Activating children's thinking skills (ACTS)
The effects of an infusion approach to teaching thinking in primary schools
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5263619 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jessica Dewey (0000-0003-2529-2727, Educational Research Institute, corresponding author), Janet Bento (Surrey County Council) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 329-351 |
| Publication date | 2009-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1348/000709908x344754 |
| PMID | 19224679 |
| OpenAlex | W2073217293 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 40 |
BackgroundRecent interest in the teaching of thinking skills within education has led to an increase in thinking skills packages available to schools. However many of these are not based on scientific evaluation (DfEE, 1999). This paper endeavours to examine the effectiveness of one approach, that of infusion, to teaching thinking.AimsTo investigate the impact of an infusion methodology, activating children's thinking skills (ACTS), on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children in Year 4-6 in primary schools. This is a sister project to research being conducted in Northern Ireland (McGuinness, 2006).SampleThe study involved 404 children from 8 primary schools in one local authority. These were divided into 160 in the experimental group and 244 in the waiting list control group.MethodsA quasi-experimental design was used with pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests to ascertain changes in children's cognitive abilities, self-perceptions, and social/behavioural skills using quantitative measures. In addition qualitative techniques were used with pupils and teachers to evaluate effectiveness.ResultsThe experimental group made significantly greater gains in cognitive ability skills over a 2 year period compared to the waiting list control. Qualitative data demonstrated a positive impact on children's social and emotional development. In addition teacher professional development was reported to be enhanced.ConclusionsThis research indicated that children's cognitive abilities can be developed following a 2 year period of the ACTS infusion intervention. While some positive effects were evidenced on the social and emotional development of children, further study will be necessary to examine these in more detail
Cognition · Cognitive development · Developmental psychology · Intervention (counseling) · Perception · Social skills · Creativity in Education and Neuroscience · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Psychology
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| Citations per year | 0.6 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2011 - 2024 (14) |
| Highly cited | No |