Philosophy for Children (P4C) in Improving Critical Thinking in a Secondary Moral Education Class

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of Philosophy for Children (P4C) in improving critical thinking among students. The study was conducted via the quasi-experimental research comprising of 27 students placed in the experimental group while the remaining 34 students in the control group. The instrument used was the Ujian Kemahiran Menaakul (Test for Reasoning Skills) Centre for Teaching Thinking (UKMCTT). Based on the statistical t-test on critical thinking, the treatment group scored a higher mean in the post-test mean score compared to the control group, which suggests that P4C had helped to improve students' critical thinking. The application of P4C allows students to think or reflect on the consequences of the action or assumption they made in their discussion. Simultaneously, it provides career advancement for the teachers by providing the classroom with a new strategy and renewed energy and enthusiasm.

How to teach critical thinking: an experimental study with three different approaches

“…In line with the results of the present study, there are several experimental studies suggesting that CT teaching with the general approach (Al-Edwan, 2011 ; Alwehaibi, 2012 ; Arı, 2020 ; Arısoy & Aybek, 2021 ; Eldeleklioğlu & Özkılıç, 2008 ; Karadağ & Demirtaş, 2018 ; Lou, 2018 ; Marin & Halpern, 2011 ; Rahdar et al, 2018 ; Smith et al, 2018 ; Taghinezhad & Riasati, 2020 ), immersion approach (Bağ, 2020 ; Fung & Howe, 2012 ; Jensen Jr., 2015 ; Lopez et al, 2020 ; Marin & Halpern, 2011 ; Reed & Kromrey, 2001 ; Zulkifli & Hashim, 2020 ) and mixed approach (Ku et al, 2014 ; Plath et al, 1999 ; Welch et al, 2015 ) significantly improved CT skills. Also, after examining experimental studies of CT teaching, Tiruneh et al ( 2014 ) concluded that CT skills or dispositions were significantly improved in 80% of studies conducted with the general approach to CT teaching, 55% of studies conducted with the immersion approach to CT teaching and 67% of studies conducted with the mixed approach to CT teaching.…”

“…When Kurnaz (2017) compared the effect of general and immersion approaches on CT skills, the general approach was more effective than the immersion approach in enhancing CT skills ( η 2 = 0.23). Also, there have been many other experimental studies which concluded that the general approach (Arı, 2020 ; Eldeleklioğlu & Özkılıç, 2008 ; Karadağ & Demirtaş, 2018 ; Rahdar et al, 2018 ; Zulkifli & Hashim, 2020 ), the immersion approach (Bağ, 2020 ; Fung & Howe, 2012 ; Reed & Kromrey, 2001 ; Yuan et al, 2008 ) and the mixed approach (Ku et al, 2014 ; Plath et al, 1999 ) enhances CT. Although there have been several experimental studies of the effectiveness of these approaches, there is no consensus about which approach is more effective (Cáceres et al, 2020 ; Larsson, 2017 ).…”

Students’ Self-Assessment on Hikmah Pedagogy in Islamic Education

“…Hikmah (Wisdom) pedagogy is one of the teaching pedagogies which aims to encourage students to master 21st-century learning skills, such as cognitive skills (critical thinking, creative thinking), collaborative skills, communication skills, and noble values. Several studies on Hikmah (Wisdom) pedagogy focused on its influence in enhancing critical thinking (Hashim & Wan Yusoff, 2006;Othman & Hashim, 2007, Abdullah, 2009Hashim et al, 2017;Wan Yusoff, Hashim, Khalid, Hussein, & Kamaluddeen, 2018;Zulkifli & Hashim, 2020). Other studies highlighted qualitative research (Zulkifli & Hashim, 2020) while fewer studies concentrated on Hikmah pedagogy in questioning skills (Zulkifli & Hashim, 2019;Juperi, 2011;Alias, 2017).…”

“…Several studies on Hikmah (Wisdom) pedagogy focused on its influence in enhancing critical thinking (Hashim & Wan Yusoff, 2006;Othman & Hashim, 2007, Abdullah, 2009Hashim et al, 2017;Wan Yusoff, Hashim, Khalid, Hussein, & Kamaluddeen, 2018;Zulkifli & Hashim, 2020). Other studies highlighted qualitative research (Zulkifli & Hashim, 2020) while fewer studies concentrated on Hikmah pedagogy in questioning skills (Zulkifli & Hashim, 2019;Juperi, 2011;Alias, 2017).…”

Impact of Philosophy for Children and Its Challenges: A Systematic Review

“…Many studies have been undertaken on the effectiveness of P4C programs in improving thinking skills among students [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. For instance, in Malaysia, applying P4C in the classroom could help students in improving critical thinking.…”