DESIGNING A TRAINING PROGRAM BASED ON SHWARTZ’S MODEL AND ITS EFFECT IN PIVOTAL THINKING FOR MATHEMATICS TEACHERS AND THEIR PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND THEIR VISUAL THINKING

Abstract

This study aims to develop a training program for mathematics teachers according to the Schwartz model and to examine its effect on three main aspects: developing teachers' critical thinking, improving fifth-grade students' academic achievement, and enhancing their visual thinking. To achieve the study objectives, the researcher relied on a sample of 35 primary school mathematics teachers in Misan Governorate, divided into two groups: an experimental group of 18 teachers who received the training program designed according to the steps for developing training programs, which included 16 training sessions, and a control group of 17 teachers who did not receive the training. Additionally, 15 students were selected from each teacher, bringing the total number to 525 fifth-grade students. The study instruments included a critical thinking test for teachers (21 essay items), an achievement test (30 objective items), and a visual thinking test (25 multiple-choice items) for the students. The validity and reliability were verified, and difficulty, discrimination, and distractor efficiency were calculated. Various statistical methods were used, such as the t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and effect size.
The results showed statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level between the two groups, favoring the experimental group, across all variables (teachers' critical thinking, student achievement, and students' visual thinking).
The study concluded with a recommendation to train mathematics teachers in integrating thinking skills into their teaching according to Schwartz's model. It also suggested expanding similar studies to include teachers at other educational levels, as well as student teachers, to determine the program's impact on developing their cognitive abilities and learning skills.