An Empirical Study Of Critical Thinking Tendency Of High School Students

As the development of the information age and the knowledge globalization,the update of knowledge also has a rapid progress around the world.During the process of analyzing and dealing with information,individuals have to apply special cognitive skills to display talents and also establish a positive outlook on lives in the course of the ‘life-long choices'.In some extent,this willingness to apply cognitive skills to evaluate facts critically rather than receive them without hesitation is identified as ‘critical disposition'.Based on what has been achieved by the researchers,this essay will focus on critical disposition level of Chinese high school students with the methodologies of questionnaires and interviews.The whole essay will be divided into the following parts:The first part includes background,related concepts of critical thinking disposition,literatures and methodology.Secondly,research on the specific performance of high school students' critical thinking disposition through the results of questionnaires and interviews.Thirdly,analyses on the main factors which influence the development of individuals' critical disposition.Finally,practical strategies for improving students' critical thinking disposition.223 high school students,who enrolled in the four different senior schools in Jia Musi,Hei Longjiang province,participated in the present study completing the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory(CCTDI),My Class.After completing the questionnaires,10 interviewees(5 students and 5 teachers)were selected randomly from the above three schools and interviews were conducted to survey their inner and subjective concepts of critical thinking ability deeply.The results showed that the general situation of the participants' critical thinking disposition was at an average level.Although there was no statistically significant difference was found between gender and critical thinking disposition,significant difference existed in the dimensions of open-mindedness,analyticity,confidence and maturity between male and female students.The statistical difference was found between academic achievement and critical thinking disposition,and between discipline and critical thinking disposition.Moreover,genters,disciplines,academic achievement,classroom environment and individual's experience appeared to be the main factors which influenced students' thinking development.Being an inclusive and generous teacher,cultivating students' critical thinking disposition in specific subjects,using textbooks effectively and changing questioning ways would be the practical approaches to cultivate students' critical thinking development in Chinese practical classrooms.