Teachers’ Attitudes on the Development of Critical Thinking by Experiential Learning

Ana Maria Marinac,Luka Pongračić

doi:10.15388/actpaed.2021.47.8

Abstract

The content that is taught in school, but also outside it, needs to be connected with real (everyday) life. Teachers need to turn content into experience for their students, which is no easy task. The aim of this research is to determine the extent to which primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, and higher education teachers use this method in their work in order to develop critical thinking in their students and how much importance they attach to it during their work in teaching. A questionnaire on critical thinking and experiential learning (N = 168) was conducted, the results of which were analyzed with regard to gender, level of education, work experience, diluted to teach the work environment. The results show that the method of experiential learning with the aim of developing critical thinking is used to a greater extent in teaching (mean = 4.17, SD = 0.55). Differences were observed only with respect to work experience, where teachers with more work experience work statistically significantly more (F = 0.027; t = 3.31; p < 0.01) on developing critical thinking. On the other hand, the need for further awareness, especially of younger teachers, on how to apply experiential learning and what it is important for has been proven. This research has shown the already recognized importance and aspiration to develop critical thinking in students at all levels of education, which will ultimately result in both developed and self-aware individuals and society. It is worrying that about 40% of teachers still do not conduct interactive learning on a regular basis, but it is encouraging that most teachers still recognize how important it is and apply it on a daily basis.

Highlights

Until the middle of the 19th century, the education of students was reduced only to the development of basic competencies, such as reading, writing and arithmetic
Scale of application of the experiential learning strategy for the development of critical thinking in teaching The result of 4.18 is high and shows that teachers often work on the development of critical thinking of their students through the strategy of experiential learning in their teaching and that they know it well
An analysis of the curricula prescribed by the Ministry of Science and Education in almost all subjects concludes that this education reform is a step towards a modernized form of teaching that places priority on the critical thinking of students during the whole process, while giving even more freedom in the choice of teaching content, with the goal of creating teaching methods that could adapt to the needs of each student

Summary

Introduction

Until the middle of the 19th century, the education of students was reduced only to the development of basic competencies, such as reading, writing and arithmetic. Numerous scholars of the time recognized the need to introduce subjects that would allow students to observe and infer, that is, experiential learning. The emphasis in teaching science subjects was on the original reality, which means that, whenever possible, students are placed before the original reality, and knowledge is not transmitted to them only by the verbal word of the teacher (Huxley, 1893). Spencer (1861) emphasizes the foundations on which modern teaching is realized, and that is that teaching should be from experiential to rational, from practical work to generalization, and experience arouses students’ interest in a particular school subject, which can be most observed in adoption of any natural science field. By the end of the century, teaching was strictly focused on the transfer of knowledge from teachers to students. The need to create such a society stems from democratic values, which imply active citizens who think for themselves and are able to make informed decisions (Buchberger, 2012)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion