Critical Thinking Skills, Essay Example

While working on my action research final report, I am surely having difficulties with the interpretation of results and assessment of the effectiveness of the chosen practices and data collection instruments. These are time-consuming and thought-provoking stages that require considerable effort. However, one question that arose during the preparation of the report was unexpectedly hard to answer. It is the question of the choice of a literary source that would suit the needs of the study.

Specifics of my qualitative study were that it concerned a type of literacy that is not achieved within a short time period. Critical thinking skills can be developed at a basic level at some point and then addressed at more and more advanced levels over time. The difficulty that my students had been experiencing consisted in applying these competencies in the literature class. Therefore, the material to base all activities on was to be a literary work. However, the process of selection was complicated by the fact that the work had to meet several strict criteria, each of which I considered essential. The book had to be interesting, appropriate for the 5^th grade students in terms of the complexity of ideas and vocabulary but providing enough space for a variety of opinions, critical approach, and problem-solving activities. Moreover, given the cyclic mode of the action research, it had to be big enough to give me the opportunity to introduce the necessary changes and repeat a cycle to enhance the process and help my students progress.

When planning the study I immediately found a source that met all the criteria – the Harry Potter series. However, given the controversies evoked by the book in some religious communities, I had to obtain parental consent. Now I see a challenge in coming up with additional options in case if I cannot use the Harry Potter series (for example, if the students’ parents object or, by chance, the students get tired of the book or do not like it at all). What other books can be effective? Finally, does everyone regard the criteria I relied on as equally important? Is it possible to prioritize in this situation? I will appreciate any comments or suggestions.