Project R.A.C.E.R. (Recognize, Ask, Critically Analyze, Eliminate, and Rationalize): Developing Critical Thinking Through Test Rationalization

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Over the past years, the Science Department of Department of Education CALABARZON has been challenged with attaining an 80% level of Achievement in the National Achievement Test (NAT) during the past couple of years. The poor achievement level of less than 50% in science based on NAT results has been attributed to the underdeveloped critical thinking skills especially among the high school students. This action research aims to improve the level of critical thinking of grade 9 students of Palocpoc National High School for the school year 2018-2019 and in effect improve their academic performance as well in the subject area of Earth Science through Project R.A.C.E.R.

METHODS

Using a descriptive method of research, the level of critical thinking and academic performance of the 55 students Palocpoc NHS for S.Y. 2018-2019, served as the respondents of the study using the Purposive Sampling Technique, were looked into. Analysis of data made use of t-test to determine the significant difference between the level of critical thinking and academic performance of the respondents in the subject area of Grade 9 Earth Science before and after the conduct of Project R.A.C.E.R. (Recognize, Ask, Critically Analyze, Eliminate, and Rationalize)

RESULTS

Grade 9 students of Palocpoc National High School for the school year 2018-2019 have a High Level of Critical Thinking before the intervention Project R.A.C.E.R. was conducted in the subject area of Earth Science, but developed it a level ahead further to a Moderately High Level of Critical Thinking after the implementation of the said intervention; hence, there is a significant difference between the summative test and parallel remedial test results of the students during the Project R.A.C.E.R pre-implementation phase and its post-implementation phase, signifying its efficacy in improving both the level of critical thinking skills and academic performance of the students in the subject area of Grade 9 Earth Science.

DISCUSSIONS

The Project R.A.C.E.R should also be applied in the other three more areas of Science namely: Biology, Chemistry and Physics and even be applied in teaching other subjects to reinforce the continuity of developing the learners’ critical thinking skills. Such may also be optimized by strengthening the foundations of Reading and Comprehension skill among the learners in as early as the primary level.