Barriers and solutions to develop critical thinkers: understanding primary school teachers perspective

Jayanthi Subramaniam

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Type :	thesis
Subject :	LB Theory and practice of education
Main Author :	Jayanthi Subramaniam
Title :	Barriers and solutions to develop critical thinkers: understanding primary school teachers perspective

Place of Production :	Tanjong Malim
Publisher :	Fakulti Pembangunan Manusia
Year of Publication :	2022
Corporate Name :	Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
PDF Guest :	Click to view PDF file

Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

This study is aims to explore the barriers and potential solutions from primary school teachers to develop critical thinking among students. Paul and Elder’s Critical Thinking model was adapted, aligned with cognitive learning aspects to develop students thinking skills. Qualitative approaches were used in this study to identify the barriers, potential solutions to overcome the barriers, and the importance of developing primary school critical thinkers. Six primary school teachers teaching in SJKT schools in Sentul District Kuala Lumpur were chosen using the purposive sampling method. Three research instruments were employed, which are interview, questionnaire and focus group discussion. NVivo software were used to analyse the data. The findings of this study underline five themes on the barriers to critical thinking at the primary school level which include, (a) critical thinking in primary school, (b) problem-solving in daily life, (c) primary school teachers teaching methods, (d) barriers to critical thinking, and (e) enhance the knowledge. The result also showed that primary school teachers had different thoughts and feelings about the barriers preventing them from developing critical thinking skills among primary school students. In conclusion, even though there are many obstacles, primary school teachers are continuously motivating themselves by enhancing the knowledge to better their students and have more potential solutions to overcome those barriers These findings have implications for improving the integration’s effectiveness, removing barriers to critical thinking skills, and developing more primary school critical thinkers.

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