Abstract
Team-based learning (TBL) classes utilize techniques believed to foster increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills when compared to lecture classes. This study compares increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills in a TBL class and a lecture class covering identical subject matter and taught by the same professor during a single semester. Raw score changes on the the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment S2 (HCTA S2) were used to measure critical thinking skill changes and Bloom’s Taxonomy was used to differentiate higher-order questions on the final exam. No significant difference was found between the two classes when comparing raw score changes on the HCTA S2 or higher-order thinking analysis questions. A significant difference was found when comparing the number of correct answers on the higher-order thinking application questions on the final exam. A significant negative correlation was found between raw score changes on the HCTA S2 and correct higher-order thinking questions on the final exam. These findings suggest the need for future studies that assess the increase in higher-order application skills in team-based learning classes and reassess the effect of class structure on critical thinking skills.
Recommended Citation
Buchin, Z. (2018). Critical thinking skills across the semester in lecture- and team-based learning classes. James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal, 5(1), 21-32. Retrieved from http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/jmurj/vol5/iss1/3
