An analysis of the critical thinking of university students enrolled in a faculty of education

Abstract

This study seeks to identify the critical thinking of students in a state university in Turkey. All the subjects were enrolled in the Faculty of Education. While doing this research, the students’ approaches to critical thinking and their critical thinking experiences are analyzed. The data gathered is interpreted within the framework of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design, the following research questions were investigated: (a) What are the critical thinking dispositions of the subjects? (b) Based on their personal experiences, how do they conceptualize critical thinking? In the quantitative stage, the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) was employed. In the qualitative stage, semi-structured interviews with 20 students were conducted. The quantitative data suggests that the subjects have a positive disposition towards critical thinking. It was observed that exercising critical thinking depends not only on actually having the ability to think critically but also upon the subject’s environment as well as the characteristics of people surrounding the subject. Hence, it is concluded that critical thinking is a context-based concept rather than a purely individual characteristic or skill. This research contributes to the field in terms of understanding critical thinking in a more comprehensive manner.