Belkateb's Group

Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Djillali Bounaama University, Khemis Miliana

Faculty of Letters and Foreign Languages
Department of Foreign Languages
DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH GROUP WORK

INTERACTION AT FERROUDJI BROTHERS SECONDARY SCHOOL
Case study: 2nd Year Scientific Stream
Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Foreign Languages in Candidacy for the LMD
Master in English Language and Communication
Candidates: Supervisor:
TIKIALINE ANFAL
BELKATEB SALAH KORAN AZIZA
SELAMI MOHAMED
Board of Examiners:
Name Surname President

Name Surname Supervisor
Name Surname Examiner
DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH GROUP WORK INTERACTION
Declaration
I hereby declare that the substance of this dissertation is the result of my investigation due
reference of acknowledgment is made when necessary to the whole of other researchers.
TIKIALINE Anfal
BELKATEB Salah
SELAMI Mohamed
2
DEDICATION
All praise to Allah the Almighty, the most Graceful and the most Merciful for the wisdom, the
strength, and good health in order to complete this work.
This study is wholeheartedly dedicated to our parents who have been our endless source of
strength and courage, whose moral, spiritual, and emotional support have not ceased to flow.
YET!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
‘And, when you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve
it.’
Paulo Coelho
This thesis became a reality with the kind support of many individuals. We’d like to extend our
sincere thanks to every one of them.
Foremost, we should like to thank our supervisor Mrs. KORAN for her trust, patience and
encouragement along this journey.
We are highly indebted to all teachers of English in the Department of Foreign Languages of
Khemis-Miliana
We are enormously grateful to our families for everything they did and still do for us!
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Abstract
Group work is a utilitarian strategy to develop various skills in students, such as communicative,
social, and critical thinking skills, all of which promote active and enhanced learning. This paper
investigates the effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking and exploring Ferroudji
Brother secondary school in Boumedfaa students' perception of working in groups and its integration
by teachers. To gather data, two different questionnaires were administered to 13 students and three
teachers. The investigation into group work effectiveness supported by a qualitative and quantitative
data analysis showed interesting and encouraging positive outcomes. However, some teachers do not
usually make their students work cooperatively and collaboratively.
Keywords: effectiveness, cooperatively and collaboratively, critical thinking, group work,
strategy
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Résumé
Le travail de groupe est une stratégie utile pour développer diverses compétences chez les
apprenants, tels que les compétences communicatives, sociales et de pensée critique, qui favorisent
l’apprentissage. Ce document présente une recherche portant sur l’efficacité du travail de groupe dans
le développement de la pensée critique et vise aussi à explorer la perception qu'ont les élèves du travail
en groupe et son l'intégration par les enseignants .La pensée critique est une compétence essentielle
souvent négligée dans l'éducation des élèves. Cette recherche a été menée dans Lycée Ferroudji Frère
à Boumedfaa, Ain Defla, pendant2021-2022. Pour recueillir des données, deux questionnaires
différents ont été administrés à 13 élèves et trois enseignants. Leur analyse montre que la plupart des
élèves manifestent une préférence pour le travail de groupe, le trouvant amusant, engageant et efficace
comme forme didactique d'apprentissage malgré quelques lacunes existantes. Désormais, la plupart des
enseignants participants admettent que le travail de groupe fait partie de leur philosophie
d'enseignement bien que son inclusion soit moyenne dans leurs cours. L’enquête sur l'efficacité du
travail de groupe a montré des résultats positifs intéressants et encourageants résultats, étayés par une
analyse qualitative et quantitative. Cependant, certains enseignants ne font généralement pas travailler
leurs élèves en coopération et en collaboration. Pour combler le fossé en utilisant le travail de groupe,
nous recommandons aux enseignants de consulter plus de théories à ce sujet pour avoir un aperçu des
activités et techniques où le travail en groupe est utile.
Mots clés : travail de groupe, pensée critique, stratégie, efficacité, en coopération est en
collaboration.
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‫‪DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH GROUP WORK INTERACTION‬‬
‫ملخص‬
‫العمل في مجموعات إستراتيجية فعالة تساعد في تطوير مختلف المهارات عند الطالب ‪ ،‬مثل مهارات التفكير االتصالي‬
‫واالجتماعي والنقدي ‪ ،‬وكلها تعزز التعلم‪ .‬هذا البحث يهدف إلى التحقيق في فعالية العمل في مجموعات في تنمية التفكير النقدي‬
‫واستكشاف تصور الطالب للعمل في مجموعات وإدماجها من طرف األساتذة‪ .‬التفكير النقدي مهارة مهمة لكنها مهملة في تعليم الطالب‬
‫‪ .‬يتم تعليم الطالب الحفظ مع القليل من الوقت المخصص للترويج للتفكير النقدي و مهارات التفكير عامة التي تسمح بفهم أعمق وتجربة‬
‫أكثر ثرا ًء‪ .‬أ ُ ِ‬

‫جري هذا البحث في ثانوية اإلخوة فروجي ببومدفع عين الدفلة‪ .‬لجمع البيانات ‪ ،‬تم إجراء استبيانين مختلفين على ‪13‬‬
‫ً‬
‫وفعاال كشكل تعليمي‬ ‫ً‬
‫تفضيال للعمل الجماعي ‪ ،‬ويجدونه ممتعًا وجذابًا‬ ‫طالبًا وثالثة معلمين‪ .‬يوضح تحليلهم أن معظم الطالب يظهرون‬
‫على الرغم من بعض أوجه القصور الموجودة‪ .‬يعترف معظم المعلمين المشاركين في البحث بأن العمل في مجموعات هو جزء من‬
‫فلسفة التدريس الخاصة بهم على الرغم من صعوبة تضمينه في فصولهم الدراسية‪ .‬أظهر التحقيق فعالية العمل الجماعي و نتائج إيجابية‬
‫ومشجعة مدعومة بتحليل نوعي وكمي‪ .‬ومع ذلك ‪ ،‬فإن بعض المعلمين ال يحفزون طالبهم على العمل الجماعي‪ ..‬لسد الفجوة في استخدام‬
‫العمل الجماعي‪ ،‬نوصي بأن يستشير المعلمون المزيد من النظريات حول هذا األمر للحصول على المزيد من المعلومات إلدراج العمل‬
‫الجماعي خالل النشاطات حسب الحاجة‪.‬‬
‫الكلمات المفتاحية ‪ :‬العمل في مجموعات ‪ ،‬التفكير النقدي ‪ ،‬اإلستراتيجية ‪ ،‬الفعالية و التعاون‪.‬‬
‫‪7‬‬
List of Abbreviations
CBA: Competency based approach
CT: Critical thinking
CTS: Critical thinking skills
GW: Group work
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List of Tables
Table 1: Distribution of students’ age ................................................................................................. 54

Table 2: Distribution of students’ gender ............................................................................................ 54
Table 3: Students’ attitudes toward thinking critically and logically. ................................................. 55
Table 4: Students’ views about group work. ....................................................................................... 55
Table 5: Learners’ opinions about the effect group work interaction. ................................................ 55
Table 6: The rate of students who enjoy working in groups. .............................................................. 56
Table 7: Number of learners who feel comfortable sharing opinions within groups. ......................... 56
Table 8: The rate of students who believe that one student do all the work........................................ 57
Table 9: Learners’ attitudes concerning working individually. ........................................................... 57
Table 10: Students who believe group work boosts the ability to consider other opinions. ............... 57
Table 11: Student’s beliefs about individual differences and group work. ......................................... 57
Table 12: Learners benefit from group work interaction..................................................................... 57
Table 13: Student’s reactions when conflicts arise in the group. ........................................................ 58
Table 14: Opinions variations and group work. .................................................................................. 58
Table 15: Students’ beliefs about the way they think within a group. ................................................ 58
Table 16: Teachers' gender distribution ............................................................................................... 60
Table 17: Teachers' age distribution .................................................................................................... 60
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List of Figures
Figure 1: Thinking and the Individual (Adapted from Fàbiàn, 2014) ................................................. 21
Figure 2: Difference between critical thinkers and non-critical thinkers ............................................ 22
Figure 3: Bloom's Taxonomy .............................................................................................................. 26
Figure 4: Critical thinking models ...................................................................................................... 28
Figure 5: Teachers' gender distribution ............................................................................................... 60
Figure 6: Teachers' age distribution .................................................................................................... 60
Figure 7: Teachers' responses to Q1_3 ................................................................................................ 62
Figure 8: Teachers’ views about the effectiveness of group work .................................................... 63
Figure 9: The effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking......................................... 65
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Table of Content
DEDICATION ......................................................................................................................................................3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ....................................................................................................................................4
Abstract .................................................................................................................................................................5
Résumé ..................................................................................................................................................................6
‫ ملخص‬......................................................................................................................................................................7
Table of Content ................................................................................................................................................11
Chapter One: Introduction ..................................................................................................................................13
1. Background of the Study.........................................................................................................................14
2. Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................................14
3. Rationale of the Study .............................................................................................................................15
4. Aims of the Study ...................................................................................................................................15
5. Research Questions .................................................................................................................................16
6. Research Methodology: ..........................................................................................................................16
7. Structure of the Dissertation....................................................................................................................16
8. Ethical Considerations: ...........................................................................................................................17
Summary .........................................................................................................................................................18
Chapter Two: Literature Review.........................................................................................................................19
1. Section One: Critical Thinking ...................................................................................................................20
1.1. Thinking and the Individual ................................................................................................................20
1.2. History and Theoretical Background of Critical Thinking ..................................................................23
1.2.1. Brief history of critical thinking ..................................................................................................23
1.2.2. Theoretical background of critical thinking ......................................................................................25
1.3. Definition of Critical Thinking........................................................................................................27
1.4. Critical Thinking Skills ...................................................................................................................29
1.5. Steps to Critical Thinking ...............................................................................................................29
1.6. Barriers to Critical Thinking ...........................................................................................................31
1.7. Strategies to Develop Critical Thinking ..........................................................................................34
2. Section Two: Group Work ......................................................................................................................35
2.1. Definition and Importance of Group Work .........................................................................................35
2.1.1. Definition of group work...................................................................................................................35
2.1.2. Importance of group work .................................................................................................................36
2.2. Principles of Working in Groups.........................................................................................................37
2.3. Types of Group Work Activities .........................................................................................................39
2.4. Challenges of Group Work .................................................................................................................40
2.5. Relationship between Group Work and Critical Thinking ..................................................................42
Summary .........................................................................................................................................................43
Chapter Three: Methodology and Research Tools..............................................................................................45
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3. Research Questions and Aims .....................................................................................................................46

3.1. Research Design and Methodology ....................................................................................................46
3.2. Sample of the Study ............................................................................................................................47
3.3. Data Collection Tools .........................................................................................................................48
3.3.1. Questionnaire ..............................................................................................................................48
3.3.1.1. Students’Questionnaire ...........................................................................................................48
3.3.1.2. The Students' Pilot Questionnaire ...........................................................................................49
3.4. Teachers’ Questionnaire......................................................................................................................50
3.4.1. The Teachers' Pilot Questionnaire ..................................................................................................51
3.5. Administration of the Questionnaire ...................................................................................................51
3.5.1. Students’ Questionnaire ..................................................................................................................51
3.5.2. Teachers' Questionnaire ..................................................................................................................51
3.6. Data Analysis Tools ............................................................................................................................52
Summary .........................................................................................................................................................52
Chapter Four: Results and Findings ....................................................................................................................53
4. Data Presentation and Analysis of Students’ Questionnaire Results ......................................................54
4.1. Section one: Background Information ................................................................................................54
4.2. Section Two: Students’ views about critical thinking and group work ..............................................55
4.3. Discussion of the Questionnaires Results ...........................................................................................58
4.4. Data Presentation and Analysis of Teachers’ Questionnaire results ...................................................59
4.4.1. Section one: Background Information ........................................................................................59
.4.4.2 Section two : Professional views on group work ............................................................................61
4.5. Effectiveness of group work ...............................................................................................................62
4.6. Effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking skil ........................................................64
4.7. Interpretations of the Results...............................................................................................................66
4.7.1. Students’ findings........................................................................................................................66
4.7.2. Teachers’ findings .......................................................................................................................67
Summary .........................................................................................................................................................67
Chapter Five: Conclusion....................................................................................................................................68
5. Study Aims and Overall Findings ...........................................................................................................69
5.1. Limitations of the Study ......................................................................................................................70
5.2. Recommendations ...............................................................................................................................70
Summary .........................................................................................................................................................71
References ...........................................................................................................................................................72
Appendices ..........................................................................................................................................................77
Appendix A .....................................................................................................................................................77
Appendix B .....................................................................................................................................................78
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Chapter One: Introduction
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1. Background of the Study
The learning process is one of the most important issues that eminent researchers and
scholars have tackled. They discovered that children and adults learn in different ways, which
revealed a slew of issues. The transition from infancy to adulthood is the most difficult stage of a
learner's life and education. They are meant to go from absolute reliance on the instructor as their
sole source of information to the point when they can rely on themselves to manage their own
learning at this stage.
All students must be able to think critically and strategically in order to perform better.
Mendelman (2007) claimed that "in a day and age in which more and more children grow up
engaged with primarily passive activities…teaching critical reading is one of the most important,
and most difficult burdens of the classroom" (p. 300).
2. Statement of the Problem
Students at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School – Boumedfaa find difficulties to
grasp all the information presented to them as they still learn in a traditional way ‘ teacher-
centered approaches ’ in which teachers decide on the content that they intend to teach, plan how
to teach this content and then assess the content . For one reason: students have not been taught
to think critically, analyze, interpret and evaluate knowledge, instead they duly absorb it and
mechanically deliver it. Bowers & Flinders (1990) identified teacher-centered model as an
industrial production in which student is a product and behaviors of “exit skills” or “out comes”.
This traditional learning though it has long been replaced by modern approaches such as CBA, it
is still practiced by many teachers, leaving learners’ thinking shamefully restricted to the lower
order of thinking (remembering, understanding, applying) and unprepared for the world of labor
which greatly stresses the importance of possessing 21stcentury skill such as critical thinking and
team work.
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3. Rationale of the Study
Many studies have highlighted the importance of developing critical thinking in
learners and the implementation of group work in classrooms as an effective means to do so.
Developing CT in learners should be the main aim of teachers. Mendelman (2007) asserted that
"critical thinking should be taught in virtually every course in the humanities" (p. 300). However,
very few studies were conducted in this particular field due to the lack of awareness of teachers
and learners alike of the vitality of possessing critical thinking skills (CTS) and being a
competent team member nowadays.
4. Aims of the Study
The present study attempts to provide overview knowledge about the implementation of
group work in classroom and how it affects the learning process. It also intends to explore the
extent to which group work interaction endorses the promotion of critical thinking in learners. In
this regard, teachers and students at Ferroudji Brothers secondary school are the focal center of this
research.
Accordingly, the general aim of this study is to find out whether group work increases the
level of interaction between learners, therefore, enhances the development of CT in students at
Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School and how this development is affected by factors that can be
generated from group work activities. Hopefully, the results obtained from this research will help
learners and teachers to take up active roles in their learning and teaching respectively.
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5. Research Questions
This research attempts to answer the following questions:
1.How do English teachers at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School find the implementation
of group work in their classes?
2.How do students at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School find working in groups?
3.Does working in groups develop learners’ critical thinking?
6. Research Methodology:
This study is concerned with exploring the extent to which group work encourages
learners to develop critical thinking skills. It also hopes to provide overview knowledge about the
implementation of group work in classroom and how it affects the learning process. In this research,
we have adopted a mixed-method approach. It will explain how participants for this research were
selected, such as who and how many people were involved in order for the appropriate data to be
collected. Research design, data collection tools and instruments – students’ and teachers’
questionnaires - will also be explained. Finally, it will consider how the data established was analyzed
- data analysis tools- and a brief summary.
7. Structure of the Dissertation

This paper is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the
introduction in which the statement of the problem, rationale of the study, research questions,
methodology and Ethical Considerations are mentioned. The second chapter begins with a brief
literature review documenting the historical and theoretical background of critical thinking, its
importance as a vital 21st century skill, as well as the steps and the strategies undertaken to develop
it. In addition, the importance of implementing group work in classrooms, Principles of working
in groups are highlighted, including a description of the barriers and challenges encountered in
group work. The third chapter is devoted to the methodology used to carry out the investigation of
developing Critical Thinking Skills through group work interaction. In the forth chapter, results
16
and findings from the investigation are discussed and analyzed. The last chapter, the conclusion,
limitations of the study and recommendations are presented.
8. Ethical Considerations:
It is crucial that ethical considerations are considered during the research because all
participants have legal and moral rights. For the current study, researchers assured that they did not
invade their privacy without consent from them, that all answers received from them was
acknowledge and accurately represented . Some ethical considerations this study insured for the
participants were:
a- Informed consent:
All participants were aware of the key elements of this study and what was expected of
them as the participant and the researcher.
b- Dignity :
✓ All participants were treated with great respect.
c- Privacy and Confidentiality :
✓ Guaranteeing that information provided will be unidentifiable by anybody other than by the
researcher.
✓ Ensuring they are knowledgeable that if any of information resulting from the research is to
be used for presentations or reports.
✓ Confirming that they are well informed that the results will be presented in the thesis and they
will be seen by the researcher’s supervisor.
✓ Ensuring that they understand that the thesis may be read by future students.
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Summary
This chapter was devoted to the presentation of background of the current research which
is the effectiveness of implementing group work at the high school level as a strategy to develop
critical thinking in learners. The statement of the problem was also mentioned in addition to rational
of study, research aims ,questions and methodology. It ends with an overview of the structure of the
dissertation and some ethical considerations.
18
Chapter Two: Literature Review
19
The aim of this study is to gather theoretical evidence existing in the literature
about critical thinking and group work. In this chapter, we explore in depth the theoretical
and historical background of critical thinking and the implementation of group work in
classroom as a means to develop critical thinking. The first section is devoted to critical
thinking, in which we deal with the history of CT, its various definitions and skills, the steps
as well as the strategies to develop it. We shall also tackle the barriers that might thwart
the promotion of CT in classroom. In the second section, we shall explore group work in
terms of the distinct definitions, principles of working in a group and the key
characteristics of a group. We shall also pinpoint some of the most used group work
activities in classrooms as well as some of the challenges any learning group or teacher
may encounter. Finally, we shall draw a link between group work interactions and how it
can lead to the development of critical thinking in learners.
1. Section One: Critical Thinking
1.1.Thinking and the Individual
Thinking is a mental activity that takes place in the human brain. It is characterized by
awareness, perception, reasoning and judgment, selection of information and solving problems.
To resolve problems quickly, thinking, which is a survival and crucial skill for both individual
and society, is needed. According to Fábián (2017), the differences between thinking and non-
thinking attitudes include distinct behaviors. Furthermore, this might be brought in different
interaction with and influence on social environment, as it is shown in figure1.
20
The Individual
Non- Indifferent Selfish Thinker
thinker Variety of Variety of Variety

ofskills
Lack of skillsPassive skills
Objective
skills Egocentric
Figure 1: Thinking and the Individual (Adapted from Fàbiàn, 2014)
According to Fàbiàn (2014), thinking varies from one individual to another depending
on their behaviors; thus, he classifies the individuals into:
Non-thinker: according Fábián (2017), the individual who witnesses anabsence
of thought or simply do not choose to think. He/she lacks thinking skills such as:
processing and organizing information, making connections, decisions, and plans, asking
questions as well as solving problems. Non-thinker is subject to manipulation; i.e., he is
easily controlled and influenced by others opinions‟ without any reasoning, analysis, and
critical thinking.
Indifferent thinker: based on Fábián’s (2017) definition, the individual who
has no preference or bias as being impartial in his/her thinking; therefore, he/she can
use some skills such as giving a fair opinion and decision about aparticular situation
where he is not directly involved. He/she is a passive thinker showing a complete lack of
interest towards something.
Selfish thinker: according to Paul and Elder (2005,p.26), the selfish critical
thinker is good at thinking but unfair to others .He/she uses variety of skills during his/her
process of thinking to get what they want. He/she is a competent thinker, egocentric,
21
greedy and unkind.
The thinker: the individual who is objective in his thinking and possesses
all the thinking skills. He/she is the agent of thought who spends a lot of time in thinking
deeply about something and produces new ideas as he/she reaches higher order of thinking
skills: analysis, evaluation and creation.
According to Anna Martin (2017), some of the qualities that an
independent thinker will bring to the table are: persistence, belief, independent self-esteem,
confidence, determination and creative awareness. These qualities will enable him/her
to become more innovative in their thinking and will help them create the best
opportunities to demonstrate independent thinking in a positive manner.
Individual thinking is a valuable skill to be acquired. It is a tool used
to improve personal expression and creative ability. As a result, some individuals are
distinguished from being critical thinkers striving for reasonable thinking, whereas, others
prefer to stop in lower-order of thinking and become non-critical thinkers figure 2.
Figure 2: Difference between critical thinkers and non-critical thinkers
22
1.2.History and Theoretical Background of Critical Thinking
1.2.1. Brief history of critical thinking
Based on literature, the intellectual origins of critical thinking can be traced
back to the practice, teaching and perception of Socrates who claims the importanceof
asking probing questions rather than accepting and believing in any given ideas. According to
Elder, Paul& Bartell (1997) the first to set the basic constructs of critical thinking was Socrate,
including these actions as reflectively questioning common beliefs and explanations and
carefully differentiating those beliefs that are reasonable from those that mark the absence
of adequate evidence or rational foundation.
In the Middle Ages, some thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas embodied the
tradition of systematic critical thinking in their writings and teachings. Aquinas emphasizes
that our awareness is of need for reasoning to be systematically cultivated and “cross-
examined” not only of the potential power of reasoning. Basing on his thinking, he
believes that those who think critically reject only those beliefs that lack reasonable
foundations.
In the renaissance (15th and 16th c), many European scholars started to think critically
about religion, society, art, human nature, law and freedom. Some of these scholars were
Erasmus, Colet, and Moore. They followed up on the ancient views. As a result, the
emergence of critical thinking from the Renaissance and Post- Renaissance thinkers paved
the way to science leading to the progress of democracy, human rights, and freedom of
thought.
It was in the core of intellectual freedom and critical thinking that RobertBoyle
(17th century) Sir Isaac Newton (17th c and 18th c) highly contributed withtheir work in
understanding CT. Boyle criticized the chemical theory that had preceded him in his
23
Skeptical Chemist. Newton, in response, developed a significant framework of thought which
criticized the traditional way of accepting world view.He stretches the critical thought
of such minds such as Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler. Thinkers that came after Boyle
and Newton reflected more on the natural world and argued that egocentric views must be
avoided in favor of views based on holy collected evidence and proper reasoning.
In the 19th century, critical thought was stretched to further fields like human social
life by Comte and Spencer. In terms of problems of capitalism, much of social and
economic critique was made towards Karl Marx. When it is applied to the history of
human culture and the basis of biological life, Darwin’s Descent of Man occurred.
Moreover, applied to the unconscious mind, it is illustrated by thework of Sigmund Freud.
Applied to cultures; it has resulted in the foundation of the field of Anthropological studies.
Applied to language, it led to the creation of thefield of Linguistics.
In the 20th century, the power and nature of critical thinking rose intensively in more
clear formulations. In 1906, William Graham Sumner published a large studyof the
establishment of sociology and anthropology, Folkways, in which he mentioned the
tendency of the human mind to think sociocentrically; similarly, the tendency of schools to
serve the uncritical function of social indoctrination. At Thesame time, Sumner avowed the
urgent need of critical thinking in education.
Dewey (1910, p.115), an educator, suggested that thinking emerges from ambiguous
situations. He believed that education should be student-centered and realistic offering a
room for them to reflect in order to produce critical thinkers.From his work occurs the
application of the idea of pragmatic basis of humanthought and its grounding in actual
human purposes, goals, and objectives. From the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein we enhanced
our awareness for need to analyze concepts and assess their power and limitations. From
the work of Piaget, we raised our awareness of the egocentric and sociocentric tendencies
24
of human thought andof special need to develop critical thought which is able to reason with
multiple standpoints, and to be raised to the level of “conscious realization”. From the
extensive contribution of science, we have learned the power of information withgreat
care and precision, and with sensitivity to its potential inaccuracy and misuse. From the
contribution of depth-psychology, we knew how the human mind is self- deceived, how it
easily unconsciously constructs illusions and delusions, how it easily rationalizes and
stereotypes.
1.2.2. Theoretical background of critical thinking

The main concern of 20th century education was critical thinking. Throughout the
evolution of critical thinking many frameworks flourished aiming at teaching thinking in general
and critical thinking in particular. As a result there are many approaches towards critical thinking
and the way it is perceived. The following are some of them.
*Bloom
Dr.Bloom, in 1956, created Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is a hierarchical ordering of
learning objectives, or domains of educational objectives: cognitive, effective, and psychomotor.
In terms of cognition, he gave an early definition of critical thinking claiming that it is a mastery
of different skills such as: knowledge, comprehension, application (Lower-order of thinking)
analysis, synthesis, evaluation (Higher order of thinking skills). This Latter is frequently related
to critical thinking and served as the basis to promote in higher forms of thinking in education.
Later, Bloom’s framework inspired many theorists in the field of critical thinking.
25
Figure 3: Bloom's Taxonomy
*Brookfield
Brookfield (2012) portrays critical thinking as a process that comprises three stages where
he equates critical thinking with the development of logical reasoning.
The first stage is called “hunting assumption”. Assumptions are principles in which our
judgments and actions are focused on. In critical thinking it is extremely important to become
aware about what the particular assumptions affecting our actions are. The second stage is called
“checking assumption” .Once we know about assumptions, it is time to assess their relevance and
accuracy. Instead of accepting the assumptions unquestionably, the critical thinker takes into
account evidence for the assumption. It may be something we encountered in our research,
experienced, and transmitted to us by competent authorities. Thethird stage in critical thinking
process is similar to what Klooster mentions about problem solving; viewing things from different
angles. Pertaining different viewpoints aid us to be aware about what assumption is relevant and
appropriate or futile.
*Dewey
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Dewey, an essential architect of the modern critical thinking movement, defines critical
thinking as “Active, persistent, and careful consideration of a belief or supposed form of
knowledge.” (Dewy,1909,p.9).
*Glaser
He is the co-author of the critical thinking test Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. His
definition is based on that of Dewey. Glaser (1941) describes Critical Thinking as ‘ a persistent
effort to look at any belief or supposed sort of knowledge within the light of the proof that promotes
and the additional conclusions to that it tends’
The striking difference between the two definitions of Dewey and Glaser is that the former
speaks of “grounds” while the latter speaks of “evidence”; however, both agree on the importance
of indicating basic motives of any belief when thinking critically .Also, their definitions incite to
the importance of considering the results behind our thoughts and beliefs.
*Norris &Ennis
Norris &Ennis (1989) approach a concise definition of this skill as a reflective and reasonable
thinking that stresses on the importance of deciding what to do or believe. Ennis (1987) presents
critical thinking as a set of habits of using skills along with skills introduced by Blooms (1956).
*Paul, R. & Elder
These two remarkable leaders in the philosophical group of critical thinking theorists
contributed effectively with their writing about the 21ST century skills. Generally, most of the
researchers and teachers involved in the discipline agree on their definition. Paul and elder (2008)
outlined critical thinking as “the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with regard of enhancing
it”.
1.3.Definition of Critical Thinking

Despite the increasing body of literature about critical thinking, it suffers from a
unifying definition. Some scholars view critical thinking as a gathering of diverse processes or
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competencies advanced earlier by Bloom in his taxonomy such as understanding, synthesis,
evaluation and analysis. Jennifer Noon represents critical thinking in her book as a deep thinking
process that enables us to distinguish what is wrong or right. Also it has to dowith one’s analysis of
his past experiences and engaging himself/herself in solving complex problems. Critical thinking is
defined as a dynamic, purposeful, analytic process that results in reasoned decision and judgment.
Towards the end of 20th century, the concept of critical thinking has widely developed into a
good thought, purpose of thinking, and the interaction between the thought and the thinking person.
Critical thinking relies on some components such as standards, attitudes, competencies, experience,
and specific knowledge base varying in critical levels from basic, complex to commitment, as it is
depicted in figure 4.
Figure 4: Critical thinking models

Critical thinking is a widely accepted educational goal. The definition is contested, but the
competing definitions can be understood as distinguishing conceptions of the same basic concept-
careful thinking directed to a goal-.
In addition, Delphi report reflects explicitly the dispositions dimension of critical thinking. It
strives to bring success in educational instructions and assessment, through offering a sufficient
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description of the skills, sub-skills and dispositions characterizing the critical thinker.
1.4.Critical Thinking Skills
According to The Delphi Report (Facione, 1990) the six essential skills in any critical
thinking process are:
a. Interpretation: The ability to understand information.
b. Analysis: The ability to identify the important arguments.
c. Evaluation: The ability to judge whether this argument is credible and valid based on the
logic and evidence given.
d. Inference: The ability to decide what to believe based on solid logic, and to understand the
consequences of this decision.
e. Explanation: The ability to transfer the process of reasoning to other people.
f. Self-Regulation: The ability to monitor one’s own thinking and correct flaws in logic.
1.5.Steps to Critical Thinking
Critical thinking can be defined as a process of questioning information and data. For
previous thinkers, logic was the crucial method associated with it( Moon , 2008) . However,
critical thinking is more than thinking logically or analytically; it also means thinking rationally
or objectively. A distinction is necessary when teaching and developing critical thinking in
students. Thus, Jennifer moon suggested few approaches that have been generated when there has
been work to do with critical thinking such as teaching it or enhancing it.
Approaches to CT represent frames of reference or ways in which critical thinking was
introduced or treated. These approaches are not certainly ‘steady’ – it is likely for a person to
adopt several approaches at different times. Moon (2008) categorized these approaches intotwo
groups: those that suggest a sequence of processes to be followed and those that simply list the
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components.
A common approach that suggests a sequence of processes, ie, to identify the component
processes, skills and abilities in critical thinking usually in order to make the idea seem more
comprehensible, more usable and to relate it to practice is that of Bell (1995) – writing in the
context of psychology. His book is written for a student audience, is short, focused and specifically
directed towards the activity of evaluating a secondary source. According to him, critical thinking
can be considered a six-step process:
Step 1: Identify the Source – written by whom, where and when?
Step 2: Read to understand – looking for the central idea of the text, and the key points.
Step 3: Analyze the definitions of important terms – looking for concepts that are un-
defined or ill-defined.
Step 4: Analyze the research evidence – identifying the evidence and noting any that is not
complete.
Step 5: Evaluate the research evidence – looking for deficiencies in reasoning, looking
at the dates of the study, subjects involved in experiments, research methods used, the results, the
outcomes and given explanations, their explanations, and the conclusions drawn along with their
relationship to the key points.
Step 6: Evaluate the rest of the source – looking at the supporting content of the other parts
of the article (e.g. previous literature reviews) and at the end try to describe what you believe
about the article’s central idea relying on your critical thinking about the evidence and reasoning
in the source.
The second group of approaches puts emphasis on the list of components and they are less
specific about the sequence. An example of this approach is well represented by the
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comprehensive approach to the skills of critical thinking– that of Cottrell (2005). Her book
Critical Thinking Skills puts a great emphasis on the identification and discussion of critical
thinking skill components. The book is illustrated as taking an easy step-by-step approach to
developing a set of critical thinking skills. It includes the following:
1. The identification of arguments and non-arguments
2. Recognizing the quality of the argument’s statement
3. Recognizing assumptions and implicit arguments
4. Flaws identification in the arguments
5. Evaluating sources of evidence
6. The processes of critical reading as well as note-making. In addition to critical selection,
interpretation, and noting of source material
7. Critical thinking in the context of writing
8. The evaluation of critical writing
As we have previously mentioned, these steps are not fixed as critical thinking can be
approached and developed differently in different people. However, these two approaches provide
a clear and concise structure for the teaching of critical thinking.
1.6.Barriers to Critical Thinking
Determining the approaches to critical thinking does not bring us into contact with all the
issues that could be encountered in the exploration and development of critical thinking. Several
researchers (Landsman & Gorski, 2007; Sandholtz, Ogawa, & Scribner, 2004; Sheldon & Biddle,
1998; Wong, 2007) put forward for consideration that the present educational trend to standardize
curricula and focus on test scores undermines instructors’ ability to address critical thinking
inside and outside the classroom. The emphasis on “teaching for the score” distracts the learning
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process from student-centered instruction and puts the emphasis on the content.Furthermore, Paul
(1987) argues that schooling is mostly based on working in a monological system of thinking –
there is a truth that you need to know_. As a result, when learners leave school, they do not
understand how to read, write, think, listen or speak in such a way as to organize and express what
they believe‟. If the focus is on learning, students should be given the freedom (and responsibility)
to actively interact with knowledge, explore content, analyze resources, and evaluate information.
Unfortunately, learners are not usually taught to think or learn by their own. Yet, they
seldom “pick up” these skills on their own (Ladsman & Gorski, 2007; Lundquist, 1999; Rippen,
Booth, Bowie, & Jordan, 2002). Some students may be naturally inquisitive, however, some
students feel anxious about questioning the work of experts. Critical thinkingis not an innate
ability and it is more than an activity that simply exists or does not exist for it varies in quality
and perhaps depth (Moon, 2004, 35:41:45). Different students have different backgrounds,
attitudes, interests, perspectives and habits of the mind, consequently, they have different
conceptions and interpretations of the world that deeply affect who and how they are both inside
and outside classrooms. This necessitates that students become aware of the barriers that might
impede their thinking by acknowledging the challenges they encounter and be prepared to
overcome them. Also, students should be trained to adopt the attitude of a critical thinker in order
to become systematically analytical, fair, healthy skeptical, and open- minded in their pursuit of
knowledge. By having these skills, they can become confident in their reasoning and c a n
apply their critical thinking ability to any o t h e r content area (Lundquist, 1999).
The common pitfalls or barriers that often impede the integration of critical thinking in
education:
➢ Lack of training
➢ Lack of information
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➢ Preconceptions and over-reliance on emotions
➢ Time
First, teachers often are not trained to model or demonstrate critical thinking in classes. They
are merely taught how to deliver content and provide instructions, which does not encourage a
deeper understanding of views, or motivate students to engage in thoughtful discussions through
which they can construct their own independent judgments. To overcome this obstacle, teachers
require further professional development and additionaltraining. Second, in order to effectively
engage in critical and analytical thinking, both teachers and learners should read deeply and
widely around a topic, learn how to ask questions and support their views with well structured
arguments.
Third, both teachers and students have preconceptions about the content that renders them
unable to think critically about the material. They tend to jump directly to conclusions ormake
assumptions based on their misconceptions and personal bias. Such preconceptions partially
prohibit critical thinking because they obviate analytical skills such as being fair, open-minded,
and inquisitive about a topic (Kang & Howren, 2004). At last, time restrictions are barriers to
implement critical thinking skills inside the classroom. When the focus is on content rather than
enhancing students‟ skills and abilities, short cuts such as lectures and objective tests become the
norm due to the overloaded content educators are obliged to cover up in such short time span.
Whereas, research shows that lecturing is not the suitable method of teaching, and objective tests
are not the best method of assessment and evaluation (Broadbear, 2003; Brodie & Irving, 2007).
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1.7.Strategies to Develop Critical Thinking
Critical thinking switches classroom design from a model that largely ignores thinking to
one that makes it pervasive and important (Cohen, 2010). Thus, teaching thinking, in general,and
critical thinking, in particular, is a major concern for educators. As such, teachers are looking for
interesting ways to effectively develop critical thinking in learners and integrate it into their
classrooms. We shall present below some of the strategies that have been developed over time to
foster critical thinking.
Raise engaging, thought-provocative questions
A great way to help students develop and practice critical thinking skills is to have them
respond to open-ended questions that cannot be simply answered via standard research method.
Provide constructive actionable feedback
Teachers can help students to refine their critical thinking skills by consistently providing
effective and constructive feedback on the quality of their students‟ arguments, reasoning and
thinking, instead of simply telling students they are wrong.
Encourage objective disagreement
In order to encourage students to develop critical thinking skills, they need to be encouraged
to respectfully question other viewpoints and answers. If done appropriately, objective
disagreement can be a great tool to help students sharpen their thinking skills. However, teachers
must set a rule: no disagreement based on personal bias. Objective disagreement should always
be rooted in logicand facts.
Problem solving
This way of assigning a certain problem is one of the best methods for teaching critical
thinking skills. It encourages students to use their critical thinking skills to identify the problem
and then implement solutions.

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Role-playing
This method has always been excellent for exercising critical thinking. It encourages
learners to do research about their roles in order to understand its persona and characteristics.
Project-based learning
PBL generally requires students to use critical thinking skills to complete a specific,
assigned task. That’s why any class project that calls for learners to evaluate alternatives by
weighing different points of evidence and then draw on those evaluations to reach the project’s
main objective will help students to develop critical thinking skills.
Peer and group work interaction
Through teamwork and collaboration students will learn how excellent a source of
information, questions, and problem-solving techniques their peers are. Group work interactions
create a good environment for learners wherein they can develop their critical thinking skills.
2. Section Two: Group Work
2.1.Definition and Importance of Group Work
2.1.1. Definition of group work

There are some very different ways in defining a group, according to Forsyth (2005 p.71),
a group is one or two persons gathered for any collective work. Groups are defined as a
fundamental part of human experience; they help people to develop more complex activities
(Smith 2008, p. 2). In other words, groups come about in a psychological sense because people
realize they are in the same boat (Brown, 1988, p.28). Working in groups is a form of cooperative
learning; we are guiding our efforts in a particular way. Smith (2008, p.3) they also add:
« To engage with another thoughts , feelings, and to attend to our own. We have to be in a
certain frame of mind. We need to be open to what is being said, to listen for meaning as well. We
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must not look for acting on the other person but join with them in a search for understanding».
Therefore, group work is an essential didactic strategy where students are subject to various
roles and functions like helping each other, analyzing and discussing task’s content as well as
assessing and learning academically.
2.1.2. Importance of group work

Working in teams or in groups is considered as an important strategy in the teaching
learning process. For teachers, group work helps them identify the types of interaction among
their students in classroom helping them to acquire and develop proficiency of the language.
Furthermore, Group work makes teaching effective and offers opportunities for teachers to
observe and assess student learning as well as the practice of his teaching. For learners, working
in groups develops their cooperative, social, communicative, and critical thinking skills. It aids
students to discover individual differences among their classmates.
According to George, Michael. Power & Loh (2002, p. X, XI) participating in
cooperative learning enables students benefit in the following areas:
➢ Improved academic achievement.
➢ Active engagement in learning by learners, regardless of previous achievement level or
individual needs.
➢ Increased motivation to learn
➢ Promoting and increasing learners’ responsibility for their own learning process.
➢ Enhancing time on task (sometimes dramatically improved, compared to whole-class.)
➢ Improved collaborative skills
➢ Increased liking for school
➢ Improved student attitudes towards learning, school, peers, and one’s self
➢ Increased ability to appreciate and consider a variety of perspectives and opinions.

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2.2.Principles of Working in Groups
Group work is a crucial learning approach which can be beneficial for students when itis
properly used. It is founded on the basis of a range of principles that are applied to all activities
whether they are assessed or not. We shall briefly present some general group work principles
suggested by researchers of Sheffield Hallam University (2011).
General principles
Preparation
Whatever the group task, it is vital that the purpose of working as a group and the expected
outcomes of this are made clear to the students involved. The points below must be considered
as follow:
• The linked learning outcomes besides to the rational ought to be clearly articulated to the
students before starting, particular care should be given to any assessed group task.
• Working in groups involves a number of interpersonal skills which must be embedded in the
curriculum and identified prior to, as well as facilitated during the assessed groupwork.
These skills might include:
➢ Emotional intelligence
➢ Conflict resolution
➢ Negotiation
➢ Giving and receiving feedback
➢ Students need to have the chance to practice their interpersonal skills prior to undertaking a
group assessment and activities.
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Design
Group work should be designed with reference to the learning outcomes and should enable
students to demonstrate these successfully. This may be through realizing the benefits of working
together or through the produced outputs of the group.
The design of group work should equip students with knowledge and understanding of how
individual roles contribute to groups at a level appropriate for the specified group work. The group
tasks have to be both inclusive and accessible by design. Student needs and learning contracts
where appropriate are taken into account. The opportunity for sell and/or peer
assessment/Feedback should be built into the curriculum delivery and/or assessment strategy as
necessary. Group and/or individual reflection on the group process should be included where
needed. Design must contain an audit process for monitoring and supporting.
Monitoring and support
For group work to be a successful learning experience it needs to be supported and this, in
turn, requires system in place to monitor the progress of groups. Monitoring ideally should be
integrated into the way a group operates and be student-led.
➢ Support must be ongoing throughout the period of the group work with opportunity for tutor
feedback and Intervention where necessary.
➢ Progress must be monitored and set intervals and remedial action taken by the tutor in case of
difficulties based on information from audit process.
Assessment
Assessment has to take into account the following points:
• Should be conducted in such a way that it provides evidence of individual contribution and
achievement of students.
• Need to take into consideration the process as well as the product of the group work.
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• In the assessment of a group work activity no assessment task should consist solely of a flat
group mark i.e. a common mark should be added to all participants based on the product and the
efforts of a group activity.
• Marking criteria, including tutor and self/peer assessment criteria where appropriate, should be
clearly articulated and provided to the group prior to the start of the group task(s). It means that
these criteria should point out to a smooth and clear evaluation including individual’s effort and
his remarkable weighting in the group.
2.3.Types of Group Work Activities
In order to make students work cooperatively and collaboratively, teachers rely on various
types of activities we shall list a few below.
Jigsaw
It is a well-known cooperative learning technique where the students are considered as
experts of a particular aspect in any given topic. The students share their expertise and information
with others (Loh & his colleagues, 2002, p.40). It is beneficial for all group members since by
helping group mates to understand each piece of the jigsaw, each student helps the whole group
to do better on the quiz or complete a better project.
Think-Pair-Share
According to George Jacobs & other associated researchers (2002, p.41), this strategy has
three steps. First, students are in pairs. The teacher asks a question. Each studentspends time to
think alone. Then members of each pair discuss with each other what they have learned. Finally,
the teacher calls students at random. These students share about their pair's discussion.
Circle of Speakers
Group members take turn to speak. Obviously, we would not want to recommend Circleof
Speakers (All at Once), because then there would be nobody listening, although we have seen
39
groups that seemed to be attempting this (Michael 2002, p.43). he also stresses the idea that in
Circle of Writers and Circle of Speakers, individual accountability is promoted by the fact that
individual group members are asked to provide an individual public performance by speaking or
writing their ideas. Group mates view or hear these ideas as papers get passed around or ideas are
spoken.
Numbered Heads Together (Kagan, 1994)
Numbered Heads Together is another important technique. It works through four steps.
According to George (2002, p.63), first, students in foursomes each have a number:1, 2, 3, or 4,
as a second step, the teacher asks a question or gives a task. Then, groups put their heads together
to respond to the problem or do the task. Finally, the teachers calls a number, and the student in
each group with that number gives and explains their group’s response or work.
Group Mind Mapping
One of the most popular types of graphic organizers are Mind maps (Buzan,
1994),along with their concept maps , cousins and word webs. Mind maps combine drawing,
words, and the use of spatial relations to depict concepts and information relationships (Loh
(2002, p.65).
Rotating Trios
Rotating Trios consist of learners discussing issues with many of their classmates inturn.
Beforehand, teacher prepares discussion question. In class, he forms the groups in trios in a large
circle then he gives them the discussion question, after that he suggests that each person take a
turn to answer ( Silberman 1995, p.66).
2.4.Challenges of Group Work
As shown in the literature, group work can be very beneficial and useful for learners if
certain measures and principles are properly applied. Several experiments concluded that groups
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perform tasks better if their members work together rather than apart. The characteristics or
principles of a ‘group’ such as: collective perception, needs, shared aims, interdependence, social
organization, interactions, cohesiveness and membership ensure that members learn broad skills
and principles that help them be active and collaborative participants within any group. Group
work interaction helps all members learn concepts and problem solving strategies, improve self-
confidence and overcome the fear of mistakes (Davidson 1985; pp. 211–230). Group work can
also be a convenient and helpful tool to help develop a positive attitude towards learning.
From a review by Webb, concerning studies investigating peer interaction and achievement
in small scale groups, various compatible outcomes were achieved. Webb’s review also showed
that group work was useful when students were taught how to work in groups and how to
provide and accept assistance.
However, GW presents a challenge for learners and teachers alike, especially when
assessment is involved. In a competitive environment, learners are usually rewarded for individual
efforts. Therefore, the grades assigned to group work can be unfair to one member or more of that
group. Furthermore, GW can also sometimes lead to unsuccessful operations, mainly due to the
lack of or poor application of the principles we have previously referred to.
Group work can be unproductive in many aspects. For instance, personalities, attitudes,
schedules and confusion on the material can interfere with productive group work. In an ideal
group, members contribute equally. In reality, less capable members of the group can sometimes
leave it to others to accomplish and conclude the group‟s exercises, whereas morecapable student
members might put in less effort to avoid doing all the work. Additionally, the amount of time
spent explaining concepts can be positively correlated with the amount of time learning, so more
capable members might learn a great deal by providing detailed explanations of the taught material
to less able students struggling to comprehend as a captiveaudience (Kerr & Bruun, 1983, p 44,
78–94).
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Conflicts in most cases arise when a group works together. Different people from different
backgrounds, with different experiences certainly have different perspectives, interpretations and
analysis of the same situation. Some conflicts can push the group toward genuinediscussion that
enhances the project, yet too much conflict affects the group dynamic negatively. Moreover,
group work puts the learners in charge of their learning, which means learners are expected to
explore the material covered in class in depth beyond the class information. When the concepts
are not clear or a bit confusing, the group will struggle to complete the assignment.
Furthermore, some students thrive in a group setting, while others simply perform better
when they work alone. Functioning effectively in teams requires students to develop strong
communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution skills, which not all instructors are qualified
to teach. Therefore, the teacher is required to keep up with the constant changes and the arising
needs in the modern learning settings through being both an academic expert and aclass manager
to ensure the effectiveness of the groups.
2.5.Relationship between Group Work and Critical Thinking
It is believed that effective group work promotes the development of critical thinking
skills. Proponents of “collaborative learning” claim that the active exchange of knowledge within
small groups not only increases interest among learners but also fosters critical thinking. Studies
demonstrate that the pedagogical customs of group work do produce higher achievement and more
positive relationships amongst students, compared to competitive or individualistic experiences.
According to Johnson (1986), cooperative teams achieve at higher levels of thought and retain
information longer than students who work quietly as individuals. Thus, cooperative or shared
learning gives learners a chance to engage in discussion, take responsibility for their learning and
therefore become critical thinkers (Totten, Sills, Digby, Russ, 1991). Therefore, students are
responsible for one another’s learning as well as their own. Thus, the success of one member leads
to the success of all.
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Nathan Harter claims that the kind of critical thinking developed within learning groupsis
qualitatively different from that acquired by individuals. He also states that learning to participate
in groups of people attempting to reason together is a core competency. Wheatley (2002) urged
the need to create the conditions where we can think, where we can notice what is going on, and
where we develop companions for the work that is required.
We are by no means trying to disavow the individualistic features of CT. In fact, the
new collaborative paradigm actually puts a premium on a learner’s interior discipline (Scott,
2001); in another word, students are still expected to learn how to think individually, in private.
Nevertheless, the need for groups and teamwork has arisen, therefore, the need to investigate their
effectiveness.
So often in life, we resort to humans for scraps of information despite the availability of
several different means where we can easily fill in the knowledge gap. Harter categorizes this
utilitarian project of using other people to store and process information within the broader notion
that the mind and self is somehow constructed socially. Ennis (1998) mentioned that critical
practice is more readily accepted through shared decision-making processes at group level, if it
can be , as a replacement of the individual level. So, he takes a constructivist stance towards CT.
Summary
To sum up, this chapter sheds light on how thinking critically is the most demanded skill
in 21st century education. It is seen by many theorists as a vital part in the academic life of students.
Furthermore, these sought-after critical thinking skills demand various techniquesand strategies
to be promoted. Hence, the most convenient one is that of group work. This latter does not only
develop communicative and collaborative skills but also offers opportunities for the group mates
to discover differences in their levels of thinking. Working cooperatively enables students to
become the adventurous and broad thinkers, generate innovative solutions, use their reasoning
43
skills to analyze and evaluate, plan and think strategically. Finally, by relying on the principles
and different group work activities, teachers create cooperative and thinking atmosphere that
displays the mutual and strong relationship between group work and critical thinking.
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Chapter Three: Methodology and Research Tools
45
The previous chapter explored the existing literature about our main topic of interest:
critical thinking and group work. The current chapter is devoted to presenting the research
questions and aims. We shall present the research methodology we have undertaken, explain our
research approach and then move to the description of the research design. After that, we must
define the sample we have targeted in this study. Moreover, we shall mention the pilot of our study
and the data collection procedures. Finally, the chapter will end with a summary of the chapter.
3. Research Questions and Aims

This study shed light on the relationship between the effect of group work on the
development of critical thinking (CT) and how this development is affected by factors generated
from group work activities. It attempted to provide an overview of knowledge about the
implementation of group work in the classroom and how it affects the learning process.
Accordingly, the general aim of this study is to find out whether group work increases the
level of interaction between learners, therefore, enhances the development of CT in students at
Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School.
So, this research attempts to answer the following questions:
4.How do English teachers at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School find the implementation
of group work in their classes?
5.How do students at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School find working in groups?
6.Does working in groups develop learners’ critical thinking?
3.1. Research Design and Methodology
In this study, we have adopted a mixed method approach . We have collected and analyzed
both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data is concerned with “intensive study,
descriptions of events, and interpretation of meanings” (Schunk, 2012, p.12). Thus providing in-
46
depth explanations, but this research paradigm involves only a few subjects (Dawson,2002); hence,
the results cannot be generalized to other samples. The purpose of quantitative research is to
generate knowledge and create understanding about the social world.
Research design is the structure within which research would be conducted
(Dawson,2002).The current research follows a descriptive research design. Longman Dictionary
of Applied Linguistics(2002) defines descriptive research as“ an investigation that attempts to
accurately and factually describe a phenomenon, subject or area. Surveys and case studies are
examples of descriptive research" ( p . 1 5 2 ) . Descriptive research is, thus, concerned with several
elements among which Best (1970) cited in Cohen etal. (2007) mentions: “conditions or
relationships that exist; practices that prevail; beliefs ,points of views, or attitudes that are held;
processes that are going on; effects that are being felt; or trends that are developing" (p205).
Descriptive research systematically describes a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or
programme, provides information about, say, the living condition of a community, or describes
attitudes towards an issue. The subject we are tackling , that is, exploring the effect of group work
interaction on English students' critical thinking development, requires a descriptive work.
3.2. Sample of the Study
The participants in this study are thirteen (13) students enrolled at Ferroudj Brothers
secondary school Boumedfaa in Ain Defla during the academic year 2021-2022. Thirteen
participants, three males and ten females aged 16 and 17, were randomly selected from the second
year scientific...... stream. The second sample consists of three (3) Algerian female teachers aged
between 26 and 40 years old. Two of them have been teaching for 6 to 20 years, while the third
other teacher has been teaching for 2 to 5 years. They have been selected to investigate the extent
to which group work interaction affects the development of critical thinking.
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3.3.Data Collection Tools
3.3.1. Questionnaire
Oxford dictionary defined the questionnaire as “a written list of questions that are answered
by a number of people so that information can be collected from the answers "(2010,p1201).A
questionnaire is a group of printed questions designed to collect information from the people who
answer them (usually called respondents). The questions may be either open-ended, where
respondents are required to answer in their own words, or multiple-choice, where respondents must
select one or more answers from those provided. The respondents may also be provided with
checklists or rating scales. The questions may concern the respondents' personal background, factual
knowledge, attitudes or opinions. According to N. K. Malhotra (2006), a questionnaire is a set of
formal questions used to collect data about any given phenomenon under study, NK. Malhotra added
that the most important objective is to translate the researcher's data needs into straight forward
questions for the respondents.
In this research, we have used two different questionnaires as instruments to collect data.
One administered to teachers was self-developed based on our literature review. In contrast, the other
administered to students was selected from a dissertation written by Anastasia Sofroniou and
Konstantinos Poutos in 2015-2016 about, " The Effectiveness of Group Work in Mathematics",
modified to suit our aim of t h e study. Both questionnaires consisted of open-ended questions, and
different types of scales (rating scale, Likert scale) were used. We shall further explain our research
instruments below.
3.3.1.1. Students’Questionnaire
Based on the research questions, the students’ questionnaire aims at gathering data
about group work, its effectiveness in the classroom and how it affects the learning process and to
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what extent does it develop critical thinking skill. Also , it aims to find out if working in groups
affects the way students think . It is divided into two sections presented as follows:
Section one concerns students' background information and consists of two questions in
which the participants are asked to indicate their age (Q1) and theirgenderQ2).
Section two, refers to as students’ views about critical thinking and group work, and includes
three questions attempting to know students’ general views about working in groups and how much
of a critical thinker they are. It also includes ten statements aiming to know the extent to which
students feel comfortable working in groups and how it affects their learning in general and the
development of their critical thinking skills in particular. The items in this section require answers
by putting a tick or cross according to the given rating scale (agree, moderate, and disagree).
3.3.1.2. The Students' Pilot Questionnaire
The learners' questionnaire was piloted to 10 second-year literary stream students of
Ferroudji Brothers secondary school in Boumedfaa, AinDefla, from the 2 literary and philosophy
1 Class who were not included in the sample. This took place on April 20th, 2022. The questionnaire
was piloted to see how long it took learners to complete it and ensure that all questions were
straightforward. This process will enable researchers to create a well-organized questionnaire and
avoid any difficulty during the analysis and interpretation stages. The learner's answers revealed
that the questions were clear and straight forward. So, the questionnaire is ready to be administered
to the study sample.
The questionnaire trial run also allowed us to plan our coding frame by clustering our data
directly on the computer using numerical labels to take steps towards drawing conclusions
simultaneously as designing the questionnaire (Koran, 2012).
49
3.4. Teachers’ Questionnaire

A written questionnaire was designed to gather information related to our research
topic and to produce unbiased or relevant survey responses, comprises both open-ended where the
respondent is supposed to be free to decide what to say and bow to say it and close-ended questions
(yes/ no, multiple choice, rating scale, Etc). Based on the research questions, the questionnaire
aims at gathering data about how English teachers at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School find the
implementation of group work in their classes. It is divided into three sections presented as follows:
The first section, concerns the teachers’ background information, is composed of three
questions (1 to 3), and the teachers are asked to indicate their gender(Q1),age range(Q2),and
academic experience(Q3).
The second section, referred to as, Professional views on group work, comprises four
questions (7 to 10). This section includes three open-ended questions: (Q1) how often do teachers
use group work in their classes and when, which attempts to find information about how frequently
teachers use group work and in which situations.(Q2) whether group work interaction affects how
their learners learn, which aims to elicit teachers’ opinions about the relationship between group
work and the learning process. (Q3) is group work consistent with their teaching philosophy. We
have used the Likert scale, which comprises five options (strongly agree, agree, undecided,
disagree, strongly disagree).This section comprises 24 statements describing the effectiveness of
group work. Teachers were asked to select one option from (strongly agree=5, agree=4,
undecided=3, disagree=2, strongly disagree=1).The items require answers by putting a tick (√) on
the Likert scale that best reflects the teachers" position. Each statement intends to find out teachers’
views about the effectiveness of group work.
The third section, named effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking,
consists of eleven statements (11) where the teachers are required to rate the extent to which group
work affects promoting critical thinking by using the Rating Scale composed of 3 options. The
50
items require answers by putting a tick (√) on the scale that best reflects the teachers’ evaluation.
Hence, teachers choose one option (largely, somewhat, and slightly).
3.4.1. The Teachers' Pilot Questionnaire

The teachers' questionnaire was piloted on four teachers of English at a secondary school
in Ain Defla who are not included in the sample. All of them teach second-year streams. This took
place on April 25th, 2022. The questionnaire was piloted to see how long it took teachers to
complete it and ensure that all questions were straight forward. This process will enable researchers
to create a well-organized questionnaire and avoid any difficulty during the analysis and
interpretation stages. The teacher’s answers revealed that the questions were not ambiguous. Thus,
the questionnaire is ready to be administered to the study sample.
The questionnaire trial run also allowed us to codify our data directly on the computer
using numerical labels to take steps towards drawing conclusions (Koran, 2012).
3.5.Administration of the Questionnaire
3.5.1. Students’ Questionnaire
The students’ questionnaire was administered on May 24th, 2022. Thirteen (13) randomly
selected participants were given identical instructions on how to complete the questionnaire and
introduced to the aim of our study. They were assured confidentiality, eventhough they were not
asked to write their names. The questionnaire took the students nearly 20 minutes to be answered.
3.5.2. Teachers' Questionnaire
This questionnaire was addressed to three high school teachers of English at Ferroudji
Brothers secondary school Boumedfaa in AinDefla on May 24th, 2022. This questionnaire took
one day to be filled for one teacher and three days for the two others, depending on their free
time and schedule.
51
3.6. Data Analysis Tools
The questionnaire’s quantitative data were analysed through SPSS ( version 22 ) for
Windows 10, and the qualitative data were analysed using content analysis “Any technique for
making inferences by systematically and objectively identifying special characteristics of messages.”
(Holsti, 1968 – Columbia university) .
The data gathered from the Likert scale items that is a rating system, used in questionnaires,
that is designed to measure people’s attitudes, opinions, or perceptions. Subjects choose from a range
of possible responses to a specific question or statement; responses typically include “strongly
agree,” “agree,” “neutral,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” Often, the categories of response are
coded numerically, in which case the numerical values must be defined for that specific study, such
as 1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree’ and the multiple-choice items will be analyzed through descriptive
statistics in the SPSS ( version 22) . After the analysis of each item, the total frequency and
percentages rates of the responses will be presented in the form of tables and figures. The data
gathered from open-ended questions will be analyzed through content analysis (Koran, 2012).
Summary
Chapter three has summarized the research methodology of this study. After describing the
participants who contributed to this study and discussing its aims, the methods of generating data to
find out whether group work increases the level of interaction between learners, and enhances the
development of CT in students, have been explained. The questionnaires addressed to secondary
school teachers and learners have been described, and the prepared questions have been selected
according to the student's level of proficiency.
52
Chapter Four: Results and Findings
53
This chapter is devoted to the analysis of the data collected from the students and teachers’
questionnaires. The results obtained contribute to answer the research questions: «Does working in
groups develop learners’ critical thinking? », «How do students at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School
find working in group? » and «How do English teachers at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School find
the implementation of group work in their classes? ». Thus, it helps to identify the effectiveness of
group work on the development of critical thinking and provides further recommendations.
4. Data Presentation and Analysis of Students’ Questionnaire Results
4.1. Section one: Background Information
Item 1: Age
The participants in this study are second- year, scientific stream, students enrolled at
Ferroudji Brothers high school during the academic year of 2021/2022. They are of both genders
aging between 16 and 17. They are Algerians, speaking Arabic as their mother tongue. They
were selected randomly from 2nd year scientific classes.
Percentage Cumulative
Response Frequency Percentage valid percentage
16,00 11 84,0 84,0 84,0
17,00 2 15,0 15,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 1: Distribution of students’ age
Item 2: Gender
male 6 46,0 46,0 46,0
female 7 53,0 53,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 2: Distribution of students’ gender
Findings represented in the table above reveal that the dominant gender of the sample is
females. Indeed 7 (53%) of the participants are female; whereas, 6 (46%) are male participants.
54
4.2. Section Two: Students’ views about critical thinking and group work
The questionnaire filled by the 13 participants is the main source of feedback examined as
the qualitative analysis section of this project. The results of the three first questions of the survey
which require individual comments and opinions, have been summarized and grouped in a thematic
way by considering the response frequency, as depicted in the following tables.
Q1 : I can think critically, logically and resonantly regarding a matter
Percentage
Response Frequency Percentage valid Cumulative percentage
agree 12 92,0 92,0 92,0
disagree 1 7,0 7,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 3: Students’ attitudes toward thinking critically and logically.
Q2: How are you finding group work so far?
helpful 11 84,0 84,0 84,0
I prefer working
2 15,0 15,0 100,0
individually
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 4: Students’ views about group work.
Q3: Does group work interaction affect the way you think, make decisions and solve
problems?
Cumulative
Response Frequency Percentage Percentage valid Percentage
Yes 10 76,0 76,0 76,0
No 3 23,1 23,1 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 5: Learners’ opinions about the effect group work interaction.
From these responses, it is deduced that students in general can rely on their own thinking
and logic to solve problems, produce hypotheses, and arrive to conclusions. The majority of
55
students agree that they find group work helpful and useful when it comes to thinking matters
through, augmenting and solving problems.
More detailed comments reveals that group work was found to be constructive, helping
learners to deepen their understanding of the subject matter in general, and sharpening their
thinking skills more particularly. Most participants believe that working in groups has improved
their ability to appreciate and consider a variety of perspectives, detect problems in different
situations and spot deficiencies in arguments. Acknowledging that group work promotes
collaboration between classmates; strengthens their confidence to share opinions and exchange
ideas more freely.
Statement 1: I enjoy working in groups
Response Frequency Percentage Percentage valid Cumulative percentage

agree 11 84,0 84,0 84,0
disagree 2 15,0 15,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 6: The rate of students who enjoy working in groups.
Statement 2: I feel comfortable sharing my opinion when working in groups
Percentage
agree 12 92,0 92,0 92,0
disagree 1 7,0 7,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 7: Number of learners who feel comfortable sharing opinions within groups.
Statement 3: Group work allows some students to be free riders, do little work whilst
on the back of stronger students
Percentage
agree 7 53,0 53,0 53,0
moderate 5 38,0 38,0 92,0
56
disagree 1 7,0 7,0 100,0

Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 8: The rate of students who believe that one student do all the work.
Statement 4: I learn more about the subject matter working in a group than I would
if I worked by myself
Percentage
agree 12 92,0 92,0 92,0
disagree 1 7,0 7,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 9: Learners’ attitudes concerning working individually.
Statement 5: Working in groups increases my ability to appreciate and consider a

variety of perspectives
Percentage
V agree 11 84,0 84,0 84,0
moderate 2 15,0 15,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 10: Students who believe group work boosts the ability to consider other opinions.
Statement 6: Individual differences hinder the effectiveness of the Group.
Percentage
V agree 2 15,0 15,0 15,0
moderate 2 15,0 15,0 30,0
disagree 9 69,0 69,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 11: Student’s beliefs about individual differences and group work.
Statement 7: I benefit from the feedback I receive from the group members
Percentage
V agree 8 61,0 61,0 61,0
moderate 5 38,0 38,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 12: Learners benefit from group work interaction.
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Statement 8: When conflicts arise in the group, I often try to generate genuine
discussion for everyone to participate in and benefit from.

agree 4 30,0 30,0 30,0
moderate 5 38,0 38,0 69,0
disagree 4 30,0 30,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 13: Student’s reactions when conflicts arise in the group.
Statement 9: I accept different interpretations and opinions of the other members

agree 9 69,0 69,0 69,0
moderate 3 23,1 23,1 92,0
disagree 1 7,0 7,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 14: Opinions variations and group work.
Statement 10: I can express my thoughts clearly, convincingly, and logically within a
group
agree 11 84,0 84,0 84,0
moderate 1 7,0 7,0 92,0
disagree 1 7,0 7,0 100,0
Total 13 100,0 100,0
Table 15: Students’ beliefs about the way they think within a group.
4.3. Discussion of the Questionnaires Results
This section presents the findings obtained from the students’ questionnaire as one of the
instruments employed to investigate the topic under study “Developing critical thinking skills through
group work interaction”.
The results gathered concerning students’ perceptions about whether group work increases the
level of interaction between learners, therefore, enhances the development of CT in students, indicated
that the majority of the participants enjoy working in groups, feel comfortable sharing and exchanging
58
knowledge in a group setting. However, as part of the opinioned responses, some students pointed out
few possible pitfalls of working in groups, namely that it can slow down the lesson and that this form
of learning can be non productive if only one member of the group does all the work.
They also agree that they learn better when working in groups than they do individually; they
believe that group work enhances their ability to explore and contemplate different perspectives.
Most students seem to disagree that issues resulting from individual differences hinder the
effectiveness of the group. On the contrary, they seem more inclined to accept and tolerate differences.
They also seem indifferent to such inconveniences that working in groups allows some students to be
free riders. In addition, the majority of the participants tend to play active and positive roles while
working in groups when encountering any conflicts due to contradictory opinions. Besides, many
students find the feedback they receive from other members beneficial and encouraging.
Taking into account the responses and view concerning group work in this intervention, it can be
safely assumed that group work becomes also useful for social reasons as well as the positive effects
on developing critical thinking. It was noted that working in groups helped to improve student’s
attitudes toward learning, in general, and allowed the struggling students to get over their anxiety and
restrictions to become more free and comfortable sharing theirideas and interpretations. Moreover,
group work is found to be more fun and enjoyable for learners as it increases the amount of learning
achieved through discussions and problem solving and diminishes rote memorization.
4.4. Data Presentation and Analysis of Teachers’ Questionnaire results
4.4.1. Section one: Background Information
Item 1: Gender
The participants in this study are three high school teachers at Ferroudji Brothers secondary
school during the academicyear 2021/2022. They are all females teaching second-year scientific
stream.
59
Options Responses Percentage
male 0 0%
female 3 100%
total 3 100%
Table 16: Teachers' gender distribution
Total
females percentage
Responses
Males
Figure 5: Teachers' gender distribution
Item 2: Teacher’s age distribution
Age Number Percentage
20_30 2 67%
30_40 1 33%
40_50 0 0%
total 3 100%
Table 17: Teachers' age distribution
80
60
40 Number
20 Percentage
20_30 30_40 40_50 50+ Total

al
Figure 6: Teachers' age distribution
60
The table above shows that the participating teachers’ age ranges from 20_30 to 30_40
years old. Therefore, answers are predicted to be different according to teacher’s differences
concerning their teaching experience and method of teaching, such as the use of group work in
their classes. It is remarked that 66, 67 % of the sample are aged between 20_30 and only 33, 33
% are aged between 30_40.
Findings represented in the table above reveal that the dominant gender of the sample is
females.
4.4.2. Section two : Professional views on group work
All the teachers responded to the first three questions. The results of these questions that
require teachers’ comments and opinions o n the use of group work in their teaching method
have been summarized and grouped thematically by considering the response frequency, as
depicted in Figure 7.
Q1: How often do you use group

Q2 : Does group work affect the
work?
way learners learn?
Sometimes
Usually
33%
33%
Yes, of course
100%
Often
34%
61
Q3: Do you understand group work

well enough to implement it
successfully?
Undecided
33%
Yes , of
cours
67%
Figure 7: Teachers' responses to Q1_3
From these results, it is deduced that teachers do not always integrate group work in their
classes; however, it is part of their teaching to some extent. While some teachers often use it,
others usually or sometimes do. All three teachers claimed that they use group work when the
task requires interaction and negotiation to encourage their students to create an environment of
exchange. All the participants believe that working in a group positively affect show learners
learn. It renders them the centre of the learning process, helps them learn more effectively and
rapidly and motivates them to perform better.
Furthermore, two teachers admitted that they understood group work enough to
implement it in their classes and that group work suits their teaching philosophy. However, one
teacher remains undecided due to her insufficient understanding of this didactic learning form.
She comments that this teaching strategy is still vague and, to some extent, difficult to handle,
requiring a deep study and planning to include it in her class.
4.5. Effectiveness of group work
62
Number of students
0,5
1,5
2,5
0
3.5
1-when i use group students tend to veer ….
2-group work helps building teamwork skills.
3-when i use group work all my students tend to participate.
4-group work is good for brainstorming and sharing skills and…
5-Group work increases my learners' motivation and sense of…
6-most group members are reluctant to contribute which is not very…
7-group work creates too many conflicts that hinder the learning…
Figure 8: 8-Students tend to accept contrary conflicting views when working…
Teachers' 9- My students find it difficult to make decisions within a group.
Views 10-A lot of time is spent on sharing ideas and discussing them.
About The 11- Group work best prepare learners for the real world.
Effective- 12- My students presently lack the skills necessary for effective…
ness Of 13-Group work creates disciplinary problems among my students.
Group 14- Group work interaction helps students to obtain a deeper…
Work 15-Group work places too much emphasis on developing students'…
16- There are too many students in my class to implement group…
17- Using group work promotes learners critical thinking skills.
18-Engaging in group work interferes with students' academic…
19-Group work enhances the learning of low-ability students.
20-Group work is an efficient classroom strategy.
21- Using group work fosters positive student attitudes towards…
22- Implementing group work takes too much class time.
23- Group work gives too much responsibility to the students.
24- Group work holds bright student back. Strong Agree undecided Disagree strongly
ly disagree
Agree
statements 63
Figure 8 depicts, using a bar chart, an analysis of the Likert scale data of the
questionnaire. It is noticed that teachers think that group work is an effective strategy to enhance the
learning of low-ability students and foster their positive attitude towards learning. Besides group
work offering a space for interaction, all teachers admitted that it gives too much responsibility to the
students. Similarly, all teachers perceive group work as an excellent way to brainstorm and share
skills and thoughts. Henceforth, teachers highly emphasize the importance of group work in
developing students’ skills, such as social, communicative, and critical thinking skills. As far as the
results are concerned, all teachers are interested in integrating group work to serve their teaching
goals.
The teachers vary in their positions towards further effects of group work. It is supposed that
two teachers struggle to involve their students in working collaboratively. Nevertheless, the other
ones do not face this kind of problem. While two teachers view that the considerable number of
students in their classes prevents them from implementing group work tasks, the other does not see
classroom seizing as an obstacle. One teacher thinks that her students presently lack the necessary
skills to perform effectively within a group. They all disagreed that group work creates disciplinary
problems and hinders learning. All of the respondents strongly disagree that group work holds bright
students back.
Additionally, taking teachers’ views into account in this study determines the positive
effectiveness of group work and its helpful inclusion in the learning process. It was remarked that
group work strives to develop more critical thinking skills. Moreover, group work is a crucial
teaching strategy that aims to involve all types of learners.
4.6. Effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking skil
64
Effects of Group Work in Developing

CTS
3,5
2,5
1,5
0,5
Largly
Somewh
Slightly
Statements
Figure 9: The effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking.
Figure 9 displays, using a bar chart, an analysis of the rating scale data of the questionnaire. The
significant conclusions here are that all teachers use group work in their classes. They all confirm that
students succeed to a large extent in explaining their ideas logically and conveniently and solving the
problems presented to them within a group.
65
Teachers vary in their rating of group work effectiveness in developing CT. Two teachers highly
emphasize the importance of structuring group work activities to foster critical thinking in their
students, while the other one gives less importance to this. One teacher thinks that students effectively
use their analytical and critical thinking skills within groups compared to the other two. Also, the three
participating teachers think that students do not always succeed in detecting reasoning deficiencies and
identifying the flaws in arguments. However, they believe that their students slightly rely on their
prejudices to solve matters. They also think that their learners are tolerable towards contrary conflicting
opinions, which endorses the group's achievement. Besides, considering the teachers’ rank of the
effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking, it can be assumed that integrating
cooperative tasks in their classes is a saveable strategy to foster learners’ critical thinking. It was
annotated that group work helps greatly enhance learners' reasoning and thinking towards many
pedagogical issues. As far as the results are concerned, group work remains a suitable way to help
learners overcome obstacles such that of restricted thoughts by encouraging them to think out of the
box cooperatively and collaboratively.
4.7. Interpretations of the Results
4.7.1. Students’ findings
Based on the analysis of the findings derived from students, questionnaire, we note that almost
all the students opted for working in groups. This is, perhaps, because they are more accustomed to
working cooperatively and collaboratively during their learning process. These students tend to feel
more comfortable sharing ideas and opinions with familiar teammates. Henceforth, most students
tend to be active and productive members in their groups. The researchers assume that this is due to
the stress-free atmosphere teachers put their students in which encourage them to share and
exchange their ideas and perceptions of various subjects. Hence, group work is crucial for
developing learner’s highly cognitive skills. The students admit that group work increases the amount
66
of learning through discussions and problem solving. We may consider that group work as an
effective and suitable way to develop learners’ critical thinking.
4.7.2. Teachers’ findings
The study results show that group work is part of the teacher’s plans to some extent. This may
refer to the types of activities used by teachers in their class that don’t require a collaborative work
or their planning of the lessons lack the inclusion of group work. Furthermore, time management
may be an obstacle for its integration. However, most of the participants agreed on the positive effect
of group work mainly in promoting critical thinking skills. Although most teachers do not usually
schedule group work in their teaching, it remains an interesting approach for fostering 21ST Century
skills.
Summary
This chapter aimed to investigate the effectiveness of implementing group work at the high
school level as a strategy to develop and foster critical thinking in learners. Two research instruments
were used to reach the study’s aim: teachers’ and students’ questionnaires. These tools helped to assess
the effectiveness of group work to promote students’ critical thinking and explore the students’
perceptions about the implementation of group work. At the end of this chapter, it is possible to say
that group work helped in deepening learners understanding of the taught material and they do feel
comfortable working in a group setting and that it has helped them improve their critical and analytical
skills, as well as their social and communicative skills.
67
Chapter Five: Conclusion
68
The final chapter will summarize the critical research findings of the research questions and aims
and discuss the value and contribution thereof. It will also review the study’s limitations and suggest some
recommendations for future research.
5. Study Aims and Overall Findings
The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of implementing group work to develop and foster
critical thinking in learners. The results obtained from the discussion and analysis of the gathered data
permitted us to draw several conclusions. In terms of students’ perception of this didactic form of
learning, group work helped them understand and perform better, a conclusion reflected in the
responses of the majority of participants. The students taking part in this investigation further claimed
that group work is convenient and they feel comfortable working within a group and that it has helped
them improve their critical and analytical skills as well as learn more about the subject matter working
in agroup than they would if they worked by themselves.
The teachers participating in this study have observed that working in groups allows many
students to participate more in class. It helps them improve their self- confidence and overcome the
fear of committing mistakes. They also believe that group work is a convenient and effective tool to
help students develop a supportive attitude towards their learning. Moreover, teachers noted that though
it is challenging to implement this strategy in class,the ending results are worth it. In addition, it was
observed that students tend to be more tolerable of contradicting views and more contemplative of
different perspectives. All three teachers point out that group work can frustrate both students and
educators without careful planning and facilitation.
In addition, the aforementioned findings relate to similar experiences in literature by educators
69
who have implemented group work in their own practice. For instance, Yackel, Cobb and Wood (1991)
found that small-scale group work problem-solving followed by whole class dialogue generated
many learning opportunities that do not usually occur in a conservative tutorial or class, comprising
opportunities for collaborative discussion and resolution of contrasting view points. Many studies
demonstrate that the pedagogical customs of group work do produce higher achievement and more
positive relationships amongst students than competitive or individualistic experiences.
5.1. Limitations of the Study
Despite the generally positive outcomes of this study which endorses the usefulness of group
work, two possible limitations of this study are the small size of the sample and the data gathering
instrument used for students. In this respect, the possible improvements would be to consider a larger
sample size and conduct a group work interaction sessions for observation with an extended duration.
The study was also limited by time which did not allow for conducting a deeper investigation and richer
treatment.
5.2. Recommendations
From a broader perspective, 21st century world of labor requirements necessitate that employees
possess 21st century skills such as critical thinking and teamwork skills, and are able to work on projects and
solve problems effectively and collaboratively. Therefore, teachers need to train learners and help them
develop these skills from a young age by putting them in similar settings to that of real world, where they
are allowed to work on a various problems that require various skills. Teachers are also asked to consult
more theories about this matter in order to have more insight into activities and techniques where working
in teams is useful.
However, it is important to mention that group work model is not always the answer to all failing
pedagogical practices. The teacher plays a crucial role in determining which practices are effective for
class or level. The students should also be aware of their roles and responsibility during and after their
learning process.
70
Summary
This chapter provides some suggestions and limitations. It starts with an overview of the aims and
the interpretation of the findings. Then, the study’s limitation are mentioned, and some recommendations
for future researchers
71
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Appendices
Appendix A
Students’ questionnaire
Dear students,
This questionnaire is an essential part of our study. It aims at investigating the

effectiveness of group work in developing critical thinking skills. You are kindly requested
to put a tick √ next to each statement where your true feelings and thoughtsare required.
Thank you so much for your time and for your cooperation
Section One: background information
1) Age: …..
2) Gender: a- Male (….)
b- Female (….)
Section Two: students’ views about critical thinking and group work
1. Answer the following questions briefly

Q1: I can think critically, logically and resonantly regarding a matter, do you agree/disagree
Q2: How are you finding group work so far? Helpful / I prefer working individually.
Q3: Does group work interaction affect the way you think, make decisions and solveproblems?
Yes , it does / No it doesn’t.
For each of the following statements, please tick /cross the response on the answersheet
that best corresponds to your position.
Statements agree moderate disagree

1. I enjoy working in groups
2. I feel comfortable sharing my opinion when working in
groups
77
3. Group work allows some students to be free riders, do

little work whilst on the back of stronger students.
4. I learn more about the subject matter working in agroup

than I would if I worked by myself
5. Working in groups increases my ability to appreciate

and consider a variety of perspectives
6. Individual differences hinder the effectiveness of the
Group.
7. I benefit from the feedback i receive from the group
members
8. When conflicts arise in the group, i often try to generate
genuine discussion for everyone to participate in and
benefit from.
9. I accept different interpretations and opinions of the
other members
10. I can express my thoughts clearly, convincingly,
and logically within a group
Appendix B
Teachers’ questionnaire
Dear teachers,
The following questionnaire is an essential component of our study which aims at

investigating the extent to which group work affects the development of critical
thinking skills. It is greatly appreciated if you spare your valuable time to answer this
questionnaire.
Your precious contribution in this modest research is mostly appreciated and would
be of a great assistance. Please accept in advance our honest thanks and gratitude.
Section One: Background Information
Please, put a tick (√) in the appropriate box and/or give your answer wherever
necessary.
1- Gender:
78
a. male (….)
b. Female (….)
2-Age range:
a- 20_30 (….)
b- 30_40 (….)
c- 40_50 (….)
d -50+ (….)
3- Academic experience:
a. 0 to 1 years (….)
b. 2 to 5 years (….)
c. 6 to 15 years (…..)
d. 16 to 24 years (……)
e. 25 years or more (….)
Section Two: professional views on group work:
1. Answer the following questions:
a. How often do you use group work in your class?
b. Does group work interaction affect the way your learners learn?
c-Do you understand group work well enough to implement it successfully?
2. For each of the following statements, please tick /cross the response on the answersheet that
best corresponds to your position.
Statements Strongl Agree Undeci- Disagree Strongly

y agree ded disagree
1. When I use group work, students tend

to veer off task.
2. Group work helps building up teamwork
skills.
3. When I use group work, all my students
tend to participate.
79
4. Group work is good for brainstorming

and sharing skills and thoughts.
5. Group work increases my learners’
motivation and sense of responsibility.
6. Most group members are reluctant to
contribute which is not very encouraging.
7. Group work creates too many conflicts
that hinder the learning process.
8. Students tend to accept contrary
conflicting views when working in
groups.
9. My students find it difficult to make
decisions within a group.
10. A lot of time is spent on sharing ideas
and discussing them.
11. Group work best prepare learners for
the real world.
12. My students presently lack the skills
necessary for effective cooperative group
work.
13. Group work creates disciplinary
problems among my students.
14. Group work interaction helps students
to obtain a deeper understanding of the
material.
15. Group work places too much emphasis
on developing students' social,
communicative, and critical thinking skills.
16. There are too many students in my
class to implement group work effectively.
17. Using group work promotes learners
critical thinking skills
18. Engaging in group work interferes with
students' academic progress.
19. Group work enhances the learning of
low-ability students.
20. Group work is an efficient classroom
strategy.
21. Using group work fosters positive
student attitudes towards learning.
22. Implementing group work takes too
much class time.
23. Group work gives too much
responsibility to the students.
24. Group work holds bright students
back.
80
Section Three: effectiveness of group work
Please, rate the following statements by ticking/crossing the response that fits you most:
Statements largely somewhat slightly

1. Rate the extent to which you structure group work
activities to foster critical thinking skills in your learners.
2. In a typical group work activity in your class, rate the
extent to which Learners successfully solve the problems
presented to them.
extent to which group members explain their ideas
convincingly and logically.
extent to which group members effectively use their
analytical and critical thinking skills.
extent to which group members detect the deficiencies in
reasoning related to a given matter.

extent to which group members identify the flaws in
arguments.
extent to which group members rely on their prejudice.
extent to which group members’ jump to conclusions.
9. In a typical group work activity in your class, Rate
the extent to which contrary conflicting opinions hinder
the group’s achievement.
10. Rate the extent to which your group members tolerate
the varied ideas and perspective.
11. you implement group work activities in order to
promote learners’ critical thinking skills.
81
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Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

Djillali Bounaama University, Khemis Miliana

DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH GROUP WORK

Name Surname President

reference of acknowledgment is made when necessary to the whole of other researchers.

strength, and good health in order to complete this work.

sincere thanks to every one of them.

encouragement along this journey.

usually make their students work cooperatively and collaboratively.

Keywords: effectiveness, cooperatively and collaboratively, critical thinking, group work,

activités et techniques où le travail en groupe est utile.

‫أكثر ثرا ًء‪ .‬أ ُ ِ‬

‫الجماعي خالل النشاطات حسب الحاجة‪.‬‬

‫الكلمات المفتاحية ‪ :‬العمل في مجموعات ‪ ،‬التفكير النقدي ‪ ،‬اإلستراتيجية ‪ ،‬الفعالية و التعاون‪.‬‬

CBA: Competency based approach

CT: Critical thinking

CTS: Critical thinking skills

GW: Group work

Table 1: Distribution of students’ age ................................................................................................. 54

3. Research Questions and Aims .....................................................................................................................46

Chapter One: Introduction

1. Background of the Study

learning at this stage.

and most difficult burdens of the classroom" (p. 300).

2. Statement of the Problem

Students at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School – Boumedfaa find difficulties to

3. Rationale of the Study

Many studies have highlighted the importance of developing critical thinking in

competent team member nowadays.

4. Aims of the Study

level of interaction between learners, therefore, enhances the development of CT in students at

This research attempts to answer the following questions:

of group work in their classes?

2.How do students at Ferroudji Brothers Secondary School find working in groups?

3.Does working in groups develop learners’ critical thinking?

- data analysis tools- and a brief summary.

7. Structure of the Dissertation

limitations of the study and recommendations are presented.

them as the participant and the researcher.

✓ All participants were treated with great respect.

c- Privacy and Confidentiality :

be used for presentations or reports.

will be seen by the researcher’s supervisor.

dissertation and some ethical considerations.

Chapter Two: Literature Review

can lead to the development of critical thinking in learners.

1. Section One: Critical Thinking

1.1.Thinking and the Individual

interaction with and influence on social environment, as it is shown in figure1.

Non- Indifferent Selfish Thinker

thinker Variety of Variety of Variety

Figure 1: Thinking and the Individual (Adapted from Fàbiàn, 2014)

on their behaviors; thus, he classifies the individuals into:

Non-thinker: according Fábián (2017), the individual who witnesses anabsence

questions as well as solving problems. Non-thinker is subject to manipulation; i.e., he is

Indifferent thinker: based on Fábián’s (2017) definition, the individual who

interest towards something.

greedy and unkind.

skills: analysis, evaluation and creation.