Analysis of the Basics and Curriculum of Teaching Creative and Critical Thinking Skills in Elementary School

Abstract

The aim of this study was to extract the basics and objectives of the curriculum for teaching creative and critical thinking skills in the elementary course of the Iranian educational system. In order to conduct this research, a qualitative approach and contractual content analysis method were used. The participants of the study were 12 experts in the fields of curriculum planning, philosophy of education and psychology who were selected by purposive sampling. The instrument used was a semi-structured interview. According to the research findings, first the basics of the thinking skills training curriculum (creative and critical) were examined, which were divided into three sections: philosophical and value basics, psychological basics, and sociological basics. In the section on philosophical and value principles, the main categories were the emphasis on formal and public education, the emphasis on the values of thinking, and the emphasis on the merits of thinking. The main categories extracted for psychological foundations were emphasis on rationality, application of emotional and social dimensions, and attention to participation and cooperation. Finally, the main categories selected for the sociological foundations were scrutiny, social critique, and self-criticism. For the appropriate purposes of teaching creative and critical thinking, based on the opinion of experts, two main categories of intrapersonal skills and extrapersonal skills were selected. In the category of intrapersonal skills, principles such as technical skills, problem-solving skills and moral skills, and in the category of extrapersonal skills, the principles of emotional competence, cognitive competence and social competence are extracted.

Keywords

• cooperation
• education
• participation
• self-criticism
• training