What Barriers Educators Face In Implementing Critical Thinking Strategies Into Their Classroom

Abstract

This study aims to investigate factors related to difficulties that face teachers at faculty of education Janzour when they tend to practice critical thinking strategies. It sought to explore teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards these strategies and identify major influences that could have effects on these practices. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was utilised to collect data. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered to 38 students. In addition, 6 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 teachers. SPSS software was used to analyse the questionnaire responses, while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data. The findings revealed that most teachers and students were aware of the significance of critical thinking practices. Teachers' comments showed that they were able and willing to implement different critical thinking strategies to improve their students' learning performance. However, teachers encounter various challenges when tending to apply critical thinking strategies in their classrooms such as motivation, large classes and insufficient time. These difficulties beside many others should be considered by educators and stakeholders.