The relationship between parental attitudes, God concept, and critical thinking skills in university students (A sample of SDÜ and ISUBÜ)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between university students perceived parental attitudes and critical thinking skills. A correlational screening model was used in the study. In the study, a "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher was used to collect information about the demographic variables of the participants, a "Parental Attitudes Scale" was used to determine the parental attitudes perceived by university students, a "God Conception Scale" was used to measure their perceptions of God, and a "Critical Thinking Skills Scale" was used to measure the level of critical thinking skills they possess. The study population consisted of students studying at various faculties at Süleyman Demirel University and Isparta University of Applied Sciences during the 2024-2025 spring semester. A total of 272 participants, 181 female and 91 males, were selected from the specified population using random sampling. Data were collected through online surveys delivered to the participants in a virtual environment. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 25.0 Statistical Analysis Program. The research found that there were significant differences between the perception of God and demographic variables. It was observed that the perception of God was significantly affected by the gender variable, with female participants' perception of God being love-oriented, while male participants perceived God as fear-oriented. Individuals who received religious education outside of school were found to have more positive perceptions of God than those who did not, and those who received religious education centered on love also had more positive perceptions of God than those who received religious education centered on oppression and fear. Regarding critical thinking skills, significant results were found in terms of gender in terms of demographic variables, only in the "analytical" subscale favoring male participants and in the grade level variable favoring 4th graders. While the participants perceived parental attitudes were not affected by demographic variables, the delivery of religious education was found to significantly influence perceived parental attitudes.