The Effect of Using Lee’s Model on the Achievement of Fourth Scientific Grade Students in Mathematics and the Development of Their Critical Thinking

Faten Hossam Taha Mohamed

Authors

Faten Hossam Taha Mohamed Salah al-Din Education Directorate, Ministry of Education, Iraq

Keywords:

Lee's Model, Academic Achievement, Critical Thinking, Mathematics

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the effect of Lee's Strategy (Lee's Model) on the achievement of fourth-grade scientific stream students in mathematics and the development of their critical thinking skills. To achieve the study objectives, the researcher adopted an experimental design with pre-test and post-test procedures for both the experimental and control groups. The study sample consisted of (60) fourth-grade scientific stream students who were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group taught according to Lee's Model and a control group taught using the conventional teaching method. Each group included (30) students. The researcher ensured equivalence between the two groups in variables related to the study, including age in months, intelligence, mathematics grades from the previous academic year, critical thinking, and parents' educational attainment. For data collection, an achievement test in mathematics was developed, consisting of (30) multiple-choice objective items. In addition, a critical thinking scale was employed. The researcher adopted the scale developed by Al-Saadi (2010), which in its final form consisted of (25) items distributed across five domains: recognizing assumptions, interpretation, evaluation of arguments, deduction, and inference, with five items for each domain. The scale utilized two response options (True/False), where one point was awarded for each correct answer and zero for each incorrect answer, resulting in a total score ranging from (0–25). The validity and reliability of both instruments were established. The post-achievement test was used to measure academic achievement, while the critical thinking scale was administered before and after the experiment to determine the extent of growth achieved by the participants during the experimental period. After completing the experiment and statistically analyzing the data, the results revealed statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the two groups in favor of the experimental group on the post-achievement test. The findings also showed that students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group in critical thinking. These results indicate the effectiveness of Lee's Model in improving students' achievement in mathematics and enhancing their critical thinking skills. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends incorporating Lee's Model into mathematics instruction at the secondary school level, training teachers to implement it effectively in classroom settings, and conducting further studies involving other variables and educational stages.

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