Abstract:

This study has been conducted to measure the effect of self-esteem and decision making styles of university students in decision making as the predictors of critical thinking dispositions. Study sampling is composed of a total of 435 students being trained in the Faculty of Education at Mustafa Kemal University during the spring term of 2016-2017 academic year. 224 students (51,5%) are female, 211 students (48,5%) are male and mean age of the population is 21.04. In this study “The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory” was applied to designate students' critical thinking disposition whereas “Melbourne Decision making Scale” was employed s to detect self-esteem and decision making styles in decision making. In this study multiple regression analysis was harnessed so as to unveil the effect of self-esteem and decision making styles of university students in decision making as the predictors of critical thinking dispositions. At the end of multilinear regression analysis it was identified that self-esteem, vigilance, buck-passing, procrastination and hypervigilance subscales collectively predicted significantly their critical thinking disposition in any given decision making process. It was then put forth that these five variables explained 44% of critical thinking disposition. In this study a positive and significant relationship was measured between critical thinking and decision making; a positive and significant relationship between self-esteem and vigilance; a negative and significant relationship between buck-passing, procrastination and hypervigilance styles. In parallel with the increment of self-esteem level and vigilance style scores of students while making decisions, a corresponding rise was measured in their critical thinking disposition scores. On the other hand as their scores of buck-passing, procrastination and hypervigilance styles decreased there was an identical fall in their critical thinking disposition scores. It was thus concluded that group counseling activities at universities to hone students' decision making skills would correspondingly elevate their critical thinking skills.

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