Özet:

Religious education aims to help individuals acquire the right knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about religion, morality, and values. In addition, individuals are expected to develop a critical and flexible thinking style on correct knowledge under the guidance of teachers in religious education. Because Islam, which is the subject of religious education, attaches great importance to the development and use of reason. In Islam, knowledge obtained through research, thinking, and discussion is considered to be more valuable than knowledge obtained only through senses and/or traditional transmission. Religious education is effective in the process of individuals making sense of their own existence, values, the world they live in, life, death, and beyond. At the same time, individuals acquire moral values and virtues that will guide their lives. In this process, individuals' thinking skills should be developed, and their questioning should be encouraged in religious education. Because it is desired for individuals to have a faith personally researched and chosen through knowledge, consciousness, thinking, and questioning rather than a blind one. The role of Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge (RCMK) teachers and Imam Hatip schools at the secondary and high school level vocational courses teachers are important in the process of providing students with these characteristics targeted by religious education. A qualified religious education teacher should have the cognitive flexibility to solve the problems encountered in the learning-teaching process and to produce different solutions to different problems. Additionally, religious education teachers are expected to guide students in the acquisition of all these skills by creating learning environments that provide opportunities for research, discovery, problem-solving, sharing, and discussing different solutions and approaches for students' active participation in the learning process. It is thought that it is important for teachers to have cognitive flexibility (CF) and critical thinking (CT) skills as well as knowledge, skills, and competencies related to religious education and teaching. This study aims to examine the relationship between the religious education teacher candidates' CF levels and CT dispositions. In addition, CF and CT dispositions levels of religious education teacher candidates and whether these levels differ according to various demographic characteristics are examined. The sample group of the research, which was conducted with a descriptive survey method, included 373 teacher candidates studying in the Faculty of Theology and in the Theology Field of Pedagogical Formation Education Certificate Program. In the study, data were obtained by applying Cognitive Flexibility Levels and Critical Thinking Dispositions Scales to the prospective teachers in the field of theology. Parametric analyses were used to analyze the data. According to the results of the study, it is determined that the religious education teacher candidates' CF levels are at a medium level, and their CT dispositions are at a high level. It is also seen that there is a positive and highly significant relationship between the religious education teachers candidates' CF levels and CT dispositions. In the study, it is determined that the CF levels and CT dispositions of religious education teacher candidates do not differ according to gender, socioeconomic status, and the type of high school graduated from. However, it is found that there is a significant difference in the levels of CT dispositions, critical engagement dimension, and CF according to the age of the prospective religious education teachers. Activities involving practices that include both cognitive flexibility and critical thinking can be organized for prospective religious education teachers during the education-training process in the Faculty of Theology and The Pedagogical Formation Education Certificate Program. It can be suggested that more attention should be paid to the use of methods and techniques such as problem-solving, discussion, case studies, etc., in teaching vocational knowledge courses in order to support prospective religious education teachers preparing for RCMK and Imam Hatip Schools at secondary and high school level vocational courses to take an active role in providing thinking skills to their students in these courses. In addition, it may be recommended to conduct similar studies on the relationship between CF and CT dispositions on the sample groups of both students studying at Imam Hatip Schools at the secondary and high school level and the Faculty of Theology and teachers or expert lecturers.

Anahtar Kelimeler: