Didactic innovation and critical thinking in social sciences from an educational philosophical approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51247/q0vjfh03Keywords:
critical thinking, innovative didactic strategies, social sciences, philosophical inquiry, baccalaureateAbstract
This study examined the effectiveness of an innovative didactic strategies program with a philosophical approach for developing critical, creative, and argumentative thinking among second-year baccalaureate students at a public school in cantón Paján, Manabi Province, Ecuador. A quasi-experimental design with experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups was employed, with pre- and posttest measurements. The eight-week intervention integrated six strategies: Socratic questioning, philosophical community of inquiry, structured collaborative argumentation, philosophical analysis of local socio-scientific problems, historical moral dilemmas, and multimodal creative production. Instruments included an adaptation of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, a Toulmin-based argumentation rubric validated by expert judgment, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Results revealed statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental group in all three dimensions: critical thinking (Cohen's d = 1.41, p < .001), argumentative quality (d = 1.54, p < .001), and creative thinking (d = 1.29, p < .001). Correlation analysis showed positive and significant associations between the three variables (r = .58-.72). These findings confirm the research hypothesis and provide evidence for the feasibility of the philosophical approach in rural educational contexts with limited resources. Implications for curriculum design and teacher training in Ecuadorian baccalaureate are discussed in light of the international literature on thinking didactics
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