Abstract
The intent of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study is to examine Islamic teachers’ thoughts on improving critical thinking skills in elementary schools in the Southwestern province of Saudi Arabia. This study involves the collection of quantitative data and an explanation of the quantitative results with qualitative data. In the first phase, a survey was administered to Islamic teachers in Saudi elementary schools to assess their opinions on improving students’ critical thinking skills and to identify the factors that influence or hinder their implementation of critical thinking instruction. In the second phase, qualitative data was collected using semi-structured interviews with a number of Islamic teachers in order to explore more fully their perceptions toward improving students’ critical thinking skills in Saudi elementary schools. In regard to the barriers for improving the critical thinking ability of elementary education students, the participants reported seven major obstacles, which are student ability, teaching methods, classroom structure, Saudi society and the school community, pre-service teachers preparation programs and in-service teacher professional developmental programs, and the Islamic studies curriculum. The highest ranked obstacle to improving critical thinking for elementary education students was student ability, with an overall mean of 4.31on a 5-point scale while the Islamic studies curriculum was the lowest ranked obstacle with a total mean of 2.57. This study highlighted there is a need to examine female Islamic teachers’ perceptions toward critical thinking in the Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia in order to identify the similarities and differences between the perceptions of male and female teachers.
Highlights
Critical thinking is considered the highest intellectual activity in human interaction and enables people to engage in the process of making meaningful decisions (Howie, 2011)
This study aimed to examine male Islamic teachers’ perceptions toward improving students’ critical thinking skills and to identify the factors that influence or hinder Islamic teachers’ implementation of critical thinking instruction in Saudi Arabian elementary schools
In order to recognize Islamic teachers’ perceptions toward the meaning of critical thinking, they were questioned to determine their personal degree of agreement or disagreement with seven particular statements about the meaning of critical thinking and the benefits of improving critical thinking skills for the students, members of community, and society in general
Summary
Critical thinking is considered the highest intellectual activity in human interaction and enables people to engage in the process of making meaningful decisions (Howie, 2011). It is considered a central component of human cognitive abilities. There is an ongoing theoretical debate among researchers as to the definition of critical thinking Influencing this debate are issues related to individual understandings of terms, research needs and interests, researchers’ cultural backgrounds, and educational philosophies of the researchers (Alazzi, 2008, Ozkan-Akan, 2003; Sa-U & Abdurrahman, 2008). Considerations of critical thinking have remained largely in the realm of theoretical speculation, working assumptions, anecdotal observation and pedagogical discussion” (Robinson, 2005, p. 26)
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