Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication
Date of this Version
Fall 8-1991
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of the critical thinking score as measured by Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal score and subscores (Inferences, Recognizing Assumptions, Reasoning by Deduction, Drawing Conclusions and Evaluating Arguments), and mastery of judging activities between 2 groups (upper and lower quartiles) of participants in the 1990 Nebraska 4-H Senior Livestock Judging Activity. The study was descriptive-correlational in nature and was designed to gather data concerning the strength of relationships between variables.
Data were collected to:
1 ) describe the sample according to gender, age, and mastery of the judging activity; and describe the respondents according to gender, age, and mastery of the judging activity by quartiles; WGCTA subscores and critical thinking ability (WGCTA) total score; and
2) Measure the relationship of the respondents between mastery of the judging activity and critical thinking skills (WGCTA score) by quartiles.
The population for the study was participants in the 1990 Nebraska Senior 4-H Livestock Judging Activity. The participants were ranked and divided into equal quartiles. The upper and lower quartiles were selected as the sample. Each quartile consisted of 36 individuals.
Fifty-one (70.83%) sample members responded to the study. Most (56.86 %) were male. but in proportion to the sample population. There were nearly equal numbers of respondents in the upper quartile (50.98 %) and lower quartile (49.02 %). The average age of the respondents was 16.20 years of age. The mean scores for the respondents as a group on the WGCTA subscales and the WGCTA overall were:
Inference 7.86
Recognition of Assumptions 12.08
Deduction10.49
Interpretation 11.53
Evaluation of Arguments 11.55
WGCTA Composite 53.69
The relational analysis indicated that there were no significant differences between upper and lower quartiles on their performance in the WGCTA subscales or the WGCTA overall. A negative low association (-.18) was found between the upper and lower quartiles for the WGCTA Inference subscale. A negative low association (-.10) was found between the upper and lower quartiles for the WGCTA Deduction subscale. Positive negligible associations (.02 to .08) were found for Evaluation of Argument and Recognition of
Assumption subscales. Negative negligible associations (-.03 to -.09) were found for all other WGCTA subscales and the WGCTA overall between the upper and lower quartiles.
Comments
A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College in the University of Nebraska
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Education Major: Vocational and Adult Education Under the Supervision of Professor Birdie H. Holder