Options
Predicting critical thinking ability of secondary school students in Hong Kong : a path analytic approach
Author
Kwan, Yee Wan
Supervisor
Wong, Angela F. L.
Abstract
The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine 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, and (2) to test a theoretical model based on Sternberg's (1999) Developing-Expertise Model and the relevant literature on the factors affecting critical thinking abilities.
A self-administered questionnaire comprising question items adopted from the Cornell Critical Thinking Test (Level X), the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) was used to measure students' critical thinking ability, intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation and metacognitive and cognitive strategies, and perceptions of the constructivist learning environment respectively. A convenience sample of 967 students in Secondary Three (Grade 9) who were studying Liberal Studies or Integrated Humanities in Hong Kong participated in this study by completing the questionnaire either during an independent reading session, a Liberal Studies class period, or after school.
Path analysis technique employing AMOS 7.0 was used to test both the direct and indirect effects of the predictors on the criterion variable and the proposed theoretical model. The findings indicated that constructivist learning environment affected critical thinking ability indirectly through intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation as well as through metacognitive and cognitive strategies but not through subject knowledge of Liberal Studies. It did not have any direct influence on critical thinking ability. The hypothesized model, with gender, age, Chinese Language score, and Mathematics score serving as control variables, accounted for 16% of the variance in critical thinking ability, showing a medium effect size. The three significant predictors identified were intrinsic goal orientation, metacognitive and cognitive strategies, and extrinsic goal orientation. The fit indices of X2 , Normed Fit Index (NFI), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) indicated that the hypothesized model had a poor fit to the data.
The current study has contributed to the field of critical thinking by testing empirically a theoretical model based on Sternberg's Developing-Expertise Model in general, and adding to the scant literature on predictors of critical thinking ability among secondary school students in Hong Kong in particular. Given the mediating role played by learners' internal cognitive factors between constructivist learning environment and critical thinking ability, the study has had profound educational implications for fostering critical thinking among secondary school students. Future research should test the hypothesized model with various student samples and take measurement errors into consideration in its research design and analysis.
A self-administered questionnaire comprising question items adopted from the Cornell Critical Thinking Test (Level X), the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) was used to measure students' critical thinking ability, intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation and metacognitive and cognitive strategies, and perceptions of the constructivist learning environment respectively. A convenience sample of 967 students in Secondary Three (Grade 9) who were studying Liberal Studies or Integrated Humanities in Hong Kong participated in this study by completing the questionnaire either during an independent reading session, a Liberal Studies class period, or after school.
Path analysis technique employing AMOS 7.0 was used to test both the direct and indirect effects of the predictors on the criterion variable and the proposed theoretical model. The findings indicated that constructivist learning environment affected critical thinking ability indirectly through intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation as well as through metacognitive and cognitive strategies but not through subject knowledge of Liberal Studies. It did not have any direct influence on critical thinking ability. The hypothesized model, with gender, age, Chinese Language score, and Mathematics score serving as control variables, accounted for 16% of the variance in critical thinking ability, showing a medium effect size. The three significant predictors identified were intrinsic goal orientation, metacognitive and cognitive strategies, and extrinsic goal orientation. The fit indices of X2 , Normed Fit Index (NFI), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) indicated that the hypothesized model had a poor fit to the data.
The current study has contributed to the field of critical thinking by testing empirically a theoretical model based on Sternberg's Developing-Expertise Model in general, and adding to the scant literature on predictors of critical thinking ability among secondary school students in Hong Kong in particular. Given the mediating role played by learners' internal cognitive factors between constructivist learning environment and critical thinking ability, the study has had profound educational implications for fostering critical thinking among secondary school students. Future research should test the hypothesized model with various student samples and take measurement errors into consideration in its research design and analysis.
Date Issued
2011
Call Number
LB1590.3 Kwa
Date Submitted
2011