| Critical thinking skills, I argue, may empower youth to function effectively in a global environment. They can apply critical thinking in daily life, at work, and in their communities.; This research aimed to examine Filipino elementary social studies teachers' experiences and application of critical thinking and to determine whether they engaged students to cultivate critical thinking skills. The study also investigated whether the Philippine educational system, as manifest in prescribed materials, works to promote students' development of critical thinking skills.; The study's data were collected through classroom observations of and interviews with social studies teachers---three in rural settings and two at an urban site. The 2002 edition of the Philippine elementary social studies curricular document was scrutinized, as were other social studies resources prescribed by the Philippine Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), to find evidence of institutional promotion of and resistance to critical thinking training.; The collected data were analyzed by means of a qualitative methodology, grounded on interpretive inquiry. The information gathered was woven together and was presented herein as narratives.; The views expressed by teachers in rural and urban locales were compared. Teacher-participants were unclear what constituted critical thinking, though they affirmed the importance of its application in class. Before teachers can teach critical thinking, however, they must be critical thinkers themselves. Teachers' calls for training to effectively cultivate critical thinking in students were consistent. Economic poverty and the paucity of educational resources, supports, and training, hampered instructors' attempts to develop and apply the skills.; The study was significant because it helped Filipino elementary social studies teachers realize the need to understand critical thinking's aims and processes. The study heightened instructors' awareness of how Filipino youth armed with critical thinking skills may be better equipped to address the effects of colonization and globalization in this age of economic interdependency. Finally, it is anticipated that the Philippine Department of Education, Culture and Sports, after reading the findings and recommendations of the study, would make a concerted effort to promote critical thinking in Philippine schools. |
