The Effect of the Flexible Groups Strategy on Achievement and the Development of Critical Thinking among Scientific- Branch of Fourth-Grade Students in Arabic Grammar

Abstract

The current study aims to identify the effect of the flexible groups strategy on achievement and the development of critical thinking among scientific- branch of fourth-grade students in Arabic grammar. The researcher adopted the steps of the experimental approach and used a partially controlled design for two groups, namely experimental and control groups, with a pre- and post-test. The sample has been chosen intentionally. However, the groups have been selected randomly by (32) students in the experimental group and (33) in the control group. To achieve the goal of the study, the researcher prepared the study’s requirements and means by determining the scientific material, identifying the behavioral goals according to Bloom’s classification of the cognitive domain, as well as preparing the teaching plans for the experimental group according to flexible groups strategy and teaching plans for the control group.

The researcher prepared the achievement test, which consists of ((40)) items of the multiple choice type , and the critical thinking test consisting of (45) items according to the skills identified by Watson - and Glaser for critical thinking. After applying the experiment and using the specific statistical means, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference at the level (0.05) between the average of the two groups and in favor of the experimental group, in which the students who studied the material according to the flexible groups strategy and the development of critical thinking.