ERIC Number: EJ890647
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Dec
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2077-2327
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Graph/Chart Interpretation and Reading Comprehension as Critical Thinking Skills
Malamitsa, Katerina; Kokkotas, Panagiotis; Kasoutas, Michael
Science Education International, v19 n4 p371-384 Dec 2008
In contemporary academic literature and in many national curricula, there is a widespread acceptance that critical thinking should be an important dimension of Education. Teachers and researchers recognize the importance of developing students critical thinking, but there are still great difficulties in defining and assessing critical-thinking skills. The multiple definitions of critical thinking indicate the need for further clarification of the concept. An important attempt for clarifying the concept was the "Delphi Report" (Facione, 1990a), where a qualitative research methodology, known as the Delphi Method, was used to develop a unified theoretical framework. The core critical-thinking skills identified in the Delphi Report as essential elements for workplace and educational success are targeted in the assessment tool entitled "The Test of Everyday Reasoning" (TER) (Facione, 2001). TER was translated from English into Greek and standardized for Greek population. TER has a series of questions engaging the participant in the interpretation and reasoning relating to the information provided in charts and graphs as well as to the accompanying them textual description. This paper presents the results from the standardization of TER in terms of graph/chart interpretation and reading comprehension skills. Implications for science education in Greece are also discussed. (Contains 1 table, 4 figures, and 3 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Delphi Technique, Reading Comprehension, Foreign Countries, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills, Data Interpretation, Graphs, Charts, Concept Teaching, Visual Literacy, Standardized Tests, Multiple Choice Tests, Educational Assessment, Educational Indicators, Academic Achievement
International Council of Associations for Science Education. Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Education, Buca, Izmir 35150, Turkey. Tel: +90-532-4267927; Fax: +90-232-4204895; Web site: http://icaseonline.net
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A