THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM: FOSTERING CRITICAL THINKING AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS USING TECHNOLOGY�BY
Leong May Ann
CHAPTER 1
Critical thinking is a crucial skill that enables individuals to analyze, evaluate, and solve problems effectively. It plays a significant role in academic success and fosters lifelong learning. However, primary school students often struggle with critical thinking due to their developmental stage and limited exposure to explicit instruction in this area.
Critical thinking is a complex skill that requires explicit instruction and practice. Some primary school curricula may not emphasize or explicitly teach critical thinking skills, focusing more on foundational knowledge and basic skills instead.
Critical thinking involves considering multiple viewpoints and perspectives to arrive at informed conclusions. Primary school students may have limited exposure to diverse perspectives, which can inhibit their ability to think critically and consider alternative viewpoints.
This this due to the traditional teaching method practice in Malaysia.
Rote learning is a common practice in traditional teaching methods in Malaysian primary schools. Students are often required to memorize facts, formulas, and information from textbooks, and they are tested on their ability to recall this information. This approach emphasizes rote memorization rather than critical thinking or problem-solving skills.
In traditional teaching, the classroom is typically structured in a way that the teacher maintains control and directs the learning process. The teacher imparts knowledge through lectures and demonstrations, and students are expected to follow instructions and complete assigned tasks.
RESEARCH PROBLEM
In traditional teaching, the classroom is typically structured in a way that the teacher maintains control and directs the learning process. The teacher imparts knowledge through lectures and demonstrations, and students are expected to follow instructions and complete assigned tasks. In addition, students are expected to read and study the textbook content, and class activities often revolve around exercises and examples from the textbooks.
Critical thinking skills enable individuals to analyze problems, evaluate evidence, and generate effective solutions. Without these skills, students may struggle to solve complex problems and make sound decisions in various areas of life, such as academics, career, and personal relationships. Furthermore, Critical thinking is highly valued in the workplace across various industries. Employers seek individuals who can analyze problems, think creatively, and make informed decisions. Students lacking critical thinking skills may face challenges in securing and excelling in professional roles that require independent thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.
Since the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) is highlighted by the Ministry of Education Malaysia to tackle the necessities of 21st century education, technology must be incorporated into the instructions, concepts, content, and approach of teaching and learning. Thus, researcher has taken this opportunity to try out the flipped learning model. A flipped classroom-based learning model allows educators to use more opportunities to involve students to apply their knowledge, and interact with educators and peers to share knowledge and ideas, to improve their higher-order thinking and communication skills .
Objective of the Study
Research Questions
Significant of the Study
This study was conducted to examine flipped classroom fostering critical thinking among primary school students using technology. The findings of this study may produce as references in online learning activities embedded with critical thinking skills for primary school teachers in the setting of different teaching subjects.
This is to help teacher shifts from delivering content to guiding and supporting students' learning process. Meanwhile, promoting students actively involved in their learning, leading to higher engagement and motivation. The in-class time is then dedicated to active learning activities which foster the critical thinking skills, such as discussions, group work, problem-solving, or hands-on exercises.
Limitations of the Study
Quantitative data cannot be mathematically analyzed. This type of research relies more on judgement and opinion than it does on findings. Even though the study is consisting of limitations but there is an exploratory, qualitative study being done by this research .
The flipped classroom involves not only the instructional method but also the learning environment, including the role of technology, student engagement, collaboration, and instructor facilitation. Quantitative research may struggle to capture the complexities and interactions within the learning environment, which are crucial factors influencing the development of critical thinking skills.
In addition, various factors can influence the development of critical thinking skills, such as prior knowledge, teaching methods, instructional resources, and student characteristics. Quantitative research may face challenges in isolating the specific impact of the flipped classroom on critical thinking skills, as other variables can interact and confound the results.
CHAPTER 2
Literature Review
Introduction
2.1 The 21st Century Skills
2.2 Critical Thinking Skills
-2.2.1 What is critical thinking
-2.2.2 Strategies for teaching critical thinking
2.3 The flipped classroom
-Flipped classroom model fostering critical thinking
2.1 The 21st Century Skills
Ministry of Education Malaysia has transformed the country’s education through the National Education Blueprint 2013-2025 to produce human capitals that can cope with 21st century world challenges.
In the ministry’s Curriculum Development framework (2014) the 21st century skills that need to be mastered are (i) learning and innovation skills (critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity); (ii) information, media and technology skills (information literacy, media literacy, information technology and communication (ICT) literacy); and (iii) life and career skills (flexible, self-direction, productivity, accountability, responsibility, leadership).
critical thinking is one of the skills of learning and innovation; many studies have proven that this is a necessary skill to prepare learners for their future life
2.2.1 What is Critical Thinking Skills
There are three main concepts of critical thinking.
I. Critical thinking is the process of reviewing every aspect of the problem and coming to a conclusion to solve it.
II. Critical thinking is thinking about your own thinking product.
(1) reviewing, verifying accuracy to recognize or object to the information provided; (2) evaluating the object.
The process of critical thinking typically involves several key steps:
2.2.2 Strategies for teaching critical thinking
The intellectual skills of critical thinking, such as analysis, synthesis, reflection, and others, are well developed through active practice and engagement.
Instructors are often looking for strategies that may be helpful in developing critical thinking skills of their students. Following are some strategies that can help foster the development of critical thinking skills in students.
2.3 The flipped classroom
In a flipped classroom, the instructional activities are reversed: students learn the new content outside of class through pre-recorded videos, readings, or online resources, and class time is dedicated to interactive and collaborative activities that promote critical thinking.
The flipped classroom model, when effectively implemented, can create an engaging and interactive learning environment that nurtures critical thinking skills. It provides students with the opportunity to actively participate in their own learning, collaborate with peers, apply knowledge, and reflect on their thinking processes, all of which contribute to the development of critical thinking skills.
Chapter 3 Methodology
3.1 Design
-In the research, mixed methods, a method that allows integration of research results via utilization of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods conjointly.
-This study employed a quasi-experimental two-group pre-test and post-test design in order to examine students’ critical thinking with flipped classroom teaching model.
- The qualitative aspect consists of interviews made with students
in person.
3.2 Participants
-The participants of the study were 60 of upper primary students, 30 males and 30 females, aged 10 to 12,from an enrichment center to participate in this project. These 60 students are selected based on purposive sampling as they are registered for after school enrichment programme at an urban area in Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan.
-In order to analyze the effectiveness of flipped classroom on these primary school students, the author compared a flipped classroom with a non-flipped classroom (traditional classroom). The total samples of 60 students are divided into 2 groups – 15 males and 15 females in each group. Group A students are being taught using the traditional classroom approach; whereas Group B students are exposed to the new educational approach – the flipped classroom.
3.3 Instruments
There were two instruments used in this study. The first research instrument in this study was the critical thinking scoring rubric. The research instrument adopted the rubric of critical thinking for in-class assessment. The second research instrument was a questionnaire of students’ perceptions on the use of flipped classrooms.
3.4 Data Collection
3.5 Data Analysis