Pedagogical Practices for Critical Thinking Skills Development in Science Subjects: A Qualitative Study at Secondary Level
Keywords:
Critical Thinking Skills, Science Education, Pedagogical Practices, Qualitative Study, Hermeneutic Phenomenology.Abstract
Critical thinking in science education has become a significant objective of the current global landscape. The current qualitative study explored pedagogical practices used by secondary school science teachers for the development of critical thinking among their students. The hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to get the lived experiences of the twelve secondary school science teachers from public schools in the Sahiwal district of Punjab province. The sample was selected through a purposive sampling technique. Keeping in view the objective of the study, a semi-structured interview guide was developed based on the literature and experts’ perspectives. Data were analyzed through the facilitation of Nvivo software. The findings of the study revealed a diverse range of pedagogical practices employed by secondary school science teachers including Socratic questioning through inquiry-based teaching, discussion methods, conversation, debates, cooperative learning like think-pair-share, activity-based methods, and problem-solving methods to develop critical thinking and face real-life challenges. Moreover, the study underscored the significance of these methods to engage the students and foster critical thinking among them in science subjects. The study also recommends professional development opportunities for secondary school science teachers, revising the curriculum and assessment methods, with resource allocation, optimizing student-teacher ratios, and establishing a culture of continuous improvement to increase the implementation of critical thinking-focused pedagogies in science education.
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