TEACHING PRACTICES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE NORTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON

Abstract

Higher order thinking skills are essential for the 21 st century youth and the workforce. There is however, concern on the extent to which various teaching practices enhance these skills in the secondary school student in Cameroon. The study therefore examined the influence of teaching practices on higher order thinking skills on secondary school students in the North West Region of Cameroon. Three hypotheses sought to examine whether teaching methods, teaching learning materials and assessment activities influenced higher order thinking skills among secondary school students in the North West region of Cameroon. The study was a descriptive survey and data were collected using a questionnaire and an observation guide. The sample consisted of 320 students. Data were analyzed inferentially using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings revealed that teaching practices influence higher order thinking skills in secondary school students in the North West region of Cameroon only to a small extent. Specifically, teaching methods influence higher order thinking skills but assessment activities, and teaching learning materials do not influence higher order thinking skills. Based on the findings, recommendations are discussed. Article visualizations: