Investigating citical thinking skills in synchronous online discussion forums: A case study

Date of Publication

10-5-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education Major in Mathematics

Subject Categories

Science and Mathematics Education

College

Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC College of Education

Department/Unit

Science Education

Thesis Advisor

Minie Rose C. Lapinid

Defense Panel Chair

Auxencia A. Limjap

Defense Panel Member

Voltaire M. Mistades
Celina P. Sarmiento
Jasper Vincent Alontaga
Olivia N. Buzon

Abstract/Summary

Students’ participation in an online learning environment is insufficient without the ability to think critically. Critical thinking is a skill that is fundamentally required for students and such a valued goal in higher education. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Perkins and Murphy’s model, Garrison’s Communities of Inquiry, and Salmon’s five-stage model in enhancing the CT skills of the engineering students through the synchronous online discussion forums (DFs). This is a single case study of a calculus 2 class participating in a synchronous online discussion forum as a tool for supporting online activities. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered to present perspectives from a variety of methods across disciplines. The postings from six online discussion forum problem-solving sessions were analyzed using the CAIS model for CT skills, and each student obtained a weighted CT score. The findings showed that the CT skills have been mostly consistent from DF1 to DF6. As the students progressed, their critical thinking skills demonstrated in problem-solving sessions remained relatively high throughout all the discussions forums. Furthermore, the community of inquiry framework is particularly effective at fostering deep and meaningful learning experiences for improving CT skills. As several students have pointed out, all presences must be balanced. In order to establish and sustain cognitive presence and most profound learning approaches in an online environment, a dynamic balance of all presences is required. Finally, in this study, students' perspectives on using an online DFs in their Calculus 2 class were reported. Overall, most students were enthusiastic about using online decision-making tools to assist them in problem-solving.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Physical Description

241 leaves

Keywords

Critical thinking, Web-based instruction; Calculus--Web-based instruction

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Embargo Period

6-23-2022

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