Assessing the Alignment: Content Analysis of Gap Between Intended and Attained Curriculum for Critical Thinking in B.S. Educational Psychology

Abstract

In order to ensure optimal student growth, it is imperative that intended and attained curricula in B.S. Educational Psychology programs be aligned to cultivate critical thinking abilities. This study used content analysis to evaluate how well the program achieves its goals of encouraging critical thinking. Using a sample of 10 students from Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Pakistan, the study focuses on the discrepancy between expected outcomes and actual practice. Ten critical thinking skills were discovered and tested using interpretive content analysis adopting deductive & thematic coding and semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal a strong emphasis on fundamental skills such as testing, developing, formulating, creating, and evaluating, while skills like elaborating, differentiating, and criticizing show less frequent integration. The inter-rater reliability was found to be perfect, indicating high consistency in skill assessment. The results suggest that while the curriculum successfully supports several critical thinking skills, there are significant gaps in other areas. Recommendations include curriculum revision to balance the inclusion of all critical thinking skills, regular reviews, and enhanced professional development for educators. This study provides valuable insights for improving curriculum design and instructional strategies to better support student learning outcomes in educational psychology. The findings reveal that core competencies including testing, developing, formulating, generating, and assessing are highly valued, although elaborating, differentiating, and critiquing demonstrate less frequent integration. Perfect inter-rater reliability was discovered as K=1, demonstrating excellent consistency in skill evaluation. The conclusion imply that although the curriculum effectively fosters several critical thinking abilities, there are notable shortcomings in other areas of the content. Recommendations include regular reviews, improved professional development for teachers, and curriculum reform that strikes a balance in including all critical thinking abilities. This study offers insightful information that can be used to enhance instructional practices and curriculum design in educational psychology to better promote student learning outcomes.