DEVELOPMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM PROMOTING THINKING SKILLS FOR LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY WITH A FOCUS ON ACTIVE LEARNING AS IMPLEMENTED ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) conduct a needs assessment on thinking skills development for 21st century learning, 2) develop a general education curriculum promoting thinking skills for 21st century learning with a focus on active learning, and 3) study results of curriculum implementation. Participants in this research consisted of 3 groups: 1) the sample group, whose needs were assessed, included 378 Chiang Mai University (CMU) undergraduate students in the first semester of the 2017 academic year and were selected using simple random sampling; 2) the target group, who evaluated curriculum quality, included 5 experts; and 3) the experimental sample group included 30 CMU undergraduate students selected using simple random sampling. Curriculum implementation occurred between June and July of 2018. The methodology for this study was based on the concept of research development using the ADDIE process. Research instruments consisted of a needs assessment form, a curriculum quality evaluation form, a thinking skills test, and an attitude scale. The data were analyzed using mean, percentage, standard deviation, PNI_modified, and t-test. The research findings showed that: 

1) The types of thinking skills from highest to lowest need according to PNI_modified values were analytical thinking, systematic thinking, critical thinking, and creative thinking.

2) The general education curriculum promoting thinking skills for 21st century learning focused on enhancing the 4 types of thinking skills in line with the needs assessment results and an active learning approach. The curriculum had 8 components – principles, objectives, learning content strands, structure, learning activities, learning media and resources, roles of learners and instructor, and learning measurement and evaluation. It consisted of 6 learning units. The overall curriculum was determined to be of the highest quality.

3) Subsequent to curriculum implementation, students demonstrated higher thinking skills in all 4 areas, surpassing the prescribed criterion of 70%, with significance at the .05 level. Students’ attitudes toward thinking skills for 21st century learning following their participation as learners in the curriculum were more positive than prior to their participation, with significance at the .05 level.