Prepare a one-two page narrative style paper to discuss the peer reviewed journal article incorporating your answers to each template prompt (found in the assignment prompt). Your completed template s

Research problem. This study aims to examine how instructing introductory psychology students on the intellectual standards of logic, significance and breadth from the Paul-Elder Framework impacts their ability to gather and interpret relevant information from multiple perspectives to effectively evaluate theoretical approaches.

Purpose statement. The purpose of this study is to determine if explicity teaching components of the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework improves introductory psychology students' critical thinking skills for analyzing theoretical perspectives.

Overarching research question and/or hypothesis. Does instruction on select intellectual standards from the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework (logic, significance, breadth) lead to gains in introductory psychology students' critical thinking abilities when evaluating theoretical approaches as measured by a pre-/post-test assessment? It is hypothesized that students who receive this focused critical thinking instruction will demonstrate stronger critical thinking skills in analyzing theoretical perspectives compared to students in a control group.

Population/sample. The population of interest is undergraduate students enrolled in introductory psychology courses at a large public university. The sample will consist of approximately 100 students randomly assigned to either the experimental group that receives critical thinking instruction based on elements of the Paul-Elder Framework, or the control group that only receives typical course content without this added instructional component.

Leading theory through which the problem and results are framed and interpreted. Provide lead descriptor and its main premise. Peter Facione's theory of critical thinking as purposeful, self-regulatory judgment contends that critical thinking dispositions and skills can be developed through reflective learning experiences (Facione, 2015).

Research approach/design/method, A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test mixed methods design will be employed utilizing a critical thinking assessment survey and qualitative analysis of student theoretical perspective evaluations to measure differences in critical thinking development between the control and experimental groups.

Constructs –provide lead descriptor. Variables, The independent variable is critical thinking instruction based on select elements of the Paul-Elder Framework (logic, significance, breadth). The dependent variable is critical thinking ability, operationalized as students' scores on a pre- and post-instruction critical thinking assessment survey and evaluations of theories.

Main limitations and assumptions A key limitation is the quasi-experimental design prevents strong claims of causal influence, as random assignment to conditions is not possible. An additional limitation is reliance on self-report survey data to measure critical thinking skills which could be subject to social desirability bias. It is assumed that the critical thinking assessment survey and rubric used to evaluate theoretical perspective responses are valid and reliable measures of the target constructs.

Recommend follow up research or related problem to expand on or close gaps in knowledge in the broad topic area. To address limitations in generalizing the findings, follow up research could replicate this study design across multiple introductory psychology courses at different types of institutions (e.g. community colleges, liberal arts colleges). This would help determine if the effects of targeted critical thinking instruction using elements of the Paul-Elder Framework are consistent for diverse student populations. It could also strengthen conclusions about the effectiveness of this approach by controlling for potential influences unique to a single sample and setting.

Cite at least two supporting peer reviewed research articles – single sentence. Cite at least one peer reviewed journal article that presents an alternative view – single sentence. (Three supporting scholarly articles in total) Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum. Anggraeni, D. M., Prahani, B., Suprapto, N., Shofiyah, N., & Jatmiko, B. (2023). Systematic review of problem based learning research in fostering critical thinking skills. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 101334.

Bellaera, L., Weinstein-Jones, Y., Ilie, S., & Baker, S. T. (2021). Critical thinking in practice: The priorities and practices of instructors teaching in higher education. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 41, 100856.