Comparative effects of critical thinking and peer-assessment skills training on Ghanaian senior high school students’ achievement in mathematics

Abstract

The study determined the comparative effects of critical thinking and peer-assessment skills training on Ghanaian senior high school students’ achievement in mathematics. The non-equivalent pre-test and post-test control group 3x2x2 factorial quasi- experimental design was adopted for the study. Three public senior high schools were randomly sampled to participate in the study and a total of one hundred and thirty- seven (137) students made up of ninety-five (95) in the experimental groups and forty- two (42) in the control group from three intact classes were selected from schools in the Central Region of Ghana. Two mathematics achievement tests, with reliability coefficients of 0.79 and 0.83 were employed by the researcher for data collection. Critical thinking and peer-assessment modules were also developed and used by the researcher for the intervention. The peer-assessment and critical thinking modules were content validated by three experts using percentage of agreement method which yielded 79% and 80% respectively. ANCOVA was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study were that: there was no significant comparative effect of critical thinking and peer-assessment skills training on students’ achievement in mathematics. Furthermore, there was no significant interaction effect of gender, age and treatment groups (critical thinking and peer-assessment) on students’ achievement in mathematics. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers can make use of either peer-assessment or critical thinking strategies in teaching mathematics lessons to bring about the much-needed improvement in students’ performance in Mathematics.

“Multiple-Choice Items should be sequenced in order of difficulty with the easiest ones placed first”. Does it really affect performance?

“…Alhaj-Moh'd (2013) also found that there were statistically signi cant differences in students' performance in favor of test forms where the items were arranged in ascending, or descending order. This is in line with the study of Cobbinah (2016). Again, the study of Opara and Uwah (2017) revealed that item arrangement based on ascending order of di culty has a positive and signi cant effect on students' performance in mathematics respectively while item arrangement based on descending order has a positive but insigni cant effect on student' performance in mathematics.…”

“…This has triggered a number of studies to con rm or discon rm the stand of the assessment experts on the issue of arrangement of test items in multiple choice items. For instance, in Ghana, Cobbinah (2016) established among others that the effect of change of item order (from easy-to-hard or hard-to-easy) on Senior High School students' achievement in Core Mathematics was signi cant. The study con rmed the assertion that the order arrangement of test items in multiple choice affect students' performance.…”

Critical Thinking Instruction Incorporated in Cross-Cultural Communication Course Design: A Needs Analysis Report Based on Voices of Chinese International College Undergraduates

“…Significantly, via the inclusion of CT training in the cross-cultural communication course, Chinese international students are more likely to adopt and apply topic knowledge to real-world circumstances and to be inspired to express themselves in a more innovative and constructive manner. Overall, a need exists for specifically aimed professional development for educators over the domain of critical thinking skills that includes a theoretical base, affirmation of the fundamental elements of critical thinking, and empirical evidence that teachers can employ to better comprehend the concept of critical thinking in a broad sense and critical thinking techniques in classroom instruction for learners in particular (Onen, 2021;Masaeid, 2020;Erkens et al, 2018;Cobbinah, 2017). Last but not least, if teachers appreciate critical thinking in depth, then not only can we convey the concept clearly to our students, but we can also utilize it to offer purpose and direction to nearly everything we undertake as both educators and learners under any academic scenario.…”

“…From lower-order to higher-order thinking abilities, critical thinking is comprised of a variety of interconnected thinking components. Critical thinking requirements include clarity, correctness, logic, thoroughness, importance, fairness, depth, breadth, and precision (Erkens et al, 2018;Cobbinah, 2017). The guidelines must be implemented to ensure that the conclusion reached through the use of critical thinking is legitimate and intelligible.…”

Needs Assessment Report Adopting a Mixed-Method Design: Chinese Postgraduates’ Impressions of Critical Thinking Approach in Research Method Course

“…In addition, critical thinking skills would perhaps not be preserved, but be strengthened via consistent practice. From lower-order to higher-order thinking skills, critical thinking is constructed of numerous interrelated thinking components, including Clarity, accuracy, rationality, thoroughness, significance, fairness, depth, breadth, and precision, being prerequisites for critical thinking (Erkens et al, 2018;Cobbinah, 2017). To guarantee that the conclusion obtained via the application of critical thinking remains valid and understandable, it is imperative to adhere to the aforementioned standards.…”