Publication:

EXPLORING TEACHERS’ USE OF STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN SOCIAL STUDIES

Social Studies is one of the subjects based on outcomes based education philosophy which seeks to promote critical and creative thinking skills in learners in Malawi. Social Studies is expected to promote learners’ active participation in classroom activities as well as in the larger society. This expectation requires teachers to shift from teacher based and content-based teaching to student-based teaching as a way of helping students develop the competences needed for critical thinking. In 2015 – 2016 academic year, the Malawi government adopted the outcome-based education (OBE) at secondary school level. From the time Outcome Based Education was adopted, I have not come across a study that explores the strategies that teachers use in promoting critical thinking skills in the learners in Community Day Secondary Schools in Nkhotakota District. Therefore, this study was undertaken to explore how teachers use strategies that promote critical thinking skills in Social Studies. The study employed critical pedagogy theory as its lens: and five Community Day Secondary Schools in Nkhotakota District in Central East Education Division participated. The study used qualitative methods and generated data through interviews, document analysis and lesson observations. Convenience samplingwas employed in this case study research. The findings revealed that Social Studies teachers planned to integrate critical thinking into their lessons though they faced challenges in using the strategies that promote critical thinking skills in the learners. The study concluded that if critical thinking skills are to be promoted, teachers need to be assisted on how best to improve student participation in class.