The impact of a training program on EFL post-basic education female teachers' knowledge and practice of critical thinking skills in Oman
Author
AL-Badiyah, Fatema Said Abdullah
English abstract
The Impact of a Training Program on EFL Post-basic Education Female Teachers'
Knowledge and Practice of Critical Thinking Skills in Oman
This study investigated the effect of a proposed training program on the development of
post-basic education teachers' critical thinking skills in terms of knowledge and practice. It
posited two main research questions:
1. What is the impact of the training program
on post-basic education teachers'
knowledge of critical thinking skills?
2. What is the impact of the training program on post-basic education teachers' classroom
practice of teaching critical thinking skills?
The sample included five female EFL post-basic education teachers in one of the female
government schools in Saham in the North Batinah Governorate in Oman. The researcher used a
quasi-experimental research design, pre-test and post-test one group design. The quantitative
data were collected through a questionnaire and a classroom observation checklist. The
questionnaire was used to compare the teachers' knowledge of critical thinking skills before and
after receiving the training. It was also used to assess the training program's participants'
knowledge of critical thinking skills. The classroom observation checklist was used to measure
the frequency of use of the strategies of critical thinking in the classroom before and after the
teachers had followed the training program.
The results of this research study revealed that the training program positively affected the
teachers' knowledge and practice of critical thinking skills. In light of this study's findings, the
researcher outlined a number of recommendations for further research and practice.
