The Impact of Language-Mathematics Instruction on Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension: A Quasi- Experimental Study

Abstract

The concept of critical thinking dates back to the philosopher Socratics, who observed that educated, well-established leaders failed to logically support stated claims. Despite 2,500 years of research since the time of Socratics, educational leaders continue to debate whether critical thinking theories translate into specific pedagogical instruments to plan instruction. The purpose of this quantitative quasi experimental research was to determine the impact language-mathematics cognitive instructional treatment had on the critical thinking and reading comprehension skills of a nonrandom sample of 7th grade students housed in a kindergarten through 8th grade elementary public school located in a Northern New Jersey urban school district. Students were assigned to control and treatment groups and tested at the beginning and end of a seven-week period with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) assessment to measure growth. The treatment group received language-mathematics cognitive instructional treatment before, during, and after reading assignments. The specific strategies used during instructional time included analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating text. The findings documented that 7th grade teachers that incorporated language mathematics cognitive instructional treatment throughout the language-arts instructional period resulted in greater test results than 7th grade teachers that exposed students to only traditional teaching methods. The results demonstrated the notion that exposing students to a mathematical way of conceptualizing and reading text increased critical thinking and reading comprehension scores, motivation, and selfconfidence of 7th grade students. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for presenting a mathematical model to explain, teach, and develop critical thinking and reading comprehension skills are included at the end of the study.

Alternate abstract:

ABSTRACT

The concept of critical thinking dates back to the philosopher Socratics, who observed that educated, well-established leaders failed to logically support stated claims. Despite 2,500 years of research since the time of Socratics, educational leaders continue to debate whether critical thinking theories translate into specific pedagogical instruments to plan instruction. The purpose of this quantitative quasi experimental research was to determine the impact language-mathematics cognitive instructional treatment had on the critical thinking and reading comprehension skills of a nonrandom sample of 7th grade students housed in a kindergarten through 8th grade elementary public school located in a Northern New Jersey urban school district. Students were assigned to control and treatment groups and tested at the beginning and end of a seven-week period with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) assessment to measure growth. The treatment group received language-mathematics cognitive instructional treatment before, during, and after reading assignments. The specific strategies used during instructional time included analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating text. The findings documented that 7th grade teachers that incorporated language-mathematics

cognitive instructional treatment throughout the language-arts instructional period resulted in greater test results than 7th grade teachers that exposed students to only traditional teaching methods. The results demonstrated the notion that exposing students to a mathematical way of conceptualizing and reading text increased critical thinking and reading comprehension scores, motivation, and self confidence of 7th grade students. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for presenting a mathematical model to explain, teach, and develop critical thinking and reading comprehension skills are included at the end of the study.