Relationship of Teaching Methods to Students’ Engagement and Critical Thinking Disposition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2025.745Keywords:
Criminology students, Critical thinking disposition, Educational effectiveness, Student engagement, Teaching strategiesAbstract
Understanding the connection between teachers’ instructional methods and students’ engagement and critical thinking is essential in strengthening criminology education. This study examined the relationship between teaching strategies and the levels of engagement and critical-thinking disposition among fourth-year Criminology students at private institutions in Cagayan de Oro City during the 2023–2024 academic year. A descriptive correlational design was employed, involving 109 students selected through simple random sampling. Data were gathered using three validated questionnaires, and analyzed through mean, standard deviation, and Pearson’s product–moment correlation coefficient. Results showed that teachers’ instructional methods were rated very satisfactory, whereas students demonstrated very high engagement (WM = 3.52) and a critical-thinking disposition (WM = 3.56). Significant positive correlations were found between the teaching strategies—lecture, demonstration, and case study—and both student engagement and critical thinking (p < .05). Among these, case study methods produced the strongest association, indicating their effectiveness in promoting higher-order thinking. The findings underscore the importance of integrating interactive and analytical strategies to enhance criminology students’ learning outcomes. Practically, the study supports capacity-building programs focused on case-based instruction and active learning. Future research may examine the longitudinal effects of instructional strategies, compare different year levels, or incorporate qualitative approaches to better understand how these methods shape students’ cognitive development.
Downloads
References
Álvarez-Huerta, P., Muela, A., & Larrea, I. (2022). Disposition toward critical thinking and creative confidence beliefs in higher education students: The mediating role of openness to diversity and challenge. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 43, 101003.
Bae, C., Les DeBusk-Lane, M., & Lester, A. (2020). Engagement profiles of elementary students in urban schools. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 62, 101880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101880
Bowden, J., Tickle, L., & Naumann, K. (2019). The four pillars of tertiary student engagement and success: A holistic measurement approach. Studies in Higher Education, 46, 1207–1224. Retrieved on September 25, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1672647
Dwyer, C. (2017). Critical thinking: Conceptual perspectives and practical guidelines. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316537411
Dwyer, C., Hogan, M., & Stewart, I. (2014). An integrated critical thinking framework for the 21st century. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 12, 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2013.12.004
Facione, P.A. (2020). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts (2020 Ed.). Measured Reasons LLC.
Farashahi, M., & Tajeddin, M. (2018). Effectiveness of teaching methods in business education: A comparison study on the learning outcomes of lectures, case studies and simulations. The International Journal of Management Education, 16(1), 131–142.
Fredricks, J., Blumenfeld, P., & Paris, A. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Hidayah, R., Salimi, M., & Susiani, T. (2017). Critical thinking skill: Konsep dan inidikator penilaian. IEEE Transactions on Computers, 1, 127–133. https://doi.org/10.30738/tc.v1i2.1945
Kim, D., & Hommel, B. (2019). Social Cognition 2.0: Toward mechanistic theorizing. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02643
Korhonen, V., Mattsson, M., Inkinen, M., & Toom, A. (2019). Understanding the multidimensional nature of student engagement during the first year of higher education. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01056
Maba, W., & Mantra, I. (2017). An analysis of assessment models employed by the Indonesian elementary school teachers. International Journal of Social Sciences, 1, 39–45. https://doi.org/10.29332/ijssh.v1n1.38
Rooij, E., Jansen, E., & Grift, W. (2017). Secondary school students' engagement profiles and their relationship with academic adjustment and achievement in university. Learning and Individual Differences, 54, 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LINDIF.2017.01.004
Sari, M., Setiadi, G., & Rondhi, W.S. (2024). Effectiveness of using demonstration and experiment methods on learning outcomes. Uniglobal Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(1), 96–101. https://doi.org/10.53797/ujssh.v3i1.14.2024
Seshan, V., Matua, G., Raghavan, D., Arulappan, J., Al Hashmi, I., Roach, E.J., & Prince, E.J. (2021). Case study analysis as an effective teaching strategy: Perceptions of undergraduate nursing students from a Middle Eastern country. Sage Open Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608211059265
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
