An Analysis of the Critical Reading Levels of Pre-service Turkish and Literature Teachers

Abstract

Problem Statement: Critical reading refers to individuals' thinking about what they read, assessing what they have read, and using their own judgment about what they have read. In order to teach critical reading skills to students, a teacher is expected to have knowledge about text selection, use of appropriate methods, preparation of functional learning and teaching processes, among other qualities; teachers must display critical reading skills as well. Purpose of Study:The aim of the study was to determine the critical reading levels of pre-service teachers of Turkish language as well as Turkish language and literature in terms of several variables in order to make inferences about pre-service teachers' potential to develop their students' critical reading skills. Method:The study group, which was selected using the descriptive survey model, consisted of a total of 173 students attending Balikesir University Necatibey Faculty of Education. A personal information form and the Critical Reading Achievement Test (CRAT) were used as the data collection tools. CRAT employs a multiple-choice format, and its KR 20 reliability was determined to be .81 and its mean difficulty.64. The data were analyzed using a t-test and variance analysis 1 . Findings and Results:The study revealed that pre-service teachers' have moderate critical reading skills. In addition, in the analysis examining the relationships of pre-service teachers' critical reading levels to their department, a difference emerged in favor of students from the Turkish Language and Literature Department. In contrast, the analysis revealed that the variables of gender, achievement level, number of books read annually, the preferred book types, and the effective use of social media did not influence students' critical reading levels. Sadet MaltepeConclusions and Recommendations: Critical reading education constitutes an important dimension of language teaching programs that aim to improve comprehension and expression skills. It is important that pre-service teachers have critical reading skills and know how to teach critical reading. Therefore, critical reading practices and ways of teaching this skill should be included in appropriate courses (reading education, special teaching methods, etc.) in both Turkish language as well as Turkish language and literature teaching programs; additionally, these programs should be supported with optional courses such as critical reading and media literacy.

An Analysis of the Units “I’m Learning my Past” and “The Place where We Live” in the Social Studies Textbook Related to Critical Thinking Standards

“…In addition, critical thinking is a skill that provides students the opportunity to putt what they already know into practice, and to refresh their prior learning by esteeming their own thoughts. Critical thinking is not only composed of mental processes but also covers skills, trends, academic achievement, reading and habits (Facione,1990;Halpern,1996;Maltepe, 2016;Paul et al1990;Norris,1985;Tunca,2015).Individual differences in the learning mental skills and complex opinions that are necessary for developing a realistic and objective worldview and different views highlight that one of the main objectives of the training programs is critical thinking. Critical thinking is supposed to be at the heart of education and training systems (Sahinel,2002).…”

The Use of Critical Reading in Understanding Scientific Texts on Academic Performance and Problem-solving Skills

“…Application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, which are among the higher steps of the cognitive domain, cannot be achieved with low-level reading (Aşılıoğlu, 2008). Two different studies conducted with preservice teachers revealed that they have mid-level CR self-efficacy perception (Karabay et al, 2015) and CR skills (Maltepe, 2016). Kien and Huan (2017) sought to determine teachers' beliefs regarding CR strategies in teaching English in foreign language classrooms and quoted teachers as stating that CR strategies play a crucial role in students' understanding of reading texts.…”

Investigation of pre-service teachers’ critical reading self-efficacy

“…It is observed that students have given importance to developing skills such as flexible thinking, information access and evaluation. The teacher who is supposed to make his/her students gain the critical reading skills is expected to both show his/her critical reading skills and have knowledge about the text selection, using the suitable techniques, preparing functional learning-teaching processes, and so on (Maltepe, 2016). In this respect, Ateş (2013) stated that educators should include tools in the learning process that cover written and visual elements such as news and articles.…”