_.gif)
_.gif)
Upper Primary Learners’ Level of Critical Thinking Skill and Its Effect on Students’ English Language Achievement in relation with Sex
Abstract
The present study examined the nature of upper second cycle elementary school students’ critical thinking ability, investigated the correlation of critical thinking skill with learners’ English language achievement and sex, and explored the effect of critical thinking ability on learners' English language achievement. The study involved 99 grade seven students from two government full cycle primary schools in Woldia town. In order to gather data, standardized critical thinking test was administered and semester based learners’ English language achievement scores were used. So, T-test, Pearson product moment correlation and linear regression ware employed to analyze the data. Results of t-test applied to analyze the critical thinking test results revealed that participants’ level of critical thinking skill was very low, and the mean difference between female and male students’ critical thinking score was not statistically significant. However, the result of Pearson product moment correlation coefficient showed that there was a positive significant correlation between the critical thinking ability and English language achievement; whereas, correlation was not found between learners’ critical thinking proficiency and sex. The finding from the linear regression also exposed that learners’ critical thinking proficiency could predict approximately 36 % of learners’ English language achievement. Finally, the researchers made conclusions and forwarded recommendations based on the findings.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abu-Dabat Z (2013). The Achievement and Development of Critical Thinking Skills in the Arabic Language of Adolescent Pupils with reference to the Primary Stage throughout Jordan. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science; 3(5); pp. 155-162.
Beaumont J (2010). A Sequence of Critical Thinking Tasks. Feature Article. TESOL Journal, 1(4); pp. 1-22
Bracken B, Bai W, Fithian E, Lamprecht M, Little C, Quek C (2003). The Test of Critical Thinking. Williamsburg, VA: Center for Gifted Education. The College of William and Mary.
Bracken B, Brown E, Feng A, VanTassel-Baska J (2009). A Longitudinal Study of Enhancing Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension in Title I Classrooms. Journal for the Education of the Gifted; 33(1), pp. 7–37. Prufrock Press Inc., http://www.prufrock.com
Chomsky N (1993). Language and Thought. California: Moyer Bell
Cohen L, Manion L, Morrison K (2007). Research Methods in Education (6th ed.). New York: Taylor & Francis Group
Cotton K (1991). Teaching Thinking Skills. School Improvement Research Series
Dessie Wondifraw M. (n. d.). The Effect of Infusing Intellectual Standards of Critical Thinking on EFL Students’ Critical Reading Performance: Haramaya University, Ethiopia Int. J. Innovative Ideas (IJII) 2232-1942 © www.publishtopublic.com
Ennis R (1985). A Logical Basis for Measuring Critical Thinking Skills. Educational Leadership, 44-48.
Facione PA, Facione NC (2009). The Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric - HCTSR: A Tool for Developing and Evaluating Critical Thinking. Millbrae CA: California Academic Press
Facione PA (2011). Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts: Two parallel rational decision making systems_ associational and criterion automatic and well trained, reflective. The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA
Ghanizadeh A, Mirzaee S (2012) EFL Learners’ Self-regulation, Critical Thinking and Language Achievement. International Journal of Linguistics; 4 (3), pp. 451-468. ISSN: 1948-5425. www.macrothink.org/ijl
Grosser MM, Nel M (2013). The Relationship between the Critical Thinking Skills and the Academic Language Proficiency of Prospective Teachers. South African Journal of Education; 33(2), pp. 1-17. Retrieved at: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za
Hove G (2011) Developing Critical Thinking Skills in the High School English Classroom: A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Education. The Graduate School University of Wisconsin-Stout; May, 2011
Iakovos T (2011) Critical and Creative Thinking in the English Language Classroom. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science; 1(8), pp. 82-86. July 2011
Institute of International Education (2012). An IIE Briefing Paper: Enhancing the Quality of English Language Education in Ethiopia: Report on a Future Search Conference. Institute of International Education, MoE, and Ambo University
Junining E (2015). The Relationship between Intelligence, Critical Thinking Skills in Reading and EFL Proficiency among EFL Learners. Retrieved at: http://fib.ub.ac.id/
Lai ER (2011) Critical Thinking: A Literature Review Research Report. Pearson, Available at: http://www.pearsonassessments.com/research
Liaw M (2007) Content-Based Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking Skills in an EFL Context. English Teaching & Learning, 31(2), pp. 45-87
Marin LM, Halpern DF (2011) Pedagogy for Developing Critical Thinking in Adolescents: Explicit Instruction Produces Greatest Gains. Thinking Skills and Creativity; 6, pp. 1–13; Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.tsc.2010.08.002
Nordin N, Dakwah J (2015) Critical Thinking as a Predictor of Students’ Academic Achievement: A Study on Islamic Studies Students at Pahang Islamic College, Sultan Ahmad Shah,
Kuantan. Journal of Education and Social Sciences, V. 1: ISSN: XXXX-XXXX
Paul R W (2004). Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs to Survive in a Rapidly Changing World. California: Sonomata State University, Centre for Critical Thinking.
Piaget J (2005). The Language and Thought of the Child (3rd Ed.). Taylor & Francis e-Library, ISBN: 0-203-99273-3. http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/.
Pica T (2000). Tradition and Transition in English Language Teaching Methodology. System; 29, pp. 1-18.
Rashid RA, Hashim RA (2008). The Relationship between Critical Thinking and Language Proficiency of Malaysian Undergraduates. Edith Cowan University Research Online, EDU-COM International Conference. 19-21 November 2008; pp. 373-384. htt://ro.ecu.edu.au/
Renner CE (1996, February-March). Enrich Learners’ Language Production Through Content-Based Instruction. Paper presented at a National Conference on Linguae Nuova Didattica, Modena, Italy. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 411 694).
Shirkhani S, Fahim M (2011) Enhancing Critical Thinking in Foreign Language Learners. 1st International Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, May 5-7 2011 Sarajevo
Snyder LG, Snyder MJ (2008). Teaching Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills. The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal; 1(2), pp. 90-99, Spring/Summer, 2008.
Thompson G, Evans H (2005). Thinking It Through: Linking Language Skills, Thinking Skills and Drama. Great Britain: David Fulton Publishers Ltd. ISBN: 1 84312 190 5
Tung C, Chang S (2009). Developing Critical Thinking through Literature Reading. Feng Chia Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, No.19, pp.287-317,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33258/birle.v2i4.470
Article Metrics
Abstract view : 256 timesPDF - 198 times
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License