ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

Action Research Project



Abstract

First, the paper introduces the importance of the topic to me as well as educational research community. In this paper we have given the problem, setting where the problem exists, and where the project will take place. Later the paper discusses about the nature of the Problem, then Purpose of the Project. The paper identifies three research questions. Finally paper gives the brief description about the background and the significance of the problem. As, critical thinking includes the component skills of analyzing arguments, making inferences using inductive or deductive reasoning, judging or evaluating, and making decisions or solving problems.

Action Research Project

Importance of the topic

The topic critical thinking is important to me as critical thinking skills relate to several other important student learning outcomes, such as metacognition, motivation, collaboration, and creativity. Metacognition (or thinking about thinking) supports critical thinking in that students who can monitor and evaluate their own thought processes are more likely to demonstrate high-quality thinking that developed an interest in me to go for this research.

Critical thinking entails cognitive skills, or abilities, and dispositions.

These dispositions, which can be seen as attitudes, or habits of mind, include open- and fair-mindedness, inquisitiveness, flexibility, a propensity to seek reason, a desire to be well-informed, and a respect for and willingness to entertain diverse viewpoints. Critical thinking is also important to the educational research community as education is based on years of classroom experience and observations of student learning, unlike both the philosophical and the psychological traditions. Concepts within the taxonomy lack the clarity necessary to guide instruction and assessment in a useful way. Furthermore, the frameworks developed in education have not been tested as vigorously as those developed within either philosophy or psychology.

Introduction Nature of the Problem

Although the identification and analysis of critical thinking skills transcend, in significant ways, specific subjects or disciplines, learning and applying these skills in many contexts requires domain-specific knowledge. This domain-specific knowledge includes understanding methodological principles and competence to engage in norm-regulated practices that are at the core of reasonable judgments in those specific contexts. Too much of value is lost if critical thinking is conceived of simply as a list of logical operations and domain-specific knowledge is conceived of simply as an aggregation of information (Paul, 1992).

Purpose of the Project

Educators have long been aware of the importance of critical thinking skills as an outcome of student learning. More recently, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills has identified critical thinking as one of several learning and innovation skills necessary to prepare students for post-secondary education and the workforce. In addition, the newly created Common Core State Standards reflect critical thinking as a cross-disciplinary skill vital for college and employment.

Despite widespread recognition of its importance, there is a notable lack of consensus regarding the definition of critical thinking. The purposes of this literature review are to (a) explore the ways in which critical thinking has been defined by researchers, (b) investigate how critical thinking develops (c) learn how ...