批判性思考教學融入英語文法與閱讀教學：以台灣八年級英語課堂為例的行動研究

Abstract

在假訊息氾濫的現代社會，批判性思考能力是公民必備的生存技能。近幾年有研究指出，將批判性思考教學融入國中英語正規課程中是可行且有益的。本行動研究以二十九位國中八年級的學生為對象，將批判性思考融入九節英語正式課程，包括文本分析和文法教學。本研究試圖探究將批判性思考能力融入國中英語教學之方法、學生面臨的困難、教師可以如何因應困難和學生對於課程的看法。研究者蒐集之資料有：學生在學習單的表現、課堂中的觀察、訪談學生及問卷調查。研究發現學生面臨的困難有：對於批判思考任務感到陌生、需要較長的時間思考及不擅長自主探究文法規則等。研究者實施的因應對策有：從較封閉的問題開始引導學生練習、減少任務數量，讓學生有更多時間思考、以更明確直接的問題一步步引導學生探究文法等。問卷調查顯示，六成以上的學生認同批判性思考的重要性、認為自己的批判性思考力有進步，但不到五成的學生認同國中階段應培養批判思考能力。過半數的學生認同獨立探究文法規則能夠增進思考力。Since modern society is marked by misinformation, critical thinking has become an essential life skill for all citizens. Recent research suggests that incorporating critical thinking into junior high school English classes is both feasible and beneficial. This action research targeted twenty-nine eighth graders and incorporated critical thinking skills into nine periods of formal English lessons, including text analysis and grammar instruction. The study aimed to explore the approaches to incorporating critical thinking skills into junior high school English classes, the difficulties faced by students, strategies teachers can use to overcome those difficulties, and students’ perceptions of the course. Data were collected through students’ worksheet performance, in-class observations, student interviews, and questionnaires. Findings revealed that students encountered several challenges, including insecurity when engaging in critical thinking tasks, a need for longer thinking time, and struggles in exploring grammatical rules independently. Strategies implemented by the teacher-researcher included beginning with semi-structured questions, reducing the number of thinking tasks, and posing more direct questions to help students to gradually explore grammatical rules. According to the results of the post-intervention questionnaire, more than sixty percent of students agreed with the importance of critical thinking skills and believed that their thinking skills had improved. However, fewer than fifty percent of the students agreed that learning critical thinking skills was necessary at the junior high school level. More than half of the students reported that independent inquiry of grammatical rules improved their thinking skills.