Growing the critical thinking of schoolchildren in Taiwan using the Analects of Confucius

According to research, the value of cultivating thinking in the context of dialogic teaching is an effective strategic approach to critical thinking. This study applied an extended comparative intervention to six classes of Taiwanese schoolchildren using two types of experimental groups. Two classes of each different age group were engaged in dialogic teaching over a 12-week period with the use of different materials, either the Analects of Confucius or moral dilemma stories. Three further classes served as control groups. The results of a detailed content analysis demonstrated that this dialogic intervention in the class type of the Analects contributed significant gains in the thinking of exploratory talk.