项目学习法对英语专业学生批判性思维能力影响的实证研究

Abstract

近三十年来，国内外高等教育界逐渐达成共识，认为批判性思维(Critical Thinking)作为学生的一项重要的能力，其培养应该得到重视。针对我国的大学生外语学习特点对思维发展的限制和外语专业学生“思辨缺席症”的现状，在外语教学中开展项目学习法(Project-based Learning)实践被认为是培养学生批判性思维能力的路径。本研究基于大学英语专业基础课程中实施的项目学习活动，旨在探讨项目学习法是否对学生的批判性思维能力产生影响。通过使用恩尼斯－维尔批判性思维作文测试(Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test)量具，对比分析参加了项目学习的实验组学生(N = 47)和未参加项目学习的对照组学生(N = 52)的测试分数，发现实验组在总分上显著高于对照组，在多项批判性思维具体能力上的得分亦显著高于对照组。结合实验组学生撰写的项目日志和反思等质性数据，本研究结果表明项目学习法对英语专业学生的批判性思维能力确有积极影响。 Over the past thirty years, it became a consensus in higher education that fostering students’ critical thinking ability should draw great attention as it is a core ability to be developed. Yet there has been an extensive discussion about Chinese college English majors suffering from being weak in logical, analytical, problem solving and decision-making ability due to the deficiency of their critical thinking skills. It is suggested that Project-based Learning (PBL) can be used as an effective instruction to develop critical thinking skills of language learners. In order to give practical and empirical evidence of PBL’s impact on students’ critical thinking skills, this study implements PBL in a core course of English major curriculum and uses Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test (EWCTET) to measure the difference in students’ critical thinking ability between the experimental group (N = 45) after PBL practice and the control group (N = 52) without PBL practice. The result shows that the experimental group achieve significantly higher on overall scores than the control group in the test. Some sub-skills scores of the experimental group are also higher than those of the control group. Supported by the qualitative data of project diaries and reflections of the students in the experimental group, the result reveals that the implementation of PBL has positive impact on students’ critical thinking skills.