The Online Forum Impact on Student Engagement and Critical Thinking Disposition in General Education

Abstract

This study explores the influence of blended learning on nurturing critical thinking (CT) disposition in the context of China's general education courses, addressing challenges like low engagement, large class sizes, and diverse academic backgrounds. It highlights the importance of teaching for thinking and the significance of CT disposition in academic and professional success. Despite a dearth of literature on CT disposition development in general education, this mixed-methods research utilized semi-structured interviews and a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with 93 participants. SPSSPRO facilitated moderation analysis and paired-sample T-tests to assess changes in the dependent variable. Results indicate that integrating online forums in blended learning significantly improves students' engagement and CT disposition, with different academic backgrounds having no substantial impact. These findings may offer valuable insights for enhancing students' engagement and CT disposition across diverse educational settings.