Does Habits of Mind-Based Instruction Catalyze Literacy Development? The Case of Jordanian EFL Learners

Abstract

This study examines the potential effect of habits of mind-based instruction on Jordanian EFL tenth-grade students’ literacy development. A quasi-experimental design was used, as two intact sections (n=35) were drawn from a pool of five tenth-grade sections from Hay Al -Arqoub Basic Mixed School, a public school in the North-West Badia Department of Education, Mafraq (Jordan). The two sections were randomly distributed into a control group (n=18) and an experimental group (n=17). A pre-/post- test was used to assess the participants’ performance before and after the implementation of an eight-week habits of mind-based instructional program. Descriptive statistics of both central tendency and dispersion (e.g., means, Standard deviations, variance) were used to analyze the date. The findings revealed that the participants of the experimental group outperformed those in the control group in both reading and writing. The findings stress the importance of a conducive, non-threatening learning environment in which learners feel ‘safe’ to ask questions, engage in literacy-related activities, and interact with peers to achieve common goals. With practice, habits of mind become behaviors for students and teachers to build on, value, and use to handle situations in and outside the classroom.