Effects of organizing non-formal education activities to enhance critical thinking for female children and youths in juvenile vocational training centers, Bangkok metropolis
Abstract:
The purposes of this research were to1) develop non-formal education activities to enhance critical thinking for female children and youths in juvenile vocation training centers, Bangkok metropolis. 2) compare critical thinking before and after the experiment in female children and youth in juvenile vocational training centers, Bangkok metropolis. 3) study participants satisfaction towards non-formal education activities. The research methodology was experimental research. The research samples were 30 female children and youths in banpranee juvenile vocational training centers from ages 10-24 years old. Activities were organized for 8 days, a total of 58 hours. The research instruments used in this research were the non-formal education activities, need interview form, the Cornell Critical Thinking Test and the measure of satisfaction form. The data was analyzed by using means (X), standard deviation (S.D.), and dependent-samples t (t-test) at .05 level of significance with SPSS Version 17.0 program The results were as follow : 1. The processes of developing non-formal education activities could be developed for 15 activities. Each of the activity was consistent with the characteristics of the critical thinking 15 factors. Also each activity carried out through a process of critical thinking 7 steps: 1) indentifying the problem, 2) collecting relevant information, 3) considering reliability of the information, 4) distinguishing the information, 5) assumption, 6) concluding, and 7) evaluation which continued and linked from activity 1 to activity 15. 2. After the experiment, the mean scores of Cornell Critical Thinking Test of the experimental group were higher than the mean scores before the experiment at .05 level of significance. 3. After the experiment, the experimental group scored at high level of significance of participating in non-formal education activities to enhance critical thinking.