نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

عنوان مقاله [English]

A study of elementary Persian books based on critical thinking components

نویسندگان [English]

Negin Sohrabi*: Bachelor of Elementary Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University of Arak.

 Hassan Shamoradi: Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Farhangian University of Arak.

Detailed Abstract

Introduction: Since textbooks in centralized educational systems, including Iran, play a fundamental role in the formation of various types of thinking, including critical thinking, the purpose of this study is to examine elementary Persian textbooks based on the components of critical thinking. Methods: Research Method The above research was a mixed method research and data were collected from three main sections of Persian textbooks for the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades using a researcher-made checklist.

Materials and methods: The results showed that the least attention was paid to the interpretation component, especially in the illustrations section of the textbooks. Therefore, it is expected that in the Persian textbooks of the second grade of elementary school, more attention will be paid to lessons that can engage students with interpretation skills, provided that the remaining components have been given sufficient attention in the textbooks.

Results and discussion: Based on the results of this research, the factors that create resilience include God knowledge, self-knowledge, ontology, man's relationship with God, and seeking forgiveness and return, all of which have corresponding concepts in the divine tradition and verses and traditions and have been emphasized. The results of the present study are consistent with the results of Kamalgar and Soleimani's (2023) study that many of Lippmann's critical thinking components are not correctly distributed in the reading and thinking of all three grades of the second elementary school. The results of the present study are also inconsistent with the results of Ajam and Qilichbeigi's (2016) study; Ajam and Qilichbeigi, in their article entitled "The Place of Developing Critical Thinking in Creativity in the New Book of Experimental Sciences for the Sixth Grade of Elementary School", have paid attention to the place of developing critical thinking and creativity, so that in the dimension of creativity, the sixth grade of elementary school science has paid the most attention to the text among (text, image, question), and in the next stage, the image and then the question. The results of the present study are consistent with the results of Naderloo's study; Naderlo (2014) conducted a study titled “Investigating the Position of Critical Thinking in the Contents of New Social Studies Textbooks for the Third and Sixth Grades of Elementary School.” The findings of the study indicate that these books did not pay much attention to critical thinking skills, so that the components considered by Lippmann were analyzed and critical thinking skills in general did not have a proper position. Since when people are trained in the components of critical thinking, it is possible for them to put aside false, self-centered, personal, limited and tangible ideas and solutions in difficult and difficult life situations, and to reach intelligent and logical decisions by asking logical questions and constantly reviewing possible solutions. In fact, such people, with the ability to think critically, are able to examine the small and large issues of their lives and ultimately achieve reliable and authoritative results. Such individuals, by having the ability to think critically, equip their cognitive structure with cognitive skills. This not only increases their resistance and persistence in solving academic problems, but also increases the self-esteem and self-efficacy of students (Naimi, 2016). Considering this, all components of critical thinking should be addressed to the extent necessary and sufficient, and excessive use of components in different parts of the textbook, especially the images in the textbook, should be avoided.

Of the total number of critical thinking components in the fourth grade with a total frequency of 100, the highest frequency is related to the questioning component with a frequency of 124.91% and the lowest frequency is related to the interpretation component with a frequency of 11.15%. In order to adjust this frequency, it is suggested that related activities be used to strengthen the interpretation skill. This component can be included in the textbook images because the gap in the existence of critical thinking components is observed in the textbook images section. Also, of the total number of critical thinking components in the fifth grade with a total frequency of 89, the highest frequency is related to the reasoning component with a frequency of 72.7% and the lowest frequency is related to the interpretation component with a frequency of 1.4%. In order to adjust this frequency, it is suggested that related activities be used to strengthen the interpretation skill. This component can be included in the textbook images because the gap in the existence of critical thinking components is more evident in the fifth grade textbook images section than in the questions and text sections. Finally, it can be said that since, of the total number of critical thinking components in the sixth grade with a total frequency of 112, the highest frequency is related to the component of reasoning and correct judgment with a frequency of 33, and the lowest frequency is related to the component of interpretation with a total frequency of 1, to compensate for this component difference, the component of interpretation can be paid more attention in the images section because this gap is more evident in the images of the textbook than in the text and questions.

Conclusion: The overall conclusion of the research showed that paying attention to the issue of critical thinking skills is very necessary in improving critical and creative thinking skills and understanding educational issues. On the other hand, developing the intellectual and mental skills of learners is always considered as one of the most important educational goals in educational circles around the world.

Keywords: Content analysis, critical thinking, elementary school, textbooks.