The Impact of Epistemological Beliefs and School Climate on the Sustainability of Critical Thinking Dispositions in Middle School Students

Osman Yılmaz Kartal (), Akan Deniz Yazgan, Dinçer Temelli and Meral Yavuz Kartal
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Osman Yılmaz Kartal: Department of Education Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17000, Turkey
Akan Deniz Yazgan: Department of Education Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17000, Turkey
Dinçer Temelli: Ministery of National Education, Gelibolu 100. Yıl Barış Secondary School, Çanakkale 17500, Turkey
Meral Yavuz Kartal: Ministery of National Education, Çanakkale Governorship—European Union and Foreign Relations Office, Çanakkale 17000, Turkey

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-25

Abstract: The objective of this study is to ascertain whether school climate and students’ epistemological beliefs serve as predictors of sustainable critical thinking dispositions in middle school students. This research is designed as a correlational study. A total of 585 students from four middle schools in Çanakkale, Turkey, participated in the research. To this end, the researchers administered the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, the Middle School Students’ Epistemological Belief Scale, and the School Climate Survey, gradually collecting the raw data. Following the collection of the data, they were subjected to analysis using multiple linear regression. The results of the statistical analysis demonstrated that the students’ critical thinking dispositions were significantly predicted by both epistemological beliefs and school climate. In other words, belief in the omniscient power of authority and quick learning were found to have a negative correlation with critical thinking, whereas belief in simple knowledge was observed to have an inverse positive relationship. The dimension of the school climate, relating to positive student–teacher relations, appeared to constitute a prospective positive predictor, while authoritarian student–teacher relations and the lack of resources were identified as the main negative classroom environment factors. The study highlights the complex mutual influence of individual beliefs and the learning environment in the development of critical thinking dispositions.

Keywords: critical thinking dispositions; epistemological beliefs; middle school students; school climate; sustainable critical thinking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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