An examination of the relationship between the educational philosophies adopted by social studies teacher candidates and their critical thinking and problem-solving skills

In today's world, which is transforming into an information society, it is no longer sufficient for individuals to be merely equipped with knowledge; it is also expected that they are able to critically evaluate the knowledge they possess and produce solutions to various problems. In this context, the perspectives of pre-service teachers, their educational philosophies, and the educational approaches they adopt play a key role in shaping the quality of educational processes. This study examines the relationship between the educational perspectives of social studies pre-service teachers at the university level and their tendencies toward critical thinking and problem-solving. In this regard, the intersections between contemporary educational philosophies and the mental skills required by them are analyzed. In the implementation phase, data obtained from 489 social studies pre-service teachers studying during the 2024–2025 academic year were analyzed using quantitative methods. "These data obtained through these scales like Educational Beliefs Scale", "Critical Thinking Education Scale" and "Problem Solving Inventory" were analyzed with descriptive statistics, difference tests and regression analysis. According to the results, the participants were predominantly oriented towards contemporary educational philosophies such as progressivism and reconstructionism, and showed moderate proficiency in critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Some philosophical orientations have been found to be significantly related to intellectual skills; progressivism and existentialism in particular have been found to have strong ties with critical thinking education, while reconstructionism has been found to have strong ties with problem-solving competence. These findings show that teacher candidates' beliefs about education are not only a theoretical orientation but also a fundamental element that affects their way of thinking and professional performance. Keywords: Critical Thinking, Philosophy of Education, Problem Solving Skills, Social Studies, Teacher Candidates