Abstract:

Critical thinking is the vital ability of the 21st century educational environments. The need for this skill in higher education institutions has been proven by research done. It is also clear that this skill that is focused on so much importance is not at the desired level in students who have already reached the university level. In this case, it is important to identify the obstacles in front of the students’ critical thinking ability to clarify this situation and to develop solutions. Starting from this point, Semerci vd is the data collection tool of the research designed in the scanning model. The extent developed by ELDEN was used. The study group consists of 330 students studying in the Department of Western Languages and Literature at the University of Fırat. In the framework of the study, visual statistical processes have been applied to determine the level of students’ critical thinking obstacles. On the other hand, to determine the degree in which critical thinking obstacles are varied on the basis of some variables, independent groups have also tested t and one-way variance analysis. The results of the study are as follows: It was understood that the level of critical thinking disabilities of participants was medium. Students studying in the Department of English Language and Literature have been found to have more critical thinking disabilities than students studying in other departments. Critical thinking disorders do not differ by gender. Finally, the critical thinking obstacles change in the context of age change.

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