ERIC Number: EJ1038917
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Jul
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1387-1579
EISSN: N/A
The Constructivist Classroom Learning Environment and Its Associations with Critical Thinking Ability of Secondary School Students in Liberal Studies
Kwan, Yee Wan; Wong, Angela F. L.
Learning Environments Research, v17 n2 p191-207 Jul 2014
In this study, we investigated-secondary school students' perceptions of their constructivist learning environment in Liberal Studies, and whether their perceptions were related to their critical thinking ability. A convenience sample of Secondary Three students (N = 967) studying Liberal Studies in Hong Kong participated in this research by completing a self-administered questionnaire which included the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level X, and demographic information on age and gender. Students perceived their learning environment to be moderately constructivist in nature. Both age and school banding differences were identified in that younger students and students in band 1 schools tended to perceive a higher degree of constructivist characteristics in their learning environment. Multiple regression analyses indicated that three of the five scales of CLES were predictors of critical thinking ability. Shared Control was the strongest predictor and negatively associated with critical thinking ability, while Personal Relevance and Critical Voice were positively related to critical thinking ability. Findings of the study are discussed with reference to developing students' critical thinking ability in Liberal Studies classrooms.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Constructivism (Learning), Multiple Regression Analysis, Educational Environment, Critical Thinking, Predictor Variables, Liberal Arts, Thinking Skills, Secondary School Students, Student Attitudes, Questionnaires, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Constructivist Learning Environment Survey; Cornell Critical Thinking Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A