Teaching and Assessing 21st Century Critical Thinking Skills in Morocco: A Case Study

Chouari, Ahmed; Nachit, Mohssine

doi:10.24093/awej/vol7no4.3

Cited by 6 publications

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“…The original test was selected due to the simplified form of the critical thinking questions featured, and the fact that it is one of the most widely-used assessments of critical thinking (Chouari & Nachit, 2016). Test takers are offered a small amount of information and a supposition before being asked if a final statement is true.…”

Section: Critical Thinking Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Obstacles offered as preventing the effective integration of critical thinking skills into university-level programmes in the MENA region include a lack of teacher training in how to teach critical thinking, large class sizes with mixed ability learners, student mindsets valuing memorisation over critical thinking, and structural obstacles in higher education systems (Chouari & Nachit, 2016). Despite the nature of these challenges, there is evidence that an awareness of the importance of developing learners' critical thinking skills is increasing among instructors, students and policymakers in at least some MENA nations (Muasher & Brown, 2018;Tawadrous, 2014), with this often being associated with education reform.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in the Humanities and Sciences Colleges of a Middle Eastern University

Al-Mahrooqi¹,

Denman²

2020

INT J INSTRUCTION

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The level of critical thinking skills of Omani tertiary-level students is an area that has received only a limited amount of investigative attention. This study employed an adapted version of the Cornell Class-Reasoning Test, Form X to assess the critical thinking skills of students in the humanities-and science-based colleges of Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The test featured 36 questions across six item groups that were associated with five critical thinking principles. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate overall correct percentages for the entire test and for each item group in order to determine whether participants had mastered or failed to master the critical thinking principle. Independent samples t-tests were also used to explore if statistically significant differences existed on item group totals based on the independent variables of gender and college of study, while a one sample ttest compared overall test results with those reported for foundation students at the research site who took the same test in a previous study. Results indicate that participants had either failed to master, or had neither mastered nor failed to master, all five of the assessed principles. However, they recorded significantly higher scores on four of the six item groups than foundation students in the earlier study. Female participants received higher overall test scores than their male counterparts, although there was no difference based on college of study.

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Section: Critical Thinking Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in the Humanities and Sciences Colleges of a Middle Eastern University

Al-Mahrooqi¹,

Denman²

2020

INT J INSTRUCTION

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“…Critical thinking in ELT Rahman (2019) showed a number of studies that explored the necessity to activate students' critical thinking in the EFL classroom (Yazici, 2004;Al-Shalabi, 2015;Chouari and Nachit, 2016;Tuzlukova et al, 2018;Rahman, 2019). Rahman (2019) clarified that in order for critical thinking of 21st century learners to be enhanced, EFL teachers have to integrate problem-solving skills in our English learning programs which may develop students as useful citizens capable to solve future problems.…”

Section: Collaboration In Eltmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These activities may even lead them to understand, remember, analyze, apply, comment and create. Furthermore, Chouari and Nachit (2016) shared stated that in order to teach and assess critical thinking in English classes in a 21st century educational setting, teachers should have enough training as part of their professional development. Teachers should also consider students' previous knowledge and cultural background as well as educational changes from the government's policy makers to be able to ensure and support favorable teaching practices.…”

Section: Collaboration In Eltmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, some of the research correlated the 4Cs with teacher training, e.g., Bedir (2019) and Erdogan (2019), lesson plan (Azhary and Ratmanida, 2021), reading skills (Imamyartha et al, 2019), EFL classroom (Pardede, 2020), etc. Other studies linked one of the 4Cs skills with English language teaching (ELT), for example communication (Pheeraphan, 2013;Heinrichs, 2016;Pattiwael, 2016;Abd Rahman et al, 2019); collaboration (e.g., Laal et al, 2012;Alahdal and Al-Ahdal, 2019;Cannon, 2019;Putri et al, 2020); critical thinking (e.g., Yazici, 2004;Al-Shalabi, 2015;Chouari and Nachit, 2016;Tuzlukova et al, 2018;Rahman, 2019); and creativity, e.g., Henriksen et al (2016), Kweldju (2016), Ahmadi and Besançon (2017), Sitorus et al (2020), andSoykurt (2020). To the researcher's knowledge, no study has so far explored the 4Cs skills in the business English classroom nor has a teaching model which integrates the 4Cs in Business English classroom been suggested.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Business English instruction: Empowering learners with the 4Cs of the 21st century

Ahmed

2022

Front. Educ.

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This research aims to measure the perceptions of business English teachers regarding the effectiveness of the proposed communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity (4Cs) teaching model. Furthermore, it also identifies some of the gaps that emerged while applying the 4Cs model, and finally recommends deliberate instructional steps for using the model. The participants in the study are 140 Business English teachers at an academic institution in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. The study is driven by the belief that educators in this field need to create modern language instruction involving the 21st century 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity by the intervention of carefully planned objectives, varied activities, varieties of teaching methodologies, technological tools and materials, interaction patterns, teachers’ professional development and students’ awareness and cultural background. Using two questionnaires, the study gauged EFL teachers’ perceptions of the application of a specially developed 4Cs framework for Business English, to ensure that the students enrolled in these courses are fit to take on the role of global citizens. Findings show that teachers are positive about the appropriateness of applying the framework in the context of 21st century skills, and a viable degree of effectiveness in a learning environment. Participant teachers who applied this approach using the conceptualized paradigm in teaching Business English recommend its efficacy due to relevant pedagogical implications and practical principles that were discovered. The study concludes with six principles that can be directly used to ensure that the 4Cs which are a necessity in the 21st education system is integrated by educators in English language teaching (ELT) instruction.

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Soft skills for employment in Morocco: A value over or equal to the technical know-how?

Ezzaidi

2024

JDS

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Soft skills comprise a blend of social abilities, interpersonal communication, knowledge, and character traits that enhance individuals' social and professional lives. Beyond technical expertise, soft skills are widely recognized for significantly improving employability prospects and aiding job candidates in enhancing their competitiveness during job hunting and career development. While some research projects suggest that technical knowledge is less crucial than soft skills in job interviews, other scholars argue for an equal emphasis on both to craft a comprehensive job applicant profile. This paper investigates this topic from a three-pronged perspective. First, it explores the extent to which soft skills overshadow technical knowledge in the eyes of employers in the Moroccan job market. Second, it assesses the level of engagement of Moroccan university students in learning and acquiring soft skills. Finally, it underscores the role of higher education teachers in cultivating soft skills through their instruction. This study is an exploratory endeavor that utilizes secondary data sources from scientific journals and administers questionnaires to teachers, enterprise managers, and students to unveil their attitudes in the Moroccan context. The results reveal some disparities between the existing literature and the situation in Morocco. It appears that the interest in soft skills in Morocco is still influenced more by personal and functional variables than institutional recommendations.

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Teaching and Assessing 21st Century Critical Thinking Skills in Morocco: A Case Study

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Assessing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in the Humanities and Sciences Colleges of a Middle Eastern University

Assessing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in the Humanities and Sciences Colleges of a Middle Eastern University

Business English instruction: Empowering learners with the 4Cs of the 21st century

Soft skills for employment in Morocco: A value over or equal to the technical know-how?

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