Abstract:

The aim of this study is to study the critical thinking levels of biology teachers in terms of various variables. The sample of the study consists of thirty biology teachers who work in the eighteen randomly selected state high schools in the spring period of the 2016-2017 educational and academic year, located in the center of the province of Trabzon. The study used the “Personal Information Form”, the “California Critical Thought Trend Scale (CCTDI), which is the critical thinking level scale. The CCTDI data obtained from the study was analyzed using the SPSS 21 statistical package program. The independent sampling t test has been used to determine whether the critical thinking levels of teachers differ according to gender, graduated faculty and educational conditions, and the one-way anova test to determine whether they differ according to professional experience. Pearson's correlation analysis has been used to determine the relationship of CCTDI with the subdimensions. When research findings are studied, it has been determined that the critical thinking levels of biology teachers are also "low" levels. Additionally, critical thinking levels have not shown any significant differences according to gender and professional discretion. According to the educational conditions of teachers, the truth search and analytical attitude within the CCTDI scale showed a significant difference in favor of graduate graduates, while such a significant difference was not found in other subcategories. The curiousness and analytical attitude of teachers within the CCTDI scale, according to the faculty graduated, shows a significant difference in favor of the graduates of the educational faculty, while such a significant difference has not been found in other subcategories. The conclusion can be made that courses taken at the postgraduate level and the studies conducted contribute to the development of individual critical thinking levels. This research will contribute to the field, including the teachers of biology working in other cities, with extensive studies.