Teachers’ Situated Learning Practices on College Students’ Critical Thinking
Rannie A. Bartolome
*
Institute of Professional and Graduate Studies, Southern Philippines, Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), Malita, Davao Occidental, Philippines.
Aldwin T. Miranda
Institute of Professional and Graduate Studies, Southern Philippines, Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), Malita, Davao Occidental, Philippines.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between situated learning practices employed by mathematics teachers and critical thinking skills among college students from one of the campuses of a state university in Southeastern Philippines using a descriptive correlational design. Data were gathered from 275 students through a survey. The findings revealed mathematics teachers frequently use situated learning practices 2 to 4 times a week in terms of authentic context, authentic activities and authentic assessment. Students generally demonstrate an average to high level on their critical thinking, though there are few who achieved low level. Correlation analysis indicated positive relationships between teachers’ situated learning practices and students’ critical thinking. Regression analysis further identified teachers’ situated learning practices as significant predictor of college students’ critical thinking, explaining 30.50% of the variance. These results highlight the importance of promoting situated learning practices to improve their critical thinking.
Keywords: Situated learning practices, students’ critical thinking, authentic context, authentic activities, authentic assessment