Physical Science Teachers’ Understanding of Strategies for Teaching Critical Thinking in Mpumalanga Province

Poncian Obert Tagutanazvo, Ritu Bhagwandeen

Abstract


This study aims to examine the Physical Science teachers’ understanding of the concept of critical thinking and the strategies they employ in teaching learners to develop the competency of critical thinking in Physical Science. A purposive sample of 12 Grade 10 public school Physical Sciences teachers participated in the study. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among these teachers who were teaching Physical Sciences in Mashishila circuit, Mpumalanga Province at the time of the study. Data was collected through a naïve sketch which comprised of open-ended questions. Analysis of the data using the content analysis revealed that the teachers understood critical thinking as a way of observing, analysing, and assessing any situation before them in order to solve it. However, the participants left out the fact that critical thinking is self-corrective and that the learners need evidence to support their decisions to arrive at solutions for each problem statement. Although the participants showed an understanding of critical thinking, they reported teaching strategies that did not show a relationship with the development of critical thinking. There is a need for professional workshops to train the teachers on the strategies to teach critical thinking. This paper forms the basis of an ongoing study that will develop strategies for teaching critical thinking to Physical Science learners.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.5.22


Keywords


understanding; critical thinking; instructional strategies; qualitative study; physical sciences

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References


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