Thinking based Instructional Practices and Academic Achievement of Undergraduate Science Students: Exploring the Role of Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: S tudents' academic achievement is one of the most commonly used criteria for making predictions about personal success.A student's academic progress reflects in the grades or marks that represent the degree to which the educational goals are accomplished.Shoval et al. (2018) defined academic achievement as the degree to which learners benefit from knowledge and skills they acquire during education and training in a given academic discipline or level of education.Students' academic achievement, whether assessed Abstract | Critical thinking (CT) includes skills and dispositions which are closely linked with learning, decision making, problem solving and academic success.Scientific inquiry employs CT in enquiring about and explaining natural phenomenon.However, fostering CT through instruction is still a neglected area in educational institutions.The current study was intended to find out the relationships among critical thinking based instructional practices (CTIPs), critical thinking skills (CTS), critical thinking dispositions (CTD), and academic achievement (AA) of undergraduate students of physics, chemistry, and biological sciences.The study determined the moderating effects of gender, and academic discipline along with mediating effect of CTD and CTS in the relationship between CTIPs and AA.A sample of 320 final year science students of BS programs, was selected from three selected universities and surveyed through a questionnaire.The results of data analyses revealed gender wise differences in perceived level of CTIPs, CTS and AA in favor of female students.Students of physics were found better in CTS and students of chemistry were found better in academics.Teachers of chemistry were employing CTIPs more frequently than the other departments.The results also revealed that CTIPs had good predictability of CTD of science students while CTS and CTD had significant effects on AA of undergraduates.The results of data analyses had confirmed the significant moderating effects of gender on the relationship between CTD and AA.The moderating effects of gender on the relationship between CTSs and AA of students had been found insignificant.The results showed the insignificant mediating effects of CTS and CTD in the relationship between CTIPs and AA.This study was conducted on cross-sectional descriptive correlational research design; however, the researcher had suggested conducting experimental studies in this area for establishing true causal relationships.
Source: Journal of Innovative Sciences
Authors: Ghazanfar Ali, Riffat-un-Nisa Awan
Institution: University of Sargodha
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3137515643