Critical thinking dispositions and decision making as predictors of high school students’ perceived problem solving skills

Abstract

In this non-experimental quantitative study, it was aimed to investigate if high school students’ critical thinking (CT) dispositions, decision making (DM) styles, and perceived problem solving (PS) skills differ by gender and their CT dispositions and DM styles are significant predictors of perceived PS skills. The study was carried out with 170 high school students and the data were collected with UF/EMI Critical Thinking Disposition Instrument, Problem Solving Skills Perception Scale, and Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire. It was found out that gender did not significantly affect students’ CT dispositions, perceived PS skills, and DM styles except for decisional self-esteem. Also, CT dispositions (engagement, maturity, and innovativeness) and DM styles (decisional self-esteem, vigilance, panic, cop out, and complacency) were significant predictors of the students’ perceived PS skills. While CT dispositions explained 51% of the total variance on students’ perceived PS skills, DM styles explained 48% of the total variance.