Critical Thinking Disposition and Skill as Factors of Academic Performance among Higher Secondary School Students

Abstract

Contemporary cognitive psychology regards human reasoning as a complex process which is both reactive and reflective. The teaching of thinking is acknowledged by many as an important goal of education and underlying this view is a conception of what constitutes good thinking. Good thinking consists of a cluster of well-developed creative and critical thinking skills. John Dewey is just one of many educational leaders who recognized that a curriculum aimed at building thinking skills would be a benefit not only to the individual learner, but also to the community and to the entire democracy. A holistic approach to the teaching of thinking-skills should be considered essential if we want to empower students with ‘the skills they need to adapt to change, to handle the information explosion in our environment and to face the challenging years ahead’ (McGrath & Noble, 1995). The schooling process has to enable students to develop thinking skills and questioning abilities. It implies that thinking is one of the basic abilities that need to be developed. The thinking processes can be developed if a teacher is sensitive to the fact that he has the responsibility to work for all round development of the personality of the children.