Critical Thinking Dispositions of Undergraduate Art Education and History Students

In an ever-changing world, we have been witnessing many developments in our lives. A way to keep up with these developments will be possible through necessary skills such as critical thinking. In the literature, art education is suggested specifically as a contributor for creative skill development and critical thinking skills. The objective of this study was to examine and evaluate students’ critical thinking skills based on undergraduate subject area of study. Accordingly, students’ critical thinking skills were examined within critical thinking sub-dimensions in addition to variables of gender, age, and year of study. The sample groups consisted of undergraduate freshman and senior students studying Art Education and History. The study was structured according to the relational screening model, and the Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level Z (CCTT-Z) was used to measure critical thinking skills. Results of the study revealed that, critical thinking skill levels of the students were low in both cohorts and there was no statistically significant difference according to study areas. The results also showed no meaningful difference in critical thinking skills of freshman and senior students within the group who are studying Art Education. Similarly, demographics such as gender and year of study made no particular difference in terms of students’ critical thinking scores. The cohort of 25-30 age group showed a relatively positive difference in terms of age variable as compared to other cohorts. It was concluded that critical thinking skills could be supported by means of designing a curriculum that encourages and develops critical thinking skills and creative thinking through specific educational strategies.