Secondary School Students' Critical-Thinking Ability: Association With Their Perceptions of the Classroom Environment, Cognitive Strategies, Motivational Beliefs, and Subject Knowledge

• In Event: 16.059 - Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: 16.059-4 - Student and Teacher Views on Learning Environments

Abstract

The objective of this study was to test and investigate both the direct and indirect effect of constructivist learning environment on students’ critical thinking ability, with internal cognitive factors and subject knowledge of Liberal Studies as mediators, grounding on Sternberg’s Developing-Expertise Model. The participants were 967 Grade Nine students who were studying Liberal Studies in Hong Kong. Path analysis technique was used to address the objective. The nature of the constructivist learning environment did not have a direct effect on critical thinking ability, but it had indirect positive effects on critical thinking ability via intrinsic goal orientation and extrinsic goal orientation, and an indirect negative effect via metacognitive and cognitive strategies.

Authors

• Yee Wan Kwan

• Angela Foong Lin Wong, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University