Comparison of critical thinking dispositions of gifted students in support education (enrolled with SACs) and formal education

Abstract

Critical thinking is the ability of individuals to reason against events, facts, situations, and to analyze and evaluate problem situations. It is the ability to reveal the difference between the arguments between the lines and rhetoric while using elements such as reading, writing, speaking and listening, which are the four basic language skills. The main purpose of this research is to determine the critical thinking dispositions of primary school students diagnosed with special abilities. In line with this main purpose, the relationships between students' grade levels, gender, number of siblings, education levels of parents, whether students are gifted or not, their ability to express their thoughts in the family and their critical thinking tendencies will be revealed. In the study, it will be structured using the survey model design, which is one of the quantitative research methods. With the survey model, the critical thinking tendencies of gifted primary school students will be determined in the research. In addition, the relationships between critical thinking dispositions and variables such as grade level, gender, number of siblings, education level of parents, ability to express their thoughts at home will also be examined. The study group of the research consisted of third and fourth grade students studying in the provinces and districts of Tokat and receiving education in Science and Art Centers with 55 special talents, and 187 students with average talent. Thus, a total of 242 students took part in the study group of the research. The data in the research were obtained by using the 'Critical Thinking Tendency Scale for Primary School Students' developed by Uluçınar and Akar (2021). Consisting of 18 items in total, the scale consists of four sub-dimensions. Alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was found .80. The data obtained in the research were analyzed with the help of SPSS package program. Before starting the analysis of the data, normality analyzes were made and as a result of the analysis, Independent Sample t-Test and ANOVA tests were used for the data showing normal distribution of the data. The Kruskal Wallis Test was applied to the data that were not normally distributed. According to the research findings, the critical thinking dispositions of the gifted students were at a good level. No statistically significant difference was found between the critical thinking dispositions of gifted students and the sub-dimensions of the scale, as well as their grade levels, gender status, number of siblings, and parental education status. A significant difference was found in favor of the gifted students between the Science and Art Center students who were diagnosed with special talent and those who continue their education in their regular schools. In addition, the critical thinking dispositions of special students who always express their thoughts in the family were significantly higher than those of the gifted students who sometimes express their thoughts.