Home⇛Universal Journal of Educational Research⇛vol. 5 no. 1 (2026)

Socratic Questioning in Nominal Group Technique: A Strategy to Improve the Critical Thinking Skills of Grade 10 Students in Science at PHINMA Araullo University

Abigail G Junia | Roman Rafael B Manucdoc | Kenny D Peria I | Joylyn S Cunanan | Winnie Sheen A Barrogo | Bryan O Cordova | Ailene B Mateo | Mary Ann J Tolentino

Discipline: Education Development

 

Abstract:

The K-12 Curriculum emphasizes the importance of honing Junior High School students' critical thinking skills before proceeding to Senior High School. The study aimed to use Socratic Questioning in Nominal Group Technique (SQ + NGT) as a strategy to enhance the critical thinking skills of Grade 10 Science students at PHINMA Araullo University. The implementation of SQ + NGT was divided into two phases, each consisting of three sessions for Physics and Biology. Each session's whole discussion, recorded and transcribed, was submitted to two expert evaluators to grade the students' answering quality according to the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. In addition, the Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning was administered to the students before and after the strategy implementation. The results showed that the students' answering quality increased throughout the sessions, with "Creating" being more frequent at the end of each phase. Data analysis revealed a significant correlation between the two phases, suggesting a consistent improvement in their critical thinking skills, potentially through heightened engagement. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed between the students' pre-test and post-test scores, substantiating their improved scores after the implementation. These findings can contribute to the Philippine Education system's ongoing efforts to strengthen the students' critical thinking skills.



References:

  1. Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching andAssessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Complete Edition. New York: Longman.
  2. Bao, L., Koenig, K., Xiao, Y., Fritchman, J., Zhou, S., & Chen, C. (2022). Theoretical model and quantitative assessment of scientific thinking and reasoning. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.18.010115
  3. Butler, H. A. (2012). Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment predicts Real‐World outcomes of critical thinking. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(5), 721–729. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.2851
  4. Candilas, K. (2021). Developing English-Speaking Skills through Socratic Questioning in Online Synchronous Learning. AsiaCALL Online Journal. https://asiacall.info/acoj/index.php/journal/article/view/52
  5. Cargas, S., Williams, S., & Rosenberg, M. (2017). An approach to teaching critical thinking across disciplines using performance tasks with a common rubric. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 26, 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2017.05.005
  6. Denius, A. P. L. (2022). Increasing Critical Thinking Using Nominal Group Technique: A Classroom Action Research. In ICOLLEC 2021: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Language, Literature, Education and Culture, ICOLLEC 2021, 9-10 October 2021, Malang, Indonesia (p. 128). European Alliance for Innovation.
  7. Department of Education. DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2022 (School Calendar and Activities for the School Year 2022-2023). https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/DO_s2022_034.pdf.
  8. Dewey, John (1938). Experience & Education. New York, NY: Kappa Delta Pi.
  9. Elder, L., & Paul, R. (1998). The role of Socratic questioning in thinking, teaching, and learning. The Clearing House, 71(5), 297 301.
  10. Grace, M., & Maigue, A. S. (2020). The socratic method as an approach in teaching social studies: A literature review. Global Scientific Journals, 8(12), 770-775.
  11. Indah, P. (2020). Development of HOTS (high order thinking skill) oriented learning through discovery learning model to increase the critical thinking skill of high school students. IJCER (International Journal of Chemistry Education Research), 26-32.
  12. Jaenudin, R., Chotimah, U., Farida, F., & Syarifuddin, S. (2020). Student Development Zone: Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTs) in Critical thinking orientation. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 7(9), 11. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v7i9.1884
  13. Koh, E., Jonathan, C., & Tan, J. P. L. (2019). Exploring conditions for enhancing critical thinking in networked learning: Findings from a secondary school learning analytics environment. Education Sciences, 9(4), 287.
  14. Lawson, A. E. (1978). The development and validation of a classroom test of formal reasoning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching.
  15. Lawson, A. E. (2000). Classroom test of scientific reasoning. Revised Edition: August 2000 by Anton E. Lawson, Arizona State University. Based on: Lawson, AE 1978. Development and validation of the classroom test of formal reasoning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 15 (1): 11, 24.
  16. Lee, J., & Martin, L. (2017). Investigating students’ perceptions of motivating factors of online class discussions. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(5). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i5.2883
  17. Lee, M., Kim, H., & Kim, M. (2014). The effects of Socratic questioning on critical thinking in web-based collaborative learning. Education as Change, 18(2), 285–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/16823206.2013.849576
  18. Lintangsari, A. P., Emaliana, I., & Kusumawardani, I. N. (2022). Improving learners’ critical thinking and learning engagement through Socratic questioning in Nominal Group Technique. Deleted Journal, 9(2), 705–723. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i2.22352
  19. MacPhail, A. (2001). Nominal group technique: a useful method for working with young people. British Educational Research Journal, 27(2), 161-170.
  20. Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2001). Critical thinking: Inert information, activated ignorance, and activated knowledge. Journal of Developmental Education, 25(2), 36.
  21. Russell, B. (1913). Theory of Knowledge. New York: Routledge.
  22. Sahamid, H. (2016). Developing Critical Thinking through Socratic Questioning: An Action Research Study. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 4(3), 62-72.
  23. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  24. Zare, P., & Mukundan, J. (2015). The use of Socratic method as a teaching/learning tool to develop students’ critical thinking: A review of Literature. Language in India, 15(6), 256-265.

     


Tools


Copyright © 2026  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic