Effective Pedagogy in Nigerian Secondary Schools: How Critical Thinking Can Be Encouraged

Researchers widely recognize critical thinking (CT) as an essential aspect of effective instruction and learning based on its impact on students and educational institutions at all levels. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how critical thinking skills can enhance the performance of Nigerian secondary schools and consider Economics so that teachers and policymakers could be provided with research-deduced recommendations to make informed steps forward toward encouraging the development of critical thinking in the student’s learning experiences and performance.
The sample comprised 60 participants, ten economics teachers, and fifty secondary school Economics students in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). With a basic qualitative approach, data were gathered using an open-ended interview protocol with teachers and Focus groups with students. Subsequently, a thematic analysis of the collected data was conducted, focusing on the two research questions highlighting the identified themes. The results of this study indicated how teachers’ experiences and perceptions of critical thinking skills could be adopted to encourage students’ learning outcomes in the study of Economics in Nigerian Secondary schools.
This study reflected the dearth of teachers’ understanding of the relevance of critical thinking and the teaching approaches they often use, which gives more credence to traditional teaching methods rather than student-centered ones. Besides, indicators from participating teachers and students suggest that critical thinking could be a helpful tool for improving teacher-student relationships, creating a more conducive and interactive classroom relationship, and ultimately culminating in achieving teaching and learning goals. The study’s outcomes highlighted the importance of thinking in their learning activities and how it can enhance students’ performances during and after classroom activities. It might result in positive change and support for teacher’s training programs on how to guide their students in developing critical thinking skills for better academic performance. Policymakers, curriculum designers, journal publications, and educational institutions would use the outcomes of this research to examine how teachers’ careful selection of effective pedagogy can encourage the development of critical thinking skills in students.