

    It is critical both for candidates who apply for programs that require special aptitude and the professors who teach in these programs whether those students' scores on placement exams are correctly calculated. Because student's ability profile and the quality of education in these programs may be directly affected by how candidates placement…

  14. The Impact of an Interdisciplinary Learning Community Course on Pseudoscientific Reasoning in First-Year Science Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franz, Timothy M.; Green, Kris H.

    2013-01-01

    This case study examined the development and evaluation of an interdisciplinary first-year learning community designed to stimulate scientific reasoning and critical thinking. Designed to serve the needs of scholarship students majoring in mathematics and natural sciences, the six-credit learning community course was writing-intensive and…

  15. Domain Specificity and Generality of Epistemic Cognitions: Issues in Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owen, Jesse J.

    2011-01-01

    As administers in higher education search for learning outcome measures, the assessment of epistemic cognitions, or how students critically think and reason about real-world issues, is paramount. The current study examined if students' expertise in a domain of study (i.e., domain specificity) influenced their scores on an empirically supported…

  16. 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

  17. Educative Mentoring: How a Mentor Supported a Preservice Biology Teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnett, Ellen; Friedrichsen, Patricia J.

    2015-11-01

    Research suggests discipline-specific, educative mentoring can help preservice teachers develop more sophisticated pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). However, there are few studies examining the nature of mentors' practice and how mentors influence preservice teacher's (PST) PCK. The purpose of this case study was to describe the strategies used by a secondary biology mentor teacher to support the development of a PST's PCK. The primary data sources were the transcripts of audio-recorded, daily meetings between the mentor and the PST during two curriculum units: DNA/Protein Synthesis and Evolution. The mentor influenced the PST's teaching orientation by repeatedly comparing teacher- and student-centered approaches, asking him to consider how students learn, and asking him to self-assess whether his instruction aligned with his teaching beliefs. The mentor helped the PST develop topic-specific knowledge of instructional strategies by sharing strategies she used previously, modeling critical reflection, and inviting him to critically reflect on his own instructional strategies. Topic-specific knowledge of students' understanding of science was developed by discussing common student misconceptions revealed in students' conversations and by sharing the results of test-item analysis from previous unit tests. The mentor helped develop the PST's topic-specific knowledge of assessment by helping him critically analyze and revise previous examinations to better align with the current curriculum units. Topic-specific knowledge of curricula was developed by jointly grappling with decisions about concept sequencing within units. The study includes implications for research, science teacher education, and professional development for mentors.

  18. The communication imperative: a critical thinking paradigm.

    PubMed

    Edgington, E M

    1994-01-01

    The communication imperative is a recognition of the fact that the interpersonal relationship between the health care provider and the client is as fundamental to building and maintaining a practice as is clinical skill. At the University of Alberta we have introduced a Critical Thinking Module in an attempt to focus on this relationship and to encourage students to examine their beliefs and attitudes in a new way. This article will examine some of the background to this decision as well as look at the course itself.

  19. Exploring the utility of measures of critical thinking dispositions and professional behavior development in an audiology education program.

    PubMed

    Ng, Stella L; Bartlett, Doreen J; Lucy, S Deborah

    2013-05-01

    Discussions about professional behaviors are growing increasingly prevalent across health professions, especially as a central component to education programs. A strong critical thinking disposition, paired with critical consciousness, may provide future health professionals with a foundation for solving challenging practice problems through the application of sound technical skill and scientific knowledge without sacrificing sensitive, empathic, client-centered practice. In this article, we describe an approach to monitoring student development of critical thinking dispositions and key professional behaviors as a way to inform faculty members' and clinical supervisors' support of students and ongoing curriculum development. We designed this exploratory study to describe the trajectory of change for a cohort of audiology students' critical thinking dispositions (measured by the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory: [CCTDI]) and professional behaviors (using the Comprehensive Professional Behaviors Development Log-Audiology [CPBDL-A]) in an audiology program. Implications for the CCTDI and CPBDL-A in audiology entry-to-practice curricula and professional development will be discussed. This exploratory study involved a cohort of audiology students, studied over a two-year period, using a one-group repeated measures design. Eighteen audiology students (two male and 16 female), began the study. At the third and final data collection point, 15 students completed the CCTDI, and nine students completed the CPBDL-A. The CCTDI and CPBDL-A were each completed at three time points: at the beginning, at the middle, and near the end of the audiology education program. Data are presented descriptively in box plots to examine the trends of development for each critical thinking disposition dimension and each key professional behavior as well as for an overall critical thinking disposition score. For the CCTDI, there was a general downward trend from time point 1 to time point 2 and a general upward trend from time point 2 to time point 3. Students demonstrated upward trends from the initial to final time point for their self-assessed development of professional behaviors as indicated on the CPBDL-A. The CCTDI and CPBDL-A can be used by audiology education programs as mechanisms for inspiring, fostering, and monitoring the development of critical thinking dispositions and key professional behaviors in students. Feedback and mentoring about dispositions and behaviors in conjunction with completion of these measures is recommended for inspiring and fostering these key professional attributes. American Academy of Audiology.

  20. The influence of gender on student willingness to engage in peer physical examination: the practical implications of feminist theory of body image.

    PubMed

    Rees, Charlotte E

    2007-08-01

    Previous research has consistently found a relationship between students' attitudes towards peer physical examination (PPE) and their gender. Male students are more comfortable with PPE than females and students are more comfortable with same- rather than mixed-gender PPE. Despite these findings, previous research has not discussed the gender-attitude relationship in any meaningful depth. This discussion paper examines why a relationship exists between student attitudes towards PPE and student gender using insights from feminist body image theory. According to the feminist theory of objectified body consciousness, females experience their bodies differently from males. Females may be less comfortable with PPE because they have higher levels of body shame and body surveillance than males. They may also be more likely than males to fear critical and teasing comments and sexual objectification by the opposite sex. Capitalizing on what we already know about psychoeducational and activism approaches to the prevention and change of negative body image, I recommend that body image issues are discussed as part of students' PPE and professionalism programmes. Further research is needed to examine medical students' body image alongside their attitudes towards PPE.

  1. Personalizing Research: Special Educators' Awareness of Evidence-Based Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guckert, Mary; Mastropieri, Margo A.; Scruggs, Thomas E.

    2016-01-01

    Although evidence-based practices are considered critical to student success, a research-to-practice gap exists. This qualitative study examined practicing special education teachers' perceptions of their use of evidence-based practices. Special education teachers were interviewed and their classroom practices examined. Major themes emerged and…

  2. Educational Intervention/Case Study: Implementing an Elementary-Level, Classroom-Based Media Literacy Education Program for Academically At-Risk Middle-School Students in the Non-Classroom Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Draper, Michele; Appregilio, Seymour; Kramer, Alaina; Ketcherside, Miranda; Campbell, Summer; Stewart, Brandon; Rhodes, Darson; Cox, Carol

    2015-01-01

    Media literacy education teaches youth to critically examine the influence of media messages on health and substance use behavior. A small group of low-achieving middle school students at high risk for substance abuse attending an afterschool academic remediation program received a media literacy intervention intended for elementary students in a…

  3. Preparation for the Profession: An Examination of the Triangulation among University of Utah Journalism Educators, Their Students, and the Salt Lake Valley Media Practitioners Who Hire Them

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuban, Adam Jeremy

    2012-01-01

    Journalism educators must make critical decisions about their undergraduate curricula, determining how to best prepare their students for professional careers. Present scholarship indicates that a disconnect exists in what journalism students think they ought to know and/or be able to do upon graduation, what educators think they must teach their…

  4. Latina/o Transfer Students: Understanding the Critical Role of the Transfer Process in California's Postsecondary Institutions. CSRC Research Report. Number 9

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivas, Martha A.; Perez, Jeanette; Alvarez, Crystal R.; Solorzano, Daniel G.

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to take a closer look at the experiences of Latina/o students who transfer from the California Community Colleges (CCC) to the California State University (CSU) or the University of California (UC). The authors examine the role of the CCC in the postsecondary education of Latina/o students, the characteristics of…

  5. Effects of ethics education on moral sensitivity of nursing students.

    PubMed

    Yeom, Hye-A; Ahn, Sung-Hee; Kim, Su-Jeong

    2017-09-01

    While nursing ethics education is commonly provided for undergraduate nursing students in most nursing colleges, consensus on the content and teaching modules for these ethics courses have still not been established. This study aimed to examine the effects of nursing ethics education on the moral sensitivity and critical thinking disposition of nursing students in Korea. A one-group pre- and post-test design was used. Moral sensitivity was measured using the Korean version of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire. Critical thinking disposition was measured using the Critical Thinking Disposition Questionnaire. Participants and research context: Participants were 70 undergraduate nursing students who were attending a university located in Seoul, Korea. The nursing ethics education was provided 7 times, from September to December 2010, and comprised 90-min sessions each week. Ethical considerations: This study was conducted in accordance with the Human Subject Research Ethics Committee guidelines. After the education, the levels for the patient-oriented care, a sub-domain of moral sensitivity, and inquisitiveness, a sub-domain of critical thinking disposition, significantly improved. There were no changes in overall scores for moral sensitivity and critical thinking disposition. There were significant positive correlations between moral sensitivity and critical thinking disposition both pre- and post-intervention. These results reflect the need for ongoing efforts to develop innovative content, structure, and instructional methods for undergraduate nursing ethics education programs.

  6. Students' Perceptions of Teaching Methods That Bridge Theory to Practice in Dental Hygiene Education.

    PubMed

    Wilkinson, Denise M; Smallidge, Dianne; Boyd, Linda D; Giblin, Lori

    2015-10-01

    Health care education requires students to connect classroom learning with patient care. The purpose of this study was to explore dental hygiene students' perceptions of teaching tools, activities and teaching methods useful in closing the gap between theory and practice as students transition from classroom learning into the clinical phase of their training. This was an exploratory qualitative study design examining retrospective data from journal postings of a convenience sample of dental hygiene students (n=85). Open-ended questions related to patient care were given to junior and senior students to respond in a reflective journaling activity. A systematic approach was used to establish themes. Junior students predicted hands-on experiences (51%), critical thinking exercises (42%) and visual aids (27%) would be the most supportive in helping them connect theory to practice. Senior students identified critical thinking exercises (44%) and visual aids (44%) as the most beneficial in connecting classroom learning to patient care. Seniors also identified barriers preventing them from connecting theory to patient care. Barriers most often cited were not being able to see firsthand what is in the text (56%) and being unsure that what was seen during clinical practice was the same as what was taught (28%). Students recognized the benefits of critical thinking and problem solving skills after having experienced patient care and were most concerned with performance abilities prior to patient care experiences. This information will be useful in developing curricula to enhance critical thinking and problem solving skills. Copyright © 2015 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

  7. Effective Learning in an Ambulatory Family Medicine Clerkship: A Qualitative Study of Medical Student Midpoint Feedback.

    PubMed

    Bradner, Melissa K; Flores, Sharon Kaufer; Gary, Judy S; Zumbrunn, Sharon

    2017-09-01

    There is substantial research on the effectiveness of ambulatory medical preceptors' teaching skills, but less is known about the student perspective on what contributes most to effective learning in a busy clinical practice. As part of a formative midpoint assessment during the third-year clerkship in family medicine, students were asked to respond to the following open-ended reflective prompt: "My preceptor contributed to my learning by..." A qualitative assessment of student responses was conducted to identify themes describing effective learning in the ambulatory setting. Responses for all clerkship students from the years 2012-2014 were examined (N=314). The most common characteristic of effective learning identified by respondents was Autonomy in Practice. Other prominent themes included Stimulating Critical Thinking and Feedback. Understanding student perceptions of the critical components of learning in ambulatory settings will allow medical educators to design meaningful student learning experiences and coach community teachers on effective teaching practices.

  8. Critical Concerns for Oral Communication Education in the United States and the United Kingdom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emanuel, Richard

    2011-01-01

    An examination of oral communication education in the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (U.K.) identified four critical concerns: (1) Today's college students are not getting adequate oral communication education; (2) Oral communication education is being relegated to a "module" in another discipline-specific course; (3) When an…

  9. Making Real-World Issues Our Business: Critical Literacy in a Third-Grade Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heffernan, Lee; Lewison, Mitzi

    2000-01-01

    Reflects on the events that occurred during a six-month period in a suburban classroom. Documents the transformation that took place in learning and teaching as students took part in a critical literacy curriculum. Examines the significant curricular changes that occur when the "real world" is allowed to enter classroom discussions and…

  10. Experimental Study of Teaching Critical Thinking in Civic Education in Taiwanese Junior High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Shu Ching; Chung, Tung-Yu

    2009-01-01

    Background: To effectively respond to the need for greater CT (critical thinking) in the classroom, this study examines the effects of cultivating CT skills within civic education to maximize its potential. Despite realizing the importance of CT in education, schools do not tend to apply it. Furthermore, since students frequently do not raise…

  11. Paying Attention to Procedural Texts: Critically Reading School Routines as Embodied Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zanden, Sarah Vander; Wohlwend, Karen E.

    2011-01-01

    In this article, we look closely at the way power circulates through school routines with ordinary texts in everyday moments. We address texts that support different types of achievement and how critical literacy helps us redefine achievement and examine what we're doing with texts and students in classrooms. We interrogate the notion of…

  12. Effectiveness of Critical Thinking Instruction in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of Intervention Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tiruneh, Dawit T.; Verburgh, An; Elen, Jan

    2014-01-01

    Promoting students' critical thinking (CT) has been an essential goal of higher education. However, despite the various attempts to make CT a primary focus of higher education, there is little agreement regarding the conditions under which instruction could result in greater CT outcomes. In this review, we systematically examined current empirical…

  13. Latinx Popular Culture Imaginaries: Examining Puerto Rican Children's Social Discourses in Interpreting Telenovelas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Medina, Carmen Liliana; Costa, María del Rocío; Soto, Nayda

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we present a collaboration project within one urban Puerto Rican classroom, focused on constructing a critical literacy inquiry curriculum grounded in the students' out-of-school literacy practices in their communities, including their experiences with media and popular culture. We focused on a critical literacy and media inquiry…

  14. Using a Critical Reflection Framework and Collaborative Inquiry to Improve Teaching Practice: An Action Research Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Briscoe, Patricia

    2017-01-01

    This action research reports on a three-year collaborative learning process among three teachers. We used current literature and a critical reflection framework to understand why our teaching approaches were not resulting in increased student learning. This allowed us to examine our previously unrecognized and uninterrupted--and often,…

  15. Supporting New Educators to Teach for Social Justice: The Critical Inquiry Project Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Picower, Bree

    2007-01-01

    Urban public schools and their teachers are under siege. From increased standardization, privatization and testing to a growing number of students whose needs are not being met by schools, urban public school teachers face a daunting task. Without a space in which to critically examine their daily experiences within schools, many well-intentioned…

  16. Practical Application of Critical Race Theory: A Social Justice Course Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pulliam, Rose M.

    2017-01-01

    Social work education aims to prepare students to effectively engage with diverse people and groups. This article presents a practical application of critical race theory (CRT) toward that end. It describes a brief history of curricular approaches to teaching diversity and social justice and examines a few of the challenges with current curricular…

  17. Using Text Sets to Facilitate Critical Thinking in Sixth Graders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scales, Roya Q.; Tracy, Kelly N.

    2017-01-01

    This case study examines features and processes of a sixth grade teacher (Jane) utilizing text sets as a tool for facilitating critical thinking. Jane's strong vision and student-centered beliefs informed her use of various texts to teach language arts as she worked to address demands of the Common Core State Standards. Text sets promoted multiple…

  18. Contextualizing Asian American Education through Critical Race Theory: An Example of U.S. Pilipino College Student Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buenavista, Tracy Lachica; Jayakumar, Uma M.; Misa-Escalante, Kimberly

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the authors offer a CRT (critical race theory) perspective of the prevailing representation of Asian Americans in higher education research and acknowledge the importance of recent studies that have begun to challenge notions of a monolithic Asian American educational experience through an examination of differences among Asian…

  19. 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.

  20. Developing Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Courses: A Philosophical Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kalman, Calvin S.

    2002-01-01

    Examines how 20th century philosophers of science have influenced current physics educational research. Examines the introduction of a study of these philosophers in several courses, including the calculus-based introductory physics course on optics and modern physics. Concludes that students seem to have made a marked improvement in their…

  1. School physics teacher class management, laboratory practice, student engagement, critical thinking, cooperative learning and use of simulations effects on student performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riaz, Muhammad

    The purpose of this study was to examine how simulations in physics class, class management, laboratory practice, student engagement, critical thinking, cooperative learning, and use of simulations predicted the percentage of students achieving a grade point average of B or higher and their academic performance as reported by teachers in secondary school physics classes. The target population consisted of secondary school physics teachers who were members of Science Technology, Engineeering and,Mathematics Teachers of New York City (STEMteachersNYC) and American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA). They used simulations in their physics classes in the 2013 and 2014 school years. Subjects for this study were volunteers. A survey was constructed based on a literature review. Eighty-two physics teachers completed the survey about instructional practice in physics. All respondents were anonymous. Classroom management was the only predictor of the percent of students achieving a grade point average of B or higher in high school physics class. Cooperative learning, use of simulations, and student engagement were predictors of teacher's views of student academic performance in high school physics class. All other variables -- class management, laboratory practice, critical thinking, and teacher self-efficacy -- were not predictors of teacher's views of student academic performance in high school physics class. The implications of these findings were discussed and recommendations for physics teachers to improve student learning were presented.

  2. Information retrieval, critical appraisal and knowledge of evidence-based dentistry among Finnish dental students.

    PubMed

    Nieminen, P; Virtanen, J I

    2017-11-01

    One of the core skills of competent dentist is the ability to search and analyse high-quality evidence. Problems in understanding the basic aspects of knowledge-based information may impede its implementation into clinical practice. We examined how Finnish dental students acquire scientific information and how familiar they are with methods for evaluating scientific evidence related to clinical questions. All fifth-year dental students (n = 120) at the three universities in Finland received a self-administered questionnaire. The three most commonly used sources of information were colleagues, the commercial Health Gate Portal for dental practitioners and personal lecture notes. Although students rarely read scientific journals, they did find that they possess at least passable or even good skills in literature retrieval. Three questions related to the appraisal of evidence in dentistry revealed that students' knowledge of evidence-based dentistry was inadequate to critically evaluate clinical research findings. Most students seem to lack knowledge of key methodological evidence-based terms. The present curricula in dental schools fail to encourage the students to search and acquire knowledge wider than their patients themselves do. Universities have the responsibility to teach dentists various methods of critical appraisal to cope with scientific information. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. A video-based learning activity is effective for preparing physiotherapy students for practical examinations.

    PubMed

    Weeks, Benjamin K; Horan, Sean A

    2013-12-01

    To examine a video-based learning activity for engaging physiotherapy students in preparation for practical examinations and determine student performance outcomes. Multi-method employing qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures. Tertiary education facility on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Physiotherapy students in their first year of a two-year graduate entry program. Questionnaire-based surveys and focus groups were used to examine student perceptions and satisfaction. Surveys were analysed based on the frequency of responses to closed questions made on a 5-pont Likert scale, while a thematic analysis was performed on focus group transcripts. t-Tests were used to compare student awarded marks and examiner awarded marks and evaluate student performance. Sixty-two physiotherapy students participated in the study. Mean response rate for questionnaires was 93% and eight students (13%) participated in the focus group. Participants found the video resources effective to support their learning (98% positive) and rating the video examples to be an effective learning activity (96% positive). Themes emergent from focus group responses were around improved understanding, reduced performance anxiety, and enjoyment. Students were, however, critical of the predictable nature of the example performances. Students in the current cohort supported by the video-based preparation activity exhibited greater practical examination marks than those from the previous year who were unsupported by the activity (mean 81.6 SD 8.7 vs. mean 78.1 SD 9.0, p=0.01). A video-based learning activity was effective for preparing physiotherapy students for practical examinations and conferred benefits of reduced anxiety and improved performance. Copyright © 2013 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Learning Active Citizenship: Conflicts between Students' Conceptualisations of Citizenship and Classroom Learning Experiences in Lebanon

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akar, Bassel

    2016-01-01

    Education for active citizenship continues to be a critical response for social cohesion and reconstruction in conflict-affected areas. Oftentimes, approaches to learning and teaching in such contexts can do as much harm as good. This study qualitatively examines 435 students' reflections of their civics classroom learning experiences and their…

  5. Michigan's Top-to-Bottom Ranking: A Measure of School Quality or Student Poverty?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spalding, Audrey

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the state's "Top-to-Bottom" ranking, which has been repeatedly criticized by educators for appearing to be correlated with school poverty rates. Mackinac Center research finds that schools that serve more lower-income students tend to receive lower scores on the TTB list. These results matters because TTB rankings are…

  6. "I Thought We Were over This Problem": Explorations of Race in/through Literature Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Price-Dennis, Detra; Holmes, Kathlene; Smith, Emily E.

    2016-01-01

    This article examines classroom practices that draw upon students' understandings of race and equity as they engage in critical literature inquiry to explore issues of power in our society. Our research team, comprising a fifth-grade classroom teacher, a doctoral candidate, and a university professor, analyzed students' written and digital…

  7. Affirming Race, Diversity, and Equity through Black and Latinx Students' Lived Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vue, Rican; Haslerig, Siduri Jayaram; Allen, Walter R.

    2017-01-01

    Immediately after President Obama's successful campaign, many hypothesized that the United States had entered a post-racial era. This study uses critical race theory to examine how high-achieving Black and Latinx college students make meaning of and navigate affirmative action policy discourses in an era of colorblind racial politics.…

  8. The Effects of Microblogging on Middle School Students' Engagement and Critical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Singleton, Sondra Shively

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of microblogging as an authentic real-world technology in a middle school classroom in response to the 2010 Department of Education's call to provide students with more relevant digital experiences. The non-equivalent control group, pretest-posttest design study was used to determine if…

  9. Open Book Examinations in a Distance (Teacher) Education Programme: South African Teacher-Learners' Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Msila, Vuyisile

    2011-01-01

    The current post-apartheid system of education in South Africa requires students to be critical thinkers. Education institutions utilise a variety of assessment strategies; peer assessment, self-assessment, and group assessment are some of the formative assessments that are crucial in the promotion of students. This article reports on the findings…

  10. Math Requirement Fulfillment and Educational Success of Community College Students: A Matter of When

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Xueli; Wang, Yan; Wickersham, Kelly; Sun, Ning; Chan, Hsun-yu

    2017-01-01

    Objective: In community colleges, achieving competence in math is critical to students' timely progression through coursework and eventual educational success; yet, it remains unclear when the optimal timing to complete required math courses is in order to maximize the chance of completing a credential on time. This study examines the timing of…

  11. Undocumented Student Allies and Transformative Resistance: A Ethnographic Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Angela Chuan-Ru; Rhoads, Robert A.

    2016-01-01

    This article examines staff and faculty allies working to help meet the needs of undocumented students at a large research university in the western region of the U.S. Drawing on scholarly work rooted in critical race theory and ethnic studies, the authors highlight forms of transformative resistance. They focus on four key findings: (1) student…

  12. Principled Eclecticism: Approach and Application in Teaching Writing to ESL/EFL Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alharbi, Sultan H.

    2017-01-01

    The principal purpose of this paper is to critically examine and evaluate the efficacy of the principled eclectic approach to teaching English as second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) writing to undergraduate students. The paper illustrates that this new method adapts mainstream writing pedagogies to individual needs of learners of ESL/EFL in order to…

  13. Contextualizing Race: African American College Choice in an Evolving Affirmative Action Era

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teranishi, Robert T.; Briscoe, Kamilah

    2008-01-01

    Using a critical race theory framework, this study examines the ways in which race and racialized ideologies are manifested in high-stakes college admissions, the debate over affirmative action, and the college choice behavior of Black high school students. This study allows for the voices of Black high school students in California to describe…

  14. Local Cosmopolitans and Cosmopolitan Locals: New Models of Professionals in the Academy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rhoades, Gary; Kiyama, Judy Marquez; McCormick, Rudy; Quiroz, Marisol

    2008-01-01

    This essay critically examines the centrality of mobility to the model of being a higher education professor or a student affairs professional. Using three narratives of lower-income Latino students about their educational and professional choices, we offer a reading based on Gouldner's classic conception of cosmopolitans and locals, and on Baez's…

  15. Impact of Cultural Differences on Students' Participation, Communication, and Learning in an Online Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Dazhi; Olesova, Larissa; Richardson, Jennifer C.

    2010-01-01

    Being aware of cultural differences and knowing how to deal with related differences is critical for the success of online learning and training that involves learners from multiple countries and cultures. This study examines the perceived differences of participants from two different cultures on (1) students' participation behaviors; (2)…

  16. High Achievers from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: The Critical Role of Disciplinary Climate and Grit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Haigen; Zhu, Hao

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine whether school disciplinary climate and grit predicted low socioeconomic status (SES) students being high achievers in mathematics and science with a representative sample of 15-year-old students in the United States. Our analysis, using a two-level logistic hierarchical linear model (HLM), indicated both…

  17. Accounting Majors' Perceptions of Future Career Skills: An Exploratory Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parham, Abbie Gail; Noland, Thomas G.; Kelly, Julia Ann

    2012-01-01

    Business education is often criticized for its failure to develop lifelong skills. This study examines the opinions of 205 students to determine what skills they deem to be important for their future careers. The study then compares the opinions of accounting students against other business disciplines. The results of the study are mixed for the…

  18. Navigating the Gray Area: A School District's Documentation of the Relationship between Disability and Misconduct

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Maria M.

    2018-01-01

    Background/Context: The administration of student discipline is one of many responsibilities under the purview of teachers and educational leaders across the country. Maintaining a safe environment with minimal disruptions is not an easy task. From existing research on student discipline, we have learned that critical examination of data and…

  19. Examining Multiple Readings of Popular Culture by ESL Students in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luk, Jasmine; Hui, Diane

    2017-01-01

    The integration of popular culture into English language learning has recently been formalised in the Hong Kong New Senior Secondary curriculum, with the development of critical reading indicated as one of the key objectives. Whether and how students respond to popular culture texts is, however, under-researched. The present paper reports findings…

  20. Governmentality in Higher Education: A Critical Analysis of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorman, Bonnie B.

    2012-01-01

    In this dissertation, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) serves as a nodal point through which to examine the power relations shaping the direction and practices of higher education in the twenty-first century. Theoretically, my analysis is informed by Foucault's concept of governmentality, briefly defined as a technology of power…

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