Analysis of Results

A literature search was performed to find available textbooks or resources on the Internet in order to locate a sample of diagnostic tools suitable for measuring critical thinking skills for this project. Unable to find suitable material, I consequently created one tailored to measure student attitudes in the social studies content area determined by the change in critical thinking. The primary areas of focus included testing, interpretation of content, varied assignments for projects, and analysis of historical information. I felt that, as critical thinking improved, there would be a change in the student rating of the answers. Twenty-four students answered the questionnaire in both January and March. Four students were absent at the time the questionnaire was first administered in January and I did not administer the questionnaire to those students in March. Therefore, the same students participated in the questionnaire in both January and March. The questionnaire contained twenty-one questions based on the Likert scale model. Each question contained five possible selections that included: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree choices that students selected indicating their level of agreement to the statements presented. The questionnaire was administered in mid-January at the beginning of the Revolutionary War Unit and again in mid-March upon completion of the unit.

Although some attitudes did not change, (Appendix C) there were some areas indicating potential change in attitude. Questions regarding types of tests administered did not change significantly. I had hoped that there might be a shift away from multiple choice and true and false answers to open-ended questions. Also, the section on interpretation of political cartoons did not change, favoring student interpretations, rather than teacher-guided interpretation.

It appears that student attitudes toward class discussion (Question 6) changed by 25% in favor of student-generated discussion, rather than teacher directed discussion. Questions involving student empathy toward historical events and figures also appeared to have changed favorably by 16.67% -- two strongly agreeing originally in January versus 6 in the March survey. Students indicated in the March questionnaire that they were able to put themselves in the place of historical figures more readily than those indicated in January (Questions 13 and 14). 20.83% found themselves disagreeing less and more in favor with an agreement indicating more empathy with people in the past.

It also seemed that attitudes in March seemed to indicate a shift toward looking at the problems in history rather than rote memorization of facts, dates, and people (Questions 17 and 18). A change in approximately 16.67% strongly agreeing and those agreeing changed in favor of analysis versus rote. Student analysis of the history content in textbooks changed by 16.67% (Question 19) from strongly agreeing to strongly disagreeing indicating less confidence in the published material. Basically, more students seemed to strongly disagree with how the texts described figures and events.

Home
Purpose
Definitions of Critical Thinking
Teachers' Utilization of Critical Thinking in the Classroom
Correlation of Teaching Critical Thinking Skills to Standardized Test Improvement
Methodology
Analysis of Results - Questionnaire Analysis
Analysis of Results - Cartoon Analysis
Analysis of Results - Analysis of Chapter Quiz
Analysis of the Individual Assignment
Analysis of Group Assignment
Teacher Analysis of Daily Lessons