The analysis of methods, techniques and activities used by elementary school teachers' intended to acquire critical thinking ability

This research was conducted to analyze elementary school teachers' frequencies of using the methods, techniques and activities intended for students to acquire critical thinking skills and the problems encountered while implementing them. The population of the study is comprised of 1550 (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades) elementary school teachers serving in Gaziantep province in the 2016-2017 Academic Year. 618 elementary school teachers selected using random sampling from this population was included in the research. Moreover, interviews were conducted with 16 elementary school teachers selected using the maximized variation method. "Freqency Questionnaire of Using Methods, Techniques and Activities Suggested to Improve Critical Thinking" and an interview form were used as the data collection tools in the study in which mixed research method was utilized. The questionnaire with a three-point Likert type scale (3: "always", 2: "sometimes" and 1: "never") was comprised of 18 items. The semi-structured interview form which is another other data collection tool of the study consists of 10 open-ended questions. Frequency analysis was employed in the analysis of the quantitative data in the study. On the other hand, the qualitative data were analyzed using the descriptive analysis technique. The study results revealed that the most frequently used method used by the teachers is "Problem solving" (63,9%); the technique is "Question-answer" (88,7%); the activity is "Explaining reason" (54,9%) and the problem is "Parents' indifference" (86,9%). It was also found out that the least frequently used method is "Case study"(13,8%); the technique is "Six thinking hats" (51,1%) and the activity is "Creating complex cases" (20,9%). Additionally, it was made out that elementary school teachers have trouble implementing the methods, techniques and activities owing to needing more time and crowded classrooms.