Arab Educational Information Network

This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of using the roundhouse strategy in developing visual thinking skills in the first-year intermediate grade Fiqh course. In order to achieve this goal, a quasi-experimental approach was used. The study sample consisted of 60 female students from the first grade of an intermediate school. They were organised into two groups. The control group consisted of 30 students, and the experimental group also consisted of 30 students. The students participating in the experimental group studied Fiqh through the roundhouse diagram strategy, while the students of the control group studied via the traditional method. The study instrument was a visual thinking skills test, which dealt with identifying and distinguishing visual forms, interpreting and analysing information, and drawing conclusions as to the meaning of the Fiqh course. The researcher conducted a pilot study that consisted of 25 items whose validity and reliability were confirmed. The study used the multi-variable analysis of variance (MANOVA) at significance level (0.05). The results showed that the experimental group performed higher than the control group in the visual skills test. The differences were statistically significant between the average scores of the students of the two groups in the development of visual thinking skills. The eta-squared coefficient had a major impact on the roundhouse strategy in developing visual thinking skills. The recommendation of the study included the roundhouse strategy in the teaching of the Fiqh course given its positive and effective impact on the development of visual thinking skills, which are important in student’s learning the Fiqh and in making the material more meaningful to students of intermediate school age. It also directed Islamic science teachers to focus on the development of visual thinking skills. (Published Abstract)