The Implementation of Critical-Thinking Skills and Teaching Strategies by Social Studies Teachers in Kuwait and the Difficulties They Face

Abstract

This study investigates how social studies teachers in Kuwait implement critical-thinking skills, teaching strategies, and assessment techniques. And to identify the challenges they face. The research adopts the descriptive method as the most appropriate for this study, describing a phenomenon and reaching a generalization by analyzing and reviewing previous research. (Creswell, 2021). A questionnaire was distributed to 638 social studies teachers in Kuwaiti schools and 116 instructional supervisors to conduct the study. The study's findings indicated a lack of teachers' understanding of critical-thinking skills, a weakness in applying those skills to instructional strategies, a lack of assessment techniques, and difficulties confronting those who taught critical-thinking skills. Based on the study results, recommendations were made regarding the development of pre-service teacher preparation programs, attention to in-service teacher training, social studies curricula development, and their inclusion of critical thinking skills, activities, and strategies. The study also recommended that decisionmakers overcome all teachers' difficulties to improve critical thinking and achieve the desired educational objectives.