Children’s understanding of the wider world through news items: can exposure to the news enrich learning through the role of critical thinking and curiosity at key stage 2?

Increasingly, international research literature (Facione, 1990; Halpern, 1998; Lipman, 1988; Paul, 1992; Willingham, 2007; Ku, 2009; Kennedy et al.1991; Koenig and Harris, 2005; Silva, 2008) has sought to explore a range of factors that potentially combine and contribute to enriching the education of children. The pivotal point of significance appears to lie at the intersection of critical thinking, metacognition, creativity, emotional intelligence and self-regulation. In view of the wider empirical research that confirms the appetite of children for news, the potential to deepen academic learning and enhance critical thinking is acknowledged.
Whilst there is a wealth of literature regarding the challenges experienced by children in the period of transition to secondary school that identifies a decline in cognitive functioning, and given the significant connections between metacognition and critical thinking alongside self-regulation (Schraw et al., 2006), this study offers an insight into ways in which this transition might be addressed (although this study does not limit itself to this age-range). This small-scale study utilises questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to explore the views of children, parents and teachers and seeks to understand the role of curiosity, creativity and critical thinking in relation to news events.
Although this study was limited in duration and scope, the results clearly support earlier research regarding the wider cognitive and developmental benefits of high quality news content. Essentially, the study raises questions about the use of real world news items as a way of encouraging children to engage in critical thinking.