An investigation of the relationship between secondary school class guidance teachers' views on guidance programs, culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy, and critical thinking skills

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between secondary school class guidance teachers' views on guidance programs, their culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy, and critical thinking skills, as well as to determine whether culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy plays a mediating role in this relationship. This quantitative study, was conducted with 231 secondary guidance teachers working in the central district of Kastamonu province during the 2023–2024 academic year. Data were collected through the "Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale", the "Marmara Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale", and the "Teacher Opinions on Classroom Guidance Program Questionnaire". The reliability coefficients of the instruments were found to be highly consistent with the original values. The analyses revealed that positive views on classroom guidance programs are significantly and positively associated with both culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy and critical thinking skills. Furthermore, culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy was found to have a statistically significant mediating effect in the relationship between guidance program perceptions and critical thinking. Critical thinking skills differed significantly according to school type, grade level responsibility, and participation in cultural awareness training, while no significant differences were observed based on gender, educational background, or years of professional experience. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing teachers' cultural awareness and critical thinking skills to improve the effectiveness and quality of guidance programs implemented at the middle school level. KEYWORDS:Class Guidance Teacher, Guidance Program, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Self-Efficacy, Critical Thinking November 2025, 126 page