t of the existing knowledge base, the review of literature presented here delineates and discusses studies involving evaluation of educational programs designed to teacher critical thinking and/or study skills to adolescents or young adults.
Research Evaluating Critical Thinking Programs
The need for colleges to develop critical thinking skills in mainstream courses is emerging as an issue of national significance. Students benefit from clearly articulated and pedagogically sound courses that directly and explicitly teach thinking skills, as well as from efforts to reinforce these abilities across the curriculum. (p. 1)
Views such as this have encouraged many colleges and universities to develop programs that teach critical thinking skills. Several studies have examined for the effects and effectiveness of these critical thinking programs. In this regard, some very current research has been conducted by Roggman, Austin and Hart (1995) who evaluated several learning experiences designed to enhance and encourage the critical thinking skills of undergraduate students.
Study participants were university students in child development classes. Sixty-seven of these students were assigned to a project that required general experiences involving critical thinking and 92 other students were assigned to a project that guided students through specific steps in critical thinking processes.
The purpose of the study was to explore whether the exposure to critical thinking projects produced changes in learning outcomes as well as student values and attitudes. Changes in values and attitudes were assessed via self-reported questionnaires.
Regarding student outcomes, findings showed that students' degree of knowledge about critical thinking increased for both project groups. Also, both educational activities changed students' values and attitudes about both themselves and their education, with confidence, awareness, and ...