The Implementation of WebQuest-supported Critical Thinking Instruction in Pre-service English Teacher Education: The Turkish Context
Abstract
Critical
thinking, a vital skill for the 21st century, has become a desirable
educational outcome by educators. Promoting students’ critical thinking has
been a concern in various educational settings and the role of teachers is
considered to be the most significant factor for successful instructional
implementations. The present study aims to examine the effects of
WebQuest-supported critical thinking instruction on the critical thinking
disposition levels of Turkish pre-service teachers (PTs) of English and to
determine whether receiving WebQuest-supported critical thinking instruction
leads to a change in the PTs’ understanding of critical thinking. Data were
collected from 60 freshman PTs studying at a state university in Istanbul,
Turkey. Thirty PTs were assigned to the experimental group and received
WebQuest-supported critical thinking instruction, while 30 PTs were assigned to
the control group and received traditional text-only instruction. The study
lasted seven weeks and data were collected by means of the Turkish version of
the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and semi-structured
focus group interviews conducted before and after the treatment. Findings revealed
that the WebQuest-supported critical thinking instruction produced
statistically significant differences in the PTs’ critical thinking disposition
levels and the PTs demonstrated clearer awareness of critical thinking at the
end of the study.
Keywords
References
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