Analysis of the Ability to Think Logically and Critically among the Students Preparing to Become Early School Teachers
Abstract
This article aims at presenting a study carried out among the students of the University of Warmia and Mazury (UWM) in Olsztyn, who are preparing to work as early education teachers. The analysis was to check their ability to think logically and critically. Former research has demonstrated that tasks demanding logical and critical thinking were too difficult for most of those students. However, it is not clear whether those results were affected by the students’ fear of mathematics and/ or their examination stress. Therefore, those factors were eliminated in this study. Unlike previously, participants were not asked to solve mathematical problems. Instead, they were given tasks that are often applied in psychological research concerning the processes of thinking and reasoning. Also, participation in this study was not connected with taking an exam or being evaluated in any other way. The results confirm what was suggested by the previous research, i.e. that the students’ ability to think logically and critically might be unsatisfactory as far as most of them are concerned. The reason for such a situation may include the fact that candidates for early school teachers are not verified properly while applying for the studies. Thus, it is advisable to introduce higher standards of recruitment for teacher training studies, especially in terms of evaluating their mathematical skills. It is because mathematics is the subject which develops logical and critical thiking the most. Also, teachers should know and understand mathematics well enough to teach it to their pupils.
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