ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Original Research

Authors

Tanhaye Reshvanlou   F. (* )






(* ) Psychology Department, Psychology & Educational Sciences Faculty, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

Correspondence

Address: Unit 2, No. 12, First Alley in Right, Tafahom Street, South 17th Shahrivar Street, Bojnourd, North Khorasan, Iran. Postal Code: 9413643383
Phone: +98 5842243306
Fax: +985842243306
tanha@alumni.ut.ac.ir

Article History

Received:  June  4, 2014
Accepted:  August 24, 2014
ePublished:  February 4, 2015

BRIEF TEXT


… [1] Critical thinking is taking conscious and precious view to the others` opinions and beliefs, as well as analyzing the opinions to understand the validity and usefulness of them [2, 3]. Critical thinking has skill and attitude aspects. Skill emphasizes the cognitive strategies and attitude focuses on components of thinking and sustainable internal motivation for problem solving [4, 5]. … [6] Tendency to critical thinking has been related to self-esteem [7], happiness [8], educational achievement [9], and utilization of cognitive learning styles [10].

The tendency of medical students to critical thinking has been evaluated as moderate [11]. The tendency of nursing students to critical thinking has been evaluated as unstable (81.8%) [7]. There is a significant difference between critical thinking disposition in the first and last year of education, and this trend increases during the education [12].The mean score of critical thinking is higher in the students in the last year of education compared to those study in the first year [3, 5]. The level of critical thinking in medical students does not increase during the education in the university [13, 14]. Learning environment and learners` interaction in teaching helps development of critical thinking [15, 16]… [17-22] Method of teaching in different educational program is a determining factor in skills and attitudes to critical thinking [23]. Studies suggest that task-based learning [24], problem-solving learning [25], utilization of rethinking strategies, reciprocal teaching, argumentative pattern and questioning strategies, are effective for students’ critical thinking [26-29]. The participatory teaching method is more effective on critical thinking improvement than lecture method [30. 31]. Written feedback from the instructors [32], questioning by clinical instructors and encouragement of students in evaluating their thoughts are effective in the development of students’ critical thinking [26]. … [33, 34].

The aim of this study was to investigate the determining role of instructor`s teaching quality on the tendency of health students to critical thinking.

This is a correlational study.

Health students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were studied in 2013-2014.

125 students were selected by available sampling method. The sample size was determined based on Morgan table. After elimination of incomplete questionnaires, 109 students were studied.

Data was collected using Students Evaluation of Educational Quality Questionnaire {SEEQ) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). Short SEEQ questionnaire was used to assess the instructor`s teaching quality from the students` attitudes. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire in the Iranian sample has been confirmed using factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha [35]. … [36] Validity and reliability of a Persian version of CCTDI has been confirmed in several studies [5, 37]. Data were analyzed using SPSS 17 and both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (T-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression). Independent T-test was used to investigate the research variables based on the gender. Pearson`s Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the research variables, and to investigate the explained variance of standard variables based on predictor variables, stepwise multiple linear regression was used.

Of 109 students in this study, 52 students (47.7%) were female and 57 (52.3%) were male. Mean ages of females and males were 22.06± 3.04years and 20.63± 3.09years, respectively. Mean age of total samples was 23.31±3.14years. Mean score of tendency to critical thinking was 259.8±37.97. The subscales of systematicity (46.4± 7.54), analyticity (44.73±7.82), confidence (35.37±6.09), truth seeking (34.63±7.01), open-mindedness (33.98±5.95), inquisitiveness (33.28± 7.46) and maturity (31.77±5.42) were the highest to the lowest mean values, respectively. With respect to the dimensions of teaching quality, group interaction (14.29±3.41), examination/grading and assignment (13.22±3.86), learning/value (13.12± 4.18), content comprehensiveness (12.55± 3.71), individual rapport (10.09±3.83) and teachers` enthusiasm to teaching (8.17±1.81) were the highest to the lowest mean values, respectively. In the dimensions of critical thinking dispositions, only the mean score of open-mindedness was significantly higher in females (35.34±5.30) compared to males (32.73±6.78). Also, there was a difference in the assessment of teaching practices between male and female students in terms of the enthusiasm of instructors and instructor`s attention to group interaction. In both variables, males had more positive evaluation. Due to the lack of difference in many aspects of critical thinking disposition and appraisal of the quality of teaching, other analyzes were performed for all samples. There was no correlation between analysis and organizing and evaluation of educational quality. There was a significant and positive correlation between truth seeking and group interaction, content comprehensiveness and teacher-student relationship. There was a positive correlation between open-mindedness and content comprehensiveness. There was a significant correlation between self-confidence and enthusiasm of teacher and content comprehensiveness. There was a significant correlation between inquisitiveness and maturity and all dimensions of educational evaluation. There was a significant correlation between individual rapports and the content comprehensiveness (Table 1). The subscales of evaluation of quality of teaching could explain the variance of variables of truth seeking (32%), open-mindedness (11%), analyticity (14%), systematicity (15%), self-confidence (24%), inquisitiveness (17%), maturity (23%), and tendency to critical thinking (17%).

Gender difference was only significant in terms of open-mindedness. This finding is aligned with the findings of another research [38]. There was a significant correlation between learning, enthusiasm to teaching, group interaction, teacher-learner rapport, content comprehensiveness and examination/homework and all dimensions of critical thinking disposition except analyticity and organizing. This finding agrees with the finding of previous studies [22-30]. … [40]

Using a larger sample size and selection of participants with random sampling techniques and evaluation of the quality of instruction based on the views and opinions of students should be done.

Using self-report tool for investigating the critical thinking disposition, evaluating the quality of teachers` instruction only based on the students` approach and using the available samples were of the limitations of this study.

Quality of teaching of instructors is effective on students’ attitude to critical thinking. In addition, as the dimensions of teacher`s instruction quality, learning, teachers` enthusiasm to teaching, group interaction, teacher-student interaction, content comprehensiveness and the examination/homework can predict the overall score of students to critical thinking dispositions and the subscales of truth-seeking, open-mindedness, analyticity, organizing, self-confidence, inquisitiveness, and the amount of maturity.

Researchers appreciate the participants.

According to the researchers, this article has no conflict of interest.

Non-declared

Non-declared

TABLES and CHARTS

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