Dissertation
The relationship between critical thinking and information literacy in community college students: a mixed methods study
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000144
Abstract
This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigates the relationship between critical thinking (CT) and information literacy (IL) at one community college in the Northeastern United States to inform instructional practice and improve student learning. Exploring the nexus between CT and IL provided strategies supporting student success. The study addresses the following questions: 1. What is the correlation between scores on assessments of CT and IL at one community college? 2. What CT cognitive skills are related to IL? 3. What instructional strategies are perceived by psychology faculty to facilitate development of CT? This research employed a nonexperimental ex post facto design, utilizing an existing dataset containing scores from two standardized assessments, the Insight Assessment Test of Everyday Reasoning (TER) and the ProQuest Research Companion, administered to 102 students taking an entry level psychology course. A quantitative analysis using a Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient (Pearson's r) revealed a significant, positive relationship of moderate strength between overall CT and IL. Further, eight CT subskills measured were found to be significantly positively correlated with IL. Consistent with the study's sequential design and the framework of pragmatism, emergent data from the quantitative analysis drove execution of the qualitative component of the study. Qualitative data were collected from one-on-one interviews with four psychology faculty to provide rich detail on experiences and perspectives that could not be derived from the objective assessment findings. Faculty revealed a commitment to students who disproportionately face obstacles to academic success, such as unpreparedness for college level work and competing life priorities, while attending school. Active learning strategies were found to engage students and provide opportunities to develop and practice CT skills. Integration of the quantitative and qualitative data confirmed that thinking critically is connected to being information literate. Significant correlations between CT subskills and IL implied that CT is involved in all stages of the research process as measured by ProQuest Research Companion. Coupling significant correlations with faculty acknowledgement of the connections between CT and IL formed the basis for the study's conclusion that IL instruction is a valuable tool to help students learn to think critically.
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Details
- Title
- The relationship between critical thinking and information literacy in community college students
- Creators
- Graceann L. Platukus
- Contributors
- Deanna Hill (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xv, 184 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991014695236504721