G12 KANT GROUP 1 PDF

 ACLC College of Tacloban Senior High School Department Tacloban City, Leyte **ASSESSING THE CRITICAL THINKING OF THE GRADE 12 SHS ACADEMIC STRAND AT ACLC COLLEGE OF TACLOBAN** **Abundo, Keryanne C.** **Carlobos, Jen Mark** **Cuesta, Kaia Aio C.** **Durana, Laica O.** *...

 ACLC College of Tacloban Senior High School Department Tacloban City, Leyte **ASSESSING THE CRITICAL THINKING OF THE GRADE 12 SHS ACADEMIC STRAND AT ACLC COLLEGE OF TACLOBAN** **Abundo, Keryanne C.** **Carlobos, Jen Mark** **Cuesta, Kaia Aio C.** **Durana, Laica O.** **Fabi, Angel L.** **Hinaut, Mildred C.** **Layong, Jubert** **Nicanor, Annaleah S.** **Peñada, Marc Ceedric V.** **Salazar, Rica** **Block 17- HUMSS** A Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Senior High School Program **Academic Track - HUMSS** November 2024 **INTRODUCTION** **Background of the Study** **Critical thinking has entered the core competency list of the ever changing educational environment, it develops students' basic problem solving, analytical, and evaluative skills to cope with the puzzles of contemporary society (Kocsis & Pusztai, 2025). Even though there have been tremendous development in scientific and technological knowledge, there is still a large portion of educators worldwide who perceived that university students were insufficiently equipped with critical thinking skills and in urgent need of critical thinking oriented curricula (Yanti, Wardana, and Rahim 2024). Thus, given the significance of critical thinking in addressing challenges related to students' learning, it is clear that critical thinking is intrinsically linked to educational institutions (Kim and Choi, 2018).** **Critical thinking, as defined by Facione (2015), is the systematic process of purposeful, self-regulated thinking that leads to problem-solving, evaluation, and decision-making. Students need to be able to navigate a fast changing world which is filled with technological advancements and complex socio-political issues, and so it is important for its integration into the curriculum. Lai (2015) and Gratton (2016) write that also writing that critical thinking facilitates lifelong learning and adaptability in the 21^st^-century workforce.** **Innovation and solving problems based on the 21^st^ century have risen the case of critical thinking as a core 21^st^-century competency (Fatimah & Doyan, 2024). In educational settings, CTS are compulsory because they help learning by enhancing the understanding of arguments, promoting articulation of opinions, and allowing the rendering of unbiased judgements over any topic (Alfonso, 2015).** **Around the world, senior high school curriculums are offered to get students ready for the workforce or college life. Globally, educational systems, such as Indonesia's and Taiwan's, emphasize critical thinking skills through restructured curricula. Similarly, the Philippine Senior High School program under the K-12 reform integrates competency-based learning to align with global standards (Nacorda, Ramos, & Villanueva, 2019). For instance, Taiwan mandated three years of senior high school or senior vocational school in 2014. Indonesia also offers three years of Upper Secondary Education (Senior High), with a more general curriculum for the first two years and a broad academic or vocational stream for the final two (WENR, 2014).** **The integration of Senior High School (SHS) at K to 12 program was introduced in the Philippines to bridge the gap between education and employability (Estonanto, 2017). It works with international standards and is fashioned to enable Filipino students create a school gateway to higher education or straight employment. This integration also shows the significance of competency based learning which is agreed by Herlinawati, Marwa, Ismail, Junaidi, Suhendra and Amalia (2024) in developing critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving skills to cope with th global demands.** **With Grade 11 students enrolled in the 2016--2017 school year, the Philippines is a relatively new country in terms of senior high program implementation. According to Sarmiento et al. (2016), its curriculum is modeled after that of secondary schools in the US. The Senior High School Program was established in 2013 as a result of the Philippine Department of Education's implementation of the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum (Estonanto, 2017). Students can select a specialization based on their aptitude, interests, and the school's capacity throughout the two years of specialized upper secondary education that make up senior high school. The subjects a student will take in Grades 11 and 12 will be determined by the professional track they choose. The Philippine Senior High School (SHS) program offers five academic strands: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM); Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS); General Academic Strand (GAS); and Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL). They were designed to address different interests and to equip students with abilities and dispositions to follow both academic and career paths (Cimene et al., 2023).** **SHS pathways or academic strands---STEM, ABM, HUMSS, GAS, and TVL---the academic strands function as pathways to diverse career goals and interests. Hacioglu and Gulhan (2021) support STEM for helping to develop scientific inquiry and problem solving ability. While HUMSS has been stressing reflective and critical skills in their understanding of human behavior (Khairuddin et al., 2021), ABM is about having business acumen. Nonetheless, GAS offers broad spectrum of subjects for the undecided students, whereas TVL focuses on tech and vocational skills relevant to employability (Olesco et al., 2024). The strands also develop and foster skills in service of particular fields while working towards fostering critical thinking (Lopez, 2024).** **Senior high school students are expected to be competent in outcomes-based education in the twenty-first century. These skills are essential to promote sustainable development, entrepreneurship, and innovation (Ramos, 2018). A professional critical thinker analyzes, measures, and evaluates information to navigate the topic. However, students' critical thinking skills are often shaped and limited by external factors such as media influence and social networks, which can hinder their ability to process information objectively and independently (Fernando & Bual, 2024). The situation has been made worse by students becoming rote learners who only accept what they are taught. They see their teachers as knowledge distributors who should not be questioned due to pressure and dependence on grades. The exam-oriented system that elevates academic accomplishment causes them to become followers and have a narrow perspective on the world. This has made it impossible for them to think from various angles and to firmly express their opinions (Fadhlullah et al., 2017). The students' critical thinking skills in the 10^th^, 11^th^, 12^th^ grade students of senior high schools have adequate critical thinking skills (Utami et al., 2017).** **This problem has been corroborated by international studies. Utami et al. (2017) proved that Indonesian SHS students have only moderate critical thinking because of curriculum limitations. Also, Gealone (2019) states that Filipino SHS students struggle with critical thinking as a result of resource inequality and over dependency on rote memorization. Therefore, these findings stress the need to tailor curricula to fill such gaps and to afford more intellectual depth.** **The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) create the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCS) in order to adjust the K-12 curriculum with an emphasis on defeating difficulties brought about by the Covid 19 pandemic. MELCS emphasize the essential skills and knowledge that students ought to acquire that will allow them academic and lifelong success. The intention of MELCS is to empower learners' critical thinking by ensuring that learners deal with the salient concepts at a deeper level, hence, having the analytical and problem-solving competencies essential in their future engagements.** **The critiques of the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCS) have centered on its pedagogical shortcoming in prioritizing the minimal learning outcomes that betray the need to deepen and broaden the critical thinking. Furthermore, as Fernando and Bual (2024) have pointed out, the inconsistent implementation of MELCS across schools fails to consistently promote the promotion of higher order cognitive skills. Among these are:** **Compromised Learning: As reported, the pandemic period resulted in the adoption of this MELCS whereby a great number of the competencies were ignored thus curtailing the pacing for critical interaction and deep thought. (Gabriel et al., 2022).** **Lack of Depth: Superficial competencies that have to be learned on basic levels lead to a situation in which students are not encouraged to dig into topics in a more advanced level which is important for critical intellectual development. (Catanus, 2024).** **Inconsistent Application Across Strands: The application or the ways of interpreting MELCS may also differ and these differences will be discriminatory in the case where developed thinking skills are sought in all the strands. (Farillon, 2022).** **Academic Readiness: It would seem that a good many scholarship students are not so well grounded in the fundamentals; hence it would be hard for them to interact with MELCS, which would in turn stifle their critical thinking skills development (Gonzalez et al., 2022).** **Resource Inequality: Scarcity of technology and learning resources can worsen inequalities especially where students are expected to complete assignments and engage in discussions which will require them to think critically about what they are doing (Loste et al., 2023).** **The TVL strand teaches students practical skills which directly help them when they get to work. Yet, technical competencies are commonly emphasized to the detriment of analytical reasoning and critical thinking that may complement technical skills in more balanced curricular development (Olesco, Aspra, Barajas, Gealone, and Gamboa, 2024). The measurement of the development of critical thinking in those areas is thus quite difficult (Insorio & Librada (2021).** **Critical abilities consist of a scientific thinking component. Inquiry, analysis, deduction, debate, these are similar to exercises which can improve a person critical thinking capability (Suciati et al., 2018). STEM education also called hands on and mind on, suitable meaningful learning (as it has the ability to improve critical thinking abilities -- Thibaut et al. 2018), according to Wartono (2018) could be introduced into its learning models. STEM education fosters critical thinking through problem-solving and inquiry-based learning approaches. When integrated with other strands, such as HUMSS or ABM, it can provide a more comprehensive and holistic framework for critical skill development (Hornejas & Guntalidad, 2024).** **The Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand fuels the development of students' ability to analyze and think reflexively as it discusses, debates and projects on societal issues. Diaz, Bual, and Madrigal (2024) point to subjects such as "Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences, " which teaches students to examine a variety of points of view on historical and current challenges, are important opportunities to hone critical thinking and problem solving skills. Cultural and complex problems, as Edwards & Ritchie (2022) notice, are the function of the humanities disciplines, such as ethics, philosophy, and history, to help learners understand and evaluate multiple facets of the problem so that they may enter and study with sharpness and reasoning the challenge. Khairuddin et al., (2021) even emphasize that writing processes in humanities require metacognition, a process that helps in the critical evaluation of information.** **Santos (2018) investigated the effectiveness of introducing case studies into the ABM curriculum to improve critical thinking abilities in a high school located nearby. Teaching using real world company situations helped students understand difficult business issues and promoted critical thinking, according to the study. Students were able to apply theoretical ideas to real world business problems and assess, analyse and come up with solutions for number of business problems. Gonzales (2017) also studied how internal students' critical thinking capability to be affected by ABM productions of internship placements. The internships within the nearby companies offered a chance for students to apply their theoretical knowledge to real scenarios, boosting student's critical thought ability, the study found. Students gained exposure to a variety of business procedures and difficulties during these internships, and each is equipped with necessary problem solving skills to achieve success in the ABM industry. The critical thinking skills of ABM students were also low level (Gepilla et al., 2022).** **The General Academic Strand (GAS) specifically provide students with skills for a broad range of learning in a variety of disciplines. Cano, Rulida and Andrin (2024) explored the ability of GAS interdisciplinary approaches to foster critical and research competencies among students, while promoting scientific, humanistic and technological topics. This strand is particularly suited for students undecided about their career paths, providing them with analytical tools for diverse academic fields. It provides various subjects aimed at equipping students with a variety of knowledge, critical skills and an all round education. Through the GAS strand students are able to develop perquisite professional knowledge and competencies particularly thinking, research and communication skills which are in high demand. Graduates qualify to work in the fields of media, public relations, research, consultancy, or any field that is characterized with high analytical and problem solving skills (SISFU, 2023).** **There are various factors influencing the development of critical thinking skills of students. Among them, enormous significance is excreted by educational factors, i.e.: methods and strategies for teaching, educational programs, learning styles as well as individual factors, such as empathy, emotional intelligence, caring behaviors. Important for the development of critical thinking are also cultural circumstances. Culture can bring both the opportunities and difficulties for students, depending on its character (Zarzycka et al., 2022).** **Rodzalan, Mohd Arif, Mohamed Saat, and Mohd Noor (2020) identified teacher facilitation and independent student learning as key factors influencing critical thinking development. Additionally, Lopez (2024) emphasized the role of well-designed instructional strategies, such as inquiry-based learning and collaborative group work, in enhancing critical thinking. These findings collectively suggest that both instructional approaches and student autonomy are essential for fostering higher-order cognitive skills in senior high school education. Teacher's role in managing and handling class as well as facilitator plays an important role in developing students' critical thinking in teaching and learning activities. Besides the teacher's role, students' independent learning plays a crucial role in developing their critical thinking as well. The good combination of teacher as facilitator and students as learner will create student-centered learning that motivates and encourages the students to be able to think critically.** **The role of teacher in fact still plays an important factor that affects students' learning achievement, including students' critical thinking. Based on observation results it was clearly seen that a teacher's existence in the classroom was still needed by the students in developing their critical thinking. The role of the teacher here was as a facilitator who encourages the students to be active in learning activities in the classroom. The teacher facilitates the students in the context of delivering the topic, guiding discussion, creating a learning atmosphere that makes students feel interested and excited to join the class and be active in the learning process. The way the teacher did her role covers her ability to choose the teaching technique, strategy and media.** **When the students were motivated to learn more related to the topic they were interested to write, they would make some effort to provide good learning results. The background knowledge the students have about the thesis proposal topic made them eager to dig more in order to get more comprehension. They became independent learners. They tried to find more information and reference through reading more articles and books related to the material, asking some teachers, discussing the topic with some classmates. As benefit of being independent learner they improved their academic performance, motivation and self-confidence. They became aware of their limitations and how to overcome their problem. This activities made the students to be able to think critically. They learn how to get information, analyze and synthesize the information to have a clearer and more valid understanding about the material.** **The main goal of this study is to determine the significant relationship, if any, between students' chosen academic strands and their development of critical thinking skills. This objective (a) aims to examine whether students' choice of academic strand (STEM, HUMSS, ABM, GAS, TVL) has a measurable impact on their critical thinking skills. Additionally, this study intends to (b) assess the critical thinking skill gaps, if any, between students from different strands. Moreover, it will seek the (c) level of critical thinking skills among Grade 12 students of ACLC College of Tacloban.** **The study will focus solely on Grade 12 students of ACLC College of Tacloban. It will include students enrolled in various SHS academic strands (STEM, HUMSS, ABM, GAS). The finding may not be generalizable to all SHS students in other institutions or regions as the study is limited to ACLC College of Tacloban. The study assumes that the test used in the reflection of students' critical thinking skills may not account for all dimensions of critical thinking. Moreover, students may overestimate or underestimate their critical thinking skills which may introduce bias. This study will not examine other factors (e.g., teaching methods, socio-economic background) or academic performance (e.g., grades or extracurricular activities) that could also affect the critical thinking skills of the students. The focus of this research will be on academic strands only, (STEM, HUMSS, ABM, TVL, and GAS) leaving out other non-academic pathways.** **Synthesis** **The integration of Senior High School (SHS) and the focus on academic strands in the Philippine education system reflect a forward-looking effort to align with global standards. But, challenges like uneven curriculum implementation and external influences, such as media, continue to prevent the development of critical thinking among students. This research seeks to examine these issues and draw from both local and international studies to offer practical strategies for enhancing critical thinking skills through academic strands. Bridging these gaps is vital to equipping Filipino students with the tools needed to thrive in an increasingly complex world.** **Statement of the Problem** **The 21^st^-century competency of critical thinking skills (CTS) has gained increasing importance in education and is a mandatory 21^st^-century competency for students to be able to succeed in academic, professional, and personal spheres. Critical thinking as a skill is applicable to Senior High School (SHS) students in sorting information, analyzing situations, and making informed decisions. Also, there is some concern that the current strands that are provided in SHS programs are not effective in cultivating these skills. Each of the academic strands is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. (STEM); Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM); Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS); General Academic Strand (GAS); and Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL), and their curricula may have a different impact on students' development of critical thinking.** **The purpose of this study is to find out the extent to which these can affect the critical thinking skills of Grade 12 learners at ACLC College of Tacloban. More specifically, it endeavors to examine the levels of critical thinking skills, identify critical thinking skill-related factors, and examine the relationship between critical thinking skills and academic strands. The following research questions the study:** 1. **What is the level of critical thinking skills among Grade 12 students of ACLC College of Tacloban?** 2. **What are the perceived dispositional factors influencing the critical thinking tendencies of Grade 12 students at ACLC College of Tacloban, as measured by the EMI: Critical Thinking Disposition Assessment?** 3. **Is there a significant relationship between the academic strand of students and their critical thinking skills at ACLC College of Tacloban?** **Significance of the Study** **This study is relevant because it aims to later lend insights as to what would help students be able to think critically and how students do so. It is a useful skill, critical thinking, and it helps students to solve problems, analyze information and make good decisions. Knowing how well students in different academic strands (STEM, ABM, HUMSS, GAS, and TVL) develop critical thinking will be useful for improving teaching and learning.** **Students. This study can help learners by identifying their strengths and weaknesses in critical thinking. This information can guide them to improve their thinking skills, preparing them for future challenges in school, work, and daily life.** **Teachers. It can assist educators in understanding what teaching methods and strategies students find effective for enhancing critical thinking. With this knowledge, teachers can develop lessons that will better help students to think critically and solve problems creatively.** **School Administrators and Policymakers. This study will be useful by showing how the current academic strands affect critical thinking development. The findings can enhance the curriculum, enhance teachers' training, or increase resource allocation to topics that require help in encouraging critical thinking.** **Research. This study will add to the body of research on critical thinking in the Philippine education system. Since there is not much research on how critical thinking develops in senior high school, especially in relation to academic strands, this study will help fill this gap and give researchers ideas for further studies.** **Future researchers. This study will be beneficial by providing a foundation for exploring critical thinking in other schools, regions, or education levels. The findings from this study can serve as a reference for studying related topics, like how specific teaching methods or extracurricular activities influence critical thinking.** **This study finally stresses how critically important a skill is critical thinking for students. It encourages schools and teachers to pay more attention to critically thinking in students by showing how different strands of academics influence this skill. This will help students to be better prepared for the demands of modern life and to think more clearly, while making more informed choices.** **The research presented here tries to improve the education by giving practical insight for the in building of strong critical thinking skills in students, teachers and schools.** **Theoretical Framework** **The theoretical framework serves as the foundation for understanding the research problem and structuring the study. It serves as a frame to understand critical thinking skills that are relevant with SHS students at ACLC College of Tacloban. The analysis of the levels of critical thinking, influence of the factors leading to critical thinking development and its correlation to various academic strands is carried out by applying the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework to the study. The organization of the investigation into thought, clear dimensions, intellectual standards and traits is crucial, this being this framework, because it provides an opportunity for a deeper understanding of how critical thinking develops, and how it can be improved with specific strategies.** **Richard Paul and Linda Elder in 2014 developed a widely recognized model they have named The Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework for teaching, assessing, and improving critical thinking. The framework consists of three key components: intellectual standards, intellectual traits, and elements of thought. The reasoning process is described with elements of thought, for example thinking through purposes, assumptions, and consequences. Quality in thinking is ensured only by intellectual standards: clarity, accuracy, logic. Intellectual traits such as intellectual humility and perseverance promote what are considered to be critical dispositions necessary for the effective reasoning. Particularly suited for educational research, this model contains the tools for the measurement of critical thinking skills and actionable insight into how to improve those skills (Paul & Elder, 2014).** **The Paul-Elder framework aligns closely with the research problem and objectives. By focusing on critical thinking, it helps analyze the reasoning abilities of SHS students across academic strands and identifies factors influencing their development. The elements of thought enable the study to examine how students process information and form judgments, while intellectual standards provide benchmarks for assessing their reasoning quality. Intellectual traits guide the exploration of factors, such as teaching strategies, that shape students' ability to think critically. This framework also supports investigating strand-specific strengths and weaknesses in critical thinking development, providing a structured approach to addressing the study's hypotheses.** **The Paul-Elder framework has been successfully used in the past to study critical thinking in education. As such, in describing nursing students' reasoning ability, Kaddoura (2017) ascribes the improvement of critical thinking skills is related to intellectual standards. Akyol and Garrison (2014) also used the framework to examine the capacity of inquiry based learning in training critical thinking within the environment of higher education, and similarly, their approach was applied to access role and its connection with religion within the formation of critical thinking. The results from these studies demonstrate that the case in point is that structured models such as Paul-Elder can be applied to identify the gap in critical thinking skills and suggest practical improvements. Although (as is evident from these studies) they focus on higher education, their results suggest the need for parallel approaches in senior high school; applications suitably adapted to the educational context of younger students also benefit from more structured approaches to critical thinking.** **In the setting of ACLC College of Tacloban, the Paul-Elder framework is a concrete lens in observing the differences in the critical thinking skills being mastered, or not mastered, by students in SHS according to their academic strands (STEM, ABM, HUMSS, GAS, TVL). STEM emphasizes logic and analysis and HUMSS creativity and interpretation. Since the framework structures the study in such a way that it can systematically assess these differences, and then suggest strand specific strategies to improve critical thinking, the framework serves as a theoretically guided approach to the study. Similarly, the SHS curriculum similarly relates to inquiry based learning and collaborative problem solving leading to intellectual traits such as perseverance and empathy. It ensures that research outcomes lead to improvement of teaching methods and curricular design in the SHS context.** **The Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework provides the theoretical basis for this study, guiding the exploration of critical thinking levels, influencing factors, and academic strand relationships. By integrating its components, the research gains a comprehensive structure for analysis and practical application. The framework's emphasis on reasoning processes, intellectual standards, and traits ensures that the study not only identifies critical thinking gaps but also provides actionable insights for enhancing student skills. Ultimately, this theoretical foundation will guide the interpretation of results, support the development of evidence-based recommendations, and contribute to the broader goal of improving critical thinking in Philippine education.** **Paradigm** **Definition of Terms** **To ensure clarity and uniform understanding of the concepts used in this study, the following terms are defined operationally:** **Critical Thinking Skills (CTS):** **The ability of Grade 12 students to think logically and analytically, evaluate evidence, and make informed decisions. In this study, CTS is measured using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and categorized as low, moderate, or high.** **Academic Strand. Refers to the specific programs offered to Grade 12 Senior High School students at ACLC College of Tacloban. These include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM); Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS); General Academic Strand (GAS); and Technical-Vocational Livelihood (TVL), which is further subdivided into Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Home Economics (HE).** **Collaborative Problem-Solving. A group-based teaching approach where students work together to solve problems or complete tasks. This method is considered to encourage critical thinking and teamwork.** **Critical Thinking Skills (CTS). The ability of Grade 12 students to think logically and analytically, evaluate evidence, and make informed decisions. In this study, CTS is measured using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and categorized as low, moderate, or high.** **Descriptive-Correlational Research Design. A research approach used to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon and explore relationships between variables without manipulation. This design is used in the study to measure CTS levels and analyze their relationships with academic strands and influencing factors.** **Inquiry-Based Learning. A teaching strategy where students actively engage in the learning process by asking questions, conducting investigations, and seeking solutions. It is perceived as an effective method for fostering critical thinking.** **Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework. A theoretical model that defines critical thinking based on intellectual standards (e.g., clarity, accuracy), elements of thought (e.g., assumptions, implications), and intellectual traits (e.g., perseverance, humility). It serves as the foundation for understanding and assessing critical thinking in this study.** **Slovin's Formula. A mathematical formula used to calculate the required sample size for a given population while maintaining a desired margin of error. It ensures a statistically valid representation of Grade 12 students in the study.** **Stratified Random Sampling. A sampling method used to ensure proportional representation of different academic strands in the study. Students from each strand are randomly selected in proportion to their population size.** **Teaching Strategies. Instructional methods and approaches employed by teachers to enhance students' learning experiences. In this study, these include inquirybasedlearning, collaborative problem-solving, and other techniques identified through a self-made questionnaire.** **METHODOLOGY** **Research Locale** **The school that this study will be conducted at is ACLC College of Tacloban, a school who provides education at secondary and tertiary levels. It has academic tracks for Senior High School (SHS): Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM), General Academic Strand (GAS) and Technical--Vocational--Livelihood (TVL). Located on Real Street in Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, the school is near the city's commercial area and public transportation routes, making it easy to access. ACLC College is also known for its focus on teaching practical skills, such as computer hardware and software, which support students' learning needs.** **The school was chosen as the research location for several reasons. First, it offers all the academic tracks needed for the study, making it suitable for comparing the critical thinking skills of students from different strands. Second, its emphasis on skill-based education aligns well with the study's goal of understanding and improving critical thinking skills. Third, its location near public transportation facilitates both participant's and researchers' convenience. It is also a practical and a favorable choice, being that the researchers are all students themselves of the ACLC College of Tacloban. Researcher knows the environment and the institution, saves time and resources, making the researcher more productive in the study. This research will also recommend what the school should do to finally benefit the school, which recommends some of the teaching methods that ought to be incorporated in school to enhance the way in which students will be taught, and enable them to improve their critical thinking capabilities.**  ***Source: Google Earth and Nona.Net*** **Research Design** **The research design for this study is a descriptive-correlational research design, which is commonly used to describe a phenomenon and explore relationships between variables without manipulating them. As described by Valverde et al. (2024), descriptive-correlational studies characterize the way a given phenomenon is to be found at a practically defined moment in time and explore possible relationships between variables with the use of statistics. The design of this is appropriate for the study of how the CTS of Grade 12 Senior High School (SHS) students of ACLC College of Tacloban affects how academic strands and other factors affect these skills.** **Population/Sampling Technique/Sample Size** **Population:** **We included only Grade 12 students as respondents because they are the most qualified, having spent two years in senior high school, which has allowed them to be fully immersed in their respective strands, as stated in the study titled "Grade 12 English teachers' questioning in developing students' critical thinking skills" emphasizes that Grade 12 students are ideal respondents for critical thinking research due to their proximity to graduation and readiness for collegiate challenges. The research involved assessing teachers' questioning techniques and students' critical thinking skills, highlighting that Grade 12 students are already competent and in need of enhancement in this area. (Gacutan, 2021). A recent study titled "Unveiling Minds: Investigating Critical Thinking Traits of Students in Senior High School" published in January 2025, found that Grade 12 students exhibited significantly higher critical thinking traits compared to Grade 11 students. This research involved 130 students from private Catholic institutions in Siquijor, Philippines, utilizing validated questionnaires and various statistical analyses. The results indicated that Grade 12 students demonstrated better truth-seeking and open-mindedness, essential components of critical thinking skills. (Pagente & Futalan, 2025).** **Grade 12 Senior High School (SHS) students from ACLC College of Tacloban constitute the population of this study. These students are classified into two academic strands: the Academic Tracks and the Technical Vysocational Livelihood (TVL) Track. One thousand two hundred twenty students, 616 males and 604 females, is the total population, with almost equal numbers in each gender. The academic strands are as follows: Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM), Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), General Academic Strand (GAS), and TVL, which is further subdivided into Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Home Economics (HE). Below is the detailed breakdown of the population:** **Table 1: Population** **Strand** **Male** **Female** **Total Population** ----------------- ---------- ------------ ---------------------- **HUMSS** **203** **188** **391** **ABM** **42** **105** **147** **STEM** **219** **216** **435** **GAS** **24** **25** **49** **TVL-ICT** **83** **34** **117** **TVL-HE** **45** **36** **81** **TVL TOTAL** **128** **79** **207** **GRAND TOTAL** **616** **604** **1,220** **The diversity of this population provides a context for exploring critical thinking skills within each strand systematically and documenting variations in processes of skill development as well as different educational practices in each track.** **Sampling Technique:** **Using stratified random sampling the study ensured fair and proportional representation of all academic strands. This method divided the population into separate groups or strata according to their academic strand. Then respondents from each stratum were randomly selected in proportion to its size in the total population. This was chosen for several reasons. It starts out by providing proportional representation which means that each academic strand contributes respondents in proportion to its population. Second, it's diverse, so it prevents the underrepresentation of GAS and other smaller groups. It also finally reduces bias towards sampling by using a random selection process that implies fairness. As this sampling technique stratifies the population and randomly selects members of each group, this is a valid way of representing the population in general. This is especially applicable for our study because it acknowledges educational contexts and uniqueness of each strand.** **Sample Size:** **To determine the sample size, the study employed Slovin's formula, which calculates the number of respondents needed to represent a population accurately while maintaining a desired margin of error. The formula is expressed as:**  **Where:** **𝑛 = sample size** **𝑁 = total population size** **𝑒 = margin of error (5%)** **Using a total population (𝑁) of 1,220 students and a margin of error (𝑒) of 5%, the calculated sample size (𝑛) is 293 respondents. This total was distributed proportionally across the strands using their respective population sizes, ensuring fair representation. Below is the distribution of the sample size:** **Strand** **Total Population** **Calculated Sample Size** ----------------- ---------------------- ---------------------------- **HUMSS** **391** **94** **ABM** **147** **35** **STEM** **435** **104** **GAS** **49** **12** **TVL** **207** **48** **GRAND TOTAL** **1,220** **293** **The proportional allocation ensures that larger strands like STEM and HUMSS contribute more respondents, while smaller strands such as GAS and TVL have fewer but sufficient representations. This calculation method ensures a statistically valid sample size, reflecting the characteristics of the overall population.** **By combining Slovin's formula with stratified random sampling, the study ensures that its findings are both representative and reliable, capturing the unique features of each strand while maintaining a manageable sample size.** **Research Instrument** **The study uses two research instruments: the Critical Thinking Questionnaire (CTQ) by Kobylarek, Ślósarz, Błaszczyński, and the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (CTDS) by Edward M. Sosu. The research objectives are achieved by using each instrument for a specific purpose. In order to answer Research Question 1, the researchers use the CTQ to measure the students' critical thinking skills level (CTS). The CTDS identifies the perceived dispositional factors (Critical Openness and Reflective Scepticism) affecting the critical thinking skills of Grade 12 students at ACLC College of Tacloban, providing answers to Research Question 2. Together, these instruments provide a comprehensive approach to understanding critical thinking development in the study population.** **Data Collection Procedure** **This research will require great planning in the data collection process and systematic execution. The researchers will first ask their research adviser and the ACLC College of Tacloban administration for approval to conduct the study. The researchers will then send invitations to identify and recruit Grade 12 students representing the academic strands identified for participation in the study. The study purpose, objectives, and types of data to be collected will be clearly explained to the students. Students will give informed consent, understanding that participation is voluntary and that they have the right to withdraw from the study at any time without negative consequences.** **The Critical Thinking Questionnaire (CTQ) was designed for adolescents and adults. The basis for creating the questionnaire was classifying the educational goals proposed by Benjamin Bloom and spread by Critical thinking practitioners. The independent rater system was used in the construction of the test, while the psychometric properties of the test were tested on a sample of 198 people, calculating the inter-correlation and the Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient. Both assessments of the independent rater system and research checking the Psychometric properties of the test indicate high reliability of the tool. Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of internal consistency was 0.87. In its final version, the test Consists of 25 items, the results of which allow assessing critical thinking in 6 scales: Remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating. The tool Also allows checking the overall score.** **Sosu (2013) developed the Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale (CTDS). This is a two-factor, 11-item instrument, measuring two core CT dispositions: critical openness and reflective scepticism. Initial evaluations suggest the scale has good internal consistency and convergent validity.** **Clear instructions will be provided for all instruments to minimize confusion and ensure accurate responses. Once completed, the researchers will collect the responses and ensure that all data is handled securely and confidentially, with no identifying information attached to the participants' responses. The collected data will then be stored securely for analysis, accessible only to the researchers.** **This study will adhere to strict ethical standards: all participants in this study will be treated according to strict ethical standards to respect and protect the rights and well-being of all participants. The students will be fully informed of the purpose, procedures, and their rights as participants in the study and will give informed consent directly. They will participate on a completely voluntary basis and will be able to withdraw whenever they want, at any time, without any negative consequences. Responses will be gathered without collecting or associating them with identifying information to maintain anonymity. All data will be stored securely and only used in the course of the research---confidentiality will be upheld. Additionally, all procedures will be non-invasive and without risk to the participants. The study upholds these ethical practices to maintain the dignity, privacy, and well-being of all participants as well as the integrity of the research process itself.** **Data Analysis** **In the case of each research question, suitable instruments for data analysis and appropriate statistical tools are utilized. Each instrument is mapped to specific questions so that resulting data is not only meaningful, but also important to addressing the study goal. Insight into the data will be provided by descriptive and inferential statistics.** **The data collection will be conducted in a structured and organized manner. The raw scores for a single test scales are calculated by summing up the scores for all items falling within the scope of that scale. The raw score for the total test is calculated by summing up the scores for all items in the test. Depending on the number of points obtained in individual areas, the results can be divided into three groups: high, medium and low.** ***Source: Source: Kobylarek, Ślósarz, Błaszczyński*** **In order to interpret the results, we can assess both the general level of critical thinking of a person as well as the level of competence in particular areas. It should be kept in mind that these areas are not entirely disjointed. The tool allows assessing in which of these a person feels particularly strong and which of them uses more willingly, more often.**  **A -- Analysing -- 4, 12, 17, 24 -- 19** **E -- Evaluating -- 1, 11, 16, 18** **C -- Creating -- 2, 6, 8, 9, 13, 20** **R -- Remembering -- 5, 15, 19** **U -- Understanding -- 7, 21, 22, 25** **X -- Applying -- 3, 10, 14, 23** **R -- reversed scoring** **In case of questions marked with a lowercase letter "r" (4, 9, 19, 22), the** **Reversed scoring should be used (1 will mean the highest number of points and 5 The lowest).** **To answer Research Question 2 (to determine perceived dispositional factors influencing critical thinking skills), the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale by Sosu (2013) will be used. The CTDS (Sosu, 2013) is originally an English instrument developed to measure students' disposition to critical thinking. The participants are asked to take a stand on 11 statements that deal with how they reflect and resonate. The 11 statements are thereafter grouped into two domains: (1) 'Critical Openness (7 items) and (2) Reflective Scepticism (4 items). A 'five-point Likert-type response' scale was used with '1' ('strongly disagree') and '5' ('strongly agree') as endpoints.** **The participants are asked to take a stand on 11 statements that deal with how they reflect and resonate. Frequency count will be utilized to evaluate the factors influencing SHS strand selection.** ***Source: Edward M. Sosu*** **To answer to Research Question 3 which relates to a relationship between the academic strand and critical thinking skills, data from the CTQ and data on students' academic strands will be analyzed. To determine if there are significant differences across different academic strands for the critical thinking program (STEM, ABM, HUMSS, GAS, TVL), ANOVA will be used. 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