| The purposes of this mixed-method study were: (1) Compare perceptions of administrative support employees, their supervisors and/or managers, and secondary business education teachers regarding the importance of critical thinking (CT) skills needed by employees in performing common job responsibilities. (2) Determine to what extent and how business teachers were enacting CT into curriculum and instruction.; All groups completed an instrument adapted from the SCANS (1991) Report, Carnevale's (1991) job skills crucial to success, Barell's (1985) checklist of self-reflection, and other studies. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive analysis, one-way analysis of variance, multiple comparison tests, and standard deviation calculations. Qualitative findings from interviews and observations were described.; CT was perceived as very important by all groups; teachers perceived CT as less important than others. CT was perceived as most important in responsibility, "organize, initiate, and/or manage my job responsibilities" and least important in "solve equipment breakdown problems." Significant differences at the.05 level were identified on two responsibilities and one CT activity.; Teachers enacted CT half-way between "often" and "sometimes" as part of instruction and most frequently in keyboarding and computer applications courses. Providing "wait" time was the strategy most used for enactment; using portfolio grading was least used. Reasons for lack of enactment included: (a) meanings attributed to CT, (b) belief that specific knowledge and skill development were more important than CT, (c) lack of knowledge regarding teaching strategies, (d) lack of time, (e) barriers created by students and colleagues.; Teachers enacting CT on a fairly consistent basis were: (a) receiving support from colleagues and students, (b) using strategies learned through some type of training, (c) teaching in a school valuing CT, (d) influencing school-wide and business curriculum reform, (e) experimenting with constructivist activities, (f) desiring CT in their classroom, and (g) subscribing to a meaning for CT that contained nonalgorithmetic-type characteristics.; Recommendations: (1) Teachers should give priority to CT. (2) Schools should provide in-service opportunities regarding CT. (3) Schools should involve educators, students, parents, and society in systemic reform efforts to heighten enactment of CT. |
