Critical Thinking in a Gifted Education Blended Learning Environment

Critical thinking for profoundly gifted students in a blended learning environment is an area of research that has not been thoroughly explored. While the number of online and blended learning classrooms for gifted students has increased exponentially over the last decade, the scholarly literature in this area is limited, both by the small number of studies being done with gifted students and the limited research on higher order thinking in online blended learning environments.This research used a holistic single case study method to examine critical thinking in the online component of a blended learning environment using the Newman et al. critical thinking content analysis model as a theoretical framework. It is noted here that the categories of Newman’s model are listed in italic bold throughout the dissertation in contradiction to APA style. The case study design was appropriate because it allowed the researcher to examine the phenomena of critical thinking taking place in various learning strategies using common asynchronous writing tools, through the lens of profoundly gifted high-school students.Online tools (discussion forums, blogs, Google Docs) did not seem to influence critical thinking in this case study. The data within all three tools (discussion forums, blogs and Google Docs) showed that justification, linking ideas, ambiguities, and outside knowledge were the strongest areas of critical thought. The data examining online strategies (structured, scaffolded, open-ended, debate/argument, role play, peer edits, and literary criticism) also showed that students were most comfortable using justification, linking ideas, ambiguities, and outside knowledge in their writing. It is unclear how much of an impact the lack of teacher presence and social presence had on tools and strategies implemented in this study. However, the poststudy responses from the instructor and students seem to support Garrison's theory of Community of Inquiry in supporting critical thinking in a blended learning environment. While technology such as learning management systems, discussion forums, blogs, and online document editing may provide essential tools for blended learning classrooms, tools and strategies may not be enough to promote critical thinking across a broad model like the Newman et al. model of critical thinking. Further research should examine how online tools and strategies affect critical thinking when discourse is supported by the instructor and students are consistently providing each other with feedback within a Community of Inquiry model.