Examining the effect of inquiry-based learning vs. traditional lecture-based learning on critical thinking skills and students' achievement in college algebra

Advisors: Hayley Mayall.Committee members: Thomas Smith; Cindy York.Includes bibliographical references.Includes illustrations.The main aim of this study is to examine the effect of teaching based on inquiry- based learning (IBL) versus traditional learning (TL) on critical thinking skills and math achievement score of undergraduate students enrolled in a college algebra class in a university classified as a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI). The study was a quasi experiment with pre-test and post-test. The sample was 41 students were chosen by a convenience sample. Quantitative analyses were used to determine the effect of the instructional pedagogy on overall critical thinking skills scores, the five critical thinking sub-scales (analysis, inference, evaluation, inductive and deductive reasoning) and the effect of the instructional pedagogy on math academic achievement, while qualitative data was used to provide insight into the students' perception of the instructional pedagogy. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze data. The findings showed that there was not a statistically significant difference in mean critical thinking post-test scores between the IBL and the TL groups when controlling for critical thinking pre-test as assessed by the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference between the IBL and the TL groups in the five sub-scales of critical thinking between the IBL and the TL groups when controlling for critical thinking pre-test for each sub-scale. However, there was a significant different in mean math achievement post-test scores between the IBL and the TL group when controlling for college algebra readiness pre-test. Furthermore, A Likert scale consist of 7 items was used to measure student's perspective towards the effectiveness of the instructional pedagogy. An independent t-test revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in student's perspective between the IBL group and TL groups. However, students in the IBL group believed that the IBL instructional pedagogy improved their confidence in their ability to do math, their knowledge in approaching a problem, their communication skills and their ability to ask inquiry questions.Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy