The Effectiveness of a Program Based on the Habits of Mind in Developing Decision-Making Skills and Mental Motivation among Student Teachers at the Faculty of Education

The current research aims to know the effectiveness of using habits of mind in developing decision-making skills and mental motivation among student teachers at Special Education Department, Faculty of Education; and to reveal the relationship between decision-making skills and mental motivation. The research sample consisted of (76) freshmen students at Special Education Department, Faculty of Education. The students were divided into two groups: one of them is an experimental group, consisting of (38) students; and the other one is a control group, consisting of (38) students. The research materials include decision-making skills scale, mental motivation scale, and the program based on the habits of mind; and they were applied to the sample. The results of the research shows the effectiveness of using habits of mind (Costa & Kallick classification) in developing decision-making skills (understanding the situation; analyzing it; generating and evaluating alternatives; and taking the appropriate decision and following its implementation); the effectiveness of the program of developing mental motivation with its dimensions (orientation towards learning, creative problem-solving, cognitive integration, and mental focus); as well as the positive relationship between decision-making skills and mental motivation. The recommendations of the research include the need to include the habits of mind within the programs and curricula taught to student teachers, especially the freshmen, and to do programs and workshops for them about the habits of mind and how to explore and activate them because of their positive impact on developing the decision-making skills and mental motivation.