| This qualitative study explored the occurrences of higher-level thinking processes in the reflective writing of 20 students in two sections of a graduate course in reading instruction at a North Eastern university. Participants received instruction within a constructivist instructional model designed to facilitate critical reading and thinking. Open and axial coding of three samples of writing across the semester provided the data later analyzed to determine the possible relationship of the instructional model to increased occurrences of high-level thinking processes over time. Data analysis included summation of text units and thinking processes and comparison of the two sections to determine the differences in thinking. Non-parametric tests in SPSS analyzed the data resulting from the axial coding.;Conclusions are that the constructivist instruction model was effective. The results showed participants focusing their thinking within five recurring themes related to their reading, learning, and practice over the study period. In reflecting, participants also used multiple thinking processes. Thirteen of the 19 documented thinking processes were high-level. Wilcoxon's Test for Paired Samples Comparisons revealed significant changes and/or increases in occurrences in many of the thirteen, a notable exception being synthesis. The Kruskal-Wallis Test, with a CHI-Square test statistic for significance showed time as a factor in changes in occurrences of high-level thinking processes across the three samples. However, while time was a factor in the changes in occurrences of high-level thinking processes across the study period, length of reflections did not necessarily appear to indicate quality of thinking processes. Finally, the Mann-Whitney Test of Paired Comparisons indicated small, but primarily insignificant differences between the groups with respect to changing occurrences of thinking processes. |
