Effects of anchored instruction on the critical-thinking skills of students with and without mild disabilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of anchored instruction on the critical-thinking and critical-questioning skills of students with and without mild disabilities. The specific research questions examined in this study were (a) whether students who participated in an anchored instruction program demonstrated greater gains in critical-thinking skills than students who did not participate in anchored instruction, and (b) whether students who participated in an anchored instruction program demonstrated greater gains in critical-questioning skills than students who did not participate in anchored instruction. This study employed a nonequivalent control group design. The independent variables were (1) interventions with two levels (anchored instruction vs. traditional instruction) and (2) students with two levels (students with mild disabilities vs. students without disabilities). The dependent variables were critical-thinking skills and critical-questioning skills. The participants of the study included four secondary language arts classroom teachers and 96 general education and special education high school students. The experimental group received anchored instruction implemented in 25 to 30 fifty-minute class periods over a 5- to 6-week period. The instruction was implemented in six phases: (a) setting the stage, (b) watching the anchor and retelling the story, (c) segmenting, (d) characterization, (e) student research, and (f) student presentation. The control group received traditional, lecture-based instruction using the same curriculum as in the experimental group. Results indicated that anchored instruction was an effective technique for enhancing the critical-thinking and critical-questioning skills of students with and without mild disabilities. Moreover, the findings indicated that the students with mild disabilities were able to learn advanced skills. Anchored instruction may be an effective approach to fostering critical-thinking skills in all students, by providing authentic activities in which students actively participate and generate critical questions.Special Educatio