IMPROVING ACHIEVEMENT, COMPOSED OF MULTIPLE TASKS BY SIMULATING CRITICAL AND REFLECTIVE THINKING IN A BLENDED LEARNING CLASS Esra Balgalmis* & Gulsah Basol** & Tugba Kocadag*** * Esra Balgalmis, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey E-mail:
[email protected] **Gulsah Basol, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey E-mail:
[email protected] ***Tugba Kocadag, Research Assistant, Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey E-mail:
[email protected] ABSTRACT The main purpose of the study is to assess the efficiency of blended learning for improving students' critical and reflective thinking skills and to analyze their relation to academic achievement in the final grade, composed of the performance in a class project, several assignments and a final exam in a MOODLE based blended course. The sample consisted of 254 teacher candidates in the faculty of education in a university in Turkey. Several performance tasks, one course project and a mid-term and a final exam were applied to the students. Thirty percent of the scores reflected their performance on a classroom project, 20% came from several performance tasks on the course topics and 50% reflected their performance on a multiple choice test. California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) and Reflective Thinking Scale (RTS) were applied to determine the relation of these skills to academic achievement. It is a pre and post test design study, students mid-term exam results served as the pre-test and final scores' (composed of several component) served as the post test scores.