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The relationship between critical thinking and problem solving: A meta-analysis with correlational studies

Year 2022, Volume: 11 Issue: 3, 589 - 601, 13.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.1111333

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship (direction and magnitude) between critical thinking and problem solving by combining the results of the studies carried out between 01.01.2015-30.11.2020 via meta-analysis. In this study, which is a meta-analysis study, PRISMA guidelines proposed by Moher et al. (2009) were followed. The studies obtained after searching the relevant literature through some electronic databases using search patterns were reviewed by two researchers in terms of inclusion criteria and 43 studies were included. Since more than one data were shared in some of these studies, meta-analysis was carried out with 49 data. The mean effect size of the relationship between critical thinking and problem solving was 0.483 under random effects model which indicated that there was a medium relationship between critical thinking and problem solving. This effect size did not differ according to sub-groups of region, critical thinking type, level of schooling, discipline and publication type. The results obtained in this study are confirmed by theoretical background regarding critical thinking and problem solving and previous studies.

References

  • Açıkgöz, K. Ü. (2016). Etkili öğrenme ve öğretme [Effective learning and teaching]. Biliş Publishing.
  • Anderson, J. R. (1993). Problem solving and learning. American Psychologist, 48(1), 35-44.
  • Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., & Bloom, B. S. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman.
  • Angelo, T. A. (1995). Beginning the dialogue: Thoughts on promoting critical thinking: Classroom assessment for critical thinking. Teaching of Psychology, 22(1), 6-7.
  • Barile, J. A. (2003). The role critical thinking dispositions play in the problem solving and decision making of urban elementary school principals [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Massachusetts.
  • Beyer, B. (1995). Critical thinking. Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.
  • Bittner, N. & D. Tobin. (1998). Critical thinking: Strategies of clinical practice. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 14(6), 267-272.
  • Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to meta-analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
  • Bransford, J. D. & Stein, B. S. (1993). The ideal problem solver: A guide for improving thinking, learning, and creativity. W. H. Freeman & Co Ltd.
  • Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. Routledge.
  • Demiral, S. (2019). Critical thinking and problem-solving skills of visually impaired female national judo team athletes. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 7(3), 8-16.
  • Duval, S. & Tweedie, R. (2000). Trim and fill: A simple funnel-plot–based method of testing and adjusting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Biometrics, 56(2), 455–463.
  • Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction - executive summary - the Delphi report. The California Academic Press.
  • Facione, P. A. (1998). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. Academy Press.
  • Facione, P. A. (2000). The disposition toward critical thinking: Its character, measurement and relationship to critical thinking skill. Journal of Informal Logic, 20(1), 61-84.
  • Fisher, R. (2005). Teaching children to think. Nelson Thornes Ltd.
  • Fragkos, K. C., Tsagris, M., & Frangos, C. C. (2014). Publication bias in meta-analysis: Confidence intervals for Rosenthal’s fail-safe number. International Scholarly Research Notices, 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/825383.
  • Friedel, C. R., Irani, T. A., Rhoades, E. B., Fuhrman, N. E. & Gallo, M. (2008). It’s in the genes: Exploring relationships between critical thinking and problem solving in undergraduate agriscience students’ solution to problems in medelian genetics. Journal of Agricultural Education, 49(4), 25-37.
  • Gülünay, Y. İ. (2016). An analysis of critical thinking and problem solving skills of students in physical education and sport teaching department according to several variables: The case of Karabük University [Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
  • Halpern, D. (2003). Thought & knowledge: An introduction to critical thinking. Lawrence Erlbaum Assocıates Publishers.
  • Hedges, L. V. & Olkin, I. (1985). Statistical methods for meta-analysis. Academic Press.
  • Hickman, J. (1993). A critical assessment of critical thinking in nursing education. Holistic Nursing Practice, 7(3), 36-47.
  • Hunter, J. E. & Schmidt, F. L. (1990). Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings. Sage Publications.
  • Irwanto, Saputro, A. D., Rohaeti, E. & Prodjosantoso, A. K. (2018). Promoting critical thinking and problem solving skills of preservice elementary teachers through process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL). International Journal of Instruction, 11(4), 777-794.
  • Junsay, M. L. (2016). Reflective learning and prospective teachers’ conceptual understanding, critical thinking, problem solving and mathematical communication skills. Research in Pedagogy, 6(2), 43‐58.
  • Kanbay, Y. & Okanlı, A. (2017). The effect of critical thinking education on nursing students’ problem-solving skills. Contemporary Nurse, 53(3), 313-321, doi:10.1080/10376178.2017.1339567.
  • Kaya, B. (2008). Assessing social studies preservice teachers’ self-efficacy towards teaching thinking skills [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. Gazi University.
  • Kim, K. S. & Choi, J. H. (2014). The relationship between problem solving ability, professional self-concept, and critical thinking disposition of nursing students. International Journal of Bio-Science and Bio-Technology, 6(5), 131-142. http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/ijbsbt.2014.6.5.13.
  • Kromrey, J. D. & Rendina-Gobioff, G. (2006). On knowing what we do not know: An empirical comparison of methods to detect publication bias in meta-analysis. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(3), 357–373.
  • Lam, R. W. & Kennedy, S. H. (2005). Using meta-analysis to evaluate evidence: Practical tips and traps. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(3), 167-174.
  • Lipman, M. (1988). Critical thinking-What can it be?. Educational Leadership, 46(1), 38-43.
  • Lipsey, M. W. & Wilson, D. B. (2001). Practical meta-analysis. SAGE Publishing.
  • MacPherson, R. T. (1997). The relationship among content knowledge, technical experience, cognitive styles, critical thinking skills, problem solving styles, and near transfer trouble shooting technological problem solving skills of maintenance technicians [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Missouri.
  • Lismayani, I., Parno, P., & Mahanal, S. (2017). The correlation of critical thinking skill and science problem-solving ability of junior high school students. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains, 5(3), 96-101.
  • Memduhoğlu, H. B. & Keleş, E. (2016). Evaluation of the relation between critical-thinking tendency and problem-solving skills of pre-service teachers. Journal of Educational Sciences Research, 6(2), 75-94.
  • Meyers, C. (1998). Teaching students to think critically. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
  • Morgan, C. T., King, R. A., Weiss, J. R., & Schopler, J. (2017). Introduction to psychology. Mc Graw Hill India.
  • Nosich, G. (2011). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum. Pearson.
  • Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21). (2009). Framework for 21st century learning. Access link: https://www.teacherrambo.com/file.php/1/21st_century_skills.pdf.
  • Paul, R. (1990). Critical thinking: What every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world. Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique.
  • Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2001). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life. Prentice Hall.
  • Pereira, A. (2014). Examining critical and creative thinking of high school students making art in a learner-directed art class [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Florida State University.
  • Petticrew, M. & Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Publishing.
  • Rosenthal, R. (1979). The 'file drawer' problem and tolerance for null results. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 638-641.
  • Rothstein, H. R., Sutton, A. J. & Borenstein, M. (Eds.). (2005). Publication bias in meta-analysis: Prevention, assessment and adjustments. John Wiley and Sons.
  • Savage, T. V. & Armstrong, D. G. (2000). Effective teaching in elementary social studies. Prentice Hall.
  • Schmidt, F. L. & Hunter, J. E. (2015). Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings. SAGE Publications, Inc.
  • Shim, C. S., Kang, S.J., Kim, Y. M. & Shin, H. J. (2019). The effects of simulation-based education program on communication ability, problem solving ability and critical thinking among nursing students. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 10(11), 4418-4423.
  • Springer, L., Stanne, M. E. & Donovan, S. S. (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 61(1), 21-51.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1999a). A triarchic approach to the understanding and assessment of intelligence in multicultural populations. Journal of School Psychology, 37, 145-159.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1999b). Thinking styles. Cambridge University Press.
  • Tümkaya S., Aybek, B. & Aldağ, H. (2009). An investigation of university students’ critical thinking disposition and perceived problem solving skills. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 36, 57-74.
  • Watson, G. & Glaser, M. E. (1964). Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal manual for forms YM and ZM. Harcourt, Brace & World Inc.
  • Van Gelder, T. (2005). Teaching critical thinking: Some lessons from cognitive science. College Teaching, 53(1), 41–48.

Eleştirel düşünme ile problem çözme arasındaki ilişki: Korelasyonel çalışmalar ile bir meta-analiz

Year 2022, Volume: 11 Issue: 3, 589 - 601, 13.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.1111333

Abstract

Bu meta-analiz çalışmasının amacı 01.01.2015-30.11.2020 tarihleri arasında yapılmış çalışmaların sonuçlarını birleştirerek, eleştirel düşünme ile problem çözme arasındaki ilişkiyi (yön ve büyüklük) araştırmaktır. Arama terimlerini kullanarak bazı elektronik veritabanları aracılığıyla ilgili literatürün araştırılmasının ardından elde edilen çalışmalar dahil edilme ölçütleri açısından iki farklı araştırmacı tarafından incelenmiş ve analize 43 çalışma dahil edilmiştir. Bu çalışmaların bazılarında birden fazla veri paylaşıldığı için, meta-analiz 49 veri ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Eleştirel düşünme ve problem çözme arasındaki ilişkinin etki büyüklüğü 0.483 olarak bulunmuştur ve bu değer eleştirel düşünme ile problem çözme arasında orta düzeyde bir ilişkinin olduğunu göstermektedir. Elde edilen bu etki büyüklüğü çalışmanın yapıldığı bölge, eleştirel düşünme türü, sınıf düzeyi, alan ve yayın türü alt gruplarına göre farklılaşmamaktadır. Araştırma kapsamında elde edilen sonuçlar, eleştirel düşünme ve problem çözmeye ilişkin teorik alt yapıyla ve geçmiş çalışmaların sonuçlarıyla örtüşmektedir.

References

  • Açıkgöz, K. Ü. (2016). Etkili öğrenme ve öğretme [Effective learning and teaching]. Biliş Publishing.
  • Anderson, J. R. (1993). Problem solving and learning. American Psychologist, 48(1), 35-44.
  • Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., & Bloom, B. S. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Longman.
  • Angelo, T. A. (1995). Beginning the dialogue: Thoughts on promoting critical thinking: Classroom assessment for critical thinking. Teaching of Psychology, 22(1), 6-7.
  • Barile, J. A. (2003). The role critical thinking dispositions play in the problem solving and decision making of urban elementary school principals [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Massachusetts.
  • Beyer, B. (1995). Critical thinking. Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.
  • Bittner, N. & D. Tobin. (1998). Critical thinking: Strategies of clinical practice. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 14(6), 267-272.
  • Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to meta-analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
  • Bransford, J. D. & Stein, B. S. (1993). The ideal problem solver: A guide for improving thinking, learning, and creativity. W. H. Freeman & Co Ltd.
  • Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. Routledge.
  • Demiral, S. (2019). Critical thinking and problem-solving skills of visually impaired female national judo team athletes. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 7(3), 8-16.
  • Duval, S. & Tweedie, R. (2000). Trim and fill: A simple funnel-plot–based method of testing and adjusting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Biometrics, 56(2), 455–463.
  • Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction - executive summary - the Delphi report. The California Academic Press.
  • Facione, P. A. (1998). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. Academy Press.
  • Facione, P. A. (2000). The disposition toward critical thinking: Its character, measurement and relationship to critical thinking skill. Journal of Informal Logic, 20(1), 61-84.
  • Fisher, R. (2005). Teaching children to think. Nelson Thornes Ltd.
  • Fragkos, K. C., Tsagris, M., & Frangos, C. C. (2014). Publication bias in meta-analysis: Confidence intervals for Rosenthal’s fail-safe number. International Scholarly Research Notices, 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/825383.
  • Friedel, C. R., Irani, T. A., Rhoades, E. B., Fuhrman, N. E. & Gallo, M. (2008). It’s in the genes: Exploring relationships between critical thinking and problem solving in undergraduate agriscience students’ solution to problems in medelian genetics. Journal of Agricultural Education, 49(4), 25-37.
  • Gülünay, Y. İ. (2016). An analysis of critical thinking and problem solving skills of students in physical education and sport teaching department according to several variables: The case of Karabük University [Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
  • Halpern, D. (2003). Thought & knowledge: An introduction to critical thinking. Lawrence Erlbaum Assocıates Publishers.
  • Hedges, L. V. & Olkin, I. (1985). Statistical methods for meta-analysis. Academic Press.
  • Hickman, J. (1993). A critical assessment of critical thinking in nursing education. Holistic Nursing Practice, 7(3), 36-47.
  • Hunter, J. E. & Schmidt, F. L. (1990). Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings. Sage Publications.
  • Irwanto, Saputro, A. D., Rohaeti, E. & Prodjosantoso, A. K. (2018). Promoting critical thinking and problem solving skills of preservice elementary teachers through process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL). International Journal of Instruction, 11(4), 777-794.
  • Junsay, M. L. (2016). Reflective learning and prospective teachers’ conceptual understanding, critical thinking, problem solving and mathematical communication skills. Research in Pedagogy, 6(2), 43‐58.
  • Kanbay, Y. & Okanlı, A. (2017). The effect of critical thinking education on nursing students’ problem-solving skills. Contemporary Nurse, 53(3), 313-321, doi:10.1080/10376178.2017.1339567.
  • Kaya, B. (2008). Assessing social studies preservice teachers’ self-efficacy towards teaching thinking skills [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. Gazi University.
  • Kim, K. S. & Choi, J. H. (2014). The relationship between problem solving ability, professional self-concept, and critical thinking disposition of nursing students. International Journal of Bio-Science and Bio-Technology, 6(5), 131-142. http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/ijbsbt.2014.6.5.13.
  • Kromrey, J. D. & Rendina-Gobioff, G. (2006). On knowing what we do not know: An empirical comparison of methods to detect publication bias in meta-analysis. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(3), 357–373.
  • Lam, R. W. & Kennedy, S. H. (2005). Using meta-analysis to evaluate evidence: Practical tips and traps. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(3), 167-174.
  • Lipman, M. (1988). Critical thinking-What can it be?. Educational Leadership, 46(1), 38-43.
  • Lipsey, M. W. & Wilson, D. B. (2001). Practical meta-analysis. SAGE Publishing.
  • MacPherson, R. T. (1997). The relationship among content knowledge, technical experience, cognitive styles, critical thinking skills, problem solving styles, and near transfer trouble shooting technological problem solving skills of maintenance technicians [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Missouri.
  • Lismayani, I., Parno, P., & Mahanal, S. (2017). The correlation of critical thinking skill and science problem-solving ability of junior high school students. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains, 5(3), 96-101.
  • Memduhoğlu, H. B. & Keleş, E. (2016). Evaluation of the relation between critical-thinking tendency and problem-solving skills of pre-service teachers. Journal of Educational Sciences Research, 6(2), 75-94.
  • Meyers, C. (1998). Teaching students to think critically. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
  • Morgan, C. T., King, R. A., Weiss, J. R., & Schopler, J. (2017). Introduction to psychology. Mc Graw Hill India.
  • Nosich, G. (2011). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum. Pearson.
  • Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21). (2009). Framework for 21st century learning. Access link: https://www.teacherrambo.com/file.php/1/21st_century_skills.pdf.
  • Paul, R. (1990). Critical thinking: What every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world. Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique.
  • Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2001). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life. Prentice Hall.
  • Pereira, A. (2014). Examining critical and creative thinking of high school students making art in a learner-directed art class [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Florida State University.
  • Petticrew, M. & Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Publishing.
  • Rosenthal, R. (1979). The 'file drawer' problem and tolerance for null results. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 638-641.
  • Rothstein, H. R., Sutton, A. J. & Borenstein, M. (Eds.). (2005). Publication bias in meta-analysis: Prevention, assessment and adjustments. John Wiley and Sons.
  • Savage, T. V. & Armstrong, D. G. (2000). Effective teaching in elementary social studies. Prentice Hall.
  • Schmidt, F. L. & Hunter, J. E. (2015). Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings. SAGE Publications, Inc.
  • Shim, C. S., Kang, S.J., Kim, Y. M. & Shin, H. J. (2019). The effects of simulation-based education program on communication ability, problem solving ability and critical thinking among nursing students. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 10(11), 4418-4423.
  • Springer, L., Stanne, M. E. & Donovan, S. S. (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 61(1), 21-51.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1999a). A triarchic approach to the understanding and assessment of intelligence in multicultural populations. Journal of School Psychology, 37, 145-159.
  • Sternberg, R. J. (1999b). Thinking styles. Cambridge University Press.
  • Tümkaya S., Aybek, B. & Aldağ, H. (2009). An investigation of university students’ critical thinking disposition and perceived problem solving skills. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 36, 57-74.
  • Watson, G. & Glaser, M. E. (1964). Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal manual for forms YM and ZM. Harcourt, Brace & World Inc.
  • Van Gelder, T. (2005). Teaching critical thinking: Some lessons from cognitive science. College Teaching, 53(1), 41–48.
There are 54 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Other Fields of Education
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Ali Orhan 0000-0003-1234-3919

Publication Date October 13, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 11 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Orhan, A. (2022). The relationship between critical thinking and problem solving: A meta-analysis with correlational studies. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, 11(3), 589-601. https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.1111333

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