Application of a didactic unity for the development of critical thinking in high school students

Abstract

This paper is the product of a didactic intervention, carried out with the purpose of applying innovative strategies focused on the development of critical thinking in students, in the discipline of Economics in High School, through educational and practical didactic sessions. The methodology used was action-research, since the work was carried out immersed in the process, not as an observer agent but as a transforming agent, intertwining research practice with educational action. The mixed approach was applied because during the research, quantitative data were generated but with qualitative predominance, because the entire process carried out had to be supported with relevant information found during the research. The techniques implemented were observation and focus group. The sample for this research was 15 students of 10th grade A of the Tania la Guerrillera School, selected by an intentional non-probabilistic sampling. This research was carried out through a didactic intervention with innovative learning strategies to generate critical thinking in students, there were 8 didactic sessions in total. As a result, it was possible to know the incidence of the strategies applied and the significant learning that students built, and the new positions students have with respect to the subject Economics. The degree of importance that the use and implementation of didactic strategies had at the time of teaching a class was determined, the variation of them during the class sessions favors the achievement of the objectives and quality learning by the students. Likewise, the appropriate selection of strategies according to the area to be strengthened in students will allow optimizing time and obtaining better results in terms of the learning achieved by them.