Investigation of the learning styles and critical thinking dispositions of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in terms of various variables

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the relationship between learning styles and critical thinking dispositions of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in terms of various variables, and to determine whether critical thinking tendencies differ in terms of learning styles. The study was carried out with the participation of 687 students attending secondary schools in Şırnak province, Cizre and Silopi districts in 2018-2019 academic year. The "California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory", developed by Facione and Giancarlo and adapted to Turkish by Kökdemir, was used to determine students' critical thinking dispositions. In order to determine learning styles, "Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (Version III)", which was translated into Turkish by Evin Gencel, was used. Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, Kruskal Wallis H test, Spearman Correlation Coefficient and linear regression analysis were used as statistical analyses. The results for p<,05 were considered statistically significant. The median value of the students who participated in the research was 13,0 (1,0) years. 42,6% of the students consisted of 6th-grade students and 47,6% of the students living in the district. The students were evaluated by California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory-III according to gender and grade level and statistically significant differences were found (p<,05). As a result, students' critical thinking skills and tendencies contribute to all areas of life, as well as gaining students' critical thinking skills and tendencies to determine the teaching style of students' learning style is an important requirement for contemporary education programs. Key Words: critical thinking, critical thinking disposition, learning, learning styles