The relationship between critical thinking dispositions and autonomy levels of EFL prep school teachers in Turkey

This study aimed to find out the levels of teacher autonomy and critical thinking dispositions of EFL teachers working in prep-schools of universities in Turkey, as well as the correlation between these two qualities. Furthermore, the impact of professional experience and level of education on critical thinking dispositions and autonomy levels of participants were also investigated. The respective quantitative data was collected through the application of Teaching Autonomy Scale by Pearson & Hall (1993) and Critical Thinking Disposition Scale by Sosu (2013). Having gathered data from 92 different participants, the obtained results suggested a moderate level of autonomy and critical thinking dispositions of EFL teachers working in prep-schools of four different universities in Turkey, from both foundation and public backgrounds. Furthermore, while no significant correlation between the autonomy levels and duration of professional career was found, between the variables of education level and level of autonomy, there existed a positive correlation, especially for those participants who held a PhD. Finally, in between the rest of the variables examined in the research, including the level of autonomy and critical thinking dispositions of the participants, no significant correlation was found.