Inciting critical thinking of students: Attitudes and activities of teachers

Abstract

We have analysed results of interviewing teachers about their attitudes towards inciting critical thinking of students and in which extent they undertake activates directed to inciting critical thinking in teaching. Studying attitudes and activities of teachers is a part of the greater research about inciting creation, initiative and cooperation in teaching. Teachers from the primary schools in Serbia (N=1441) have been interviewed by the interview of a closed type, composed for the needs of this research. The aim was to determine structure and application of attitudes, which teachers express towards inciting critical thinking applied in teaching, as well as examining relations between attitudes and activities. We have checked possibilities of predicting activities of teachers directed to inciting critical thinking based on their attitudes. According to given results, attitudes of teachers can be described by five factors, and activities directed for inciting critical thinking are grouped, according to three factors. It has been determined that there are significant connections between attitudes and activities of teachers. Some activities of teachers can be predicted based on their attitudes, and the most significant predictor of all activities directed to inciting critical thinking in teaching is readiness for inciting independent thinking, students' questions and class discussion.

U radu su analizirani rezultati dobijeni ispitivanjem nastavnika o njihovim stavovima prema podsticanju kritičkog mišljenja kod učenika i o meri u kojoj preduzimaju aktivnosti usmerene na podsticanje kritičkog mišljenja u nastavi. Ispitivanje stavova i aktivnosti nastavnika deo je obimnijeg istraživanja o podsticanju stvaralaštva, inicijative i saradnje u nastavi. Nastavnici osnovnih škola u Srbiji (N=1441) ispitani su upitnikom zatvorenog tipa, sastavljenim za potrebe ovog istraživanja. Postavljen je cilj da se utvrde struktura i zastupljenost stavova koje nastavnici izražavaju prema podsticanju kritičkog mišljenja kod učenika i aktivnosti usmerenih na podsticanje kritičkog mišljenja koje preduzimaju u nastavi, kao i da se ispitaju odnosi između stavova i aktivnosti. Proveravana je mogućnost predviđanja aktivnosti nastavnika usmerenih na podsticanje kritičkog mišljenja na osnovu njihovih stavova. Prema dobijenim nalazima, nastavnički stavovi mogu se opisati pomoću pet faktora, a aktivnosti usmerene na podsticanje kritičkog mišljenja su grupisane u tri faktora. Potvrđeno je da postoje značajne veze između stavova i aktivnosti nastavnika. Pojedine aktivnosti nastavnika mogu se predvideti na osnovu njihovih stavova, a najznačajniji prediktor svih ispitivanih aktivnosti usmerenih na podsticanje kritičkog mišljenja u nastavi jeste spremnost na podsticanje nezavisnog mišljenja, učeničkih pitanja i diskusije na času.