Developing Critical-Thinking Dispositions in a Listening/Speaking Class

Abstract

Studies on critical thinking (CT) in education have been of paramount importance in recent decades to help individuals develop skills such as analyzing, synthesizing, higher-order thinking, and assessing. In line with such studies, this study aims to examine aspects of critical thinking dispositions of Turkish adult learners of English in a listening/speaking class (N = 17) based on the inventory developed by The California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI). The study was in nature idiographic and phenomenographic with content analysis. The findings show that the participants were better in developing the aspects of being inquisitive, truth-seeking, open-minded and confident, while the aspects of systematicity, analyticity, and cognitive maturity were less developed by the participants. These developed skills included the main features of the seven aspects of critical thinking dispositions.