Date of Award

Fall 10-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development

Committee Chair

Dr. Jon B. Beedle

Committee Chair School

Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development

Committee Member 2

Dr. H. Quincy Brown

Committee Member 2 School

Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development

Committee Member 3

Dr. Dale L. Lunsford

Committee Member 3 School

Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development

Committee Member 4

Dr. Shuyan Wang

Committee Member 4 School

Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development

Abstract

Many high school students graduate lacking several key 21st-century skills needed for college, career, and life. Among 21st-century skills, researchers deem critical thinking fundamental to meeting life’s increasingly complex challenges, as it underlies primary thought processes such as reasoning, analyzing, and decision-making. This quantitative, quasi-experimental study compares the critical thinking ability of high school students involved in three programs: robotics, chess, and speech and debate. The study aims to determine whether these groups have statistically significant differences in critical thinking levels. Critical thinking ability was measured by scores on the Critical Thinking In Everyday Life assessment, a valid measure of such ability. Quantitative data was collected through a pretest-posttest control group design and analyzed to look for significant effects between the variables. Among the study’s findings were that years of experience in a program did not affect critical thinking and that developing critical thinking requires planning, skill integration, and purposeful teaching. The findings aim to inform policymakers, educators, and program leaders which afterschool program(s) may most effectively help students develop the 21st-century skill of critical thinking.

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