Abstract

The purpose of this correlational survey study is to examine the critical thinking dispositions and analytical thinking skills of high school students. Using a multistage cluster sampling plan, 433 students from different types of high schools completed the critical thinking disposition, and the analytical thinking skills scales. Descriptive analysis, regression analysis, and MANOVA were used to analyze the data. Research results indicated that high school students had high levels of analytical thinking skills and critical thinking dispositions. Analytical thinking skills explained 57% of the variance in critical thinking dispositions. The results suggested that having high analytical thinking skills had an impact on students’ critical thinking dispositions. The results also showed that the critical thinking dispositions and analytical thinking skills of students in high performing schools were higher than those in low performing schools. Finally, mothers with higher level of education had a greater impact on students’ critical thinking dispositions and analytical thinking skills.

Keywords

References

• Akar, C. (2007). Critical thinking of elementary school students [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Gazi University, Ankara.
• Akkuş-Çakır, N., & Senemoğlu, N. (2016). Analytical thinking skills in higher education. Kastamonu Education Journal, 24(3), 1487-1502.
• Amer, A. (2005). Analytical thinking. Cairo University, Center for Advancement of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Engineering Sciences.
• Arum, R. & Roksa, J. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. University of Chicago Press.
• Bayındır, G. (2015). Critical thinking dispositions of primary school secondary stage students. (Master’s Thesis), Ahi Evran University, Kırşehir.
• Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives handbook: Cognitive domain. David McKay.
• Brookfield, S. D., M. Tennant, & P. Pogson. (2005). Theory and methods of educating adults. Wiley.
• Butler, H. A. (2012). Halpern critical thinking assessment predicts real-world outcomes of critical thinking. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(5), 721–729.
• Chance, P. (1986). Thinking in the classroom: A survey of programs. Teachers College, Columbia University.
• Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B. & Turner, L. A. (2015/2020). Research methods, design, and analysis (Trans. A. Aypay). Anı.
• Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
• Costa, L. A. (2001). Developing minds: A resource book for teaching thinking. ASCD.
• Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Pearson.
• Çelik, S., Yılmaz, F., Karataş, F., Al, B., & Karakaş, N. S. (2015). Critical thinking disposition of nursing students and affecting factors. Journal of Health Science and Profession, 2(1), 74-85. https://doi.org/10.17681/hsp.27211
• Demirkaya, H. & Çakar, E. (2012). An evaluation of critical thinking skills of seventh grade primary school students according to variables. Ege Journal of Education, 13(2), 33-49.
• Durnacı, Ü. & Ültay, N. (2020). Critical and creative thinking tendencies of primary school teacher candidates. Turkish Journal of Primary Education, 5(2), 75-97.
• Ekinci, Ö. & Aybek, B. (2010). Analysis of the empathy and the critical thinking disposition of the teacher candidates. Elementary Education Online, 9(2), 3-14.
• Ennis, R. (1985). Goals for critical thinking curriculum. A. Costa (Ed.), Developing minds (pp.54-57). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Ertaş Kılıç, H., & Şen, A. (2014). Turkish adaptation study of UF/EMI critical thinking disposition instrument. Education and Science, 39(176), 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.15390/EB.2014.3632
• Facione, P. A., Facione, N. C. & Giancarlo C. A. F., (2000). The disposition toward critical thinking: Its character, measurement, and relationship to critical thinking skill. Informal Logic, 20(1), 61-84.
• Fraenkel J. R.., Wallen N. E.., & Hyu, H. H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education. McGraw-Hill
• Gelder, T. V. (2005). Teaching critical learning: some lessons from cognitive science. College Teaching, 45(1), 1-6.
• Gök, B., & Erdoğan, T. (2011). The investigation of the creative thinking levels and the critical thinking disposition of pre-service elementary teachers. Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences, 44(2), 29-52.
• Gökkuş, İ., & Delican, B. (2016). Pre-service classroom teachers’ critical thinking tendencies and attitudes towards reading habit. Cumhuriyet International Journal of Education, 5(1), 10-28.
• Gülveren, H. (2007). Critical thinking skills of education faculty students and factors influencing critical thinking skills [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir.
• Güven, M., & Kürüm, D. (2008). The relationship between teacher candidates’ learning styles and critical thinking dispositions. Elementary Education Online, 7(1), 53-70.
• Hamurcu, H., Günay, Y. & Özyılmaz – Akamca, G. (2005). Profiles of critical thinking dispositions of science and class teacher candidates. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 20, 42–57.
• Johnson, A. (2000). Using creative and critical thinking skills to enhance learning. Ally and Bacon.
• Kanbay, Y., Aslan, Ö., Işık, E. & Kılıç, N. (2013). Problem solving and critical thinking skills of undergraduate nursing students. Journal of Higher Education and Science, 3, 244-251.
• Koçak, B., Kurtlu, Y., Ulaş, H., & Epçaçan, C. (2015). Examining of the elementary class teachers’ critical thinking levels and their attitudes towards reading. Ekev Akademi Journal, 61(61), 211-228.
• Koçoğlu, A. & Kanadlı, S. (2019). An investigation of secondary school students’ perceived autonomy support, critical thinking tendencies and problem solving skills. Trakya Journal of Education, 9(1), 61-77. https://doi.org/10.24315/trkefd.406627
• Köksal, N. & Çöğmen, S. (2018). Critical thinking and communication skills of secondary school students. PAU Journal of Education, 44, 278-296. https://doi.org/10.9779/PUJE.2018.218
• Krejcie, R. V & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607–10.
• Kürüm, D. (2002). Critical thinking abilities of teacher trainees. (Master’s Thesis). Anadolu University, Enstitute of Social Sciences, Eskişehir.
• Morgan, G. A., Leech, N. L., Gloeckner, G. W., & Barrett, K. C. (2004). SPSS for introductory statistics: Use and interpretation. Psychology Press.
• Murphy, P. K., Rowe, M. L., Ramani, G., & Silverman, R. (2014). Promoting critical-analytic thinking in children and adolescents at home and in school. Educational Psychology Review, 26(4), 561–578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-014-9281-3
• Nirmala, K., & Kumar, S. A. S. (2018). The impact of basic, higher-order thinking and affective skills on graduate employability. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 12(1), 7–28.
• Ocak, G. & Park, F. (2020). Developing analytical thinking scale for high school students. Afyon Kocatepe University Journal of Social Sciences, 22(1), 49-68.
• Ocak, İ. & Kutlu Kalender, M.D. (2017). Investigation of 6th grade students’ critical thinking skills terms of various variables (Kütahya sample). Kastamonu Education Journal, 25(4), 1587-1600.
• Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS. Allen & Unwin
• Profetto-McGrath, J., (2003). The relationship of critical thinking skills and critical thinking dispositions of baccalaureate nursing student. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 43(6), 569-577
• Scriven, M. & Paul, R. (1987). Defining critical thinking [Paper presentation]. 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform.
• Seferoğlu, S. S., & Akbıyık, C. (2006). Eleştirel düşünme eğilimleri ve akademik başarı [Critical thinking dispositions and academic achievement]. Çukurova University Journal of Institute of Social Sciences, 2(32), 90-99.
• Siegel, H. (1999). What (good) are thinking dispositions? Educational Theory, 49(2), 207-224. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5446.1999.00207.x
• Stevens, J. (2001). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Swartz, R., & Parks, S. (1994). Infusing thinking into instruction. Critical Thinking & Software.
• Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson Education.
• Tankersley, K. (2005). Literacy Strategies for Grades 4–12: Reinforcing the threads of reading. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Tokyürek, T. (2001). The effects of teacher's attitudes on student's critical thinking skills [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Sakarya University, Sakarya.
• Tutkun, C., & Şahin, F. T. (2016). Naturalistic observations of mother, father and children: is it mother and child in a bookstore environment? or father and child? Kastamonu Education Journal, 24(5), 2293-2308.
• Tümkaya, S. (2011). Comparison of college science major students’ learning styles and critical thinking disposition. Journal of Kırşehir Education Faculty, 12(3), 215-234.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.