CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
6.2 What are the factors related to the teaching of critical thinking skills?
6.2.4 Gender as a factor related to the teaching of critical thinking skills to young learners
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and emotional development is the first step in prevention and early intervention in addressing young learners’ needs.
The findings of the present research study indicate that young learners who lack reinforcement from their parents or guardians at home do not display critical thinking skills. It is quite clear that families are important contexts for young learners and that they do have a significant impact on the learning opportunities provided to them (Perry & MacDonald, 2015). Lack of reinforcement on schoolwork has been revealed as a setback to learners’ development of critical thinking skills.
In their Australian research study, Butterworth, Olesen and Leach (2012) noted that one reason many learners seem unmotivated is lack of reinforcement from their parents or guardians.
Additionally, Makuni and Francis (2012) argue that teachers expect parents to pay school fees, provide teaching resources and to interact with teachers regularly. The reinforcement of school work at home and in collaboration with teachers is therefore likely to motivate young learners to explore and boost their chances to think critically and improve on mathematical literacy.
6.2.4 Gender as a factor related to the teaching of critical thinking skills to young learners
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the same in boys since young learners may live to what is expected of them by society in which they live.
Teachers’ responses to open-ended questions on how gender relates to the teaching of critical thinking skills indicated that boys and girls are socialised differently, and others believe that they have different preferences. In their research study, Rutoro, Jenjekwa, Runyowa and Chipato (2013) take a critical look at the Shona culture ways of thinking. The study revealed that many misconceptions are regarded as true in the Shona culture in which this current research study was also conducted. This may affect perceptions of people on the discrepancy between boys and girls ability in school. Consistent with perceptions held about boys and girls, responses from interviewees in the present research study reveal that gender differences are likely to affect learners’ critical thinking skills negatively or positively depending on how society regards the boy or girl child. OECD Report (2012) reports that gender equality in educational participation and attainment has been achieved in most OECD countries. Lesson observations also reveal that young learners in schools where the study was conducted were given the same tasks and no teacher displayed any differential behaviour in terms of gender during the teaching of mathematics. This created equal opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills by both boys and girls.
From the evidence provided, it may be inferred that gender differences may influence the teaching of critical thinking skills to young learners where equal opportunities are not considered during mathematics lessons or activities.
Zimbabwe, like other African countries, has become part of a global village where a lot of changes are taking place. The changes include a shift from how the girl child used to be differentiated from her male counterpart in terms of educational opportunities. A research study conducted by Sue (2014) at Crenefield College in the UK concluded that girls perform better than boys in schooling in most countries, a fact that seems to be a well-kept secret considering how little attention it has received as a global phenomenon. The same research study revealed that few explanations are given for boys’ performance which may be due to social factors like parents placing less emphasis on boys’ studies because their performance may be assumed to be better. This particular research study responses from interviewees have shown that in the studied Zaka schools, the boy used to be given first preference in fees payment and provision of other resources needed at school and even got enrolled first in school. The finding of this research study is in line with what was noted
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by Rutoro (2013) that different expectations concerning roles for men and women have had an impact on the enjoyment of rights, equal access to opportunities and to participation in decision- making at all levels.
Additionally, Ouma (2016) in the international literature notes that the African traditional society from the fifties to seventies preferred to educate the boy rather than the girl. For example, programmes such as Bolsa Familia in Brazil and Juntosin Peru include cash transfers paid to mothers on the condition of their daughters’ continued school attendance. Oportunidades in Mexico provides more cash for daughters than sons in order to increase incentives for girls to attend school. In support of attainment of millennium development goals (MDGs), OECD (2012) adopted a mix of policies to facilitate girls’ completion of a quality post-primary education in developing countries by identifying existing good practices that could be replicated. Contrary to the given world views, UNICEF (2012) reported that, in many countries around the world, girls traditionally have been at a disadvantage. However, in a mid-decade review of education for all (EFA), it was indicated that boys’ enrolment rates have declined and, in some settings, enrolment, attendance and achievement are decreasing for boys. Onsaringo (2013) argues that schools are more sensitive to girls’ needs than those for boys. Generally, the paradigm shift from placing importance on the education of the girls is critical but it is also important to guard against depriving the boy to think critically by giving the girl more privileges at the expense of the boy.
Basing on cognitive theory (Piaget, 1977), it can be noted that learners of different ages can perform differently considering that they might be on different stages of development. Visande (2014) notes that Piaget's clinical and observational studies developed an idea of readiness and explored the process by which learners advance through the sensor motor stage (0-2 years) and pre-conceptual stages (2-7 years) in order to progress to logical and abstract thinking. From Piaget’s standpoint, it may be proposed that the age difference between the girl and boy influences the teaching of critical thinking skills in that the critical level at which young learners operate at is determined by their age as well as their gender socialisation. In addition, Dunn Rakes and Rakes (2014) assert that age was a significant predictor for critical thinking dispositions and, as the age of participants increased, their critical thinking levels also increased. The teaching of critical thinking skills to young learners should therefore consider gender during the teaching of mathematics so as to foster critical thinking skills in learners of both sexes. It has been deduced
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from this particular research study that age difference does not affect the development of young learners’ critical thinking skills until such a time when they are at secondary school.