This study is expected to develop the humanities education in order to help the youths who live in the society faced with confuses values and an indiscreet information to improve their critical thinking disposition. So the study has designed a youth h...
This study is expected to develop the humanities education in order to help the youths who live in the society faced with confuses values and an indiscreet information to improve their critical thinking disposition. So the study has designed a youth humanities program focused on reflective point of view, having critical mind that still lack of humanities programs for youths is.
For this study, two study questions were established as followed.
First, this study has conducted the literature review to evaluate the effectiveness the reflective humanities program for youth in regard with improving critical thinking disposition for youth. Regarding this question, it set the direction of the program by looking at the features of critical thinking disposition and the current humanities programs. In addition, contents and methods, based on the Tyler’s model of curriculum and problem-posing education of Paulo Freire, were selected. Therefore this study composed the program with a total of 10 sessions, each 90minutes, twice a week, and the contents of the humanities were consisted of a variety of teaching methods including lecture, discuss, game, role play and so on.
Second, is a reflective humanities program effective for critical thinking disposition to youth? Proving for this, the developed reflective humanities program was practiced at the youth center along with the nearby school in Seoul D area and consisted of two groups as a experimental group and a control group of 20 young people. The quantitative research data was collected from the pre-test and post-test of the two groups and was analyzed by using the frequency analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the satisfaction rate of the program was analyzed by the frequency analysis. Also to conduct a qualitative research through participant observation, this study examines the changes in the experimental group who were treated with the critical thinking disposition program.
As the results of the analyses in all areas of critical thinking disposition, the average score of the experimental group youth was found to be higher than the average score of the control group youth, but the statistical significance were different in each sub-factors. Also from the result of observing the experimental group during program progress, this study could look details at the area whose variation unrevealed in the quantitative research, and the results are summarized as follows.
First, the reflective humanities program of this study is verified to be effective to improve the critical thinking disposition of youth overall.
Second, looking at each sub-factors, truth-seeking and self-confidence presented a clear effect on the quantitative and qualitative research. Truth-seeking seemed to determine their opinions based on the fact, and self-confidence seemed to propose their own opinions with firm confidence.
Even though the significant effects from openness, inquisitiveness and objectivity in the quantitative research were not found, qualitative research found the flexibility about other perspectives related with openness. And it showed inquisitiveness that increases interest in new area and variation of objectivity to discern the information correctly.
Third, only systemicity area that presents their arguments logically and consistently among the sub-factors of critical thinking disposition did not notice any change in the quantitative and qualitative research.
Forth, young people got a fun and positive image as a friendly academic through a reflective humanities program instead of having a strange and boring image of the humanities, and it became more and more interested in the humanities than before.
Finally, young people preferred participating reflective humanities programs to discuss and express themselves on various topics with free, and about with operating times, the long-term program should be configured.
The results of this study, reflective humanities program developed by this study was able to provide evidences that it was effective to improve critical thinking disposition of youth and have a positive interest in the humanities. In addition, it should be noticeable that this study provides the basic data in terms of both theoretical aspects and practical significance in regard with the program contents and methods to future studies in developing humanities program that targets youth reflexive.