Scholarship & Research
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Item Critical thinking in the 21st century : pre-service elementary teachers perceptions and application of critical thinking in a social studies methods course(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2015) Dallman, Dallas Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jayne DowneyCritical thinking can be described as the process by which an individual or group of individuals collects, organizes and evaluates information with the purpose of making judgments that guide beliefs and actions. While the development of critical thinking skills has long been a goal of education, and is thought to be even more critical in the world of the 21st century, there is evidence to suggest it is not an easy outcome to realize. It is unknown whether todays pre-service teachers are prepared to encourage and support the development of critical thinking skills in the k-8 classroom. This mixed methods study explores the perceptions of elementary pre-service teachers with regard to their personal application of critical thinking skills and their ability to promote the development and application of critical thinking skills in a k-8 classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from participants who were enrolled in an elementary social studies methods course. Data collection included a self-reporting survey of everyday critical thinking, a document analysis of civics and government lesson plans, and face to face interviews. These three different data points help build a complete picture of the ways in which critical thinking is or is not promoted in elementary classrooms. The results demonstrated that pre-service elementary teachers believe themselves to be critical thinkers at least some of the time, however, few critical thinking skills were required in the lesson plans designed by participants. While the interviews help to shed some light on the reasons, the study is not conclusive in this area. The study certainly reinforces the idea that critical thinking is a complex and abstract idea - difficult to define, measure or teach at any age level.Item Predictors of proficiency in critical thinking for college freshmen(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1989) Wilson, Kenneth DaleItem A qualitative examination of critical questioners and the critical questioning process(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1991) Hamilton, Wendy VictoriaItem A study of possible factors that influence the construction of teacher-made problems that assess higher-order thinking skills(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1999) Harpster, David LynnItem The influence of critical thinking on Christians' belief and belief change with reference to the polarities of creationism and organic evolution(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1995) Towne, Margaret GrayItem Elements of reflective and non-reflective discourse in an online induction program for experienced and novice science teachers(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2009) Farrar, Beth Lauri; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Elisabeth SwansonReflection is frequently cited in the literature as integral to the type of learning in which professionals engage. However, throughout the literature the concept of reflection has been ill-defined and shown to be difficult to operationalize in studies. Beginning with a comprehensive review of the literature, this study sought to develop a research based way to operationalize reflection. Once reflection was defined and operationalized, a discourse analysis rubric was designed to identify elements of non reflective and reflective discourse used by participants in an online content-based mentoring and induction professional development program, e-Mentoring for Student Success (eMSS). The rubric was used to conduct a content analysis of online discourse between novice and experienced science teachers participating in the eMSS program. Coders determined which elements of non reflective and reflective discourse, including levels of discourse, were used by different types of participants in the various online discussion areas of the eMSS program. The results of this study showed a higher percentage of novice science teachers' messages were coded as containing overall higher levels of reflective discourse. This difference was partly attributed to the different roles experienced and novice science teachers have in this program. The different eMSS online discussion areas had varying percentages of messages identified as containing different levels of reflective discourse. Different discussion area curriculums, including types of discussion prompts and methods of facilitation, partly attributed to these differences. This study showed the importance of being intentional in the wording or modeling of what is expected from participants as they compose their messages. This study also showed that eliciting reflective thought processes from program participants depends on a variety of factors and can be contextual. No single factor stood out as essential to consistently encouraging reflective thought processes. Recommendations are made for designing program curriculums and facilitating the type of learning that results in the use of reflective thought by program participants.