The effect of online teaching approach in enhancing strategic thinking skills for engineering students / Najah Osman

Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy in Technology Management.) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang - 2014

Bibliogra4hy : p. 192-222

This research examines the effect of utilising strategic thinking skills in process based learning and its employment of self regulation towards learning performance. This research links online learning to strategic thinking skills by exploring at how strategies can manage learning performance and self regulation. This research used a pre-post test quasi experimental as the main data gathering method. Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaires (MSLQ) was used to investigate motivation and learning strategies. This study expand s previous research by including in its outcome, the use of thinking strategies as means to inculcate strategic thinking skills. It also sustained the conduct of enhancing strategic thinking skills strategies through self regulation as established in the research. It also measures online learning and conventional approach. Based on the pilot test outcome, the main study tested the hypothesis that using strategic thinking skills would assist engineering students in self regulation practice and to perform better in process based learning. Results from test scores and questionnaires supported the hypothesis. Results supported that students using the online taxonomy performed better than those who did not engage in self regulation practice. This research has come out with innovative study, unlike previous study that was done through classroom contact. As such, this study experience students learning through online system. Software was build to manage the teaching and learning contact. As a result, the study has identified new approaches that help established strategic thinking skills. The incorporated domain of metacognition in the six levels of strategies used for establishing strategic actions (taxonomy) and self regulation practice through think aloud protocols in process based learning contributed significantly to the study. Whereby, both are done through online intervention. The approaches have shown positive effects on process based learning that is predominant in engineering environment. This study also looked at students’ learning performance, motivation, learning strategies and learning condition with the use of strategic thinking skills taxonomy. The findings indicate that strategic thinking skills help to enhanced metacognitive through self regulation and are suitable for students who were more attemptive in learning. .Hence, through the findings a taxonomy of six thinking skills has been proposed to explain the strategic cognitive processes. The taxonomy takes into account the strategies used for cognitive processes, metacognitive process and self regulation practice in an online learning approach