Grade 12 Students' Critical Thinking Competency in Learning Asexual Reproduction Through the CT-HOT in Bio Instructional Innovation
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Abstract
This study reports on the R3 phase (Implementation and Evaluation Phase 2) of an overarching six-phase cyclical Research and Development (R&D) initiative, investigating the effects of the revised "CT-HOT in Bio" instructional innovation on Grade 12 students' critical thinking competency in the context of asexual reproduction. Theoretically grounded in constructivist learning theory, the 7Es inquiry model, and the P-I-A-C competency framework, the intervention was developed to advance competency-based biology education. The participants comprised 39 Grade 12 (Mathayom 6) students enrolled in a biology course during the first semester of the 2025 academic year at Kanlayanawat School, Thailand. A mixed-methods approach was employed to evaluate the intervention. Quantitative competency data obtained via the P-I-A-C Critical Thinking Competency Rubric were analyzed using descriptive statistics, characterizing frequency, percentage, and overall distribution patterns across the four competency dimensions. Concurrently, qualitative data gathered from student thinking artifacts, activity records, field notes, and reflective journals were evaluated through content analysis to assess students’ evidence utilization, scientific reasoning, connection to biological mechanisms, and quality of evaluative conclusions. The findings reveal students’ overall critical thinking competency profiles and provide highlighted accounts of their performance levels, demonstrating marked enhancements across all P-I-A-C dimensions during the asexual reproduction unit. Ultimately, this study offers robust empirical evidence validating the efficacy of the refined instructional innovation, contributing both to localized secondary science curriculum reform in Thailand and to the broader international discourse on cultivating critical thinking in science education.
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