critical thinking use for the inference exercises in mosaic 1, 4th edition

Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition Cantho University School of Education English Department Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần B.A Thơ@Tài Thesis liệu học tập nghiên cứu Field of study: English Language Learning Supervisor: Mr Nguyeãn Hoàng Chí Researcher: Voõ Thò Thu Thaûo Code: 7044867 NN0454A3 Course 30 Cantho, May 2008 Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition Contents Contents .i Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv List of tables and figures………………………………………………………………… v Chapter One: Introduction……………………………………………………………… 1.1 Background information……………………………………………………………… 1.2 The need of CT in education…………………………………………………………… 1.3 The expansion of CT…………………………………………………………………… 1.4 CT and English language learning…………………………………………………… 1.5 The thesis organization………………………………………………………………… Chapter Two: Literature Review……………………………………………………… 2.1 Concepts of CT……………………………………………………………………… 2.1.1 Definitions of CT……………………………………………………………… 2.1.2 Relationship between CT skills and dispositions……………………………… .8 Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu 2.2 CT and Academic achievement……………………………………………………… 2.3 CT and Social achievement…………………………………………………………… 2.4 CT and reading comprehension ……………………………………………………… .9 2.5 Definitions of inference ……………………………………………………………… .11 2.6 The possible relationship between CT and making inference………………………… 12 Chapter Three: Research Methodology……………………………………………… 15 3.1 Research designs……………………………………………………………………… .15 3.2 Participants…………………………………………………………………………… .16 3.3 Materials……………………………………………………………………………… .16 3.4 Research instruments………………………………………………………………… 17 3.4.1 Reading selection……………………………………………………………… 17 3.4.2 Questionnaire on CT use for inference exercises……………………………… 18 3.5 Procedure……………………………………………………………………………… 20 Chapter Four: Results of the Data Collation And Discussions about the Research Findings 21 4.1 Students’ level of CT use for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition……… .21 Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 4.1.1 The mean scores of students’ CT use …………………… 21 4.1.2 The differences in the levels of CT skills and disposition …………………… 23 4.2 Students’ choices of general CT use for inference exercises………………………… .24 4.2.1 The use of other techniques for inference questions…………………………… .24 4.2.2 Students’ choices of general CT use for inference exercises…………………… 25 4.3 Discussions about the research findings……………………………………………… 29 4.4 Classroom implication……………………………………………………………… 30 Chapter Five: Limitations and Directions for Further Research…………………… 31 5.1 Limitations…………………………………………………………………………… 31 5.1.1 Methological limitations ……………………………………………………… 31 5.1.2 Some other limitations ………………………………………………………… 32 5.2 Directions for further research……………………………………………………… 32 References……………………………………………………………………………… 34 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………… 36 Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition Acknowledgements This thesis could not have been completed without the great support and assistance of the wonderful people Firstly, I wish to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor - Mr Nguyen Hong Chi – who instructed enthusiastically to the research For his helpful guidance, generous and patient attention, invaluable suggestions, critical reading, academically and personally, motivated me to stand firm on my own research path Secondly, I am very grateful to Mark Dalgarno who spent his precious time reading and correcting all of the errors in order that my papers sound good It was his kindness that made this research better than I expected In addition, I wish to express my deep appreciation to Mrs Bui Thi Hong Anh, Mrs Ngo Hoang Anh, and Mr Tran Quoc Hung, for the help of data collection It was their great help that led to the completion of this study Trung tâm ĐH Cần liệu học tậpandvàBachelor), nghiên cứu My Học sincereliệu thanks also go toThơ@Tài English majors (Education course 31 who volunteered to participate in the questionnaire survey Without their cooperation, this study would have not been possible Finally yet importantly, to my friends and family, I appreciate your persistent encouragement, continuous support, and assistance Your companionship made difficult times enjoyable I appreciate you more than words can express Best for all, Cantho, 19 May 2008 Vo Thi Thu Thao Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition abstract Critical thinking is a central outcome in education because it will equip learners self-regulation and independent thinking in order that they are capable to meet challenges in the new era The conceptualization of CT could be achieved through the findings of the Delphi study in 1990 The results of the research note that CT could have been correlated with thinking ability in school and in professionalism development Reading comprehension is hypothesized to have the significant correlation with CT When a learner’s CT is enhanced, his or her reading ability might be improved Because learners sometimes have to read a text whose meaning is implied and that they have to infer for understanding of the text Therefore, this research reports the qualitative investigation to what extent students use CT for making inference and the quantitative survey of general CT use for inference questions Results might illustrate an effect: the ability to make inferences increases with an increase in CT use These positive findings would help students majoring in English get deeper understanding about using CT when they study reading comprehension Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Abbreviation: Critical Thinking (CT) Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition List of Tables and Figures Figure 2.1: The core CT skills…………………………………………………………… Figure 2.2: The dispositions toward CT………………………………………………… .7 Figure 4.1: Total mean score of students’ CT use……………………………………… .21 Figure 4.2: Mean scores of two categories of CT………………………………………… 22 Table 2.1: Six levels of learning in terms of making inference ……………………… 13-14 Table 3.1: Aims of the items in the second section……………………………………… 19 Table 3.2: Aims of the items in the questionnaire……………………………………… .19 Table 4.1: Descriptive Statistics of students’ level of CT use…………………………… 21 Table 4.2: Descriptive Statistics of two dimensions of CT use………………………… .22 Table 4.3: Differences between the mean scores of two CT dimensions………………… 23 Table 4.4: Other techniques for inference questions……………………………………… 24 Table 4.5: CT use for inference exercises about vocabulary …………………………… 25 Table 4.6: CT use for the activity after reading a long selection ………………………… 25 Tabletâm 4.7: CT use for the strategy after reading a long selection ………………………… Trung Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên 26 cứu Table 4.8: CT use for the activity after giving an inference ……………………………… 27 Table 4.9: CT use for the strategy of making an inference ……………………………… .27 Table 4.10: CT use for the activity after finishing inference exercises ………………… 28 Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition Chapter Introduction This chapter will address (1) the background information of this research, (2) the need of CT in education, (3) the expansion of CT, (4) CT and English language learning and (5) the thesis organization 1.1 Background information Since 1980s, the world economy has reached an era known as globalization In this era, the development of technology, media and transportation has boosted strong cooperation between nations in terms of economy, culture, politics and society According to Vu (2006), these achievements made the world smaller by “high speed, small distance, high density and great intensity” Therefore, a person has access to the giant resources of the world’s knowledge just by a click at home Knowledge now not only belongs to an individual, an organization, or a nation but the world as reporter Bao Binh told on Vietimes on November 15, 2007 Not only multinational and governments, but individuals as wellcứu Trung tâm Họchave liệu ĐH Cầncorporations Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên integrated deeply in the wave of the globalization Therefore, “global citizenship” was conceptualized in order to indicate that each individual acts may contribute (or destroy) benefits not only for his or herself, but for society and even for the world This connection is required in the global community as Bao Binh once again mentioned this on Vietimes on the same date How can a person become a global citizen? They must be equipped with knowledge and necessary skills such as thinking independently and critically, advocating ideas and listening to others and reasoning logically Therefore, Friedman (2006) signified that it is education that plays an important role to train intellectual citizens possessing four quotients: IQ (Intellectual Quotients), EQ (Emotion Quotients), CQ (Curiosity Quotients) and PQ (Passion Quotients) That is to say, schooling not only transfers the “prepackaged knowledge” stuffed with facts, figures, definitions, and formulas but also the skills to think critically, analyze, communicate, cooperate and solve problems In other words, after schooling, graduates can innovate and boost the progress of the society they live in and the rest of the world by their CT skills and knowledge Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 1.2 The need of CT in education We can observe that globalization entails a world where good thinking is focused on as an important element of life success in life (Huitt, 1995; Thomas & Smoot, 1994) because the educational policy would have indicated a national developmental strategy The enthusiasm with which North America has come to embrace CT as a central outcome of higher education (Facione, Facione, Gainen & Giancarlo, 1995) Of these, the U.S enacted the National Goals of Education 2000 aimed at college graduates who demonstrate an ability to think critically, communicate effectively and solve problems in order that they possess knowledge and skills to compete in the context of globalization (Facione, Facione, Gainen & Giancarlo, ibid.) Besides that, Singapore highly evaluated thinking ability in individuals as Ministry of Education’s version: “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation” In fact, Singaporean education made great efforts for graduates mastering both knowledge and skills capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century, the spirit of life long learning after leaving school 1.3 The expansion of CT CT has a long history dating from the era of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates Trung Họcagoliệu ĐHtheCần Thơ@Tài liệu vàschooling nghiên over tâm 2000 years through Socratic Method, even “CThọc cametập before wascứu ever invented, it lies at the very roots of civilization” (Facione, 2006, p.9) Accordingly, learning by raising questions permits learners to shape their thinking habits, the enjoyment of knowledge, constructing knowledge’s meanings and ability them to apply to the future life Therefore, it is not an exaggeration when Facione (2006, p.9) said, “CT is a corner stone in the journey human kind to global sensitivity.” However, it was not until the 1930’s that CT was discussed by John Dewey, the pioneering American educator, when he identified “learning to think” as the primary purpose of education in 1933 The reason is that the thinking process will help learners approach knowledge with acquisitions or innovations, new knowledge to make contributions to knowledge and to society, and to human kind (Facione, 2006) Nevertheless, the positive meaning of CT is usually misunderstood According to Paul and Elder (2004), one reason is from the very meaning of the word “critical” which is usually inclined to convey something negative or focused on trivial faults However, this view is wrong because Facione (2006, p.3) pointed out, “CT is the thinking that has a purpose (proving a point, interpreting what something means or solving a problem)” Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition Accordingly, a learner having “a critical spirit” means that he is very open-minded positively to listen to what people say, willing to admit his faults and change his mind when given good reasons to change, comfortable when being criticized, not arrogant when giving an idea that may be better than others or put him or her into another’s situation with sympathy and empathy Facione et al (1990) achieved progress of CT when they conducted the Delphi study This study had to with how college level CT should be defined so that people teaching at a college level know which skills and dispositions to cultivate in their students (Facione, 2006, p.9) From those results, CT has been focused as a central outcome in higher education in order that graduates have better grades and high – order thinking ability 1.4 CT and English language learning In globalization, English is most widely used international language (Grimes, 1996, O’Neil, 2008) which entails the need to learn English A typical student statement (Tollefson, quoted in Pennycook, 2004, p.27) demonstrates this by the saying, “Learning English might be the pathway to achieve the desired life, because English knowledge could Trung tâm Học liệujob, ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập my vàown nghiên lead me to have a better a successful career and a chance to develop country.”cứu In fact, to be a global citizen, English is a tool of inquiry for each person to work for him or her own and contribute to human kind if he or she hopes to so However, it is considerably difficult to learn English and to be able to think critically is Lazere (1987) pointed out that when instructed to apply CT in learning language should lead learners to the ability to analyze, criticize, and advocate ideas, to reason inductively and deductively, and to reach factual or judgmental conclusions Of the four English skills (writing, reading, listening and speaking), reading was hypothesized to have a significant correlation with CT because if learners can read better, they might think better, and as a result, they get better grades (Facione, 2006) However, sometimes the information does not appear in black and white on the written page for readers to look at and comprehend In other words, readers have to go beyond what is read How can learners deal with this kind of reading task but not misunderstand the message the author conveys? That requires the ability to read what is unstated in the text or the skill to infer In order to infer meaning, readers must combine the information that the author has written with his or her own experiences—both reading experiences and life experiences (Prezsler, 2004, p.2) However, not all students can deal Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 10 with the inference task in reading comprehension as well as they expect, even when they reread the text several times (Oakhill, 1984) A similarity is found in Cantho University (CTU) where as a student of English language learning, I was deeply involved When I worked with the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition at school, I saw that these inference exercises were quite difficult because the meaning of the text was implied Even when rereading carefully before drawing an answer, I still made mistakes As a result, I was afraid of these exercises and not sure to explain the reasons for my choices Therefore, I conduct this survey to check Facione’s (2006, p.18) hypothesis whether knowing how to apply CT during inference process can improve students’ inference ability This study aims at conducting a small – scale survey to answer the research question, “To what extent did English – majors, course 31 at CTU use CT to deal with the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition?” This survey does not care about how much correct choices they have, but whether attention is paid to how they finished those exercises through the use of CT (i.e., CT skills and dispositions) From this, the students’ intellectual ability might correspond to Bloom’s (1956) levels of learning (i.e., knowledge, comprehension, analysis, application, synthesis and evaluation) Finally, this research aims Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài họcThe tậpresult of nghiên at knowing the students’ general CT use for inferenceliệu questions the study,cứu possible pedagogical actions that aim at promoting the students’ CT use at CTU would consider 1.5 Thesis organization This research consists of six chapters Chapter is the introduction In Chapter 2, I will review the literature relevant to the interaction between students’ CT and their inference performance In chapter 3, I will introduce the research methodology that I followed to conduct this study, which includes the research design, the participants, the materials and the procedure of the study In chapter 4, I will report the results of the investigations and the discussions about the research findings In chapter 5, I will reflect on the weakness of the research and suggest future research Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 37 Chapter Limitations and Directions for Further Research In the previous chapter, I have reported the results of the investigations into the students’ level of CT use for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition The results of the data collection and the discussions about the research findings showed that the students’ CT use was in the relatively high level In this chapter, I will put forward the limitations of the study and directions for further research 5.1 Limitations Aimed to investigating learners’ CT use, this study has faced some limitations First I will discuss about the methodological limitations, and then some other limitations in this study 5.1.1 Methodological Limitations The first limitation is that just 75 (out of 181) ELT and ELS students, course 31 were chosen randomly for this study, the generalizability about the CT use for the inference Trung tâmin Học Cần liệuForhọc tập some nghiên exercises Mosaicliệu 1, 4thĐH edition mightThơ@Tài be not quite true example, participantscứu might be uninterested in the topic of the research and they completed the questionnaire as receptivity Therefore, the research should have had delivered the cover letter to all ELT and ELS students to announce about the topic of the research and the contributions for research When 75 students had been willing to participate, they would have been gathered to complete the questionnaire at the same day The true response rates could be obtained higher Possibly, the generalibility about the CT use for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition could have been more reliable Secondly, the second section in the questionnaire was designed to ask the participants’ CT use when answering the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition However, the students’ memory might be different from the present performance As a result, what was calculated was only their checks on the five-point scale their verbal thinking, non-verbal thinking could not be identified In addition, 18 items were designed on five-point scale and students scored by putting their check for their responses According to Fraenkel & Wallen (2000, ibid.), five-point scale items are the closed-ended questions which allows the researcher to be easy to code for analysis in the computer Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 38 because all participants response to the same options However, one possibility is posed that an individual’s true response is not present among the options given Therefore, I should have provided an “other” choice for each item, where the place the participant can write in a response that the researcher may not have anticipated On the other hands, I should have conducted an interview to maximize their understanding about CT as well as their true thinking that was not given in the questionnaire Lastly, the questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument was completed only one time, so the researcher still not know how much a participant’s score might change if I gave the questionnaire at two different times, so the consistent results could not be obtained to confirm how high reliability it is Therefore, the questionnaire should have piloted, which guaranteed the data obtained from the questionnaire would be more reliable 5.1.2 Some Other Limitations First, using the questionnaire, the research reflects the students’ perceived use of CT rather than their actual use Second, no many the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition made the researcher difficult to design the questionnaire to measure the students’ CT use at many angles Third, the research was conducted only in the small-scale survey th Trung Học liệu ĐH exercises Cần Thơ@Tài họcTherefore, tập tonghiên abouttâm CT use for the inference in Mosaic 1, 4liệu edition generalizecứu for larger scale investigation, the study should have involved more exercises in this book Last, CT has been much discussed in education, however, CT use for making inference exercises is a new topic As a result, the lack of many materials in supporting my work prevented me to completing the research as well as I expected 5.2 Directions for further research This research aimed at investigating the extent learners’ CT use for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition The exercises that the students already finished, so the extent could be demonstrated by either the students’ memory or present ability at the moment of the data collection The extent of CT use was relatively high, it could be inferred that students agreed to use CT for the inference exercises Nevertheless, integrating CT into the learning process of making inference could improve the inference ability was not measured in this study Therefore, the further research could investigate the interaction between the CT use and making inference exercises to see whether students of high level of CT use could perform better in making inference Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 39 As an investigation into learners’ CT use, this research was conducted in the smallscale survey to demonstrate the extent learners’ CT use and answering inference exercises For further research, the scope could be larger toward reading comprehension as follows: CT use for reading comprehension or the interaction between CT and reading comprehension In this chapter, I first mentioned about the limitations the study has faced, and then put forward the directions for further research This chapter has finished the report of the present study In conducting this study, I hypothesized that the students did not use CT for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition If yes, the degree was in the moderate level because most of them said that inference was a difficult task To gain insights into the extent of CT use, I reviewed the literature relevant to CT, making inference and the possible relationship between CT and making inference From the literature review, I learned that CT could promote language performance, particularly inference activities in reading comprehension In the light of the empirical evidence from this study, it was found that the students used CT was in the relatively high level Therefore, to enhance CT use, six cognitive CT skills and seven Trung tâm Học liệutoward ĐH CT Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học the tậpcorrelation nghiên aspects of dispositions should be stimulated However, betweencứu CT use and making inference was not measured in this study to confirm whether the students of high level of CT use would perform better in inference activities In other words, promoting CT use could lead to better inference performance The correlation should be considered for pedagogical actions so that incorporating CT use would be boosted in the language learning at the university level Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 40 References Austhink (2007) Critical thinking on the web Retrieved December 19, 2007, from http://www.austhink.com/critical/pages/definitions.html Buehl, D., (2001) Learning to make inferences Retrieved June 5, 2001, from http://www.weac.org/News/2000-01/june01/read.htm Bảo Bình (2007) Cong dan toan cau: Ly tuong lon cua giao duc hien dai Retrieved November 11, 2007, from http://vietimes.vietnamnet.vn/vn/chuyende/4009/index.viet Cubukcu, F., (2007) An Investigation of Reading Strategies Employed by Trainee Teachers GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies Clark, D R (2007) L e a r n i n g D o m a i n s o r B l o o m ' s T a x o n o m y Retrieved May 6, 2007, from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html Facione, P A., Facione, N., C., Giancarlo, A C., Gainen J: The Disposition Toward Critical Thinking Journal of General Education, Vol 44, No.1(1995), 1-25 Facione, P A (2006) Critical thinking: Why it is and why it counts Retrieved from http://www.insightassessment.com/ Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Facione, P A (1990) Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction Millbrae, MI: CA Press Facione, P A (1990) The California Critical Thinking Skills Test-College Level Technical Report # Experimental Validation and Content Validity Millbrae, MI: CA Press Fraenkel, J., Wallen, N E (2000) How to design and evaluate research in education 4th ed New York: McGraw–Hill Grimes, B., F., (1996) The 50 Most Widely Spoken Languages Retrieved April 25, 2004, from http://www.photius.com/rankings/languages2.html Halpern, D F (1996) Thought and knowledge: An introduction to critical thinking New Jersey: Mahwah Kiwan, D., Ahmed, A., Pollitt, A., (2000) The Effects of Time-Induced Stress on Making Inferences in Text Comprehension Retrieved September 2007, from http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/ Kurland, D (2002) How the Language Really Works: The Fundamentals of Critical Reading and Effective Writing Retrieved from http://www.criticalreading.com Lazere, D., (1987) Critical Thinking in College English Studies (ERIC Doc No ED284275) Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 41 Longview Community College (2004) Critical Thinking Across The Curriculum Project Retrieved March 02, 2004, from http://mcckc.edu/lonview/ctac/definitions.htm Maxwell, M, (2007) The Socratic Method and Its Effect on Critical Thinking Retrieved from http://www.socraticmethod.net/ Nguyen, H C (2006) Toan cau hoa: Thuc tien tien hoa cua nhan loai Retrieved July 28, 2006, from http://vietsciences.org/timhieu/tramhoa/toancauhoa.htm Nguyen, H C (2006) The nao la the gioi phang Retrieved November 17, 2006, from http://vietsciences.org/timhieu/tramhoa/toancauhoa.htm Niewoehner, J R: Applying a critical thinking model for engineering education World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education, Vol.5, No.2 (2006) O’Neil, D., (2008) Language and Cultrue: Introduction Retrieved April 27, 2008, from http://anthro.palomar.edu/language/language_1.htm Paul, R., Elder, L (2004) Human Potential: Thinking about Thinking – The Act of Disciplining Your Mind Retrieved 2008, from http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/ Preszler, J., (2006) Target: Strategies Help Readers Make through Inferences Trung tâm HọcOnliệu ĐH Cần toThơ@Tài liệuMeaning học tập nghiên cứu Grades – 12 Rapid City: Black Hills Special Service Cooperative (BHSSC) Simpson, E., Courtney, M: The development of a critical thinking conceptual middle-eastern nurses: a middle-eastern experience Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol 25, No.1 (2007) The World Bank Group (2000) Thinking Schools, Learning Nations Retrieved October 24-28, 2000, from http://www1.worldbank.org/education/globaleducationreform/15.LinksFromHome/15.02.Study Tour/singapore/Singapore%20vision.htm Tran, M T (2006) The interactions between metacognition and reading comprehension (B.A thesis, Cantho University, 2006) Wegmann, B., Knezevic, M., (2002) Mosaic 1: Reading, th ed New York: McGraw–Hill Wren, S (2003) Reading Comprehension Retrieved http://www.balancedreading.com/readingcomprehension.html August 7, 2003, from Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 42 Appendices Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 43 COVERING LETTER TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE School of Education Cantho University St 3/2, Cantho City Vietnam 2122 Dear Student, I am an English major of the School of Education, Cantho University I am undertaking B.A thesis about critical thinking (CT) and making inference in reading comprehension My goal is to investigate how you finished the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition through the use of CT The questionnaire and the inference exercises to be delivered are designed to obtain the extent you applied CT and your perspective for general CT use for inference questions The study hopes to contribute to the realization of the usefulness of CT for inference exercises in particular and for reading comprehension in general Your views and your experiences are of great importance to the success of the study You will be asked to read the inference exercises selected from Mosaic 1, 4th edition to fill in the questionnaire and voluntarily participate in informal face-to-face interviews Please answer all of the questions in the questionnaire You will be asked at the end of the questionnaire whether I can contact you for an interview at a later stage Please complete the extra question and specify the details as required I will greatly appreciate it if you complete the questionnaire and return it Your responses will be Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu kept completely confidential Details from the answers will not be discussed with the rest of English majors, Course 31 Notes of the interviews will be used only for the purpose of the project, and transcripts of the interviews will be sent to you for your comments If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at this address: Vo Thi Thu Thao Tel.: 0908 787 159 Email: thao.7044867@student.ctu.edu.vn or you could also contact my supervisor, Mr Nguyen Hong Chi at this address: Email: nhchi@ ctu.edu.vn Thank you in advance for your cooperation Sincerely, Vo Thi Thu Thao Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 44 Questionnaire Project title: Critical Thinking (CT) Use and Making Inference Candidate name: Vo Thi Thu Thao April 2008 Supervisor: Mr Nguyen Hong Chi Date: 27 This questionnaire consists of 36 questions in three sections The instructions are written under each section Please answer all of the questions where relevant to you Section I: Demographic Information Put the check () or circle the appropriate choices: Name:………………………………… Class:………………………………… Gender: Male € Female € English major: Education € Bachelor € How long have you studied English? a years b 10 years c over 10 years How often you have inference questions/ tests? a always b usually c sometimes d rarely Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu e never In general, are inference questions/ tests difficult? a Yes € Reason(s) a.1 the answers are not available a.2 the ideas in passages are implicitly stated a.3 both a.4 others: (please specify)…………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… … b No € Besides Mosaic 1, have you done inference exercises from other sources? a Yes € a.1 Practice Reading Tests/Books (specify the titles)…………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… a.2 Toefl ibt/ IELTS a.3 Both a.4 Internet sources a.5 Others: (please specify) ……………………………………………… b No € Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 45 Have you ever heard of the word “critical thinking” (CT) ……………………………… If yes, which one is correct? a people with CT are tended to find faults or judge severely b CT is involved in skillful judgments as to truth c the ability to be critical of someone/something or criticize them Section II: CT use for inference exercises in Mosaic 1, th edition Read the following statements about CT use in inference questions For each statement, please look at the hand out and put the check ( ) ONE scale (1 to 5) that best applies to you The scales are Strongly Disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly Agree No Level 10 Trung tâm 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 V O C A B U L A R Y Statements Strongly Disagree (1) In number 1, (a) is correct because you liệu alreadyĐH knewCần the meaning of Học Thơ@Tài “intolerant” In number 2, “outrageous” is similar in the suffix _ous but different in meaning with “advantageous” In number 3, you could guess the meaning of “trickle” from the context In number 4, you knew the meaning of all four choices In number 5, (b) is correct because “well-to-do” is not quite new to you You are inquisitive to find out hardest vocabulary and practice it immediately You’d love to learn many new words In number 6, although the phrase “too early or too late” appears in choice (a), (a) is not closest meaning with the original sentence Disagree Undecided (2) (3) Agree (4) liệu học tập nghiên cứu Strongly Agree (5) Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 18 19 20 In number 7, you finished by translating both the original sentence and all choices In number 8, choices (a), (b) and (c) contradict the original sentence S T A T E M E N T If a problem is tougher than you expected, you’ll keep working on it 21 You try to see the value in classmates’ opinion, even if you reject it later 22 23 24 25 Trung 26 46 T E X T tâm In number 9, you eliminated (a) and (b) because the information are founded in the passage, not an inference task In number 10, the answer is found in line In number 11, you used your prior knowledge to make inferences about the text You read by translating from English to Vietnamese three passages (9,10,11) Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài When asked to clarify why you have figured out the answer, you will be confident to reply 27 liệu học tập nghiên cứu You are willing to change your mind when given good reason to change Section III: General CT use for inference questions Fill in or circle the appropriate choices: 28 Which other techniques you usually use for inference questions about vocabulary, statement and text comprehension (you may circle more than one choice if relevant) a Understand the grammatical role of unknown words b Identify the beliefs, personalities, and motivations of characters when you read novelty c Understand the author’s point of view d Relate the text to events in their own lives e Visualize the events in the passage Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 47 Or other techniques? Please specify ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… 29.You like to answer inference questions because ………………………………………… (you may circle more than one choice if relevant) a You want to challenge yourself mentally b You want to find out the logical implications of the author’s words c Other personal ideas …………………………………………………………… 30 You inference exercises about vocabulary by a recalling the meaning of all new words b depending on your luck c relying on your classmates d your own ideas: (please specify) ………………………………………………… 31 After reading a statement, a you find difficult to interpret it b you rely on your classmates’ ideas c you can paraphrase it Trung tâm Học Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu d your ownliệu ideas:ĐH (please specify) ………………………………………………… 32 After reading a long selection, a you pay attention to the main idea and some illustrations b you try to remember as many details as possible c you are confused between the main ideas and the supporting ideas d your own ideas: (please specify) ………………………………………………… 33 After giving a choice, a you are afraid of explaining the reasons for your choice b you can identify the reasons for your choice c you need to discuss with your classmates before telling your ideas d your own ideas: (please specify) ………………………………………………… 34 You make an inference for the text by a reading the literal interpretation of the text Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 48 b using the given facts in the text without bringing your own experience c combining the information that the author has written with your own experience d your own ideas: (please specify) ………………………………………………… 35 After finishing inference exercises, a you read for pleasure, without evaluation b you make judgments about the value of the materials you have done c you are interested in know how many choices you have done d your own ideas: (please specify) ………………………………………………… * You have reached the end of the questionnaire I appreciate your collaboration in order to maximize your understanding about CT, so I would like to invite you in a semi structure interview 36 Are you willing to attend an interview? Yes € No € Detail contact: ……………………………………………………… Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Thank you for your responses!  Reading selection Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 49 Each sentence has an underlined word or phrase Below each sentence are four other words and phrases You are to circle the one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the original sentence if it is substituted for the underlined word or phrase Do the exercise with the pattern described above in mind What examples you find that fit these descriptions? The words and phrase all come from the reading selection “70 brides for Foreigners.” During Joseph Stalin’s time, the attitude toward marriages to foreigners was intolerant (a) close-minded (b) indifferent (c) generous (d) open Tens of thousands of Russian women dream of an advantageous marriage (a) beneficial (b) distressed (c) costly (d) outrageous In the 1960s, the registration of foreign marriages was resumed and since then the trickle of Russian brides abroad has turned into a powerful torrent (a) large number (b) small number (c) entrance (d) trickery There are criteria for selection First, you must be successful in your professional milieu (a) payments (b) criticism (c) standards (d) problems Up to 300 men apply annually They must meet only one required – that they be well-todo tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Trung (a) healthy (b) wealthy (c) well-meaning (d) employed (Adapted from Mosaic 1, Reading 4th edition, p 51) Choose the answer that is closest in meaning to the original sentence Notice that several of the choices may be factually correct, but you should choose the one answer that is closest restatement of the given sentence Fill in thinking correct circle: A, B, C or D No hour is too early or too late to call Jenkins Plumbing Company (a) Jenkins Plumbing Company does not answer calls that are too early or too late (b) Jenkins Plumbing Company accepts calls at any hour of the day or night (c) Whether you call early or late, Jenkins Plumbing Company will come in one hour (d) If you call at an early hour, Jenkins Plumbing Company will never be late When TV first became available to large numbers of Americans in the 1950s and 1960s, most producers ignored its possibilities as a tool for education Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 50 (a) In the 1950s and 1960s, there were not many educational programs on American TV (b) Until 1950s and 1960s, most of the TV programs in the United State were tools for education (c) After 1950s and 1960s, most American producers sis not see the educational possibilities of TV (d) During the 1950s and 1960s, educational programs first became available to Americans In spite of the high interest rates on home loans, the couple did not change their plans to buy a new house (a) High interest rates caused the couple to change their plans about buying a house (b) The couple did not buy the house because of the high interest rates (c) Since interest rates were no longer high, the couple bought the house (d) Although the interest rates were high, the house was bought by the couple (Adapted from Mosaic 1, Reading 4th edition, p 37) Following are three passages from the article “Executive Takes Chance on Pizza, Transforms Spain.” Each passage is followed by a question about it Circle the one best answer Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Leopold Fernandez was earning $ 150,000 a year as an executive in Spain with Johnson & Johnson when he dicided open a pizzeria on the side “keep in mind, I knew nothing about pizza My job was aboutselling heart valves, heart monitors, surgical instruments,” said the 47-year-old Cuban-American, a former marketing director for the U.S medical supplu company What can be inferred from the passage about Leopold Fernandez? (a) He is middle-aged (b) He was born in Cuba (c) He is a risk taker (d) He was poor before starting a business At the time Telepizza began in the late 1980s, pizzas were available in Spain only in Italian restaurants and home delivery of any food was rare But with more women in the workplace and Spain still modernizing, there was a growing need for convenience foods Telepizza’s success is widely credited with setting off a boom in home-delivered fast food in Spain 10 What can be inferred from the passage about Telepizza’s customers? (a) They like to buy on credit Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 51 (b) They not like Italian restaurants (c) Many are very traditional (d) Many are working women Along with crediting the untapped Spanish market for his success, Fernandez noted that growing up as an immigrant in the United States probably also helped Like many other refuges fleeing the Castro revolution, Fernandez moved to Florida from Cuba in 1960 with his parents “An immigrant has to find ways to succeed because he’s on the bottom,” said Fernandez, who also has worked for Protect & Gamble Co., the leading U.S, consumer products company 11 What can be inferred from the passage about Fernandez’s opinion of immigrants? (a) Immigrants usually don’t work as hard as others (b) Immigrants usually work harder than others (c) Immigrants are employed by big companies (d) Immigrants receive support from their families (Adapted from Mosaic 1, Reading 4th edition, p 95-96) Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu [...]... CT for inference exercises The findings of the data analysis disconfirm the first null hypothesis: the students used CT for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition and the second hypothesis: the extent students used CT is relatively high (M = 3.49) That is to say, English majors, course 31 used CT to answer the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition Critical Thinking Use for the Inference. .. because it is usually known as critical reading Paul (1993, p.125), Critical reading is critical thinking applied to the process of reading” Accordingly, thinking critically about what is read would help Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 16 engender reading performances In other words, when students apply CT for evaluating information and ideas in their reading... minutes, and then 75 completed questionnaire were collected This chapter has outlines the research methodology of the study Following the methodology, I conducted the empirical research into (1) the students’ CT use for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th edition, (2) the students’ choices of general CT use for inference exercises Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1,. .. to say, Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 31 understanding viewpoints of the author or the characters in the text is the solution that the students think of most when they answer the inference questions 4.2.2 Students’ choices of general CT use for inference exercises In the following section, the choices of students from question 30 to 35 in the third section... that, most of the students recognized that memorization is not the strategy for a long reading selection Moreover, being confused between the main ideas and the supporting ideas would prevent them to finish their inference task as well as they expected Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 33 Question 33 Table 4.8: CT use for the activity after giving an inference. .. to infer although they have the text and reread several times (Oakhill, 1984) Once again, according to Preszler (ibid.) not only is the process of making inferences difficult for Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 17 readers, the process of teaching students to make inferences is not an easy one Therefore, like many other skills of reading comprehension, the inference. .. and social achievements Therefore, whether integrating CT in the inference process, students’ inference ability can be enhanced or there is a possible relationship between CT and making inference If a relationship between CT and making inference exists, that is the interaction between two categories of CT: six CT Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 18 skills as well... items Critical Thinking Use for the Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 25 Table 3.1: Aims of the items in the second section Clusters Skills Items 10, 11, 14, 15 13 17 18, 25 19 22 23 24 Dispositions 15,16 20, 21 26, 27 Aims Recalling the meanings of the words Understanding the context of the passage Understanding the meanings of the words Understanding the meanings of the words Generalizing... they are interested in how many correct choices rather than evaluating what is being read or trying to understand the mistakes they did From that, we could observe that the students monitored their CT use for the inference exercises in Mosaic 1, 4 th edition in particular and for other inference exercises in general These findings are consistent with the students’ opinion that they like to answer inference. .. Inference Exercises in Mosaic 1, 4th Edition 30 4.2 Students’ choices of general CT use for inference exercises The third section in the questionnaire was designed to investigate the students’ general CT use for inference exercises This section was analyzed into two subsections (1) the use of other techniques for inference questions and (2) the students’ choices of general CT use for inference exercises